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The Orthodox Church
THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU
• to appreciate the depth and beauty of the dominant form of Christianity in Greece, Russia and much of Eastern Europe
• to understand the tenets, nature and holy days of Orthodox belief
• to recognize the physical features of an Orthodox church, and the spiritual significance of icons
• to know what to expect and how to conduct yourself during Orthodox services and ceremonies
Orthodoxy is the dominant form of Christianity in Greece, Russia, parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Its practices are largely unfamiliar in the West, and have remained essentially unchanged since the earliest days of the faith. This lucid introduction outlines the tenets, nature and holy days of Orthodox belief with the Western reader in mind. It describes the physical church, especially icons, services, and common practices, and offers advice to visitors on how to conduct themselves so that they are accepted and feel comfortable.
Several chapters concern the life of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity; others trace the origins and history of the Church, with particular attention to its great champion, Constantine the Great. The present structure of the Church is described in brief, and the split between the Eastern and the Western Churches is related with differences clearly explained.
The great antiquity and beauty of its liturgy, its essentially minimal hierarchy and its mystical yet pragmatic approach make the Orthodox religion a powerful medium for its profound and universal message. This deceptively simple volume takes the reader on a journey to the heart of the Christian tradition.
ACCESS THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS
Simple Guides: Religion is a series of concise, accessible introductions to the world’s major religions. Written by experts in the field, they offer an engaging and sympathetic description of the key concepts, beliefs and practices of different faiths.
Ideal for spiritual seekers and travellers alike, Simple Guides aims to open the doors of perception. Together the books provide a reliable compass to the world’s great spiritual traditions, and a point of reference for further exploration and discovery. By offering essential insights into the core values, customs and beliefs of different
societies, they also enable visitors to be aware of the cultural sensibilities of their hosts, and to behave in a way that fosters mutual respect and understanding.
• to appreciate the depth and beauty of the dominant form of Christianity in Greece, Russia and much of Eastern Europe
• to understand the tenets, nature and holy days of Orthodox belief
• to recognize the physical features of an Orthodox church, and the spiritual significance of icons
• to know what to expect and how to conduct yourself during Orthodox services and ceremonies
Orthodoxy is the dominant form of Christianity in Greece, Russia, parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Its practices are largely unfamiliar in the West, and have remained essentially unchanged since the earliest days of the faith. This lucid introduction outlines the tenets, nature and holy days of Orthodox belief with the Western reader in mind. It describes the physical church, especially icons, services, and common practices, and offers advice to visitors on how to conduct themselves so that they are accepted and feel comfortable.
Several chapters concern the life of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity; others trace the origins and history of the Church, with particular attention to its great champion, Constantine the Great. The present structure of the Church is described in brief, and the split between the Eastern and the Western Churches is related with differences clearly explained.
The great antiquity and beauty of its liturgy, its essentially minimal hierarchy and its mystical yet pragmatic approach make the Orthodox religion a powerful medium for its profound and universal message. This deceptively simple volume takes the reader on a journey to the heart of the Christian tradition.
ACCESS THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS
Simple Guides: Religion is a series of concise, accessible introductions to the world’s major religions. Written by experts in the field, they offer an engaging and sympathetic description of the key concepts, beliefs and practices of different faiths.
Ideal for spiritual seekers and travellers alike, Simple Guides aims to open the doors of perception. Together the books provide a reliable compass to the world’s great spiritual traditions, and a point of reference for further exploration and discovery. By offering essential insights into the core values, customs and beliefs of different
societies, they also enable visitors to be aware of the cultural sensibilities of their hosts, and to behave in a way that fosters mutual respect and understanding.
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First published May 5, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 2, 2012
The publisher Kuperard has a series of short (150-page) introductions to various religions, and Katherine Clark contributed this one for Orthodox Christianity. She discusses the basic creed of Orthodoxy (even retelling the whole life of Jesus to do so), the history of the Church and important doctrinal disputes in the early centuries, the church calendar, the structure of services (with advice on what to do if you are visiting an Orthodox parish), etc. Generally, Clark presents Orthodox belief without reference to anything outside it. Only in the last chapter does she note the differences between Orthodox Christianity and the Latins,
This book does manage to cover the basics, but it's hard to really praise it. There is some misuse of terminology (e.g. using the term "Byzantine Empire" when describing an event that happened in the 2nd century AD), a couple of questionable assertions about history (the Gospel of John was the first written, seriously?) and a convoluted and incomplete description of early heresies. The book is abundantly illustrated with icons, but they are reproduced in black and white and in small size, so they lack the ability to wow readers as in some other introductions to Orthodoxy.
Probably the only real audience for this book are institutions that are buying the whole Kuperard series. However, for individuals particularly interested in the Orthodox Church, there are better options. Timothy Ware's The Orthodox Church (Penguin) is the classic introduction. Readers of an academic bent will enjoy McGuckin's The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to its History, Doctrine, and Spiritual Culture (Blackwell). If you are coming from an Evangelical Protestant background, Peter Gillquist's Becoming Orthodox speaks your language.
This book does manage to cover the basics, but it's hard to really praise it. There is some misuse of terminology (e.g. using the term "Byzantine Empire" when describing an event that happened in the 2nd century AD), a couple of questionable assertions about history (the Gospel of John was the first written, seriously?) and a convoluted and incomplete description of early heresies. The book is abundantly illustrated with icons, but they are reproduced in black and white and in small size, so they lack the ability to wow readers as in some other introductions to Orthodoxy.
Probably the only real audience for this book are institutions that are buying the whole Kuperard series. However, for individuals particularly interested in the Orthodox Church, there are better options. Timothy Ware's The Orthodox Church (Penguin) is the classic introduction. Readers of an academic bent will enjoy McGuckin's The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to its History, Doctrine, and Spiritual Culture (Blackwell). If you are coming from an Evangelical Protestant background, Peter Gillquist's Becoming Orthodox speaks your language.
February 15, 2020
I read this book because I'm tired of not being able to articulate what Eastern Orthodoxy (hereafter E.O.) believes.
For those who know nothing of E.O., Christianity is split into three branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. Catholicism and Protestantism are Western in their influence (Latin) whereas E.O. is Eastern (Greek). E.O. and the Western church split in 1054 A.D. over a line in the Nicene creed (research: "Filioque" controversy), though this book argues that this is a simplistic answer and it was a build-up of a lot of different issues, much more serious in nature.
If I were to describe the largest difference between the East and the West, it is that the West has a heavy emphasis on rational thought and knowing theology intellectually. However, in the East, theology is mainly experienced (mystically) through symbolism and spiritual practices.
Here are a few things I learned:
-EO has decentralized leadership. Ruled through assemblies instead of a central authority.
-The Emperor Constantine is a very important person in E.O. They honor him and his mother (Helen) as saints.
-As Rome is the Catholicism, Constaniople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) is to Eastern Orthodoxy.
-They believe they have the cross that Jesus was sacrificed on, as was discovered by Constantine's mother (Helen).
-They accept only the 7 ecumenical councils and their doctrine has not developed since then.
-Sermons (if they have them) are short, non-speculative, simple, and non-moralizing.
Some differences between E.O. and Catholicism: E.O. rejects the immaculate conception of Mary, purgatory, and papal authority and infalliability. They baptize only by immersion (infants too), and their priests can marry.
My overall thoughts: while I commend E.O. for holding fast to their beliefs and not shifting due to changing cultural pressures (the West could learn from them in this area), the fact that they have not developed their theology for over a thousand years has kept them back. In almost any doctrinal debate between the East and West, I usually side with the East. However, it is the practices of E.O. that I find most off-putting. Specifically, the mystical and superstitious nature of relics and iconography coupled with the de-emphasis of the bold, authoritative, intellectual proclamation of the Word of God.
For those who know nothing of E.O., Christianity is split into three branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. Catholicism and Protestantism are Western in their influence (Latin) whereas E.O. is Eastern (Greek). E.O. and the Western church split in 1054 A.D. over a line in the Nicene creed (research: "Filioque" controversy), though this book argues that this is a simplistic answer and it was a build-up of a lot of different issues, much more serious in nature.
If I were to describe the largest difference between the East and the West, it is that the West has a heavy emphasis on rational thought and knowing theology intellectually. However, in the East, theology is mainly experienced (mystically) through symbolism and spiritual practices.
Here are a few things I learned:
-EO has decentralized leadership. Ruled through assemblies instead of a central authority.
-The Emperor Constantine is a very important person in E.O. They honor him and his mother (Helen) as saints.
-As Rome is the Catholicism, Constaniople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) is to Eastern Orthodoxy.
-They believe they have the cross that Jesus was sacrificed on, as was discovered by Constantine's mother (Helen).
-They accept only the 7 ecumenical councils and their doctrine has not developed since then.
-Sermons (if they have them) are short, non-speculative, simple, and non-moralizing.
Some differences between E.O. and Catholicism: E.O. rejects the immaculate conception of Mary, purgatory, and papal authority and infalliability. They baptize only by immersion (infants too), and their priests can marry.
My overall thoughts: while I commend E.O. for holding fast to their beliefs and not shifting due to changing cultural pressures (the West could learn from them in this area), the fact that they have not developed their theology for over a thousand years has kept them back. In almost any doctrinal debate between the East and West, I usually side with the East. However, it is the practices of E.O. that I find most off-putting. Specifically, the mystical and superstitious nature of relics and iconography coupled with the de-emphasis of the bold, authoritative, intellectual proclamation of the Word of God.
