The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity

Very good and recommended to learn about Orthodoxy.

If you want to know about the Orthodox church, this book is great. Good info without being complicated.

Amazing book filled with information and history, a good look into the history of the Orthodox faith, a definite read for those looking at the orthodox faith.

A very thorough book that delves deeply into the subject matter. As expected, the Bishop is obviously highly educated and very knowledgable in the subject, this clearly comes across in the book. He has evidently worked hard at condensing what is a very comprehensive topic area into a very readable paperback without doing an injustice to the church and its history. Due to the author's credentials I would imagine the book is unrivalled in its field. However, for those with only a superficial interest in the topic the book may be a rather little too dense, dry and monotonous, it is not really light reading and I found myself getting a little bored at times, as admittedly, I am more interested in orthodox theology and praxis rather than church history. Hence why my title. It would be shame not to complete what is a very insightful book. If you have any reservations you may wish to consider the author's other book 'the Orthodox Way' as an alternative, or as a precursor to this book, a book that goes far deeper into the subjects of history, theology and praxis, splits and the effects of persecution under Communism. The book also provides a very good clear explanation of theosis, the orthodox understanding of the very purpose of all of our lives. The Orthodox Church is significantly more developed and complete in its understanding of this particular theological concept, than is found anywhere in the West. The book, although primarily aimed at lay readers, is nonetheless sufficiently academic to be able to make a very credible contribution to any theology degree course.

its been most useful

I have learned so much about the orthodox view of early church history and the 7 ecumenical councils. The author gives a very easy to understand but information packed recap of the history. I have only read this part so I can't comment on the rest of the book but I am enjoying it a lot. I honestly can't stop reading despite having exams to study for.

I gave this book a five star rating; The author writes with such clarity, even a novice like myself can get to grips with the finer details of Orthodox theology. But it is more than that; the author's passion for his faith jumps out from every page, making the book much more than a dry academic 'This is how it works' manual. This has only furthered my interest in the Orthodox Church and the people who belong to it.

Although a graduate in Theology, my academic experience never extended beyond Rome and the interaction between "Western Christianity" and the dialogue with Judaism, Islam and Buddhism and ethics and philosophy. Although realising that there were differences between Western Christianity and Orthodoxy I never explored these and it was only as a result of a visit to an Orthodox Cathedral in Estonia that my interest was stimulated. This book is an ideal introduction to this tradition and the reader, like myself, will perhaps have a whole new view on Orthodoxy and the tribulations and trials that the Orthodox communities have faced throughout history, not only from Islam but also from Communism. (I particularly was interested in that section which dealt with the experience in the Russian Church under Communism). This book has now stimulated my interest to carry my studies further and try to understand more about Orthodox Christianity and whether it has a spiritual message in post modernity.

gut

A very complete and well organized book about the history of the Orthodox Church and the basic fundamentals of its doctrine. It's written in an interesting and enjoyable style to read. I recommend this book for anyone interested in knowing more about Orthodox Church history and faith.

This book is a must for anyone who wishes to learn about Orthodoxy. However it only covers the Eastern Orthodox Churches and not the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Reducing the size of the print presumably made the book cheaper to publish, but it has ruined the reading experience. I hate leaving a book unfinished, but I doubt I'll plough all the way through this.

Everyone should have this