“Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” New Religious Documentary Film Begins FebruaryTheatrical Release!

2011-02-16

A film that has been endorsed by the National Council of Churches and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” takes you on a journey into the history of the newly discovered ancient prayer and into the deep mysteries of God.

Revealed by monks, desert hermits and nuns throughout the Middle East, Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and Russia and for the first time ever recorded on film, “Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” shares the experience of the simple Jesus prayer that has been known by generations of Eastern Christians dating back to the times of the Apostles.

This Jesus Prayer remains largely unknown in the west. Join Emmy Award winning theologian and author, Dr. Norris J. Chumley and Very Rev. Dr. John A. McGuckin in this film as they travel to the ancient lands of the east, discovering the Jesus Prayer firsthand in the regions where Christianity and the Church began.

With eight years in the making “Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” takes you on a mystical and fascinating voyage that unearths some of the world’s oldest treasures of religious art and sacred altars that were never before seen by the outside world, until now.

This religious documentary film provides never before, first-hand access into these holy locations, secret practices, and ancient prayer, taking you on a once in a lifetime trip to the heart of God.

Norris J. Chumley is an Emmy Award winning documentary producer, director and author whose work has been featured on PBS, NBC, ABC, A&E, USA, SHOWTIME, and HBO/Cinemax channels. With a B.F.A. from NYU and a PhD in Theology, he went on to create hundreds of commercials, documentaries and specials and has received numerous awards including the SONY/American Film Institute’s Grand Prize in Video and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Cultural Programming. He is currently the Executive Producer and Director of Media for Columbia University’s Department of Religion and a featured columnist for the Huffington Post.

Rev. Dr. John Anthony McGuckin is Nielsen Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Christian History, Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Society of Arts and has authored nineteen books including: Standing in God’s Holy Fire: The Byzantine Spiritual Tradition, The Orthodox Church: Its History and Spiritual Culture and The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul’s Ascent from the Desert Fathers and other Early Christian Contemplatives. He is currently the priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

“Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer” is currently in sneak preview release from SnagFilms. Theatrical screenings begin in February 2011. HarperOne companion book: April 5, 2011. DVD: May 3rd, 2011. Only on selected Comcast and Verizon Fios Video-On-Demand cable.

For more information on where this documentary film is booking, visit the official website at: www.JesusPrayerMovie.com

For more information on booking the film in theaters, please contact:

Mat Levy
Mat (at) PassionRiver (dot) com
732-321-0711 x135

Source: