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The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity
The readable, deeply authoritative and bestselling book on the Orthodox Church, in a fully updated and revised Third Edition.
'Orthodoxy claims to be universal . . .'
Since its first publication fifty years ago, Timothy Ware's book has become established throughout the English-speaking world as the standard introduction to the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy continues to be a subject of enormous interest among western Christians, and the author believes that an understanding of its standpoint is necessary before the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches can be reunited. In this revised and updated edition he explains the Orthodox views on such widely ranging matters as Ecumenical Councils, Sacraments, Free Will, Purgatory, the Papacy and the relation between the different Orthodox Churches.
'Orthodoxy claims to be universal . . .'
Since its first publication fifty years ago, Timothy Ware's book has become established throughout the English-speaking world as the standard introduction to the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy continues to be a subject of enormous interest among western Christians, and the author believes that an understanding of its standpoint is necessary before the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches can be reunited. In this revised and updated edition he explains the Orthodox views on such widely ranging matters as Ecumenical Councils, Sacraments, Free Will, Purgatory, the Papacy and the relation between the different Orthodox Churches.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
690 people are currently reading
3815 people want to read
About the author
Kallistos Ware
108 books272 followersHis Excellency, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (also known by his lay name, Timothy Ware) is a titular metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Great Britain. From 1966-2001, he was Spalding Lecturer of Eastern Orthodox Studies at Oxford University, and has authored numerous books and articles pertaining to the Orthodox Christian faith.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
September 16, 2022
This book by Bishop Kallistos Ware is probably the preeminent book on the history, beliefs, and practices of the Orthodox Church along with its relations with other Christian groups. While reading it, it seemed to me that it complements well Bishop Ware's other work, "The Orthodox Way", a book that profoundly changed my thinking about Christianity and my relationship with God and the Church.
This is not a puff piece. The author is candid about the Church from its founding to its greatest moments, to how its handled its darkest hours, and times when its leaders have made mistakes or errors in either faith or in principle.
The Orthodox Church is not a "denomination" in the sense that other Christian groups may be, but is really a community of believers from different jurisdictions that are all in communion with one another, share the same doctrines and dogma, and a common creed. "Russian Orthodox", "Greek Orthodox", "Antiochian Orthodox", etc, are not different denominations --- they're all Orthodox in communion one with another -- just different jurisdictions. As an Orthodox Christian, I've visited many other jurisdictions like these, have always been welcomed and given communion --- even in foreign countries.
Bishop Kallistos gives us the history of all of these and how they came about. Remarkable stories --- even more so, since, for much of their history --- perhaps more so than in the West, Orthodoxy has had to endure long periods, sometimes centuries-long, of persecution and discrimination --- from pagans, barbarians, Muslims, fascists, and communists. Such strengthened and quickened the Church -- but, also have had the effect of isolating the Orthodox World from Western Christianity.
Having done this, he then gives the beliefs and practices of the Orthodox Church, followed by sections on the present relations of the Church to other Christian groups.
A very readable, enjoyable book. I recommend this for anyone interested in theology or in learning more about Orthodox Christianity.
Finally, I note with sadness the repose of Bishop Kallistos Ware last month (August 2022). A wonderful man of God whose thoughtful and profound writings have so eloquently educated many about Christianity and the Orthodox faith --- may his memory be eternal.
This is not a puff piece. The author is candid about the Church from its founding to its greatest moments, to how its handled its darkest hours, and times when its leaders have made mistakes or errors in either faith or in principle.
The Orthodox Church is not a "denomination" in the sense that other Christian groups may be, but is really a community of believers from different jurisdictions that are all in communion with one another, share the same doctrines and dogma, and a common creed. "Russian Orthodox", "Greek Orthodox", "Antiochian Orthodox", etc, are not different denominations --- they're all Orthodox in communion one with another -- just different jurisdictions. As an Orthodox Christian, I've visited many other jurisdictions like these, have always been welcomed and given communion --- even in foreign countries.
Bishop Kallistos gives us the history of all of these and how they came about. Remarkable stories --- even more so, since, for much of their history --- perhaps more so than in the West, Orthodoxy has had to endure long periods, sometimes centuries-long, of persecution and discrimination --- from pagans, barbarians, Muslims, fascists, and communists. Such strengthened and quickened the Church -- but, also have had the effect of isolating the Orthodox World from Western Christianity.
Having done this, he then gives the beliefs and practices of the Orthodox Church, followed by sections on the present relations of the Church to other Christian groups.
A very readable, enjoyable book. I recommend this for anyone interested in theology or in learning more about Orthodox Christianity.
Finally, I note with sadness the repose of Bishop Kallistos Ware last month (August 2022). A wonderful man of God whose thoughtful and profound writings have so eloquently educated many about Christianity and the Orthodox faith --- may his memory be eternal.
January 3, 2009
This is one of the most honest history books I've ever read. Ware sugarcoats neither East nor West in his depiction of the historical church. He disarmed much skepticism by giving the good, the bad and the ugly.
February 14, 2023
Review to follow
April 1, 2009
Worshipping God nearly every Sunday in a Russian Orthodox church during my year in Kazakhstan introduced me to the deeply complex, yet simply beautiful worship of God that is found in Orthodox Christianity. For those several months, it was enough to be ministered to by the beauty of the liturgy, to grow in understanding of its meaning, and to gain basic understanding of Orthodox history and teaching. For several years thereafter, I’ve longed to deepen my understanding of these last two topics, and I looked to Bishop Kallistos Ware’s book to aid that process.
Naturally, the book presents the history and the theology of the Orthodox Church from an Orthodox position. There are indeed times in the historical section in which Ware comes across as defensive, even over non-doctrinal matters. On the other hand, he is very objective in the ecumenical sections, presenting the various viewpoints on the current dialogue with other Christian movements (which is, by the way, quite active, and of which he is somewhat the head), while still masking his own views. Altogether, the book is an enlightening read about an oft-misunderstood tradition to which all of Christianity owes much (ever heard of the trinity?). The book was not able to answer all my questions about this 2000-year old church, but it is hard not to walk away from it in deeper awe of a church that has survived centuries of persecution, developed some of Christianity's most complicated theological claims, undergone NO REFORMATION, converted whole countries, developed the richest liturgical worship that at least I've ever witnessed, and some of whose members have led such exemplary lives of Christian suffering and virtue that words become useless in seeking to describe them. I highly recommend this book to any Christian seeking to understand the history of his/her own faith.
Naturally, the book presents the history and the theology of the Orthodox Church from an Orthodox position. There are indeed times in the historical section in which Ware comes across as defensive, even over non-doctrinal matters. On the other hand, he is very objective in the ecumenical sections, presenting the various viewpoints on the current dialogue with other Christian movements (which is, by the way, quite active, and of which he is somewhat the head), while still masking his own views. Altogether, the book is an enlightening read about an oft-misunderstood tradition to which all of Christianity owes much (ever heard of the trinity?). The book was not able to answer all my questions about this 2000-year old church, but it is hard not to walk away from it in deeper awe of a church that has survived centuries of persecution, developed some of Christianity's most complicated theological claims, undergone NO REFORMATION, converted whole countries, developed the richest liturgical worship that at least I've ever witnessed, and some of whose members have led such exemplary lives of Christian suffering and virtue that words become useless in seeking to describe them. I highly recommend this book to any Christian seeking to understand the history of his/her own faith.
August 19, 2018
As I and my family continue our inevitable pivot toward Orthodoxy, I have been reading more works on, you guessed it, Orthodoxy. This book, by the English theologian Timothy Ware, who as a bishop uses the baptismal name Kallistos, is a classic introduction to Orthodoxy. It was first published in 1963 but has more recently been revised, so it is fully up to date on history—and doctrine has not changed in Orthodoxy since 1963, or 963, for that matter. I’ve actually owned the book for several years, but have only now read it, having been told by several people that it is very much worth reading. And they were right—it is an excellent book.
People in the modern West, even Christians, are largely ignorant of Orthodoxy. The Orthodox, to some extent at least, return the favor—Ware notes that Robert Curzon, a well-traveled English baron, in the 1830s was “disconcerted to find that the Patriarch of Constantinople had never heard of the Archbishop of Canterbury.” (He was not the Curzon who was Viceroy of India at the turn of the twentieth century and regarded as England’s greatest expert of the time on the Orient, though I imagine they were related somehow.) In the twentieth century and today, with modern communications and emigration, the Orthodox have become somewhat more prominent in the West—especially in America, where large numbers of Orthodox immigrants have established their own churches. Ware’s book is an attempt bridge the knowledge gap for Westerners.
The first two-thirds of the book is a detailed and well-written history of Orthodoxy. Ware begins, naturally enough, with a definition of Orthodoxy: “the Christians who are in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.” This excludes Roman Catholics and Protestants, of course, and also the Oriental Orthodox—the Church of the East, today rabidly persecuted by Muslims in places like Syria, and the Monophysite Churches, such as the Coptic Church in Egypt. He also explains the organization of the modern Orthodox Church, which is complicated, but basically boils down to “a family of self-governing Churches,” all in communion and which, in theory, decide any disputed questions by convening in councils. There is therefore no equivalent to the Pope, something that is turning out, after all, to be a feature, not a bug.
Ware discusses the seven general councils, the last one in 787, which determined the outlines of mainstream Christian beliefs. Naturally, since the Great Schism, the breach between Orthodoxy and Roman Christianity, is traditionally dated to 1054, these beliefs are shared by all Roman Catholics, and by many Protestants as well. As remembered today, the most critical issues related to the nature of God in Christian doctrine, though many other matters were also decided at these councils. For Orthodoxy, another critical matter was the treatment of icons, which are more central to worship than are images in the West. Ware identifies iconoclasm with the ever-present Gnostic temptation in Christianity to denigrate the physical world as inferior and to be superseded in ages to come, whereas Orthodox (and all correct Christian) belief is that the material world is “very good” in God’s eyes and is itself ultimately to be “redeemed and glorified.” All this was hammered out within the framework of the (Eastern) Roman empire, of which Ware and other Orthodox tend to have a highly favorable view. The traditional Western view is more negative, conditioned by Roman Catholic hostility and Edward Gibbon’s bigoted, dubious history, and tends, on a political level, to denigrate the Empire as Caesaropapist—that is, with the state dominating the church. Ware, at least, sees it as a symbiotic, cooperative, relationship, and he (along with many Orthodox, I suspect) sees Byzantium at its height as, if still far from an ideal society, the closest Christendom has gotten to one.
Next Ware narrates the complex events leading up to and following the Great Schism, covering everything from the theologian Saint Photius to the Normans in Italy to the Crusades. Interesting information, particularly showing contrasts to the West, frequently crops up, such as the continued prevalence and prominence of lay theologians in the East, where the secular education system had not collapsed as it had in the West. Interspersed in this history is quite a bit of doctrinal discussion, such as details of the Hesychast Controversy, and the related distinctions made in Orthodoxy between God’s essence and energies, a topic that overlaps with the Scholastic innovation of univocity. Later chapters cover, among other matters, the conversion of the Slavs, with a long and fascinating narrative about the Orthodox in Russia, and then detailed coverage of the twentieth century, a time of trials for the Orthodox (and renewed conflict between Orthodox and Roman Catholics in the Balkans, unfortunately). Along the way, Ware also covers the precise current organizational structure of the Church (who knew that Finland was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople?), and similar administrative matters, both in theory and practice.
The Orthodox, with justification, have a dim view of the Crusades, especially the Fourth, but Ware does tend to elide important details running counter to that narrative, such as that the First Crusade (in 1095) was largely a response to a specific request for aid by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, after a series of brutal defeats at the hands of the Turks, beginning at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. In his complaints about the Crusaders, some of which are wholly legitimate, Ware even uses as fact the claim by Raymond of Argiles after the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 that “men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins.” You often hear this quote trotted out; I remember Bill Clinton doing so after September 11. Its modern use is to shift the focus from today’s Muslim atrocities to claimed thousand-year-old Christian ones, as if those were equivalent, or rather the latter far more important. Its earlier use, before the age of global Muslim terror, was to attack Roman Catholics and Christianity generally; it appears in atheist Enlightenment tracts. No doubt, as in all medieval wars, lots of people were killed by the Crusaders. But the quote itself is merely a metaphoric citation to Revelation 14:20, describing the end of the world and the slaughter by angels of the opponents of Christ, “And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.” That is, Raymond of Argiles wasn’t puffing himself for the number of people killed, but comparing the battle to the End Times. Oddly, I have never seen this basic fact noted anywhere, though I must have seen the quote itself a hundred times. Ware also relies heavily on biased and outdated sources like Steven Runciman, which undermines what he has to say.
Still, the Orthodox aversion to the Crusades is understandable. But what is less understandable is the relatively gentle touch Ware gives to Muslim conquest of the East and the subsequent destruction of most of Eastern Christianity, which seems like a much larger imposition on the Orthodox than were the Crusades. On the other hand, at least Ware quotes an Englishman visiting Constantinople in 1677, “It doth go hugely against the grain to see the crescent exalted everywhere, the Cross stood so long triumphant.” (With any luck this exaltation can be reversed in the near future; as Europe careens into a ditch, aggressive renewal is as likely an outcome as permanent decline of the West, which might provide an opportunity such as, for example, Russia returning to the excellent goal of conquering Constantinople.) Ware also notes the truism that although direct violent persecution of Christians was intermittent under Islam (though certainly frequent enough to keep the Christians in their place, and Christians were always required to be subordinate or face death), what ultimately caused most conversion to Islam was simply the financial and social benefits accruing to Muslims—martyrdom inspires, social debility does not. Moreover, it is not really the Ottomans’ fault that their system of treating religious leaders of Christians as being simultaneously ethnic leaders has led to a long history of unfortunate intertwining of the two roles among the Orthodox, as well as corruption and ethnic chauvinism among the different Orthodox churches that were under Ottoman rule (i.e., all of them, except the Russians). But the Armenian genocide rates not a word, probably because the Turks, on whose land (for now) the Ecumenical Patriarch must live, don’t want to hear about their recent slaughter of Christians. On the whole, therefore, Ware lets the Muslims off far too easy, something that seems very common among the Orthodox.
In several places, Ware points out the tendency of the Orthodox toward slowness of action, of any type. This is partially organizational, the nature of conciliar decision making, and partially simply a trait that in this age of liquid modernity has so far been immeasurably beneficial (though I doubt if the Orthodox will be wholly immune to this corrosion in the wars to come—and, in fact, Ware himself was seen to be hedging his bets on homosexual “marriage” earlier this year). The downside of this is that those not fond of action are also those less likely to accomplish things, which is, perhaps, why it is the Roman Catholics of the West who made the modern world, followed by the Protestants. The introspective nature of Orthodox practice and theology, focused on unchanging ritual, does not lend itself to crusade or, perhaps, to the drive that pushes humanity forward. That begs the question, of course, whether pushing humanity forward is a good thing, or, instead, the monks of Mount Athos have the right of it. But for someone like me, who likes rockets to Mars, and beyond, the spirit of the Jesuits (the seventeenth-century ones, not today’s ones), or of Cortes, who “conquered Mexico for God, gold, and glory, and only a mundane imagination would distinguish these impulses, for they were one and the same,” is beneficial to humanity, and that is not really found among the Orthodox. Maybe there is a synthesis to be had, but I suspect that what makes the Orthodox who they are would not survive an attempt to make them more active and outward-looking.
The latter third of the book is doctrine, which, like the first part, is excellent. Here various Orthodox practices that contrast with their Western analogues are noticeable, especially the emphasis on mysticism over strict rationality, and that the Orthodox are more comfortable with some degree of ambiguity, with not delineating every matter of doctrine specifically. Most differences between Orthodox and Roman Catholics are really matters of emphasis, such as Christ as victim versus Christ as victor, but Ware does an excellent job explaining the importance of certain differences that seem, at first glance, utterly obscure and unimportant, but are really not, such as the “Filoque,” the question (in the Nicene Creed) whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (the Orthodox position) or the Father and the Son (the Roman position, a medieval innovation). Among other subtleties, Ware notes that the Orthodox belief is that the Roman position depreciates the personal characteristics of each individual member of the Trinity (an effect similar to, though arising differently from, the abominable use of “gender-neutral” language for God). Around that explanation Ware also offers a fantastic discussion of the Trinity itself. He further discusses the importance of prayer and ritual, the rejection of Quietism, the specifics of ritual, and much more. And he notes the crucial Orthodox emphasis on theosis, the goal of divinization, of ultimate unity with God’s energies (though not His essence). He ends with a plea for reunion of Christians, something devoutly to be wished, but which looks even less likely nowadays, given the corruption of most Western Christians—though maybe the focus should not be on the West, but on the rest of the world, and what can be done there. We will see soon enough, but either way, my bet is that Orthodoxy will have a much more prominent role in the immediate future of the world than it has played in the past thousand years.
People in the modern West, even Christians, are largely ignorant of Orthodoxy. The Orthodox, to some extent at least, return the favor—Ware notes that Robert Curzon, a well-traveled English baron, in the 1830s was “disconcerted to find that the Patriarch of Constantinople had never heard of the Archbishop of Canterbury.” (He was not the Curzon who was Viceroy of India at the turn of the twentieth century and regarded as England’s greatest expert of the time on the Orient, though I imagine they were related somehow.) In the twentieth century and today, with modern communications and emigration, the Orthodox have become somewhat more prominent in the West—especially in America, where large numbers of Orthodox immigrants have established their own churches. Ware’s book is an attempt bridge the knowledge gap for Westerners.
The first two-thirds of the book is a detailed and well-written history of Orthodoxy. Ware begins, naturally enough, with a definition of Orthodoxy: “the Christians who are in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.” This excludes Roman Catholics and Protestants, of course, and also the Oriental Orthodox—the Church of the East, today rabidly persecuted by Muslims in places like Syria, and the Monophysite Churches, such as the Coptic Church in Egypt. He also explains the organization of the modern Orthodox Church, which is complicated, but basically boils down to “a family of self-governing Churches,” all in communion and which, in theory, decide any disputed questions by convening in councils. There is therefore no equivalent to the Pope, something that is turning out, after all, to be a feature, not a bug.
Ware discusses the seven general councils, the last one in 787, which determined the outlines of mainstream Christian beliefs. Naturally, since the Great Schism, the breach between Orthodoxy and Roman Christianity, is traditionally dated to 1054, these beliefs are shared by all Roman Catholics, and by many Protestants as well. As remembered today, the most critical issues related to the nature of God in Christian doctrine, though many other matters were also decided at these councils. For Orthodoxy, another critical matter was the treatment of icons, which are more central to worship than are images in the West. Ware identifies iconoclasm with the ever-present Gnostic temptation in Christianity to denigrate the physical world as inferior and to be superseded in ages to come, whereas Orthodox (and all correct Christian) belief is that the material world is “very good” in God’s eyes and is itself ultimately to be “redeemed and glorified.” All this was hammered out within the framework of the (Eastern) Roman empire, of which Ware and other Orthodox tend to have a highly favorable view. The traditional Western view is more negative, conditioned by Roman Catholic hostility and Edward Gibbon’s bigoted, dubious history, and tends, on a political level, to denigrate the Empire as Caesaropapist—that is, with the state dominating the church. Ware, at least, sees it as a symbiotic, cooperative, relationship, and he (along with many Orthodox, I suspect) sees Byzantium at its height as, if still far from an ideal society, the closest Christendom has gotten to one.
Next Ware narrates the complex events leading up to and following the Great Schism, covering everything from the theologian Saint Photius to the Normans in Italy to the Crusades. Interesting information, particularly showing contrasts to the West, frequently crops up, such as the continued prevalence and prominence of lay theologians in the East, where the secular education system had not collapsed as it had in the West. Interspersed in this history is quite a bit of doctrinal discussion, such as details of the Hesychast Controversy, and the related distinctions made in Orthodoxy between God’s essence and energies, a topic that overlaps with the Scholastic innovation of univocity. Later chapters cover, among other matters, the conversion of the Slavs, with a long and fascinating narrative about the Orthodox in Russia, and then detailed coverage of the twentieth century, a time of trials for the Orthodox (and renewed conflict between Orthodox and Roman Catholics in the Balkans, unfortunately). Along the way, Ware also covers the precise current organizational structure of the Church (who knew that Finland was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople?), and similar administrative matters, both in theory and practice.
The Orthodox, with justification, have a dim view of the Crusades, especially the Fourth, but Ware does tend to elide important details running counter to that narrative, such as that the First Crusade (in 1095) was largely a response to a specific request for aid by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, after a series of brutal defeats at the hands of the Turks, beginning at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. In his complaints about the Crusaders, some of which are wholly legitimate, Ware even uses as fact the claim by Raymond of Argiles after the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 that “men rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins.” You often hear this quote trotted out; I remember Bill Clinton doing so after September 11. Its modern use is to shift the focus from today’s Muslim atrocities to claimed thousand-year-old Christian ones, as if those were equivalent, or rather the latter far more important. Its earlier use, before the age of global Muslim terror, was to attack Roman Catholics and Christianity generally; it appears in atheist Enlightenment tracts. No doubt, as in all medieval wars, lots of people were killed by the Crusaders. But the quote itself is merely a metaphoric citation to Revelation 14:20, describing the end of the world and the slaughter by angels of the opponents of Christ, “And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.” That is, Raymond of Argiles wasn’t puffing himself for the number of people killed, but comparing the battle to the End Times. Oddly, I have never seen this basic fact noted anywhere, though I must have seen the quote itself a hundred times. Ware also relies heavily on biased and outdated sources like Steven Runciman, which undermines what he has to say.
Still, the Orthodox aversion to the Crusades is understandable. But what is less understandable is the relatively gentle touch Ware gives to Muslim conquest of the East and the subsequent destruction of most of Eastern Christianity, which seems like a much larger imposition on the Orthodox than were the Crusades. On the other hand, at least Ware quotes an Englishman visiting Constantinople in 1677, “It doth go hugely against the grain to see the crescent exalted everywhere, the Cross stood so long triumphant.” (With any luck this exaltation can be reversed in the near future; as Europe careens into a ditch, aggressive renewal is as likely an outcome as permanent decline of the West, which might provide an opportunity such as, for example, Russia returning to the excellent goal of conquering Constantinople.) Ware also notes the truism that although direct violent persecution of Christians was intermittent under Islam (though certainly frequent enough to keep the Christians in their place, and Christians were always required to be subordinate or face death), what ultimately caused most conversion to Islam was simply the financial and social benefits accruing to Muslims—martyrdom inspires, social debility does not. Moreover, it is not really the Ottomans’ fault that their system of treating religious leaders of Christians as being simultaneously ethnic leaders has led to a long history of unfortunate intertwining of the two roles among the Orthodox, as well as corruption and ethnic chauvinism among the different Orthodox churches that were under Ottoman rule (i.e., all of them, except the Russians). But the Armenian genocide rates not a word, probably because the Turks, on whose land (for now) the Ecumenical Patriarch must live, don’t want to hear about their recent slaughter of Christians. On the whole, therefore, Ware lets the Muslims off far too easy, something that seems very common among the Orthodox.
In several places, Ware points out the tendency of the Orthodox toward slowness of action, of any type. This is partially organizational, the nature of conciliar decision making, and partially simply a trait that in this age of liquid modernity has so far been immeasurably beneficial (though I doubt if the Orthodox will be wholly immune to this corrosion in the wars to come—and, in fact, Ware himself was seen to be hedging his bets on homosexual “marriage” earlier this year). The downside of this is that those not fond of action are also those less likely to accomplish things, which is, perhaps, why it is the Roman Catholics of the West who made the modern world, followed by the Protestants. The introspective nature of Orthodox practice and theology, focused on unchanging ritual, does not lend itself to crusade or, perhaps, to the drive that pushes humanity forward. That begs the question, of course, whether pushing humanity forward is a good thing, or, instead, the monks of Mount Athos have the right of it. But for someone like me, who likes rockets to Mars, and beyond, the spirit of the Jesuits (the seventeenth-century ones, not today’s ones), or of Cortes, who “conquered Mexico for God, gold, and glory, and only a mundane imagination would distinguish these impulses, for they were one and the same,” is beneficial to humanity, and that is not really found among the Orthodox. Maybe there is a synthesis to be had, but I suspect that what makes the Orthodox who they are would not survive an attempt to make them more active and outward-looking.
The latter third of the book is doctrine, which, like the first part, is excellent. Here various Orthodox practices that contrast with their Western analogues are noticeable, especially the emphasis on mysticism over strict rationality, and that the Orthodox are more comfortable with some degree of ambiguity, with not delineating every matter of doctrine specifically. Most differences between Orthodox and Roman Catholics are really matters of emphasis, such as Christ as victim versus Christ as victor, but Ware does an excellent job explaining the importance of certain differences that seem, at first glance, utterly obscure and unimportant, but are really not, such as the “Filoque,” the question (in the Nicene Creed) whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (the Orthodox position) or the Father and the Son (the Roman position, a medieval innovation). Among other subtleties, Ware notes that the Orthodox belief is that the Roman position depreciates the personal characteristics of each individual member of the Trinity (an effect similar to, though arising differently from, the abominable use of “gender-neutral” language for God). Around that explanation Ware also offers a fantastic discussion of the Trinity itself. He further discusses the importance of prayer and ritual, the rejection of Quietism, the specifics of ritual, and much more. And he notes the crucial Orthodox emphasis on theosis, the goal of divinization, of ultimate unity with God’s energies (though not His essence). He ends with a plea for reunion of Christians, something devoutly to be wished, but which looks even less likely nowadays, given the corruption of most Western Christians—though maybe the focus should not be on the West, but on the rest of the world, and what can be done there. We will see soon enough, but either way, my bet is that Orthodoxy will have a much more prominent role in the immediate future of the world than it has played in the past thousand years.
March 30, 2018
As an American (meaning I come from a cultural heritage largely Anglo-Germanic, which compels me to study anything first before diving in) I had to find an introductory book on the Orthodox Church as I began to attend a Russian Orthodox Parish. For someone entirely new to Orthodoxy (outside of about three or four years of investigative study and comparison) this is a good book to begin your intellectual journey into Orthodoxy.
The book is divided into two sections, history of the Church and a basic overview of the theology and practices of the Church. Both are good, easily understandable without being dumbed down (something I always find irritating). However, maybe it's because I am a military historian, I did find the history section slightly more illuminating and enjoyable than the theology section.
Kallistos Ware acknowledges the differences and schisms between Christians, such as the antipathy between the Roman Catholics and Orthodoxy, without being confrontational or overly partisan. Having been a former Anglican himself, he discusses those topics with a great deal of understanding and compassion without surrendering the truth of the position of the Orthodox Church. For that basis alone this is a good book for beginners to the Orthodoxy, though it seems geared more for those having come already from a liturgical background as former Evangelicals such as myself are at times entirely lost in foreign territory when he discusses certain elements of faith in the Orthodox Church as though it was commonly understood. A Roman Catholic or an Anglican would understand that, but an American Evangelical would be entirely over his/her head.
On that basis, unless you are willing to study a bit of liturgical traditions before hand, this particular book may be a tad too academic for you if you come from a Protestant background.
Regardless this is a good book, not overly long and yet still manages to cram a treasure trove of information into a condensed space. Though, admittedly, I wish the history section was longer.
Definitely a recommended read.
The book is divided into two sections, history of the Church and a basic overview of the theology and practices of the Church. Both are good, easily understandable without being dumbed down (something I always find irritating). However, maybe it's because I am a military historian, I did find the history section slightly more illuminating and enjoyable than the theology section.
Kallistos Ware acknowledges the differences and schisms between Christians, such as the antipathy between the Roman Catholics and Orthodoxy, without being confrontational or overly partisan. Having been a former Anglican himself, he discusses those topics with a great deal of understanding and compassion without surrendering the truth of the position of the Orthodox Church. For that basis alone this is a good book for beginners to the Orthodoxy, though it seems geared more for those having come already from a liturgical background as former Evangelicals such as myself are at times entirely lost in foreign territory when he discusses certain elements of faith in the Orthodox Church as though it was commonly understood. A Roman Catholic or an Anglican would understand that, but an American Evangelical would be entirely over his/her head.
On that basis, unless you are willing to study a bit of liturgical traditions before hand, this particular book may be a tad too academic for you if you come from a Protestant background.
Regardless this is a good book, not overly long and yet still manages to cram a treasure trove of information into a condensed space. Though, admittedly, I wish the history section was longer.
Definitely a recommended read.
May 6, 2022
The book that my Inquirers' Class was taught from, lo these many years ago. Excellent survey of Orthodox history and theology.
January 17, 2020
"Loyalty to Tradition, properly understood, is not something mechanical, a passive and automatic process of transmitting the accepted wisdom of an era in the distant past. An Orthodox thinker must see Tradition from within, he must enter into its inner spirit, he must re-experience the meaning of Tradition in a manner that is exploratory, courageous, and full of imaginative creativity. In order to live within Tradition, it is not enough simply to give intellectual assent to a system of doctrine; for Tradition is far more than a set of abstract propositions - it is a life, a personal encounter with Christ in the Holy Spirit. Tradition is not only kept by the Church - it lives in the Church, it is the life of the Holy Spirit in the Church. The Orthodox conception of Tradition is not static but dynamic, not a dead acceptance of the past but a living discovery of the Holy Spirit in the present."
May 30, 2013
This book left me wanting more--in a good way! The history of the Orthodox Church was fascinating and detailed, the faith and worship section understandably limited to conveying Orthodox theology and practice, and not defending or explaining it in minute terms. For the record, I was raised in a non-denominational Protestant church in Texas and one year ago married an Anglican deacon (soon-to-be priest) who identifies with Orthodoxy perhaps as closely as with Anglicanism. I read this book to broaden my understanding of The Orthodox Church and it provided a perfect introduction. I look forward to further reading!
January 12, 2009
Exactly what I hoped it would be--a thorough introduction to the history and worship of the Eastern Church. Ware's book is eminently readable and engaging, even humorous at times (in a very dry, understated way). Perhaps the best feature, though, is the list of "further reading" near the book's end.
(What a difference 10 years made for me. I first tried reading this fairly dense (yet not overly dry) book in my mid-twenties, when I first began exploring Orthodoxy. I think I read bits of two chapters at most...)
(What a difference 10 years made for me. I first tried reading this fairly dense (yet not overly dry) book in my mid-twenties, when I first began exploring Orthodoxy. I think I read bits of two chapters at most...)
Read
August 4, 2011Bishop Ware gives the layman a thorough introduction to the Orthodox Church. He covers the basics of the faith and is sensitive to many outsider objections. He is not neutral and writes with a clear bent towards Orthodoxy, which is understandable and to be expected. The book has two parts: a historical introduction to the Orthodox faith and a systematic exposition of the major themes of Orthodoxy.
Historical Introduction.
Ware traces the rise of the Orthodox faith from the New Testament through the Councils and ends with the Orthodox Church in dispersion (largely due to Communism). He notes the Councils, the Great Schism, the conversion of the Slavs, the interaction of Greeks and Arabs, the Church under Communism, and today’s dispersion. In many ways Ware’s argument is similar to the recent Sailing from Byzantium. Ware gives particular attention to the Great Schism and while he notes many failings with the Orthodox at the time, much of the blame inescapably lies with Rome. Rome never could combine papal imperialism and humility.
Theological Exposition
The authority for the Orthodox is Tradition, but it is a tradition different from Rome. Instead of Rome which subordinates (in practice, anyway) Scripture to tradition, and contra to Protestantism subordinating Tradition to Scripture, Orthodoxy notes that Tradition is simply the presence of the Holy Spirit speaking in the life of the Church. Tradition is not simply a nebulous teaching about the Bible that cannot be referenced (as is often the case with Rome), but tradition is comprised of the Councils, icons, teachings of the Fathers, and Scripture (p. 196; not in that order and in varying degrees of importance).
The heart of the Christian faith is the dogma of the Trinity. Much unnecessary ink has been spilt arguing that the West approached the Trinity from “Being and oneness” while the East approached it from “Person and Three-ness.” While true in some cases, it is misleading and is more helpful, especially in Ware’s exposition (though he himself does not make the argument) to say that with the exception of the Filioque both sides use similar constructions for the doctrine of the Trinity. The main exception, as noted, is the Filioque. The Orthodox argue the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, not from the Father and the Son. The Orthodox argue that Western Filioquism reduces to a quasi-Sabellianism. Ware tries to be sensitive on this issue and notes the difficulties involved.
The most exciting part of Ware’s book was the Orthodox view of deification. It is the idea of a personal and organic union between God and the saint (231). It is implied in the doctrine of Christ. Christ became man that we might become god. The goal is that the bodies of the saints will be transformed by divine light and one day will be bathed with the uncreated light seen on Mt Tabor (233). This is an important point because the Orthodox insist that God saves both body and soul (234).
The most difficult part of Ware’s book, obviously, is the doctrine of the Church. The Orthodox advance the claim that they alone constitute the true Church of God on earth. The argument is thus: the church is an image of the Holy Trinity and like the Holy Trinity, it cannot truly be divided (240). Secondly, the church is the body of Christ and can Christ’s body be divided (241)? This is difficult for many Protestants looking in. Is Ware suggesting that despite their love for the Lord Jesus, despite their piety, yea even despite their prayers, they are lost? Ware sees the objection coming and affirms that while they aren’t part of the true church, they can be saved (though he rightly notes the difficulty in that language). Ware asks, “Does it therefore follow that anyone who is not visibly within the Church is necessarily damned? Of course not; still less does it follow that everyone who is visibly within the Church is necessarily saved” (247). He notes there is one Church, but there are different ways of relating to that one church and many different ways of being separate from it (308).
Orthodox Worship consists of “heaven on earth.” There is a strong sense of beauty and wonder. Most noticeably are the icons. Icons are windows to the spiritual world. They are venerated but are not worshipped.
Conclusion:
Ware’s book is easy to read, clear, and answers most of the questions an inquirer will have to the Orthodox faith. However, it does raise a few questions (and these are exciting issues in ecclesiology). I ask the following of my Orthodox brethren:
1. If the fathers constitute part of “tradition,” and if tradition cannot contradict itself, what happens when the Fathers contradict themselves? The fathers do not give a unanimous witness (Origen, anybody? And that Gregory and Maximus delighted in Origen).
2. Can the claim that the Septuagint corrects the Hebrew original (Ware, 200) really withstand scrutiny? Maybe it can in the providence of God, but this will be a hard pill for many exegetes to swallow. Along those lines, given the acceptance of the Apocrypha, what do we make of errors in the Apocrypha (Judith 1:1-5; Tobit 1; Wisdom of Solomon 11:17)?
3. The claim that “outside the church there is no salvation” needs heavy qualification, as Ware himself acknowledges (247, 308-309). When St Cyprian made that claim the audience to whom he spoke was familiar enough with “one church” (kind providence of the Roman Empire). Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Most of the people who are professing Christians and live pious lives and really love the Lord Jesus (especially in the modern West) have never even heard of the Orthodox faith, let alone ever seen an Orthodox Church. Therefore, in light of that, to interpret St Cyprian’s claim in the same way today as he did in his day, and assuming the conditions are the same, is an historical anachronism.
Similarly, if one maintains the claim that one is the true church, and couple that with Cyprian's claim, yet at th same time one allows for excpetions to the rule, as Ware does (247, 308-309), doesn't that weaken the claim that one is the true church?
My questions aside, this was a very informative and delightful book. The Orthodox Church’s heroic witness under Communism is the stuff of legends. Ware does a fine job in discussing the various “distinctions” (I was about to say divisions) within Orthodoxy. The theological section was quite rich. I recommend this book.
Historical Introduction.
Ware traces the rise of the Orthodox faith from the New Testament through the Councils and ends with the Orthodox Church in dispersion (largely due to Communism). He notes the Councils, the Great Schism, the conversion of the Slavs, the interaction of Greeks and Arabs, the Church under Communism, and today’s dispersion. In many ways Ware’s argument is similar to the recent Sailing from Byzantium. Ware gives particular attention to the Great Schism and while he notes many failings with the Orthodox at the time, much of the blame inescapably lies with Rome. Rome never could combine papal imperialism and humility.
Theological Exposition
The authority for the Orthodox is Tradition, but it is a tradition different from Rome. Instead of Rome which subordinates (in practice, anyway) Scripture to tradition, and contra to Protestantism subordinating Tradition to Scripture, Orthodoxy notes that Tradition is simply the presence of the Holy Spirit speaking in the life of the Church. Tradition is not simply a nebulous teaching about the Bible that cannot be referenced (as is often the case with Rome), but tradition is comprised of the Councils, icons, teachings of the Fathers, and Scripture (p. 196; not in that order and in varying degrees of importance).
The heart of the Christian faith is the dogma of the Trinity. Much unnecessary ink has been spilt arguing that the West approached the Trinity from “Being and oneness” while the East approached it from “Person and Three-ness.” While true in some cases, it is misleading and is more helpful, especially in Ware’s exposition (though he himself does not make the argument) to say that with the exception of the Filioque both sides use similar constructions for the doctrine of the Trinity. The main exception, as noted, is the Filioque. The Orthodox argue the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father, not from the Father and the Son. The Orthodox argue that Western Filioquism reduces to a quasi-Sabellianism. Ware tries to be sensitive on this issue and notes the difficulties involved.
The most exciting part of Ware’s book was the Orthodox view of deification. It is the idea of a personal and organic union between God and the saint (231). It is implied in the doctrine of Christ. Christ became man that we might become god. The goal is that the bodies of the saints will be transformed by divine light and one day will be bathed with the uncreated light seen on Mt Tabor (233). This is an important point because the Orthodox insist that God saves both body and soul (234).
The most difficult part of Ware’s book, obviously, is the doctrine of the Church. The Orthodox advance the claim that they alone constitute the true Church of God on earth. The argument is thus: the church is an image of the Holy Trinity and like the Holy Trinity, it cannot truly be divided (240). Secondly, the church is the body of Christ and can Christ’s body be divided (241)? This is difficult for many Protestants looking in. Is Ware suggesting that despite their love for the Lord Jesus, despite their piety, yea even despite their prayers, they are lost? Ware sees the objection coming and affirms that while they aren’t part of the true church, they can be saved (though he rightly notes the difficulty in that language). Ware asks, “Does it therefore follow that anyone who is not visibly within the Church is necessarily damned? Of course not; still less does it follow that everyone who is visibly within the Church is necessarily saved” (247). He notes there is one Church, but there are different ways of relating to that one church and many different ways of being separate from it (308).
Orthodox Worship consists of “heaven on earth.” There is a strong sense of beauty and wonder. Most noticeably are the icons. Icons are windows to the spiritual world. They are venerated but are not worshipped.
Conclusion:
Ware’s book is easy to read, clear, and answers most of the questions an inquirer will have to the Orthodox faith. However, it does raise a few questions (and these are exciting issues in ecclesiology). I ask the following of my Orthodox brethren:
1. If the fathers constitute part of “tradition,” and if tradition cannot contradict itself, what happens when the Fathers contradict themselves? The fathers do not give a unanimous witness (Origen, anybody? And that Gregory and Maximus delighted in Origen).
2. Can the claim that the Septuagint corrects the Hebrew original (Ware, 200) really withstand scrutiny? Maybe it can in the providence of God, but this will be a hard pill for many exegetes to swallow. Along those lines, given the acceptance of the Apocrypha, what do we make of errors in the Apocrypha (Judith 1:1-5; Tobit 1; Wisdom of Solomon 11:17)?
3. The claim that “outside the church there is no salvation” needs heavy qualification, as Ware himself acknowledges (247, 308-309). When St Cyprian made that claim the audience to whom he spoke was familiar enough with “one church” (kind providence of the Roman Empire). Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Most of the people who are professing Christians and live pious lives and really love the Lord Jesus (especially in the modern West) have never even heard of the Orthodox faith, let alone ever seen an Orthodox Church. Therefore, in light of that, to interpret St Cyprian’s claim in the same way today as he did in his day, and assuming the conditions are the same, is an historical anachronism.
Similarly, if one maintains the claim that one is the true church, and couple that with Cyprian's claim, yet at th same time one allows for excpetions to the rule, as Ware does (247, 308-309), doesn't that weaken the claim that one is the true church?
My questions aside, this was a very informative and delightful book. The Orthodox Church’s heroic witness under Communism is the stuff of legends. Ware does a fine job in discussing the various “distinctions” (I was about to say divisions) within Orthodoxy. The theological section was quite rich. I recommend this book.
November 13, 2015
If someone asked me, "What is the one book you would recommend to someone wanting to understand Eastern Orthodoxy?" I would answer without thinking The Orthodox Church by Kalistos (Timothy) Ware. I remember reading this book nearly a decade ago, shortly after my conversion to Catholicism. I often wonder if I had read this book before my conversion, if I would have went down a different path and ended up Eastern Orthodox. That's a story for a different day, This book was originally published in the 1960s, and it is still the best introduction to the Orthodox Church. When I saw that it was being re-published by Penguin Books, I knew I wanted to re-read it to see what changed and how I felt reading it ten years later.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the history of the Orthodox Church and addresses topics like the Ecumenical Councils, the Great Schism, dealing with Islam, and the Twentieth Century. The second part touches on Tradition, God and Humankind, Sacraments, and the Church Calendar. I especially enjoyed reading about the Schism, because if we are going to heal this Schism we need to understand it from both sides. Kalistos Ware presents, in my opinion, the most unbiased view of the Great Schism. Bear with me for a long quote:
"Rome and Orthodoxy since the schism have each claimed to be the true Church. Yet each, while believing in the rightness of its own cause, must look back at the past with sorrow and repentance. [ . . .] And each side, while claiming to be the one true Church, must admit that on the human level it has been grievously impoverished by the separation. The Greek east and the Latin west needed and still need one another. For both parties the great schism has proved a great tragedy."
In Chapter 16: The Orthodox Church and the Reunion of Christians is a chapter that I felt was sorely lacking in updated material. The part which touched on Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism failed to address the great strides in communication and dialogue, which the past three popes (John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis) have made with the Orthodox Patriarchs. The lack of updates in this chapter are a small reflection of the book as a whole. I feel like there should have been a chapter on the 21st Century as well. The lack of updates aside, this book is still edifying even 50 years after its original publication. The book somehow manages to be broad and deep at the same time, and I was pleased to have found the "Further Reading" section more familiar this time through. There are still many books in it that I want to read, but I am making progress! In conclusion, this is an excellent introduction to Orthodoxy and one you should have in your library. However, if you own the edition from the 1990s, you don't really need this version, unless yours has been read and re-read so many times, it's in tatters.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the history of the Orthodox Church and addresses topics like the Ecumenical Councils, the Great Schism, dealing with Islam, and the Twentieth Century. The second part touches on Tradition, God and Humankind, Sacraments, and the Church Calendar. I especially enjoyed reading about the Schism, because if we are going to heal this Schism we need to understand it from both sides. Kalistos Ware presents, in my opinion, the most unbiased view of the Great Schism. Bear with me for a long quote:
"Rome and Orthodoxy since the schism have each claimed to be the true Church. Yet each, while believing in the rightness of its own cause, must look back at the past with sorrow and repentance. [ . . .] And each side, while claiming to be the one true Church, must admit that on the human level it has been grievously impoverished by the separation. The Greek east and the Latin west needed and still need one another. For both parties the great schism has proved a great tragedy."
In Chapter 16: The Orthodox Church and the Reunion of Christians is a chapter that I felt was sorely lacking in updated material. The part which touched on Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism failed to address the great strides in communication and dialogue, which the past three popes (John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis) have made with the Orthodox Patriarchs. The lack of updates in this chapter are a small reflection of the book as a whole. I feel like there should have been a chapter on the 21st Century as well. The lack of updates aside, this book is still edifying even 50 years after its original publication. The book somehow manages to be broad and deep at the same time, and I was pleased to have found the "Further Reading" section more familiar this time through. There are still many books in it that I want to read, but I am making progress! In conclusion, this is an excellent introduction to Orthodoxy and one you should have in your library. However, if you own the edition from the 1990s, you don't really need this version, unless yours has been read and re-read so many times, it's in tatters.
April 30, 2025
A solid overview on the history and tenants Orthodox Christianity. I would have enjoyed the book to have a chapter discussing in detail the philosophical details of Apophatic Theology, however.
December 31, 2020
Excellent book for those curious about the history and/or perspectives of the Eastern Orthodox Church; clear in its explanations, firm in its perspective, yet approachable and humble in tone. Going through Church history since the first ecumenical councils, to the late 20th century, before laying out both church practices and reasonings behind them, Metr. Ware gives an approachable overview of Orthodoxy. Throughout the book, Ware touches on consistent themes, including the differences in doctrine and perspective between eastern and western churches, opportunities for reconciliation past and present, and the interplay between church, state, and culture. I would recommend it to anyone curious about either Church history seen from the Eastern perspective or Orthodox Christianity, itself.
April 24, 2013
When I converted to Orthodoxy in 1964 this book was given to me. I think it was one of the few books on Orthodoxy in English at the time. I read it many times over. I consider it a classic and recommend it to anyone wanting a good introduction to Orthodoxy.
December 25, 2015
A very concise book for understandig history and structure of the Eastern Orthodox Church as well as its relations with the rest of the Christendom. It is well-structured and easily readable...
July 16, 2018
Excellent book on the Eastern Orthodox Church. I pray one day we will all be united under one church as Christ wished in John, Chapter 17.
April 19, 2022
A nice, easy explanation of the history of the Orthodox church. Doesn't get too deep in the weeds or too far away. The author manages to give a solid overview of the entire history of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
He also gives a quick insight into their theology. In this area, I would judge him a little lacking, and wouldn't mind seeing more detail. But perhaps that would make this book a bit more unreadable. Probably it should be paired with a book that focuses more on the theological aspect to get a full understanding of the EO, but for now, this is an excellent starting spot.
He also gives a quick insight into their theology. In this area, I would judge him a little lacking, and wouldn't mind seeing more detail. But perhaps that would make this book a bit more unreadable. Probably it should be paired with a book that focuses more on the theological aspect to get a full understanding of the EO, but for now, this is an excellent starting spot.
September 7, 2025
Honestly made me wanna be more Catholic than Orthodox
December 7, 2024
A wonderful historical and theological introduction to the Eastern Orthodox churches from an Orthodox perspective by the late Timothy Ware. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn more about non-Western Christianity and for undergrad students in church history or theology.
April 7, 2023
Fr. Kallistos Ware’s book is considered by the many to be the go to resource for those who want to learn about the Eastern Orthodox Church (EO). I picked up this book because of my growing awareness of the shared dogma, phronema (Way of life), and Tradition of EO with my church which is the Oriental Orthodox Church (OO). Going through the pages, I have enjoyed the book and it certainly does a great job interms of providing a birds eye view of the church from a historical and sacramental standpoint.
On the Council of Chalcedon, the author took a position which I view positively. “Many modern scholars are inclined to think that the difference between the ‘Non Chalcedonians’ (OO) and ‘Chalcedonians’ (EO) was basically terminology, not of theology. Two parties understood nature(physis) in different ways, but both were concerned to affirm the same basic truth: that Christ the Savior is fully divine and fully human, and yet he is one and not two.” Something that must be mentioned here is that in the past, because technology and social media didn’t exist, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians didn’t have much opportunity to look at each others traditions. In the present however, globalization opened the door for increased exchange and communication between the two Orthodox Churches and thus, more and more Orthodox Christians are realizing that both EO and OO kept the dogmas, traditions, and ‘phronema’ (way of life) of the Church for more than a millennia. Note however that the Oriental Orthodox are not Monophysites, but always believed in Miaphysite Christology.
I am also impressed by the way Fr. Kallistos looked at the immaculate conception. From an Oriental Orthodox standpoint, It’s common to see Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians theologically bickering about this concept. Even though it’s accepted and embedded in the Ethiopian tradition and rejected from a Coptic standpoint, the Church didn’t see the need to conduct an ecumenical council up to the present moment. Thus, subscribing to both concepts is not heretical until there is a valid official ecumenical council accepted by all Oriental Orthodox Christian’s regarding this matter. It is also the same for Eastern Orthodox. Fr. Kallistos explains from Eastern Orthodox point of view, “From an Orthodox point of view, however, the whole question belongs to the realm of theological opinion; and if an Individual Orthodox today felt impelled to believe in the Immaculate Conception, he or she could not be termed a heretic for so doing.”
From a historical standpoint, I felt sad for my Greek EO brothers “who taught Byzantium as the ‘God protected city’, and a permanent element of Gods providential disposition to the world”, when I learned about the Fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Ottoman Turks in 1453. The chant below reminds me that still to the present day, the beautiful church Agia Sophia is still under Muslim rule.
“Why don't you sing little bird
the way you used to sing before?
How can I, can I sing
They cut down my little wings
They stole my voice
They took our beloved city
They took our beloved city
And our Hagia Sophia
The Virgin cries bitterly bitterly”
- Lament for Constantinople, by Nektaria Karantzi
Finally, I would like to mention the most important one among the shortcomings that exist in this book; which is an increasingly ecumenical and western lens of looking at most of the history and practices of the Eastern Orthodox church. One can see throughout the book the inclination to bend some of the traditions and dogmas of the church for the sake of unity with other Christians, which is unacceptable and unorthodox. Thus, I recommend proceeding with caution and supplementing this book by reading traditional and early Christian books concerning the history, tradition, and practices of the Orthodox faith.
Warning - Refrain from praising the written note or the writer because it is vain. Instead, praise God for everything.
🍀🍀🍀
Praise be to God, Virgin Mary, and the Holy Cross amen.
© Natnael Tefera Mulatu
ታኅሣስ ፳፭ ፳፻፲፭ ዓ/ም
On the Council of Chalcedon, the author took a position which I view positively. “Many modern scholars are inclined to think that the difference between the ‘Non Chalcedonians’ (OO) and ‘Chalcedonians’ (EO) was basically terminology, not of theology. Two parties understood nature(physis) in different ways, but both were concerned to affirm the same basic truth: that Christ the Savior is fully divine and fully human, and yet he is one and not two.” Something that must be mentioned here is that in the past, because technology and social media didn’t exist, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians didn’t have much opportunity to look at each others traditions. In the present however, globalization opened the door for increased exchange and communication between the two Orthodox Churches and thus, more and more Orthodox Christians are realizing that both EO and OO kept the dogmas, traditions, and ‘phronema’ (way of life) of the Church for more than a millennia. Note however that the Oriental Orthodox are not Monophysites, but always believed in Miaphysite Christology.
I am also impressed by the way Fr. Kallistos looked at the immaculate conception. From an Oriental Orthodox standpoint, It’s common to see Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians theologically bickering about this concept. Even though it’s accepted and embedded in the Ethiopian tradition and rejected from a Coptic standpoint, the Church didn’t see the need to conduct an ecumenical council up to the present moment. Thus, subscribing to both concepts is not heretical until there is a valid official ecumenical council accepted by all Oriental Orthodox Christian’s regarding this matter. It is also the same for Eastern Orthodox. Fr. Kallistos explains from Eastern Orthodox point of view, “From an Orthodox point of view, however, the whole question belongs to the realm of theological opinion; and if an Individual Orthodox today felt impelled to believe in the Immaculate Conception, he or she could not be termed a heretic for so doing.”
From a historical standpoint, I felt sad for my Greek EO brothers “who taught Byzantium as the ‘God protected city’, and a permanent element of Gods providential disposition to the world”, when I learned about the Fall of Constantinople to the Muslim Ottoman Turks in 1453. The chant below reminds me that still to the present day, the beautiful church Agia Sophia is still under Muslim rule.
“Why don't you sing little bird
the way you used to sing before?
How can I, can I sing
They cut down my little wings
They stole my voice
They took our beloved city
They took our beloved city
And our Hagia Sophia
The Virgin cries bitterly bitterly”
- Lament for Constantinople, by Nektaria Karantzi
Finally, I would like to mention the most important one among the shortcomings that exist in this book; which is an increasingly ecumenical and western lens of looking at most of the history and practices of the Eastern Orthodox church. One can see throughout the book the inclination to bend some of the traditions and dogmas of the church for the sake of unity with other Christians, which is unacceptable and unorthodox. Thus, I recommend proceeding with caution and supplementing this book by reading traditional and early Christian books concerning the history, tradition, and practices of the Orthodox faith.
Warning - Refrain from praising the written note or the writer because it is vain. Instead, praise God for everything.
🍀🍀🍀
Praise be to God, Virgin Mary, and the Holy Cross amen.
© Natnael Tefera Mulatu
ታኅሣስ ፳፭ ፳፻፲፭ ዓ/ም
December 26, 2022
Informative and very interesting for any Christian believer or anyone else who wants to know about one of the world's most traditional and mystical faiths.
August 10, 2010
This was a fascinating read about the history and beliefs of the eastern orthodox church. Until recently, I have been sadly in the dark with regards to church history. It was so interesting to learn how the early Christian church was formed, how its doctrine was set down through many councils, and how the Roman Catholic Church eventually split off due to differences over the role of the pope and the origin of the Holy Spirit, in addition to cultural differences and politics. After the schism, the book follows the spread of orthodox Christianity into Eastern Europe and Russia, and then tells of the difficulties the church faced under Muslim and communist rule (and in some cases, from the Roman Catholics). It really is amazing to me that the church has survived as it has, through so much persecution.
The second half of the book deals with the theology of the Orthodox church. It outlines the differences between Roman Catholic and Orthodox beliefs, and contrasts them with the Protestant church as well. Generally, the Orthodox church is much more mystical than western churches, in that it gives much more weight to the mysteries of God. There is much more spirituality and much less western logic. Another noted contrast is the way the Orthodox view the crucifixion and resurrection; while the western church focuses on the price paid for our sins - a more legalistic focus that goes along with Roman law - the eastern church focuses more on the victory - Jesus triumphed over death, and made it possible for us to be in communion with God once more.
In the eastern church, the goal of every Christian is to continually advance on their path towards deeper communion with God - to become more and more like him, to return to the image of God in which we were made. This is done through prayer, fasting, and, yes, good works. Salvation in the Orthodox church is not based on a one-time decision, it is a process that you work out throughout your lifetime.
The church also relies, like the Roman Catholic church, on holy tradition - this includes the Bible, but also other teachings that were handed down by the apostles to the church. They believe that the church is responsible to determine how to appropriately interpret scripture, and that the multitude of denominations within the Protestant church is a testimony to the problems that can arise when individuals seek to interpret the scriptures on their own, apart from the historical context of the church and its early founders. Only a council of bishops, acting together, can determine appropriate interpretation and theology, and their decisions are believed to be inspired by God.
This book is highly recommended for anyone that is interested in learning about church history or early Christian/Orthodox beliefs.
The second half of the book deals with the theology of the Orthodox church. It outlines the differences between Roman Catholic and Orthodox beliefs, and contrasts them with the Protestant church as well. Generally, the Orthodox church is much more mystical than western churches, in that it gives much more weight to the mysteries of God. There is much more spirituality and much less western logic. Another noted contrast is the way the Orthodox view the crucifixion and resurrection; while the western church focuses on the price paid for our sins - a more legalistic focus that goes along with Roman law - the eastern church focuses more on the victory - Jesus triumphed over death, and made it possible for us to be in communion with God once more.
In the eastern church, the goal of every Christian is to continually advance on their path towards deeper communion with God - to become more and more like him, to return to the image of God in which we were made. This is done through prayer, fasting, and, yes, good works. Salvation in the Orthodox church is not based on a one-time decision, it is a process that you work out throughout your lifetime.
The church also relies, like the Roman Catholic church, on holy tradition - this includes the Bible, but also other teachings that were handed down by the apostles to the church. They believe that the church is responsible to determine how to appropriately interpret scripture, and that the multitude of denominations within the Protestant church is a testimony to the problems that can arise when individuals seek to interpret the scriptures on their own, apart from the historical context of the church and its early founders. Only a council of bishops, acting together, can determine appropriate interpretation and theology, and their decisions are believed to be inspired by God.
This book is highly recommended for anyone that is interested in learning about church history or early Christian/Orthodox beliefs.
January 8, 2024
This is a great book on the history and faith of the Orthodox Church! If I am honest, before this summer, I had minimal understanding of Eastern Orthodoxy. In fact, I very likely was pumped into the category of those who, as the back cover suggests, think that “Orthodoxy is just a kind of Roman Catholicism without the Pope”! I now realize how untrue that is and realize the unique contribution to the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church that Orthodoxy is.
The final words of the book were: “We have everything to gain by continuing to talk to each other.” In the context, “we” is referring to Christians across Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions. As a Protestant seeking to be rooted deeply in both Holy Scripture and the great tradition before us, there is much I have, can, and will continue to learn from Orthodox believers. I am grateful to Timothy Ware for having written this excellent book. It is no wonder it has become the classic text for beginners to understanding the Orthodox Church.
The final words of the book were: “We have everything to gain by continuing to talk to each other.” In the context, “we” is referring to Christians across Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions. As a Protestant seeking to be rooted deeply in both Holy Scripture and the great tradition before us, there is much I have, can, and will continue to learn from Orthodox believers. I am grateful to Timothy Ware for having written this excellent book. It is no wonder it has become the classic text for beginners to understanding the Orthodox Church.
November 13, 2008
I've only read the first part so far (waiting for someone to catch up with me). It's separated into two parts - History and Worship.
The history section deals with the very beginnings of the church up to the post-communism period, which was an update in this newest addition. This history seems to be very thorough and appropriately biased. My impression was one of sadness, actually. I wasn't prepared to read such a dismal history from an Orthodox person himself. It seems like the church was cut off and oppressed from every side. Perhaps he is exaggerating this, but I can't tell why. It was discouraging to me as someone interested in the church. I imagine the second half of the book, Worship, redeems the church in showing what exactly it has suffered to preserve for the rest of the world.
The history section deals with the very beginnings of the church up to the post-communism period, which was an update in this newest addition. This history seems to be very thorough and appropriately biased. My impression was one of sadness, actually. I wasn't prepared to read such a dismal history from an Orthodox person himself. It seems like the church was cut off and oppressed from every side. Perhaps he is exaggerating this, but I can't tell why. It was discouraging to me as someone interested in the church. I imagine the second half of the book, Worship, redeems the church in showing what exactly it has suffered to preserve for the rest of the world.
December 20, 2008
So I'm at work talking to a friend who is gay and we comment on the split in the Episcopal church over a gay priest. The conversation turns to the Great Schism between Orthodox and Roman Catholic and neither of us have a clue what caused it, or exactly when it took place.
One of my GR friends is an Orthox priest so I asked him to suggest some books to read. Top on his list is this one by T Ware.
Good both on the history of the Eastern Church and the Doctrine of same. The author is a converted member and holds the position or did when the book was published with the title Bishop. so he turns the other cheek when talking about the horrible acts commited by Crusaders on Eastern faithful and vice versa..But he is honest and this book was very helpful in developing in me a broader view of religious/spiritual pursuits.
One of my GR friends is an Orthox priest so I asked him to suggest some books to read. Top on his list is this one by T Ware.
Good both on the history of the Eastern Church and the Doctrine of same. The author is a converted member and holds the position or did when the book was published with the title Bishop. so he turns the other cheek when talking about the horrible acts commited by Crusaders on Eastern faithful and vice versa..But he is honest and this book was very helpful in developing in me a broader view of religious/spiritual pursuits.
August 30, 2024
A very strong introduction. I came in with an extremely limited understanding, and I finish with a greater appreciation and respect for this tradition. Though some of it is a bit tedious and some Protestant characterizations were pretty off, there is a lot here to chew on. My biggest disappointment is that there is no treatment of justification from an Eastern perspective. I understand that this is a primarily Western concern, but it is pretty prominent in Paul's letters still! This work definitely helps to show that Orthodoxy, while sharing a lot with the Roman Catholics, is a distinct tradition with different organizing principles and spirituality. Lots to appreciate, including its rich history of faith in the midst of persecution.
July 10, 2021
Coerentă și eficientă, atinge punctele esențiale ale istoriei Bisericii Ortodoxe și explică excelent particularitățile de rit. Celor care încă sunt tentați să privească condescendent către ortodoxie le-ar folosi cartea episcopului Ware, în prezent profesor de teologie ortodoxă la Oxford. Din anglicanismul începuturilor, autorul nu a mai păstrat decât rigoarea narațiunii. Spiritul aparține integral bisericii apostolice.
September 11, 2018
About half history and half theology, this classic by Ware is a must-read for anyone interested in the Orthodox Church. While I will always take issue with some of the teachings and practices of the Orthodox, I say with profound gratitude that I have also learned much from them over the past 20 years.
January 4, 2018
While this book is considered the "standard" introductory text for people wishing to learn about the Orthodox Church, it is so dreadfully dull and dry, that I can't recommend it to anyone unless they are dealing with insomnia.
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