Lost Histories: The Good, the Bad, and the Strange in Early American Orthodoxy

by Matthew Namee, John Maddex (Narrator)

You've probably heard of St. Raphael Hawaweeny, St. Alexander Hotovitsky, liturgical translator Isabel Hapgood, and other righteous men and women who made their mark on the early development of Orthodoxy in America. But what about the notorious itinerant Bulgarian Monk? Or Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first black Orthodox priest in America? Or Vera Johnston, who served the Orthodox Church without renouncing her Theosophist roots? Their stories and many others—some edifying, some appalling, all entertaining—make up the lost histories of the early decades of Orthodox Christianity in the continental United States.

Genres: History, Christianity

Audible Audio

Published July 22, 2025

Reviews

[Alex of Yoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a tough book to rate. On the one hand, it's written well and includes a lot of good history nuggets. On the other, I'm not really sure what the point of it was...

This is a collection of short synopses detailing the lives of different and largely unknown Orthodox people who in some way, shape, or form had an influence on early American Orthodoxy, for good and bad. The prologue and epilogue include a very brief overview of early Orthodoxy in the contiguous US states, and otherwise the author divides each chapter into focusing on one particular event or person who is typically overlooked in the larger history books (sometimes for good reason).

So, this book is obviously well-researched and comes from an author who has spent numerous years studying Orthodox history. It's well-written, easy to understand, and a fairly quick read. I like the concept of covering different people and events in history that don't typically get the spotlight, and I appreciated that he kept to the facts and didn't hide personalities or stories that are less than flattering. The Church has her saints, but it's good and humbling to remember the there's her share of scoundrels as well (as is the case in every religion, country, institution, etc).

I just don't know how to recommend this book, because it doesn't really have a central point/purpose/message. Some of the stories are inspiring. Some are just sad. And a good amount are mostly just there, with little resolution or conclusion outside of what the author could glean from newspapers. For an Orthodox history buff, it'll be a good supplemental read, but outside of that, I found the book neither inspiring nor convicting. It doesn't really have much to offer the average layperson. It's a pet project, and it reads as such.

In conclusion, this isn't a bad book at all. I'm not saying don't read it. But it's not a devotional read, isn't a life of saints, has no "earth-shattering" discoveries or lessons to be learned. It's really just a collection of historical accounts of people who had some random connections to American Orthodoxy in the early 1900s, enough to be mentioned in newspapers, but not enough to really be remembered today (again, in many cases for good reason). If you love history and you're Orthodox, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, I don't think you're missing out by passing this by.

[Shea Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've followed Matthew Namee's efforts to unbury American Orthodox history for some time, and I was very excited to see he had finally written a book. This was long overdue in my opinion. But Namee didn't just create another history book to be added to the handful of others we already have on American Orthodox history, but instead offered something that is unique and uniquely him. Lost Histories is a collection of the weird and quirky from American Orthodoxy, giving almost the opposite content of a typical history book or hagiography of a Saints life, and instead giving us the strange and anecdotal, the sad and the funny, that really bring Orthodox history to life. I was glad I had read a general overview book of American Orthodoxy before this one in order to have a reference for the stories in this book, but I also found myself enjoying this book a lot more. If a typical history book is the black and white sketch of the history of American Orthodoxy, this book is the colors that make it feel alive, that makes you grasp the stories as someone who had actually experienced it. This book feels much more human than a typical history book, and I think that's particularly Orthodox to make things human, to make them incarnational.

If you enjoy history and Orthodoxy, you will most certainly enjoy this book.

[w gall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stories from the history of the Orthodox Church in the USA, some inspiring, some embarrassing. No sugar coating here.

[Corinne]

I found this one one sad and disturbing. It’s amazing to me that the Orthodox Church has made it in America.

[Angelica Fotos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit disturbing to read as an Orthodox Christian, but it underscores the idea that man is imperfect but God's love is perfect. He will guide those who believe in three true path.