Recommended for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (IS 10-17-1674) God created the human soul in His own dwelling, and it can feel happy only as it is liberated from slavery to sin and from the bottomless devil’s evil and as it approaches his to God. Christian asceticism introduces a person into Christian psychology, into this science of reviving the soul and returning it to its original happiness. Its presentation is given by one of the most profound Christian psychologists - St. John Climacus - in his immortal book “The Ladder”, which for more than a thousand years has served as a true guide for Christians along the path of moral ascent from earth to heaven, to the achievement of the highest perfection. This beloved work for Christians is analyzed in detail and presented in a form accessible to the modern reader by the famous Orthodox author, ascetic of piety, Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov), in the schema Panteleimon, one of the outstanding confessors of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.Golden-Ship.ru2014