November 10, 2018
The Orthodox Church of the Middle East and Asia is a different branch of the Catholic Church from the Roman Catholic Church of Europe and the Americas. This small book gives a brief history of the Orthodox Church as well as some of its workings and beliefs. A nice read for anyone interested in comparative religion.
March 3, 2014
It's just what I was hoping for - an easy to read, quick overview of Greek Orthodox history and beliefs. Learned some things I didn't know, which is always a bonus!
June 27, 2020
I thought this was a very nicely done, easy to digest first book about the Orthodox Christian Church. It was the book I read before my very first visit to our local Greek Orthodox Church right before I converted. Other more in depth books are used for catechism.
June 19, 2024
Good and clear. Written by someone inside the Eastern Orthodox church.
January 23, 2023
Notes:
+ 7 sacraments
- Baptism
- Chrismation
- Confession
- Communion
- Matrimony
- Ordination
- Unction
+ Sin and confession
- Greek word for sin = amartia; different connotation from the English word “sin”; literally a missing of the mark, as an archer might fail to miss the target
- The sacrament of confession clears the penitents’ way to hit the mark once more and proceed with their lives unburdened; it also prepares them to receive the Eucharist with a glad heart
- Orthodoxy shares the belief that humans are imperfect, but not the specifically Augustinian view that each person is born in a sinful state, traceable to Adam’s fall or sexual congress
- The concept of original sin is understood by the Orthodox as simply the fallibility of human nature; humans are not perfect, they are born with weaknesses and imperfections with which they must contend
- The aim of the devout Orthodox life is not primarily the negative effort to rid ourselves from sin, but the positive effort to attain Theosis, to become more like God by living out “God within us”
- Added to this is the profound conviction that God really does love us all; that we are his creatures despite our failings; that not one of us is not lovable
- Orthodox recognize their human imperfections and accept their inevitability
- These convictions give the Orthodox great inner confidence; they are not generally haunted by a struggle with guilt
- Confession is an attempt to free oneself of a fault that is a burden and is keeping them from moving on; the priest does not absolve the penitent of guilt, rather he serves as the penitent’s guide and counselor; as an expert in matters of human error and repentance, he prays with and for the person to find release
+ Logos
- Translated from Greek to English as “word”
- In Greek, the word means “meaning, message, reason, purpose, cause, significance, and much more all rolled up into one” and is not translatable into English
- Jesus is the logos, the personification of meaning, God’s very message
- “In the beginning was the logos - a far broader, more complex, and more profound concept than what ‘word’ conveys in any but a very artificial and academic sense. The logos cannot ultimately be approached through reason and words - the media of the mind - without the media of the Spirit: symbol and ritual.”
+ Jesus prayer
- Lord Jesus Chris, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner
- Abbreviated in Greek as Kyrie Eleison (Lord, have mercy)
+ Sign of the cross
- Orthodox cross from right to left; Catholics from left to right
+ Eucharist
- Orthodox use leavened bread as symbolic of the presence of the Holy Spirit; Catholics use unleavened bread
Potent Quotables:
The Eastern Church is entirely decentralized, with no central authority at its head. Its tenants and operations are still determined, as at Pentecost, not by any single individual, but by assemblies of Christians under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Early Christians assiduously avoided taking sides in temporal quarrels, including the [Jewish] revolt. Traditional Jews viewed their lack of commitment as disloyalty, and ceased to count Christians among their numbers.
Orthodoxy did not go through the intense intellectual, theological analysis of the Medieval scholastic period in the West. It is a religion more of the spirit than of the mind, of symbol and ritual more than exegesis, of tradition rather than of dogma or prescribed rules.
The Western Church tended to scholasticism: the intellect, analysis, and dispute; the East to mysticism: the spirit, inspiration, and synthesis.
January 25, 2013
Months ago i was reading a work of fiction and came across some referrences to the Orthodox Church and became intersted in the tenents of this religion. I jotted this down on my rather lengthy list of "side interests" and went about my business of reading everything in sight. I found this book abandoned at a table at the library and found it to be perfect for what I wanted; it gives just enough info about the orthodox church for a totally clear picture, without getting too mired in the lengthy history. I dont see it as a go-to kind of book, it doesnt contain enough info for that. My favorite chapter was titled Viviting an Orthodox Church, where the reader is instructed on what to do from the moment you walk in the doors, whether you do so to attend a service or while the church is empty, even appropriate attire is discussed. I should also add that this is one of ten books in a series, written by different artists.
September 20, 2012
Someone randomly sent me this in the mail. It's a nice little reference book. ♥
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews