Eastern Orthodox Librarian

Just Published - The Explanation of the Epistle of St. Paul To the Galatians by Blessed Theophylact

2011-11-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

This volume contains Blessed Theophylact’s commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. Although St. Paul wrote this letter to address the particular issue of circumcision that was troubling the young churches of Galatia, its purpose goes much deeper. A central theme of the Epistle is the question of the essence of the Christian life—is it based on correct practices or on faith? St. Paul explains the purpose of the Judaic law, and the necessity of moving beyond its practice to the new, very different life based on faith in Christ. The depth of the Apostle’s care for his ﬂock is evident as he strives to draw them away from the old understanding of sin, into the new knowledge of the glory and love of Christ.

See Chrysostom Press

The Eastern Church in the Spiritual Marketplace: American Conversions to Orthodox Christianity

2011-11-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

Amy Slagle is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“Her study is an important contribution to several fields. It adds significantly to the treatment of conversion in the sociology of religion, which has tended to focus mainly on Protestantism and secondarily on Catholicism. The book is extraordinarily well written and organized, combining data and theory with an ease seldom found in academic prose.” —Andrew Buckser, Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University and co-editor of The Anthropology of Religious Conversion

“This is a fascinating collective biography of American spiritual seekers. Slagle’s study simultaneously broaches issues of personal identity, ethnicity in religion, what it means to be American, and the conflicting roles that race might play in the process of conversion to Orthodox Christianity in twenty-first century America.” —Roy R. Robson, Professor of History and Director of the Honors Program at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

The Eastern Orthodox converts in this study are participants in what scholars today refer to as the “spiritual marketplace” or quest culture of expanding religious diversity and individual choice-making that marks the post-World War II American religious landscape. In this highly readable ethnographic study, Slagle explores the ways in which converts, clerics, and lifelong church members use marketplace metaphors in describing and enacting their religious lives. Slagle conducted participant observation and formal semi-structured interviews in Orthodox churches in Pittsburgh, PA—the “Holy Land” of North American Orthodoxy—and Jackson, MS, in the Bible Belt—where the Orthodox Church in America has marshaled significant resources to build mission parishes.

Relatively few ethnographic studies have examined Eastern Orthodox Christianity in the U.S., and Slagle’s book fills a significant gap. This lucidly written book is an ideal selection for courses on the sociology and anthropology of religion, contemporary Christianity, and religious change. Scholars of Orthodox Christianity, as well as clerical and lay people interested in Eastern Orthodoxy, will find this book to be of great appeal.

See Northern Illinois University Press

Patriarchs of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Nineteenth Century

2011-10-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

"Nineteenth century Syrian Orthodox history marks a period of strife as the Church struggles to survive amid oppressive regimes from the Ottoman Empire and their corrupt local magistrates. At the same time Catholic missionaries from Europe arrive on Syrian soil in hopes of converting Orthodox believers. The combination tolls devastation for the Syrian Orthodox Church as its population dwindles and begins to shift geographically. Such is the predicament of the internal and external conflicts to which the Syrian patriarchs of the time must respond. Keeping this in mind, Metropolitan Ephrem Barsoum begins his chronicling of the nineteenth century Syrian patriarchs as they persevere to keep their Christian faith intact against foreign and domestic opposition."

See Gorgias Press

Spiritual Elders: Charisma and Tradition in Russian Orthodoxy

2011-10-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

[Author] "Irina Paert’s manuscript promises to be a seminal book in Russian history, especially the history of Russian Orthodoxy. Paert has done a prodigious amount of work tracking down manuscripts in both central and provincial archives stretching from Helsinki to Kazan to Tatarstan. The insights that she provides into the workings and evolving nature of Russian monasticism are invaluable.” —Christine Worobec, author of Possessed: Women, Witches, and Demons in Imperial Russia

Spiritual elders (startsy) are a quintessential part of Russian Orthodox spirituality, yet scholars have given relatively little focus to them. Elders whose authority came not from their position within the institutional church but from their reputation for personal holiness were mediating agents between official and popular Orthodoxy. Acting as teachers, spiritual directors, counselors, and prophets, elders represented a particular form of ministry within the Church. The informal source of elders’ authority meant that their position was often in conflict with the bureaucratized Synod.

While eldership re-emerged in the late eighteenth century as a relatively marginal phenomenon that had limited meaning within the monastic context, by the turn of the nineteenth century elders had developed into a symbol of Russian national spirituality. In Paert’s highly readable book, she looks at both Imperial and Soviet Russia and examines the social and cultural contexts in which startsy operated, demonstrating how eldership was appropriated by both the elites and the lower classes.

A significant contribution to the debate about the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in modernizing Russian society, Paert’s study shows that elders represented both the weaknesses and the strengths of Russian Orthodoxy’s response to the challenges of modernity. Spiritual Elders promises to stimulate further discussion on the problems of spiritual authority, popular belief, the impact of a religious identity on a national one, and the interactions between church and society in the modern world.

Irina Paert has published extensively on the history of Old Believers and the Russian Orthodox Church. She is a researcher and a lecturer at Tallinn University in Estonia.

See Northern Illinois Univeristy Press

Greece’s Dostoevsky: The Theological Vision of Alexandros Papadiamandis

2011-10-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

"Alexandros Papadiamandis (Papadiamantis) (1851-1911) was the most important literary figure of nineteenth-century Greece and arguably of modern Greek literature more generally. Through his lively, tender, and profound short stories of the simple lives of the Orthodox faithful of his native island of Skiathos, Papadiamandis reveals a world of organically lived Orthodoxy, a world largely lost in the disintegrating order of modern life. As with Dostoevsky, Papadiamantis enjoyed close friendships with holy men of his age, such as St. Nicholas Planas. Likewise, as with Dostoevsky, he does not portray a romantic, ideal world but rather a profoundly human world of struggle that always has the possibility of transfiguration through life in Christ and His Church. ..."

The author, Anestis Keselopoulos, is Professor of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology at the Theological School of Aristotle University of Thessalonica. His theological works include Man and the Environment: A Study of Saint Symeon the New Theologian, published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press and Passions and Virtues According to Saint Gregory Palamas, published by St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press.

See Protecting Veil Press

New Monograph on the History of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad Published

2011-10-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

As reported by the official website of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, a monograph entitled The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, 1925 - 1938. Jurisdictional Conflicts and Relations with the Moscow Church Authority has been published by St Tikhon's Orthodox University.

See Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary

Father Gabriel Bunge Receives Tonsure to Great Schema

2011-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

"Father Gabriel Bunge, renowned patristics scholar, contemplative monk, and author, who also has published with St.Vladimir's Seminary Press, recently was received into the highest level of monastic life: the Great Schema. He made his profession of vows and received his tonsure by the hand of His Grace Nestor, bishop the Diocese of Korsun of the Moscow Patriarchate, at the Skete of the Elevation of the Cross in the Swiss Province of Lugano, Switzerland. At his tonsure, he was given once more the name "Gabriel" in honor of St. Gabriel of Constantinople, a martyr of the 17th century."

See St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
&
See Renowned Benedictine Monk and SVS Press Author Joins Orthodox Church

Hermitage of the Holy Cross: 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book

2011-10-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

"This new commemorative album, printed in honor of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, presents the history and life of the monastery from its founding up to the present day. Throughout the book’s 132 richly composed glossy pages, vibrant full-color photographs accompany a wide variety of articles that describe the spiritual meaning of various aspects of the monastery’s life and mission. If you have never visited the Hermitage before, you will become familiar with the life of the brotherhood through the pages of this book. If you have visited the monastery, this album will bring back memories of your prayerful experience and perhaps give you insight to aspects of the life of the monastics which you missed during your stay."

See Hermitage of the Holy Cross Kiosk Online Catalog

Archimandrite Alexander Golitzin Elected... !

2011-10-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

At their opening session at Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel here on Tuesday morning, October 4, 2011, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America elected Archimandrite Alexander [Golitzin] to the vacant See of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese.

See Orthodox Church in America

The Orthodox Church and Russian Politics

2011-10-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

"This in-depth case study examines the Russian Orthodox Church's influence on federal-level policy in the Russian Federation since the fall of communism. By far more comprehensive than competing works, The Orthodox Church and Russian Politics is based on interviews, close readings of documents--including official state and ecclesiastical publications--and survey work conducted by the author. The analysis balances the Church as an institutional political actor with the government's response to Church demands. Papkova ultimately concludes that the reciprocal relationship between the Church and state is far weaker and less politically important than Western analysts usually believe.

Papkova traces the Church's relative failure in mobilizing parishioners, influencing political parties, and lobbying the state, citing the 1997 law limiting religious freedoms as its only significant political win. She attributes much of this weakness to the informal division of the Church into liberal, traditionalist, and fundamentalist factions, which prevents it from presenting a unified front. Providing a fresh insight into the role of the Church in Post-Soviet Russia, the book speaks across disciplines to political science, sociology, anthropology, history, and religious studies. "

The author Irina Papkova is Professor of International Relations and European Studies at the Central European University in Budapest.

See Oxford University Press

Metropolitan Hilarion: Recommendations on general Orthodox themes... .

2011-09-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Primates and hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem and the Church of Cyprus met in Istanbul on 1-3 September 2011. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR) commented on the meeting results in his interview to ‘Izvestia’ newspaper. The interview was published on 7 September 2011.

See Russian Orthodox Church DECR

Terry Mattingly Interview with Pravoslavie-ru

2011-09-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Terry Mattingly writes the syndicated "On Religion" column for the Scripps Howard News Service in Washington, D.C. that appears in about 350 newspapers nationwide, and is associate professor of media & religion at Palm Beach Atlantic College. He also is a senior fellow for journalism at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. He is a member of Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Linthicum, MD.

See Pravoslavie-ru

For the Peace from Above

2011-09-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

An Orthodox Resource Book on War, Peace and Nationalism, edited by Fr. Hildo Bos and Jim Forest.

"Since the early days of the Church, Christians have struggled to come to terms with Christ's words of peace and His example of peace. In Christ's life, as recorded in the New Testament, it is striking that He neither killed anyone nor summoned any of His disciples to kill. Indeed, the final miracle Christ performed before His execution was to heal an enemy's wound, an injury caused by the Apostle Peter in an attempt to defend his master. Yet, in the course of more than twenty centuries of Christian history, we see Christians often involved in war and, in surveying the calendar of saints, find not only those who refused to take part in war but also those who served in the military, though no one has been canonized due to his skill as a soldier. Besides the millions of Christians who have fought in armies, often against fellow Christians, we also find many priests, bishops and theologians who have advocated war and blessed its weapons. Our subject is an urgent one. Many people today live either near conflict areas or are directly touched by war or in areas where terrorist actions may suddenly occur. Everyone on the planet is in some way affected by wars in progress or wars in the making as well as the consequences of wars in the past. Every day thousands of Christians struggle in thought and prayer with some of the most difficult of questions: May I fight injustice by violent methods? Am I allowed to kill in combat? Are there limits on what I can do in the defense of my country? Am I as a Christian allowed to disobey demands that I believe are unjust or violate the Gospel? When the demands of my country seem at odds with the demands of the Kingdom of God, how do I respond to this conflict? Rarely do we find easy answers to these and similar questions. Thus, those of us in the Orthodox Christian tradition search for help in Holy Scripture, the canons provided to us by ecumenical councils, the witness of the saints, the writing of the Fathers of the Church as well as theologians of recent times. Imitation of saintly forebears alone, however, will not solve our problems. Different eras have adopted different attitudes. Also many of today's problems never existed before, not least the changed character of war in an era of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and mass propaganda. Yet knowledge of the thought and action undertaken by the Orthodox Churches on the issues of war and peace in recent decades surely can help us find ways out of the dead ends that many communities are experiencing today. This is the aim of this book."

See Orthodox Research Institute

Atlas of American Orthodox Churches

2011-09-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Atlas provides a “snapshot” of the Orthodox Christian Churches in the United States. It is addressed for the wide - Orthodox and non-Orthodox, academic and non-academic - audiences. Simultaneously, this book is an atlas, a reference book and a thematic monograph. It is an atlas because it contains numerous maps to show the historical development and present territorial patterns of Orthodox Church life in America. It is a reference book because it furnishes comprehensive information and statistical data on all American Orthodox Christian Churches. It is a thematic monograph because the essays in this book tell the story of the Orthodox Christian past and present in the United States. Thematically, the Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Churches unfolds in four parts (see also table of contents below). Chapter one looks at the historical development of the American Orthodox Churches and presents many interesting facts about particular churches, local communities, and personalities associated with Orthodoxy in America. Chapter two offers an overview of twenty-one national Orthodox Church bodies (including Oriental Orthodox Churches). The short articles with information about each Church are accompanied by two maps: a state-by-state map of parishes and a county-by-county map of membership in this Church. The third chapter is devoted to Orthodox monasteries in the United States. The chapter gives a general introduction into Orthodox monasticism in America and offers a systematic database for the eighty-one Orthodox monasteries in this country. The accompanying map shows their distribution across the country. Chapter four furnishes data from the 2010 US National Orthodox Census. Tables and maps in this chapter contain statistics of parishes, membership, and church attendance for twenty-one different national Orthodox Church bodies. This information is available church-by-church and state-by-state and county-by-county Principal Researcher, Data Compiler and Editor (akrindatch@aol.com)

"Orthodox Christianity in America has been both visible and invisible for more than 200 years. Visible to its neighbors, but usually not well understood; invisible, especially among demographers, sociologists, and students of American religious life. This first ever Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Churches presents Orthodox Christianity in terms that all can understand - scholars and members of the Orthodox Church. The Atlas presents a much-needed snapshot of Orthodox Christianity in these early years of the twenty-first century. It will become an invaluable resource and reference point for many ongoing conversations among the Orthodox and for our involvement in American life." - Rev. Dr. Thomas FitzGerald, Dean - Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts

See Holy Cross Orthodox Bookstore

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Interesting Interview with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk

2011-08-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

"Metropolitan Hilarion: There are no grounds to expect the Pan-Orthodox Council to run into surprises"

See:
Russian Orthodox Church - Department of External Church Relations

The Veneration of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco: Recollections of a Spiritual Son

2011-08-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent recollection of Bishop Peter Lukianov's childhood memories of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. I know many have seen this before, but it is worth re-posting.

See Recollections of a Spiritual Son

Reflections on a Spiritual Journey by Metropolitan Jonah Paffhausen

2011-08-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Metropolitan Jonah graduated from St Vladimir’s Seminary, spent several years in Russia and at Valaam monastery, then returned to the United States. After his tonsure as a monk and ordination to the priesthood, he cared for several small parishes, and was given a blessing to found a monastery in California. The monastery grew, and needed to find a new site to continue to grow. After the move, as before, the monastery saw a constant stream of pilgrims seeking spiritual guidance. It was also becoming known for its publications. Much seemed to depend on Abbot Jonah’s vision.

In the midst of all this, the Diocese of the South needed an auxiliary bishop, and the choice fell on Abbot Jonah, who became Bishop of Fort Worth. Just days afterward, the 15th All American Council met in Pittsburgh, at a critical time for the OCA, and amid much turmoil. The Metropolitan See was vacant, and a new Metropolitan had to be elected. One evening, Bishop Jonah addressed a restive audience about the situation in the church, and as he spoke, the mood changed. And the next morning, the newly ordained Bishop Jonah was elected Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.

“A miracle had somehow quietly taken place. The last had indeed become the first. The abbot of that struggling monastery was elected by the hierarchs, clergy and faithful who had gathered in Pittsburgh to be the Archbishop of Washington and New York, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. His Beatitude’s words inspired the Council on that October night and this book presents a few of his thoughts and writings. May they be a blessing to the reader.”

–Bishop Benjamin, from the Foreword

The Orthodox Christian Profiles Series acquaints the reader on an intimate level with Orthodox figures that have shaped the direction of the Orthodox Church in areas of mission, ascetical and liturgical theology, scholarly and pastoral endeavors, and various other professional disciplines. The people featured in the series are mostly our contemporaries and most remain active in shaping the life of the Church today. A few will have fallen asleep in the Lord, but their influence remains strong and worthy of historical record. The mission of this series is to introduce inspirational Orthodox Christian leaders in various ministries and callings that build up the Body of Christ."

See St. Vladimir's Seminary Press

New Orthodox History Journal!

2011-08-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

The Journal of American Orthodox Church History is a peer reviewed annual electronic journal published on the Feast of the Dormition (the “falling asleep” of Mary, the Mother of God) by Prairie Parish Press. The Journal of American Orthodox Church History is affiliated with the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas (http://orthodoxhistory.org). Each issue may be purchased from the Prairie Parish Press website (http://prairieparishpress.com).

Manuscript submissions, editorial correspondence, and advertising inquiries should be addressed to: Rev. Fr. Oliver Herbel at presseditor@zoho.com. All article, translation, and book review submissions must be sent as an email attachment in Microsoft Word. Submissions should be double spaced, in Times New Roman size 12. Block quotes should be single spaced and indented .5” on each side. Chicago Manual Style should be utilized for citations, with citations in size 10 font.

The Journal of American Orthodox Church History does not accept the following: a reprint of a work already published elsewhere (including electronic circularion on a webpage or listserv), a work simultaneously under consideration for publication elsewhere, or an essay that will be published in a book prior to its publication in the Journal of American Orthodox Church History.

Prairie Parish Press and the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas disclaim responsibility for statements (of either fact or opinion) made by individual contributors.

See Journal of American Orthodox History

Copyright © Prairie Parish Press 2011

ISSN 2160-6528

Singing in a Strange Land - New book from Holy Cross Orthodox Press

2011-08-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

From Holy Cross Orthodox Press this tile by Elia Boutoutsis examines the struggles around religion and culture in the west. These struggles have been particularly intense for immigrant and diaspora faith communities like the Orthodox communions as they seek to find an appropriate place and voice in the postmodern West. Like their exilic ancestors in faith, they ask at every turn, 'How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?' This book offers an in-depth reflection on such struggles and questions through the lenses of ancient theology, modern psychology, and postmodern, postcolonial theory. And its core contention is a provocative one -- that authentic faithfulness to Orthodox tradition itself demands openness and adaptation in every 'strange land.'

Table of Contents

Archimandrite Alexander Golitzin Nominated as New Bishop of OCA Bulgarian Diocese

2011-08-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well known scholar, Archimandrite Alexander Golitzin was nominated as the candidate for Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America, at the diocese’s Fifth Congress-Sobor on June 9, 2011. A native of Saint Innocent Church, Tarzana, CA, Father Alexander Golitzin received a BA in English from UC Berkeley and an M. Div. from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. He spent seven years pursuing doctoral studies at Oxford University in England under His Eminence, Metropolitan Kallistos [Ware]. During this time, he also spent two years in Greece, including one year at Simonos Petras Monastery on Mount Athos. After receiving his D.Phil. in 1980, Father Alexander returned to the US, where he was ordained to the diaconate in January 1982 and to the priesthood two years later. In 1986, he was tonsured to monastic orders. He served OCA missions in northern California and headed the Diocese of the West’s mission committee. In 1989, he took a teaching position at Milwaukee’s Marquette University in the Theology Department, a position which he holds today.

His most recent publications include: New Light from the Holy Mountain (St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, 1996); Et introibo ad altare dei: The Mystagogy of Dionysius Areopagita (Thessalonika, 1994); St Symeon the New Theologian on the Mystical Life: The Ethical Discourses (3 vols., St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1995-1997); and Historical Dictionary of the Orthodox Church, with Michael Prokurat and Michael Peterson (Scarecrow Press, 1996). Another volume of essays has appeared, in Romanian translation: Mistagogia: Experienta lui Dumnezeu in Ortodoxie (Sibiu, 1998). Articles and reviews have appeared, or will shortly appear, in the following journals: St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, Lutheran Quarterly, Greek Orthodox Theological Review, St. Nerses Theological Review, Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Studia Patristica, Vigiliae Christianae, Pro Ecclesia, Mystics Quarterly, and The Journal of Early Christian Studies.

2011-04-14T09:04:00.001-07:00

"Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer" a new documentary feature film from SnagFilms (Comcast & Fios On-Demand) and HarperOne book, focuses on the mysteries behind the prayer that is thought to have first been practiced by the Apostles some 2,000 years ago. The prayer is still chanted by monks and nuns in far away caves and monasteries but is mostly unknown to the rest of the western world. Many say that with this prayer, it is possible to communicate directly with God.

Very Rev. Dr. John A. McGuckin and Dr. Norris J. Chumley bring you to ancient lands of peace and solitude, filming for the first time hermits, monks and nuns in caves, monasteries and convents who share this ancient mystical prayer. The documentary retraces their steps and beyond, bringing the wisdom of both ancient saints and living Christian spiritual masters to worldwide audiences.

Coming November 2011

2011-03-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

Science and the Eastern Orthodox Church

"Science and the Easter Orthodox Church explores core theological and philosophical notions and contentious topics such as evolution from the vantage point of science, Orthodox theology, and the writings of popular recent Orthodox critics as well as supporters.

Examining what science is and why Eastern Orthodox Christians should be concerned about the topic, including a look at well known 20th century figures that are considered holy elders or saints in the Orthodox Church and their relationship and thoughts about science, contributors analyse the historical contingencies that contribute to the relationship of the Orthodox Church and science both in the past and present. Part II includes critiques of science and considers its limitations and strengths in light of Orthodox understandings of the experience of God and the so called miraculous, together with analysis of two Orthodox figures of the 20th century that were highly critical of science, it's foundations and metaphysical assumptions. Part III looks at selected topics in science and how they relate to Orthodox theology, including evolution, brain evolution and consciousness, beginning of life science, nanotechnology, stem cell research and others.

Drawing together leading Orthodox scientists, theologians, and historians confronting some of the critical issues and uses of modern science, this book will be useful for students, academics and clergy who want to develop a greater understanding of how to relate Orthodoxy to science.

Contents: Preface; Part I Science and Orthodox Christianity: Compatibility and Balance: Living with science: Orthodox elders and saints of the 20th century, Daniel P. Buxhoeveden; Science and the Cappadocians: Orthodoxy and science in the 4th century, Valerie Karras; Divine action and the laws of nature: an Orthodox perspective on miracles, Christopher Knight; Ecology, evolution and Bulgakov, Gayle E. Woloschak. Part II Science and Orthodox Christianity: Limitations and Problems: Science and reductionism, Thomas Mether; The limits of scientific knowledge and Orthodox religious experience, Daniel P. Buxhoeveden; Discerning the spirit in creation: Orthodox Christianity and environmental science, John Breck. Part III Science and Orthodox Christianity: Selected Topics: The broad science-religion dialogue: Maximus, Augustine, and others, Gayle E. Woloschak; Technology: life and death, Gayle E. Woloschak; Apophaticism and political economy, C. Clark Carlton; Towards an Orthodox philosophy of science, Thomas Mether; Bibliography; Index.

Edited by Daniel Buxhoeveden, University of South Carolina, USA; Gayle E. Woloschak, Northwestern University School of Medicine, USA; Zygon Center for Religion and Science, Lutheran School of Theology Chicago, USA; Fr. John Breck, St Sergius Theological Institute, Paris, France; Christopher Knight, Executive Secretary of the International Society for Science and Religion, Cambridge, UK"

See Ashgate

Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Becks Cognitive Therapy: A Meeting of Minds

2011-03-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

"Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Becks Cognitive Therapy details a colorful journey deep into two seemingly disparate worlds united by a common insight into the way our thinking influences our emotions, behaviors, and ultimately our lives. In this innovative study about mental and spiritual health, readers are not only provided with a thorough introduction to the elegant theory and practical techniques of cognitive therapy, they are also initiated into the perennial teachings of ascetics and monks in the Greek-speaking East and Latin-speaking West whose powerful writings not only anticipated many contemporary findings, but also suggest unexplored pathways and breathtaking vistas for human growth and development. This groundbreaking interdisciplinary volume in the art of pastoral counseling, patristic studies, and the interface between psychology and theology will be a coveted addition to the working libraries of pastors and psychologists alike. In addition, it is ideal as a textbook for seminary classes in pastoral theology and pastoral counseling, as well as for graduate courses in psychology dealing with the relationship between psychological models and religious worldviews.

The author, Father Alexis Trader is an Orthodox Christian father confessor who has had the opportunity not only to investigate ascetic literature for a period of over twenty years, but also to observe and test how those teachings can be put into practice today by those living in monasteries as well as by individuals struggling in contemporary society. His considerable monastic experience in the ancient monastic republic of Mount Athos and elsewhere has furnished him with a psychologically and existentially relevant hermeneutical context for a fresh approach to patristic texts. Father Alexis received his PhD summa cum laude in theology from the University of Thessalonica in Greece and his MA in divinity from the University of Chicago. He is the author of books in Greek and English as well as a translator of a number of Greek theological and pastoral works."

See Peter Lang Publishing

My Take: U.S. is Christian nation, Congress data shows

2011-01-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN

Editor's note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.

Years ago, a graduate student and I spent untold hours trying to track down the religious affiliations of various state and national politicians — all in an effort to see which religious groups had more political clout, and which had less. I am happy to report that this work is now being done, at least for the U.S. Congress, by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

“Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 112th Congress" tells us a lot of things we already knew, but enough new things to make for interesting reading ...

For the complete article see BELIEF BLOG

The Heart of Russia: Trinity-Sergius, Monasticism, and Society after 1825

2011-01-07T06:49:00.000-08:00

"In the 1830s and 1840s, increasing numbers of Russians renounced the modernized, secularized, Westernized Russia created by Peter the Great in an effort to revive alternative lifestyles based on Orthodox spirituality and values. This effort found expression in a revival of monasticism that began in the era of Nicholas I and would last for the duration of the imperial period, brought to an end only by the cataclysm of revolution and repression of the new Bolshevik regime. Suppressed by the communists, Russian monasticism experienced another revival in the post-World War II era and again in the post-Soviet period, demonstrating that the impulse to renounce the contemporary world for the cloister is a central pattern of Russian religiosity. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of these monastic revivals, presenting a fundamentally new picture of religion in modern Russia. Scott Kenworthy's approach is that of a contextualized microhistory: an in-depth study of one monastic complex, framed within research on monasticism more broadly. The case study here is Russia's largest and most famous monastery, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad, near Moscow. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church is again experiencing a revival, and monasticism is playing a central role in this resurgence. In the search to recover the past, Russian Orthodox are turning to the nineteenth century revival as a normative model. Numerous Russians are once again renouncing the contemporary world--in this case, both the socialist past and the post-socialist capitalist present--and opting for a mode of life that represents a return to past values. Monasteries are again foci of popular piety as well as of important publishing activities, and their spirituality is regarded as the purest expression of Orthodox ideals. This book provides an essential basis for understanding Orthodoxy in its historical context and its contemporary manifestations."

See Oxford University Press

The author, Scott Mark Kenworthy is Assistant Professor of Comparative Religion, Miami University, Ohio.

Dragon’s Wine and Angel’s Bread

2010-11-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

"The Teaching of Evagrius Ponticus on Anger and Meekness"

Evagrius Ponticus (343–399 AD) spent sixteen years in the desert of Egypt, where he gained the gift of insight into the human soul. His writings influenced the theology of John Cassian, Diadochus of Photike, Maximus the Confessor, and Palladius. Evagrius’ image of the human being, profoundly biblical, allowed for a perceptive understanding of anger, its causes, consequences and cures. His major study on the topic—not ordinarily covered in works of theology—appears here in the English language for the first time and offers timeless wisdom on struggling with this passion.

Excerpt:
The one who strives for pure prayer and wishes to lead his intellect to God without thoughts should master anger and be on guard against the thoughts arising from this. I mean, the thoughts that befall us out of mistrust, hatred, and resentment, which most often blind the intellect and ruin its heavenly condition. St. Paul also advised us thus, saying that one “should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.”

Excerpt:
When you find yourself tempted or contradicted; or when you get irritated or when you grow angry through encountering some opposition or feel the urge to utter some kind of invective—then is the time to put yourself in mind of prayer and of the judgment to be passed on such doings. You will find that the disordered movement will immediately be stilled.

Excerpt:
From everything that we have heard up to now, it is clear that anger is an odious vice. It ‘animalizes’ man and turns him into a ‘demon.’ Furthermore, whoever allows himself to be dominated by this vice becomes a plaything of the demons, who terrorize such a bold person through frightful nocturnal visions. Had Evagrius nothing more to say on this subject, studying his writings would hardly be worthwhile. But we stand only at the beginning!

The man who stores up [grounds for] injuries and resentments and yet fancies that he prays might as well draw water from a well and pour it into a cask that is full of holes.

Translated by Father Gabriel Bunge, a patristics scholar who has authored many books, including The Rublev Trinity, published by SVS Press. Fr. Bunge, was received into the Orthodox Church on August 27, 2010 before the All-Night Vigil for the the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God at the church of the “Joy to All the Afflicted” Icon in Bolshaya Ordynka Street, Moscow. For additional information visit Department of External Church Affairs Russian Orthodox Church.

See St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

State Archives of Russia and Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville Exchange Documents

2010-09-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

MOSCOW: September 17, 2010

The State Archives of Russia and Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville Exchange Documents

On September 17, 2010, as part of the 90th anniversary celebrations of the State Archives of the Russian Federation [GARF—Gosudarstvenniy arkhiv Rossijskoj Federatsii], copies of documents were exchanged between GARF and Holy Trinity Seminary of Jordanville, NY.

Participating in the anniversary ceremonies were eminent political and academic figures, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and their colleagues from the “near abroad.”

For the full article see Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and
for additional information see Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary

iPhone apps, etc.

2010-09-02T08:23:00.001-07:00

I would like to make a brief observation about smart phone apps related to Orthodoxy. I am an avid user of my iPhone and enjoy the many educational and informational apps! I also have several related to the history of Christianity and of course the Bible; however, in my search for a good Eastern Orthodox app, I have been disappointed. The Eastern Orthodox Church is definitely behind the technological curve in this regard, compared to the Roman Catholic Church, the many Protestant churches, and non Christian faiths. There are a few Eastern Orthodox apps, but all fall short. There is one excellent app for Eastern Orthodox Christians and those interested in Orthodoxy. It has all the traditional Eastern Orthodox prayers, prayer rules, the Liturgy, commentary on the Jesus Prayer, sayings of the Fathers, and much more. The app also includes a very good section on the history of the Orthodox Church and what Orthodoxy teaches. I suppose the only concern I have, and it is a big concern, is that this app was created by a NON Canonical Orthodox jurisdiction. In fact, the creators of this app are not Eastern Orthodox. It is, and I quote from the PilgramApp web site, sponsored by "The Province of Saint Flannan [which is] an outreach ministry of Fides in Adversis Ministries Inc. (USA non-profit). The eparchy is autonomous (omophor of the Province of Saint Brendan) and ecumenical (see sidebar), and in full communion with Orthodox, Celtic Apostolic, Old Catholic, and free Lutheran communions. We are an English-speaking province, with a provision for Chinese-speaking faithful." I find it ironic that the best Orthodox prayer app and Orthodox reading app currently available, comes from a non-Orthodox group! I had hoped the Greek Orthodox Church would come out with something better than what they currently have, or that the Antiochians or OCA might surely have created an Eastern Orthodoxy app that includes a full prayer book. But so far none have! Until then, I will recommend this app, because as far I can ascertain, it’s good, correct, and resembles to a large degree the Jordanville Prayer book, but be cautious. Remember from where it comes. Your feed back will appreciated.

2010-09-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

"In the Orthodox Christian faith the elements of liturgy, scripture, hymnody, and iconography are the instruments or voices of a melody of faith. In The Melody of Faith Vigen Guroian introduces his readers to the fundamental beliefs of Orthodox Christianity using the metaphor of melody. Often drawing on his personal religious experience for illumination, Guroian weaves together the themes of creation and new creation, beginning and end, sin and holiness, Incarnation and deification, sacrifice and salvation. By discussing several iconography traditions and illuminations from ancient gospels, he illustrates how Orthodox Christianity expresses theology in art as well as through language. The Melody of Faith is a book that not only reflects the spirit of Orthodox Christianity but that also takes the reader to the theological heart of the Orthodox faith. Vigen Guroian is professor of religious studies in Orthodox Christianity at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. His many other books include The Fragrance of God, Inheriting Paradise, and Incarnate Love: Essays in Orthodox Ethics."

See Eerdmans

Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity

2010-08-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

"With a combination of essay-length and short entries written by a team of leading religious experts, the two-volume Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodoxy offers the most comprehensive guide to the cultural and intellectual world of Eastern Orthodox Christianity available in English today.

•An outstanding reference work providing the first English language multi-volume account of the key historical, liturgical, doctrinal features of Eastern Orthodoxy, including the Non-Chalcedonian churches
•Explores of the major traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy in detail, including the Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopic, Slavic, Romanian, Syriac churches
•Uniquely comprehensive, it is edited by one of the leading scholars in the field and provides authoritative but accessible articles by a range of top international academics and Orthodox figures
•Spans the period from Late Antiquity to the present, encompassing subjects including history, theology, liturgy, monasticism, sacramentology, canon law, philosophy, folk culture, architecture, archaeology, martyrology, hagiography, all alongside a large and generously detailed prosopography
•Structured alphabetically and topically cross-indexed, with entries ranging from 100 to 6,000 words

John Anthony McGuckin, editor, is Nielsen Professor of Early Church History at Union Theological Seminary, and Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies at Columbia University in New York. A Stavrofor priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church in America, Professor McGuckin is the author of more than twenty books on religious and historical themes, including The Orthodox Church (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008), and is considered one of the leading experts of the early Christian and Eastern Orthodox tradition writing in English today."

See Wiley

Separate Truths: God Is Not One

2010-07-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

This is a very interesting article by Stepehn Prothero, a religion professor at Boston University. This article is adapted from his new book, ”God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter.”

See the article Separate Truths published on the Boston Globe web site.

Images of the Mother of God: Perceptions of the Theotokos in Byzantium

2010-06-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

"Fully illustrated in colour and black and white, Images of the Mother of God complements the successful exhibition catalogue of the 'Mother of God' exhibition at the Benaki Museum in Athens. It brings together the work of leading international authorities and younger scholars to provide a wide-ranging survey of how the Theotokos was perceived in the Byzantine world. It embraces the disciplines of art historians, archaeologists, traditional and feminist historians, as well as theologians, philologists and social anthropologists. Images of the Mother of God will appeal not just to those interested in Byzantine art and culture, but also to scholars of Western Europe in the Middle Ages who are looking for comparative materials in their own work.

Contents: Foreword, Angelos Delivorrias; Preface, Evangelos Chrysos; Introduction, Averil Cameron. Early Cult and Representations: Isis and Mary in early icons, Thomas F. Mathews and Norman Muller; The enigmatic Coptic Galaktotrophousa and the cult of the Virgin Mary in Egypt, Elizabeth S. Bolman; Icons and sites. Cult images of the Virgin in mediaeval Rome, Gerhard Wolf; Theotokos and Logos: the interpretation and reinterpretation of the sanctuary programme of the Koimesis Church, Nicaea, Charles Barber. The Theology of the Theotokos: The Virgin as the true Ark of Covenant, Michel van Esbroeck; The Theotokos in Byzantine hymnography: typology and allegory, Christian Hannick; Use and abuse of the 'image' of the Theotokos in the political life of Byzantium (with special reference to the iconoclast period), Nike Koutrakou; From poetry to liturgy: the cult of the Virgin in the Middle Byzantine era, Niki Tsironis; Exchanging embrace. The body of salvation, Ioli Kalavrezou; The symbolism of the censer in Byzantine representations of the Dormition of the Virgin, Maria Evangelatou; The Portaitissa icon at Iveron monastery and the cult of the Virgin on Mount Athos, Kriton Chryssochoidis. Female Authority and Devotion: The empress and the Virgin in early Byzantium: piety, authority and devotion, Liz James; Female piety in context: understanding developments in private devotional practices, Brigitte Pitarakis; The eyes of the Mother of God, Robin Cormack; Zoe's lead seal: female invocation to the Annunciation of the Virgin, Vasso Penna. Public and Private Cult: Byzantine domestic art as evidence for the early cult of the Virgin, Henry Maguire; The 'activated' icon: the Hodegetria procession and Mary's Eisodos, Bissera V. Pentcheva; Picturing the spiritual protector: from Blachernitissa to Hodegetria, Christine Angelidi and Titos Papamastorakis; The image of the Virgin Zoodochos Pege: two questions concerning its origin, Natalia Teteriatnikov; The cult of the Virgin Zoodochos Pege at Mistra, Rhodoniki Etzeoglou; The Virgin, the Christ-child and the evil eye, Vassiliki Foskolou; Praying for the salvation of the empire?, Maria Vassilaki. Between East and West: Thoughts on Mary east and west, Annemarie Weyl Carr; The Kahn and Mellon Madonnas and their place in the history of the Virgin and Child Enthroned in Italy and the east, Rebecca W. Corrie; Representations of the Virgin in Lusignan Cyprus, Sophia Kalopissi-Verti; The legacy of the Hodegetria: holy icons and legends between east and west, Michele Bacci; A Byzantine icon of the dexiokratousa Hodegetria from Crete at the Benaki museum, Nano Chatzidakis. Epilogue, Maria Vassilaki; Index.

About the Editor: Maria Vassilaki is Associate Professor of the History of Byzantine Art at the University of Thessaly, Greece, and Scientific Advisor at the Benaki Museum in Athens, where she organised the 'Mother of God' exhibition in 2000-2001."

See Ashgate

Maximus the Confessor and his Companions Documents from Exile

2010-06-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Edited by Pauline Allen and Bronwen Neil

"The seven documents in this book, which appear for the first time in an English translation from Greek and Latin, constitute a unique contemporary witness to the stalwart opposition of the monk Maximus the Confessor to seventh-century imperial edicts enforcing adherence to the doctrines of monoenergism and monothelitism (the doctrines that in Christ there are, respectively, only one energy and one will). The monastic resistance led by Maximus gained the support of Popes John IV, Theodore, and Martin I and found many other followers in the West, as can be judged by the convocation of 150 bishops at the Lateran Synod in Rome in 649 to condemn imperial religious policy. The documents, which have been translated from a recent critical edition, cover events from the time of Maximus' arrival in Constantinople for his first legal trial in 655; the futile attempts to persuade him to accept an imperial compromise; to his final trial in the capital in 662, and his death under appalling conditions in Lazica, on the coast of the Black Sea, in the same year. The contents of these documents provide a rare insight into the difficult period of transition from the decentralized provincial system of government that characterized late antiquity, to a more hierarchical structure centred on the power of the emperor in Constantinople. They also shed light on some lesser-known but significant participants in the monothelite controversy, several of whom followed their master into exile in Lazica; Maximus' two disciples Anastasius the monk and Anastasius the Apocrisiarius, their friends Theodore Spudaeus, Theodosius of Gangra, and the brothers Theodore and Euprepius. The religious controversies of both East and West appear in these documents against a backdrop of political turmoil, and Arab and Persian invasions. The documents will be important for those interested in early Byzantine studies, church history, historical theology, and hagiography."

See Oxford University Press

The Book of Calendars

2010-06-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent reference work for everyone who has to know what date it really is! The book provides easy-to-use tables that translate the calendars of over sixty civilizations into the Julian and Gregorian calendars. An indispensable tool for scholars. By Frank Parise.

Table of Contents:

Ancient Calendars
Africa
Modern Near East
India
Southeast Asia
Far East
Central America
Western Calendars

See Gorgias Press

The Wisdom of Isaac of Nineveh: A Bilingual Edition

2010-06-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

"St. Isaac of Nineveh, or, as he is sometimes known, St. Isaac the Syrian, was born in the region of modern Qatar and lived during the seventh century. Ordained as the bishop of Nineveh sometime between 661 and 681 CE, Isaac withdrew from his ecclesiastical office after only five months, retiring to live as a monastic hermit in the mountains of southeastern Iraq. Translated from their original Syriac into a number of other languages, St. Isaac’s spiritual writings have been read by Christian monastics for centuries.

The present selection of one hundred and fifty-three short sayings by St. Isaac is drawn from both the “First Part” and the “Second Part” of his literary corpus, and it follows the sequence of these two volumes. Here, in the inaugural volume of the Texts from Christian Late Antiquity (TeCLA) series, Gorgias Press is pleased to present Sebastian Brock’s masterful English translation of St. Isaac’s writings accompanied for the first time by the Syriac text."

See Gorgias Press.

Orthodox Spirituality and the Philokalia

2010-04-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

By Placide Deseille, Trans. Anthony Gythiel. "The Philokalia is unrivaled in importance among Orthodox ascetical writings. Yet like the Scriptures themselves, it is a collection of texts complex in origin and transmission, written over a period of a thousand years and assuming of its readers an intimate familiarity with its vocabulary and presuppositions. Orthodox Spirituality and the Philokalia is perhaps the only book entirely devoted to describing the essential elements of the tradition that gave birth to the Philokalia and then nourished its teaching generation after generation. It is a work-the first to appear in English by Placide Deseille-of profound scholarship and devotion, historical narrative and topical anthology. The historical sections begin and end the book, offering a succinct outline of Orthodox spirituality as it relates to what Deseille calls 'the philocalic tradition,' from St. Anthony the Great up to the present day. The concluding discussion highlights the fragmented but fascinating presence of that tradition in the Christian West. The centerpiece of Deseille's work is the anthology with commentary, arranged according to themes such as deification (related to both Christology and anthropology), the sacraments, hesychastic prayer, mercy and charity, spiritual warfare, purity of heart and contemplation. Deseille, a Cistercian priest become Orthodox monk, offers here the fruit of a lifetime's scholarship and existential pursuit of what it means to live as a contemporary of the Fathers, a fellow pilgrim with them in the journey 'toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

See Eighth Day Books Press

Hidden Holiness

2010-04-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

"In Hidden Holiness, Fr. Michael Plekon challenges us to examine the concept of holiness. He argues that both Orthodox and Catholic churches understand saints to be individuals whose lives and deeds are unusual, extraordinary, or miraculous. Such a requirement for sainthood undermines, in his view, one of the basic messages of Christianity: that all people are called to holiness.

Instead of focusing on the ecclesiastical process of recognizing saints, Plekon explores a more ordinary and less noticeable “hidden” holiness, one founded on the calling of all to be prophets and priests and witnesses to the Gospel. As Rowan Williams has insisted, people of faith need to find God’s work in their culture and daily lives. With that in mind, Plekon identifies a fascinatingly diverse group of faithful who exemplify an everyday sanctity, as well as the tools they have used to enact their faith. A generous and expansive treatment of the holy life, accessibly written for all readers, Plekon’s book is sure to inspire us to recognize and celebrate the holiness hidden in the ordinary lives of those around us.

Michael Plekon is a professor in the department of sociology/anthropology and the Program in Religion and Culture at Baruch College, City University of New York, and is an ordained priest in the Orthodox church in America. He is author of Living Icons: Persons of Faith in the Eastern Church (2002) and editor of The Church of the Holy Spirit by Nicholas Afanasiev (2007), both published by University of Notre Dame Press."

See University of Notre Dame Press

Toward the Endless Day: The Life of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel

2010-04-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Elizabeth Behr-Sigel (1907–2005) was one of the most important Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century. For seventy years she helped her church, dispersed and uprooted from its cultural heritage, adapt to a new world. Born in Alsace, France, to a Protestant father and a Jewish mother, Behr-Sigel received a master’s degree in theology from the Protestant Faculty of Theology at Strasbourg and began a pastoral ministry. It lasted only a year. Already attracted by the beauty of its liturgy and by its characteristic spirituality, Behr-Sigel officially embraced the Orthodox faith at age twenty-four.

During World War II her family (husband André Behr and their three children) lived in Nancy, France, where Behr-Sigel taught in the public school system. She later referred to this time as her real apprenticeship in ecumenism, when people of different traditions came together in opposition to Nazism, hiding Jews, and providing escape routes.

After the war she took advantage of courses at St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris, where she later joined the faculty. Behr-Sigel also taught at the Catholic Institute of Paris, the Dominican College of Ottowa, and the Ecumenical Institute of Tantur near Jerusalem. She wrote and published books in Orthodox theology, spirituality, and the role of women in the Orthodox Church. In her retirement she continued to work on behalf of women and of the ecumenical movement. Her ninety-fifth birthday was celebrated in a Carmelite convent in the presence of two Orthodox bishops, a Greek Catholic Bishop, the vicar generals of three Catholic dioceses, and several eminent Protestant pastors.

Published in 2007 in France as Vers le jour sans déclin, this biography, by the Orthodox writer OLGA LOSSKY will bring to English-speaking readers of all religious persuasions the life and career of a remarkable and admirable woman of faith. Behr-Sigel fully cooperated with this biography, meeting with Lossky weekly during the last year of her life and gave Lossky access to her journal and personal letters."

See University of Notre Dame Press

Go Forth! Stories of Missions and Resurrection in Albania

2010-03-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

"Of all the stories of the resurrection of the Orthodox Church in formerly communist lands, Albania’s may be the most dramatic. Having been almost exterminated by the atheist government, the Church of Albania has arisen, under the leadership of Archbishop Anastasios, to become a vibrant and growing member of the world Orthodox community.

Fr. Luke Veronis and his family served as missionaries to Albania during some of the most crucial years of this resurrection. In these pages, Fr. Luke shares stories of those years—stories of desperate poverty and of heroism, of setbacks and triumphs, of heartbreak and miracles—and calls us all to answer the Lord’s Great Commission: Go Forth!
Includes an 8 page photo section, in addition to photos interspersed through the text pages."

See Conciliar Press

The Old Testament as Authoritative Scripture in the Early Churches of the East

2010-03-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

"Edited by Vahan S. Hovhanessian, The Old Testament as Authoritative Scripture in the Early Churches of the East represents the latest scholarly research in the field of Old Testament as Scripture in Eastern Christianity. Its twelve articles focus on the use of the Old Testament in the earliest Christian communities in the East. The collection explores the authoritative role of the Old Testament in the churches of the East and its impact on the church's doctrine, liturgy, canon law, and spirituality.

Contents: Nicolae Roddy: Introduction - J. Edward Walters: Son of Man, Son of God: Aphrahat's Biblical Christology - Merja Merras: Ephraem the Syrian and the Authority of the Old Testament Writings - Bryan A. Stewart: Levitical Paradigms for Christian Bishops: The Old Testament Influence on Origen of Alexandria - Mark W. Elliott: Leviticus between Fifth-Century Jerusalem and Ninth-Century Merv - David Kneip: The Holy Spirit in Cyril of Alexandria's Commentary on Isaiah - Robert A. Kitchen: Winking at Jonah Narsai's Interpretation of Jonah for the Church of the East - Jonathan Loopstra: A Syriac Tract for the «Explanation» of Hebrew and Foreign Words - Nicolae Roddy: Does the Orthodox Lectionary Subvert the Gospel? The Pericope of the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen (Matt 21:36-46) - Timothy Scott Clark: A Question for the Audience: The Prokeimenon and Poetics in Eastern Liturgy - Edith M. Humphrey: Grand Entrance: Entrance into Worship as Rhetorical Invitation and Liturgical Precedent in the Older Testament - Rajkumar Boaz Johnson: The Use of the Old Testament in the Syrian Christian Traditions of India."

See Peter Lang Publishing Group

Man and the God-Man

2010-02-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

"Father Justin Popovich, pan-orthodox witness to the God-revealed and Christ-given Eternal Truth, whose testimony can be even seen within this collection of his articles - that "the mystery of Truth is not in material things, not in ideas, not in symbols, but in Personhood, namely the Theanthropic Person of the Lord Christ, Who said: I am the Truth (John 14:6), Truth perfect, never diminished, always one and the same in its complete fullness - yesterday, today, and forever (Heb.13:8)."

"The treasure to be found in this anthology of neopatristic syntheses consists of: "Perfect God and perfect man" - Nativity Epistle, where Fr Justin boldly exclaim that "man is only a true man when he is completely united with God, only and solely in God is man a man, true man, perfect man, a man in whom all the fullness of Godhead lives."; "The God-man" - The foundation of the Truth of Orthodoxy - Ava Justinian language of love in Christ-centered reflections of Truth; "The Supreme Value and Infallible Criterion"- contemporary philosophical reflections on visible and invisible realities; "Sentenced to Immortality" - a homily on the Resurrection or Our Lord Jesus Christ; "Humanistic and Theanthropic Culture"-criticism of European anti-Christian culture; "Humanistic and Theanthropic Education" - indicative pondering of consequences of education without God.. ; "The Theory of Knowledge of Saint Isaac the Syrian" - Faith, prayer, love, humility, grace and freedom, the purification of the intellect, mystery of knowledge; "A Deer in a Lost Paradise" - Ava's renowned poetic essay, a confession, and deepest longing for all-sweetest Jesus..."

See Sabastian Press

Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece: The Role of Religion in Culture, Ethnicity and Politics

2010-02-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

"Edited by Victor Roudometof and Vasilios N. Makrides - Greece is one of the predominantly Orthodox countries that has never experienced communism, a country uniquely situated to offer insights about contemporary trends and developments in Orthodox Christianity. This volume offers a comprehensive treatment of the role Orthodox Christianity plays at the dawn of the twenty-first century Greece from social scientific and cultural-historical perspectives.

This book breaks new ground by examining in depth the multifaceted changes that took place in the relationship between Orthodox Christianity and politics, ethnicity, gender, and popular culture. Its intention is two-fold: on the one hand, it aims at revisiting some earlier stereotypes, widespread both in academic and others circles, about the Greek Orthodox Church, its cultural specificity and its social presence, such as its alleged intrinsic non-pluralistic attitude toward non-Orthodox Others. On the other hand, it attempts to show how this fairly traditional religious system underwent significant changes in recent years affecting its public role and image, particularly as it became more and more exposed to the challenges of globalization and multiculturalism.

Contents: Foreword, Grace Davie; Preface; Introduction: Tradition, transition and change in Greek Orthodoxy at the dawn of the 21st century: introductory considerations, Vasilios N. Makrides and Victor Roudometof; Part 1 Orthodox Christianity, Greek Ethnicity and Politics: The evolution of Greek Orthodoxy in the context of world historical globalisation, Victor Roudometof; A intriguing true-false paradox: the entanglement of modernization and intolerance in the Orthodox Church of Greece, Anastassios Anastassiadis; Scandals, secret agents, and corruption: the Orthodox Church of Greece during the 2005 crisis – its relations to the state and modernization, Vasilios N. Makrides; Domesticating Islam and Muslim immigrants: political and church responses to constructing a central mosque in Athens, Dia Anagnostou and Ruby Gropas; Non-Orthodox minorities in contemporary Greece: legal status and concomitant debates between church, state, and the international community, Prodromos Yannas. Part 2 Orthodox Christianity and Greek Culture: 'The traditional modern': rethinking the position of contemporary Greek women to orthodoxy, Eleni Sotiriu; The mosque that was not there: ethnographic elaborations on Orthodox conceptions of sacrifice, Dimitris Antoniou; Religion and welfare in Greece: a new, or renewed, role for the church?, Effie Fokas; Faith and trust: tracking patterns of religious and civic commitment in Greece and Europe. An empirical approach, Theoni Stathopoulou; Sacred words in a secular beat: the Free Monks phenomenon at the intersection of religion, youth and popular culture, Lina Molokotos-Liederman; Index.

Reviews: 'This is a deep, masterly and penetrating exploration of Orthodox Christianity in contemporary Greece. Intellectually powerful and methodologically rigorous, the chapters converge in a general cohesion of the cultural themes of the volume which bear directly on the public role of religion in Greek society and beyond. The result is an invaluable contribution to the study of a specific and rather under-researched area of contemporary European religious culture.' Nikos Kokosalakis, University of Liverpool, UK"

Available - April 2010 from Ashgate

Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions

2010-01-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

"This critical volume, edited by Michael J. Christensen and Jeffrey A. Wittung, focuses on the concept of deification in Christian intellectual history. It draws together Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant scholars to introduce and explain the theory of deification as a biblically rooted, central theme in the Christian doctrine of salvation in diverse eras and traditions. The book addresses the origin, development, and function of deification from its precursors in ancient Greek philosophy to its nuanced use in contemporary theological thought. The revival of interest in deification, which has often been seen as heresy in the Protestant West, heralds a return to foundational understandings of salvation in the Christian church before divisions of East and West, Catholic and Protestant. Originally published in hardcover, this book is now available in paperback to a wider readership."

"This groundbreaking, panoramic collection of studies on the theme of deification/theosis is most welcome. These essays clearly demonstrate that the grand and sublime calling of every human being to participate in the very life of God has always been central in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. I believe this finely conceived and well-crafted volume will help significantly to deepen the understanding and appreciation of salvation as deification for all who read it."--David C. Ford, St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary"

See Baker Academic

Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective

2010-01-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

by Archbishop Hilarion (Alfeyev), Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations

"This in-depth study on the realm of death presents a message of hope held by the first generation of Christians and the early church. Using Scripture, patristic tradition, early Christian poetry, and liturgical texts, Archbishop Hilarion explores the mysterious and enigmatic event of Christ s descent into Hades and its consequences for the human race. Insisting that Christ entered Sheol as Conqueror and not as victim, the author depicts the Lord s descent as an event of cosmic significance opening the path to universal salvation. He also reveals Hades as a place of divine presence, a place where the spiritual fate of a person may still change. Reminding readers that self-will remains the only hindrance to life in Christ, he presents the gospel message anew, even in the shadow of death."

St. Vladimir's Seminary Press

Invitation to the Septuagint

2010-01-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

"This book by academics Jobes and Silva admirably delivers what it promises: it is a clearly written and organized introduction to the Greek-language Hebrew Scriptures commonly called the Septuagint, or LXX. The authors address, with great effectiveness, the history of the Septuagint itself, its transmission over time, the establishment of its text, its interpretation, its relationship to Judaism and Christianity both ancient and modern, and the current state of scholarship on the subject. Sustaining interest in this text, still too little known to the non-specialist, is a fine achievement, especially when done with the grace and intelligence the authors display. Highly recommended." From Library Journal.

See BakerBooks

Serbian Orthodox Fundamentals: The Quest for an Eternal Identity

2009-12-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

I find this work by Christos Mylonas somewhat controversal, but it is a very scholalry study. I quote from a review published in the American Historical Review, Volume 10, No. 3, June 2004 by Thomas A. Emmert of Gustavus Adolphus College: "Christos Mylonas has constructed a dense and fascinating analysis of the relationship between Serbian Orthodoxy and Serbian national identity. It is based on a panoply of sources and is intent on demonstrating the validity of the author's main hypothesis that "Orthodoxy is the sacralisation of the Serbian national identity" (p. xii) Mylonas is convinced that Orthodoxy provides the common denominator upon which Serbs construct their identity. Certain of this hypothesis, he carefully directs his sources and his arguments to make a case for it.....In the end, one is left praising the extraordinary depth of Mylonas's analysis and eager for a response from and dialogue with Serb scholars. It is not clear to me that most Serbs would recognize themselves here. The Serbian population was profoundly influenced by more than four decades of communism. Modernization, education, consumerism, travel, and many other factors also contributed to a profound turning away from Orthodoxy and from the so-called Kosovo ethos that, with Orthodoxy, has arguably contributed most to Serbian identity. The many years I spent among Serbs during the Communist era did not convince me that Serbian Orthodoxy "anchors the emotions and consistency of Serbianhood" (p. 56) in any profound and conscious way—at least among most Serbs in the post-1945 generations."

See Central European University Press

Worship in the Early Church: An Anthology of Historical Sources in Four Volumes

2009-12-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

"Worship in the Early Church is a four-volume collection of excerpts from early Christian writings illustrating the Church’s liturgical practice in both East and West, from its Jewish beginnings through the end of the sixth century. Source material includes doctrinal and historical treatises, scriptural commentaries, sermons, letters, synodal legislation, early church orders, monastic rules, baptismal and funeral epigrams. Each author or major selection is preceded by a short introduction containing such information as dates, country of origin, and various other background details. A bibliography of pertinent periodical and liturgical literature is given as well as a bibliography referencing standard encyclopedias of religion and manuals of patrology.

Lawrence J. Johnson is the former executive secretary of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions and the former editor/director of The Pastoral Press. He has written several books on the liturgy and its music, including The Mystery of Faith: A Study of the Structural Elements of the Order of the Mass."

See Liturgical Press

Theodore the Stoudite: The Ordering of Holiness

2009-12-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

"By Roman Cholij, this is the first modern study in English of the life and thought of the ninth-century Byzantine theologian and monastic reformer, Theodore the Stoudite. Cholij provides a guide to and a complete analysis of all the primary source material attributed to Theodore. If the monastic leader is considered in the context of the tradition to which he belonged, it is clear that his religious formation occurred within a widely established school of Basilian and Palestinian Christian thought. This encourages a fresh engagement with the subtleties in Theodore's behaviour towards the Byzantine religious and secular leaders of his time and provokes new conclusions concerning the religious and secular issues which involved Theodore in controversy. Cholij refutes the established view of Theodore as a breaker of the traditional; Byzantine church and state relationship and provides new insights into Theodore's true understanding of the involvement of the Emperor in church affairs. In his analysis of the rites of holiness that belonged to Theodore's church, the author identifies a false tradition of sacramental mysteries in a misreading of Pseudo-Dionysios the Areopagite and so offers a radically new definition of the origins of the Orthodox sacramental tradition."

See Oxford University Press

Bulgarian Orthodox Church May Return to Julian Calendar

2009-12-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church may decide in favor of restoring the Julian Calendar, which means that Christmas will have be celebrated on January 7 instead of December 25.

Senior bishops have made it clear that in 2009 Bulgaria might celebrate Christmas on December 25 for the last time, if the Church decides to renounce the Gregorian Calendar.

On December 20, 2009, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is going to hold a meeting to consider the plea of a group of believers and their priest from the village of Chelopechene, asking that Christmas be celebrated on January 7. The plea was filed on November 20, 2009.

The local priest Mariy Dimitrov has been serving according to the Julian Calendar for the last 20 years in his parish with the special permission of Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim.

Those who filed the plea remind that a similar case for the restoration of the Julian Calendar in 1997 attracted the support of five bishops.

Bulgaria switched to the Gregorian Calendar in 1916, and has been celebrating Christmas on December 25 since it was restored as an official holiday after the end of the communist regime.

December 1, 2009

See Novinite.com

Orthodoxy and the Cold War: Religion and Political Power in Romania, 1947-65

2009-11-30T11:48:00.000-08:00

"Lucian Leustean's book examines the unique dynamics between Orthodoxy and politics in Romania. It provides an accessible narrative on church-state relations in the early Cold War period within a wider timeframe, from the establishment of the state in 1859 to the rise of Nicolae Ceauşescu in 1965. In the 1950s Romania began to distance itself from Moscow's influence, developing its own form of communism. Based on new archival resources, the book argues that Romanian national communism, outside Moscow's influence, had an ally in a strong Church. It addresses the following questions: How did the Church, which openly opposed communism in the interwar period, survive the atheist regime? How did the regime use religion to its political advantage? What was the Church's influence on Romanian politics? The book analyses the political interests of the Romanian Orthodox Church and its religious diplomacy with actors in the West, in particular with the Church of England."

For more information see Palgrave Macmillan.

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives

2009-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

New book from St. Herman's Press - Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica.

“Love little things, and strive for that which is modest and simple. The Lord watches over us, and He is pleased that you long for His peace. Until the soul is ready, He will only sometimes allow us to see that He is present everywhere and fills all things. At these moments the soul feels such joy!… But then the Lord conceals Himself from us again, in order that we might long for Him and seek Him with our hearts!”
—Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

"Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica was one of the most renowned spiritual guides of Serbia in the twentieth century. As a novice he lived in obedience to Elder Ambrose of Miljkovo Monastery, a disciple of the Optina Elders. From him Fr. Thaddeus learned the Prayer of the Heart and the selfless love that came to characterize his whole ministry to the suffering Serbian people.

Born in 1914, Elder Thaddeus lived through all the suffering endured by Serbia in the twentieth century. Over the course of two World Wars, during the Communist takeover, and through the nato bombings of 1999, he co-suffered with his people. He taught, counseled, and prayed for all who came to him in pain and sorrow. His words of love and hope provided spiritual balm for people from all classes of society.

In 2002 Elder Thaddeus reposed, leaving behind a large collection of his teachings, preserved by his faithful spiritual children. His life, teachings, and spiritual conversations are here presented for the first time in English. "

See St. Herman Press

St. Maximus the Confessor's Questions and Doubts

2009-11-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

Translated by Despina D. Prassas

"Maximus the Confessor (580–662) was a monk whose writings focused on ascetical interpretations of biblical and patristic works. For his refusal to accept the Monothelite position supported by Emperor Constans II, he was tried as a heretic, his right hand was cut off, and his tongue was cut out. A major theologian of the Byzantine Church, St. Maximus is venerated in both Eastern and Western Christian traditions. Despina Prassas’s translation of the Quaestiones et Dubia presents for the first time in English one of the Confessor’s most significant contributions to early Christian biblical interpretation. The original work is believed to have been written before 626 while the monk was a member of a community located near Constantinople. The text is a series of 239 interrogations and responses addressing theological, philosophical, ascetical, spiritual, and liturgical concerns. In his work, Maximus the Confessor brings together the patristic exegetical aporiai tradition and the spiritual-pedagogical tradition of monastic questions and responses. The overarching theme is the importance of the ascetical life. For Maximus, askesis is a lifelong endeavor that consists of the struggle and discipline to maintain control over the passions. One engages in the ascetical life by taking part in both theoria (contemplation) and praxis (action). To convey this teaching, Maximus uses a number of pedagogical tools including allegory, etymology, number symbolism, and military terminology. Prassas provides a rich historical and contextual background in her introduction to help ground and familiarize the reader with this work. As the first study focused exclusively on the Quaestiones et dubia, this important book will appeal to the growing audience of readers interested in Maximus the Confessor and, more broadly, to scholars and students of early Christianity, early Byzantine monasticism, and patristic biblical exegesis. " Available 2010.

See Northern Illinois University Press

New Edition of the Russian Orthodox Psalter

2009-11-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Book of Psalms, based on the 1535 text of Miles Coverdale, edited to conform to the Greek and Slavonic text of the Septuagint, and arranged for liturgical use according to the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is the first English-language Psalter to contain the instructional and devotional material traditionally found in a Russian Orthodox Psalter. Published with the blessing of Bishop Jerome of Manhattan, Chairman, Synodal Translation Committee, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

by David James

See Lulu for ordering information.

Biblical Interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church: A Historical and Hermeneutical Perspective

2009-09-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

by Alexander I. Negrov. "In the majority of Western premodern and modern handbooks and surveys of the history of biblical scholarship, Eastern Orthodoxy is mostly and habitually dismissed. A clear orientation toward the Western branch of the Christian church is maintained throughout. However, because the Russian Orthodox Church is an organic part of the universal church this book attempts to assist in the Orthodox-Protestant interactions and serves as an introduction to Russian Orthodox hermeneutics. Alexander Negrov surveys the development of biblical interpretation within the history of the Russian Orthodox church from the Kiev period of its history (10th to 13th centuries) until the Synodal period (1721-1917). The purpose of his study is to present a coherent analysis of the essential elements of Orthodox biblical hermeneutics as it developed over a period of several centuries that were critical to the defining of the Orthodox church and to present a case study of the hermeneutical approach to the New Testament of D. I. Bogdashevskii (1861-1933).
The main hermeneutical features of the Russian Orthodox Church show that the church and tradition are the indispensable guides to the understanding of Scripture. Christ is considered the beginning, center, and end of biblical interpretation, and exegesis is based on cooperation between the Holy Spirit and the human interpreter. The church demands reading of the Scriptures guided by church dogmatics and a multidisciplinary approach to the text."
See Mohr Siebeck

Forthcoming Book from the Routledge Contemporary Russia and Eastern Europe Series!

2009-09-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Believing in Russia - Religious Policy After Communism

"By Geraldine Fagan, this book presents a comprehensive overview of religion in Russia since the end of the communist regime, exposing many of the ambiguities and uncertainties about the position of religion in Russian life. It shows how religious freedom in Russia has, contrary to the widely held view, a long tradition, and how the leading religious institutions in Russia today, including especially the Russian Orthodox Church but also Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist establishments, owe a great deal of their special positions to the relationship they had with the former Soviet regime. It discusses the nature of everyday religious life in Russia, contrasting the internal life of faith communities with the public discourse of their leaders. It examines the flowering of religious freedom and the burgeoning of new sects in the years immediately after the end of the Soviet regime, showing how freedoms were subsequently curtailed, but only partially, by the important law of 1997. It discusses how far Russian Orthodox Christianity is related to Russian national culture, demonstrating the unresolved nature of the key question, Is Russia to be an Orthodox country with religious minorities or a multi-confessional state? and concluding that Russian society has so far failed to reach a consensus on the legal status of religion and its role in public life, contrasting the position in Russia on this with the position in other former Soviet republics including Belarus and Ukraine. "
See Routhledge Comtemporary Russia and Eastern Europe Series

Orthodox Christian Studies Series at NIU Press!

2009-09-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

"Northern Illinois University Press recently announced a new book series entitled, Orthodox Christian Studies. While NIU Press has a long-standing tradition of publishing books about the Russian Orthodox faith, this series will offer a global view of Orthodox Christianity—from East-West relations to studies of the faith in Churches around the world. The series editor is Roy Robson, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Members of the editorial board include: Predrag Metejic (Ohio State University), Vera Shevzov (Smith College), Stephen J. Shoemaker (University of Oregon), Theofanis Stavrou (University of Minnesota), and Christine Worobec (Northern Illinois University). Please contact Amy Farranto, Editor at afarranto@niu.edu or call (815) 753-9946 regarding manuscript submissions. The first book in this series will be published in Fall 2009."

Bodies Like Bright Stars: Saints and Relics in Orthodox Russia

2009-09-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

"By Robert H. Greene, this title explores popular devotion to the cult of saints in late imperial and early Soviet Russia. While the late imperial church celebrated saints as paragons of virtue and piety whose lives were to be emulated in the search for salvation, ordinary Russian Orthodox lay believers sought the assistance of the saints for mundane and worldly matters. The believers were more likely to pray to the saints for help in the concerns of health and home than for salvation. Evidence from miracle stories, devotional literature, parish records, diocesan reports, religious newspapers and magazines, and archival documents demonstrates how Orthodox believers sought to cultivate a more direct and literally hands-on relationship with their heavenly protectors by visiting saintly graves, touching and kissing their miracle-working relics, and making pledges to repay the saints for miracles rendered. Exploring patterns of popular devotion to the cult of the saints in both late imperial and early Soviet Russia, Greene argues for an interpretation of Orthodoxy as a proactive faith grounded in the needs and realities of everyday life. "Bodies like Bright Stars" makes two significant contributions to the fields of Russian history and religious studies. First, it straddles the customary historiographical dividing line of 1917, illustrating how the devotional practices associated with the cult of the saints evolved from the mid-19th century to the end of the first decade of Soviet power. Greene shows that it was the adaptability of the cult of the saints that allowed Orthodoxy to remain relevant amid great political, social, and economic change. Importantly, the book underscores the role of materiality in Russian Orthodox religious practices and emphasizes what anthropologists of religion have described as the sacrality of place. "Bodies like Bright Stars", the first book in NIU Press' "Orthodox Christian Studies Series", will be of interest to Russian historians, anthropologists, and scholars of religion. Written in a clear and lively style, the book is suitable for both survey courses and advanced courses in Russian history and will also appeal to general readers of religious studies. "

Available October 2009

See Northern Illinois University Press

National Survey of the Orthodox Church in the United States

2009-09-02T07:44:00.001-07:00

"The Orthodox Church Today" (2008) is the first national survey based study of the laity, ordinary church members, in the two largest Orthodox Churches in the United States: the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). To a significant degree, this study reflects the profile of an entire Orthodox community in the United States. The study focused on the personal social and religious attitudes of Orthodox parishioners and on the patterns of everyday life in their local parishes. "The Orthodox Church Today" addresses four broad questions:

What is the "image" of the Orthodox clergy in the eyes of the "people in the pews?"
To what extent do the social and religious attitudes of the ordinary parishioners reflect those of their parish priests?

What do church members think about patterns of Church life in their local parishes?

What do laity think about various issues dealing with "Democracy and Pluralism in the Church,"

"Changes and Innovations in the Church," and "religious 'Particularism' and Ecumenism.

Numerous comparisons with the US Roman Catholic and various Protestant Churches make this study especially interesting to a wide audience.

To view the full report see Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California

And God Created Lenin: Marxism vs Religion In Russia, 1917-1929

2009-08-31T07:31:00.000-07:00

"When the Bolsheviks took power in Russia in November 1917, they used a wide range of techniques—some subtle, some violent—to eradicate religion in areas under their control. The new Soviet government arrested priests, closed church buildings, exposed fraudulent monastic relics, forbade the printing of religious literature, and denied religious education to the young—all the while proclaiming abroad that there was no religious persecution in Russia. They set out to crush not only all organized religion but even the likelihood of religious thought. And God Created Lenin examines in depth the conflict between Lenin’s logic-driven efforts to stamp out religion and the churches’ passionate attempts to save themselves from obliteration. It looks at both sides objectively and admits that they both presented strong cases. In this thoroughly researched yet accessible study, historian Paul Gabel offers a new understanding of the only effort in world history to upset the universality of religion. Besides the main conflict between the Russian Orthodox Church and the atheist state, Gabel also considers the tensions that this campaign against religion caused within the Communist Party. In addition, he discusses the bitter hatred dividing the Orthodox factions that refused cooperation with the government from those that tried to adapt the church to communism. Was the failure of Soviet communism to eradicate religion simply a matter of practical miscalculation, or was this effort, in light of the persistence of religion throughout history, ultimately unrealistic and doomed from the start? This is the key question that Gabel’s fascinating, insightful narrative attempts to answer. "

See Prometheus Books

The Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature

2009-08-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

"Edited by John Witte Jr. and Frank S. Alexander, the Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature examines how modern Orthodox Christian thinkers have answered the most pressing political, legal, and ethical questions of our time. It discusses the enduring teachings of important Orthodox Christian intellectuals of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Leading contemporary scholars analyze these thinkers' views on the nature and purpose of law and authority, the limits of rule and obedience, the care of the needy and innocent, the ethics of war and violence, and the separation of church and state, among other themes. A diverse and powerful portrait of Orthodox Christian legal and political thought, this volume underscores the various ways Orthodox Christian intellectuals have shaped modern debates over the family, the state, religion, and society. The book concentrates on Russian philosophers Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900) and Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958); Russian theologian Nicholas Berdyaev (1874-1948); Russian nun and social reformer Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945); and Romanian theologian Dumitru Staniloae (1903-1993)."

See Columbia University Press

Translation and Survival: The Greek Bible and the Ancient Jewish Disaspora

2009-08-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

"In this translation by Tessa Rajak, the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek was the first major translation in Western culture. Its significance was far-reaching but largely forgotten. Without a Greek Bible, European history would have been entirely different - no Western Jewish diaspora and no Christianity. Translation and Survival is a radical new study of the ancient creators and receivers of the translations and of their impact. The Greek Bible sustained Jews who spoke Greek and made the survival of the first Jewish diaspora possible: indeed, the translators invented the term 'diaspora'. The translations were a tool for the preservation of group identity and for the expression of resistance. They devised a new kind of language: many of the words they coined are still with us. The Greek Bible translations ended up as the Christian Septuagint, taken over along with the entire heritage of Hellenistic Judaism when the Church parted from the Synagogue. Here, a brilliant creation is restored to its first owners, and to its historical context among Jews, Greeks and Christians." See Oxford University Press

Indispensable Reference Work! The SBL Handbook of Style: For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies

2009-08-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

The SBL Handbook of Style: For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies - Patrick H. Alexander, editor.

"The SBL Handbook of Style is an astonishing book, a true 'one-stop' reference for authors preparing manuscripts in biblical studies and related fields. It covers an amazing range of topics, from what every literate scholar should know (but may not) to what only the most erudite expert in an obscure sub-field of the discipline would be likely to know. Do you need to know how to cite an internet publication? Whose job it is to prepare the index and secure permissions? How to alphabetize Abraham ibn Ezra (and why)? What the abbreviation AAeg stands for? It's all here. This volume should substantially reduce the incidence of tears and tantrums that so often beset the process of manuscript preparation. Before long biblical scholars will wonder how we ever got along without this indispensable reference work. Every graduate program should make The SBL Handbook of Style a required text."-Carol A. Newsom, Professor of Old Testament, Emory University."

" . . . A major service for the community of biblical scholars. This comprehensive but handy stylesheet, building on the base of the SBL guidelines, incorporates all that most authors and editors currently need to know about the technical dimensions of publishing activity, from commas and hyphens to abbreviations, from transliterations to forms of annotation. All that's left to authors is to come up with good ideas. All editors have to do is to learn what is here."-Harold W. Attridge, Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament, Yale Divinity School"

See Hendrickson Publishers

His Kingdom Come: Orthodox Pastorship and Social Activism in Revolutionary Russia

2009-08-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

"The author, Jennifer Hedda, analyzes the ideas and activities of the parish clergy serving in St. Petersburg, the capital of imperial Russia, in order to discover how the Russian Orthodox Church responded theologically and pastorally to the profound social, economic, and cultural changes that transformed Russia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The challenges of modernity forced the Orthodox clergy, like other members of educated society, to re-examine their interpretation of the Church s earthly mission and their own role in fulfilling it. During the mid-19th century, Orthodox theologians began to argue that the church had a responsibility to society as well as to individuals, and to assert that its mission was to lead believers in building a society that manifested the gospel principles of love, mercy, charity, and justice.The idea of creating the kingdom of God on earth inspired many clergymen, who dramatically increased their social outreach work in the last two decades of the 19th century: preaching during church services, teaching outside their churches, organizing charities, establishing temperance societies, and engaging in a host of other activities that involved them in the daily lives of their parishioners. The clergy s work culminated in 1905, when a workers organization established by an Orthodox priest became a mass political movement whose activities sparked a revolution.His Kingdom Come challenges many common assumptions about the Orthodox Church as a weak and passive institution that did not respond to the demands of the modern world demonstrating that it played an active and creative role in late imperial society, albeit on its own terms rather than those of its secular critics. This book will be of particular interest to those who study the politics and society of Russia in the imperial period, the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in the modern era, the relationship of religious institutions to society and culture, and the history of religious-social thought in other post-Enlightenment societies. "

See Northern Illinois University Press

Augustine and Russian Orthodoxy

2009-08-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

"An atmosphere of distrust exists between Orthodox Christians of the East and Christians of the West, underscoring the need for dialogue that promotes a better understanding and appreciation of each other's tradition, experience, and theology. Myroslaw Tataryn contributes to this effort with "Augustine and Russian Orthodoxy", in which he presents Orthodox perceptions of the theology of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), one of the most significant figures in Western Christianity. Specifically, he analyzes the views of Russian Orthodox theologians working in Paris after the Bolshevik Revolution. This period was significant as it marked the violent end of the 19th century Russian religious renaissance, and the work of these Russian emigres in the years following WWI represents a landmark of Orthodox thinking in an atmosphere of true freedom. Understanding Augustine's reception by these Orthodox thinkers is important as it will help explain the deeper Orthodox mentality and help foster an appreciation of its distinctiveness vis e vis Western Christianity. A vert useful feature of this book is its appendix of Russian Orthodox thinkers/theologians of the 19th and 20th centuries, briefly outlining their life and thought. The Author Myroslaw I. Tataryn is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan."

See International Scholars Publishers

New book from East European Monographs!

2009-08-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church: A Socio-Historical Analysis of the Evolving Relationship Between Church, Nation, and State in Bulgaria

by James L. Hopkins

After a discussion of the Byzantine and early Ottoman eras, the author examines church-state relationships in the latter Ottoman, Communist, and post-communist periods. March 2009

See Columbia Univeristy Press

Back in Print! Pavel Florensky: A Metaphysics of Love

2009-08-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

"This present work examines the life and thought of Father Pavel Florensky (1882-1943), the one individual, who probably best, both in his personality and speculative output, incarnates the spirit of the religious renaissance, which occurred in Russia in the years immediately preceding the Revolution in 1917. His masterwork, The Pillar and Foundation of Truth, proved so influential that it has left an indelible mark on Russian religious thought right up until our own day. This book examines Florensky’s experimental methodology, his antinomic theory of truth, and, above all, his sophiological conception, which subsequently evoked much debate in Orthodox circles. This present work offers a way out of this controversy.

Fr. Robert Slesinski received his doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian Ujiversity in Rome. He served on the faculty of the John XXIII Institute for Eastern Christian Studies, Bronx, New York."

See St. Vladmir's Seminary Press

Antiochian Bishop Threatens OCA Seminaries

2009-08-16T16:26:00.001-07:00

8.14.09

Making Good on Warnings, +Philip Pulls Incoming Antiochian Students from OCA’s Seminaries.

Just three weeks before the 2009-2010 term begins, Metropolitan Philip has informed first-year Antiochian students scheduled to begin St. Tikhon’s Seminary in South Canaan PA, and St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood NY, that they are to not to attend the OCA schools - but move to Boston and enroll at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary instead. The Metropolitan’s decision, conveyed in a letter to each student, affects one new student at St. Vladimir’s (who just moved into a new apartment near the Seminary with his pregnant wife in her ninth month) and two seminarians at St. Tikhon’s. The move follows warnings made by Metropolitan Philip to the administrations of both schools, and to the OCA Administration last spring, that such action would be taken unless OCANews.org editor Mark Stokoe was “disciplined” and his OCANEWS.org website ceased publication.

See OCANEWS.org

From Ukraine to the World

2009-08-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

August 7, 2009

by Andei Zolotov of Russia Profile

"Patriarch Kirill has returned to Moscow after a high-profile ten-day visit to Ukraine. And despite inevitable controversy surrounding the trip, his attempt to reach out to Ukraine’s orthodox believers was broadly successful. By constantly preaching reconciliation, avoiding polemics on the schism and making a point of his respect for all states and cultures, Kirill sought to position himself as a strictly spiritual leader. This marks a new approach for the Moscow Patriarchate, and could herald a new era in relations with the Ukrainian church."

See Russia Profile.org

New Publicaton on the Works of the Historian of Liturgical Music and Composer Ivan Gardner

2009-08-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

A collection of the works of Ivan Alexeevich Gardner, the historian of Russian liturgical music and composer of the Russian emigration, has been published through the joint efforts of the publishers Zhivonosniy Istochnik [Life-bearing Wellspring] in Moscow and Russkiy Pastyr [Russian Pastor] of San Francisco. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Gardner’s death.

In Russia, the book may be purchased from Zhivonosviy Istochnik (Moscow, Solnechnaya Street 2), and in North America from Russkiy Pastyr, 475 26th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA. Cost: $25 including shipping and handling; checks should be made out to RUSSKIY PASTYR.

For more information see The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Three Scholarly Works on the Orthodox Church from Mellon Press!

2009-08-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

The Role of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia Since 1990: Changing Dynamics of Politics and Religion by Greg Simons

"This study examines the arguments and the role of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Russian society as they appear in the mass media. It provides an overview of some of the main arguments that are currently being discussed. This is important within the current context and debate of the role that is played by Orthodoxy in contemporary Russian society. The importance of which is elevated during times of uncertainty with regards to the role and identity of Russia and Russians in the modern world." (Available August 2009)

A History of the Orthodox Church in China, Korea and Japan by Kevin Baker

This book describes the history and development of the Orthodox Church in China from its origins in 1242 A.D., its Eastern Church forebears, and its development in the other nations of North Asia – Korea and Japan.By 1955, on the eve of its establishment as an independent entity, the Orthodox Church in China reached its greatest numbers. There were more than 100,000 communicants in former Russian territory in Manchuria, with 200 priests and 60 parishes, as well as monasteries and a seminary. Elsewhere, in China, there were another 200,000 Orthodox Christians and 150 parishes. These conservative figures mean that at that time, around 6% of Chinese Christians were adherents of the Orthodox Church.The activities and achievements of the Orthodox Church, especially since the 17th century, have been understated in many historical studies of Christianity in China.It is a similar story in regard to the first impact of Christianity with the cultures of Japan and Korea. Eastern Christianity came to Japan from China between the seventh and ninth centuries. There is also evidence that Eastern Christian missionaries were present in Korea during the sixth century. This book details the nature and evidence of these early activities. " (2006)

The Consecration of a Greek Orthodox Church According to Eastern Orthodox Tradition: A Detailed Account and Explanation of the Ritual by Gus George Christo

"The consecration of the worship space and the people who gather there for worship is a time honored custom. It has its roots in Old Testament scripture and its fruition in the New. The foundation is the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and His perfect and complete Resurrection from the dead and enthronement at the right hand of God the Father. God became accessible to the Israelites through the temple ritual. The Temple, especially the Holy of Holies, became the site where God concretely interacted with His people. The people of God found it necessary to dedicate such space through an elaborate ritual which set apart this space for worship and ultimate communion with God. Likewise, the Christians, as Israel fulfilled, consecrate their entire beings to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They see themselves as liturgical creatures who commune in the very life of the Holy Trinity via the Flesh and Blood of the Son of God. For this to take place, they congregate on hallowed ground, where heaven and earth unite, and they participate in the Mysteries of the everlasting Kingdom, which were inaugurated and consummated by the Son in His risen and glorified Humanity.This study reveals how the intimate link between the prototypical martyrdom of Christ, and its cosmic saving effects, and the death of the holy martyrs mandates that holy relics of martyrs be interred in the altar table, which is the focal point of the local Church. The subsequent baptism and chrismation of the altar table solidify the identification of the heavenly realm upon the hallowed ground. The spiritual wedding of the Christians as brides of Christ the Bridegroom becomes accessible through the Sacraments that emanate from the celestial altar. The local Church is the revelation of the eschaton in time and space. An appendix containing the rite of consecration as celebrated in the Greek Orthodox Church follows the study. Also included is an index listing the citations of consecration, dedicating and anointing in the holy scriptures. " (2005)

For more information see Mellon Press

The Halki Seminary and the Patriarchate’s Existential Crisis

2009-08-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

by Allen Yekikan

July 30. 2009

"AFP reported on Thursday that the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul, Bartholomew I, was hopeful Turkey would re-open a historic seminary it shut down nearly four decades ago. The Halki Orthodox Theological Seminary, located on the island of Halki off the coast of Istanbul, was the key Patriarchical institution for educating the Greek Orthodox Community and training its future clergy for more than a century before it was closed down by the Turkish government in 1971... ."

See Azbarez.com

Two Commentaries on Patriarch Kirill's Visit to the Ukraine

2009-07-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

See the follwing comentaries on Patriarch's visit to the Ukraine.

Kirill on a Mission

Will the New Patriarch of Moscow Succeed in His New Role in Ukraine?

"On Monday, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia began a visit to Ukraine, unprecedented both in its scale and symbolical significance. Its results will greatly influence both the future of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and, to some extent, that of the Russian-Ukrainian relations, as well as the status of the Moscow Patriarchate itself."
Comment by Andrei Zolotov, Jr. - July 27, 2009

see: Russia Profile.org

and

Kirll is not the Kremlin's Man

"Patriarch Kirill isn't doing Russia's bidding in Ukraine. What he wants is a unified, independent Orthodox Church"

Comment by Adrain Pabst of the Guardian

see: guardian.co.uk

2009-07-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

WESTERN FRONT OF THE EASTERN CHURCH: "UNIATE AND ORTHODOX CONFLICT IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY POLAND, UKRAINE, BELARUS, AND RUSSIA"

"This impressive volume provides valuable empirical research on the competition of the Uniate and Orthodox churches. It offers a rich new perspective on such critical issues as confessionalization, religious identity, and politics in East Europe and Russia. It is an essential monograph for scholars in the field." - Gregory Freeze, Brandeis University

This book addresses the shifting identity of Ruthenians on both sides of Orthodox/Uniate divide. The dissolution of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late 18th century and the incorporation of the majority of the Ruthenians - ethnic Ukrainians and Belarusians - into the Russian Empire from the backdrop for confessional history critical to modern Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian identities. In a region long shaped by religious and cultural tensions between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, the creation in 1596 of the Uniate church, which retained the Eastern rite but accepted Catholic doctrine, cut a new religious fault line through Ruthenian communities that set the stage for religious and political conflict. Drawing on archival sources from Russia, Poland, and Ukraine, "The Western Front of the Eastern Church" addresses the shifting identity and fate of Ruthenians on both sides of the Orthodox/Uniate divide during the politically charged era of the partitions of Poland. Skinner investigates diverging components of these faith communities in the 18th century, the changing political landscape as the Russian Empire expanded its borders, and the religious tensions and violence that occurred as a result. She reveals cultural influences that shaped Ukrainian and Belarusian identities and sheds light on aspects of Russian imperial identity and mythology as it laid claim to its western borderlands. The confessional focus critiques the nationalist perspective that has dominated the presentation of Ukrainian and Belarusian history, and Skinner's treatment brings the region into the broader discussion of confessional development in Europe as a whole. The narrative culminates in the Uniate conversions under Catherine II, providing new insight into the limits of religious toleration in Catherinian Russia. This book is essential reading for Russian and East European historians and those interested in the history of relations between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, as well as those studying the tensions between Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus today. " Available October 2009 - See Northern Illinois University Press.

Fellow Workers with God: Orthodox Thinking on Theosis

2009-07-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

"Asked about the Orthodox Christian doctrine of salvation, many people will hastily tell you that it has to do with “theosis” or “deification.” But few can explain what “theosis” actually means, and fewer still can do so with a broad and deep knowledge of the Church Fathers. Drawing on ancient and modern sources, and building on his magisterial study, The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition, Norman Russell here presents this teaching with breathtaking clarity without compromising its genuine complexity. This book stands out from others on the subject as a model of lucidity and reliability, and will enthrall specialists and non-specialists alike."

The author, Norman Russell, is an independent scholar who has written widely on Orthodox themes, specializing in early Greek patristics and fourteenth-century hesychasm.

Contents: Foreword Introduction - What Is Theosis? Theosis and the Economy of Salvation, The Biblical Foundations of Theosis Image and Likeness, The Transfiguration of the Believer, Self-Transcendence, Participation in the Divine Life,

Union with God, Epilogue - Do You Live It?, Bibliography and Further Reading Index

For more information see St. Vladimir's Seminary Press

OCABS Announces New On-line Journal!

2009-07-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

THE ORTHODOX CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF BIBLICAL STUDIES (OCABS) is pleased to announce the launching of its new, on-line academic journal, The Journal of the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies (JOCABS). The mission of JOCABS is to promote scholarship in biblical studies, homiletics, and religious education among Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians around the world.

Although submissions in English are preferred thus ensuring greater accessibility, academic papers in other languages (especially Arabic, Armenian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, and Spanish) will be considered by our multi-lingual editorial board and its international associates.

Articles may be submitted in the following areas:

Old Testament and Cognate Studies. Including (but not limited to) critical studies in Hebrew Bible; Septuagint; Pseudepigrapha; Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture; Syro-Palestinian Archaeology.
New Testament and Cognate Studies. Including (but not limited to) critical studies in New Testament; Early Christian Literature; Apocryphal Literature and Traditions; Classical Studies; Archaeology of the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
The Bible in Homiletics and Christian Education. Including theoretical and methodological studies dedicated to the practical applications of biblical scholarship to both preaching and pedagogy.
Book Reviews. Submissions of critical reviews of books related to the field of biblical studies will be accepted and invited.

JOCABS is committed to promoting scholarship among scholars and graduate students and encourages them to submit papers to its peer-reviewed process. The first issue will appear in the Summer of 2008, and semiannually thereafter.
For additional information, please contact Dr. Nicolae Roddy, at nroddy@creighton.edu or

Fr. Vahan Hovanessian, at vartabed@stnersess.edu.

The 4th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference completed its work!

2009-07-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

The 4th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference, which took place at the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Orthodox Centre in Chambesy near Geneva, completed its work on 12 June 2009. The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Archpriest Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, included Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain, Russian Church Outside Russia and Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman.

The conference was chaired by Metropolitan John of Pergamon. Metropolitan Jeremiah of Switzerland, Patriarchate of Constantinople, acted as its secretary. It was attended by delegations from the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Georgia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria as well as from the Orthodox Churches of Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Poland, Czech Lands and Slovakia. They were led by their hierarchs.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed a message of greetings to the conference.

As had been agreed by primates and representatives of Local Orthodox Churches at their meeting in October 2008 at the Phanar and reaffirmed by subsequent correspondence, the 4th Conference focused on the canonical order of the Orthodox diaspora. This decision on the agenda was made by the participants in the beginning of their work. The rest of the agenda items for Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conferences, including a procedure for declaring authocephaly and autonomy and the diptych order, will be considered in the sessions to follow the preparatory work to be done by the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission.

The participants considered documents prepared by the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission at its meetings on 10-17 November 1990 and 7-13 November 1993 and the conference of canon law experts that took place on 9-14 April 2009 in Chambesy. The documents were clarified and amended by consensus.

The conference agreed that the problem concerning the canonical order of the Orthodox diaspora, that is, those faithful who reside beyond the traditional boundaries of Local Orthodox Churches, should be dealt with on the basis of ecclesiology, canonical tradition and the practice of the Orthodox Church. To this end, it was agreed to set up bishops’ assemblies consisting in all the canonical Orthodox bishops who take pastoral care of the community in a given locality. The task of bishops’ assemblies will be to ascertain and consolidate the unity of the Orthodox Church, to provide common pastoral care for Orthodox people in a region and to bear common witness before the external world. The assemblies’ decisions are to be made on the basis of consensus reached by the Churches whose bishops are represented in them. The authority of a bishops’ assembly excludes interference in the diocesan jurisdiction of each of the bishops and does not restrict the rights of a bishop’s Church including her relations with international organizations, governments, social institutions and mass media as well as other confessions, governmental and inter-confessional organizations and other religions.

The conference also adopted a revised draft procedure defining the foundations for the work of regional bishops’ assemblies in the Orthodox diaspora.

Source: DECR Communication Service

New Film on the Life of Saint John (Maximovitch) is Released in Los Angeles

2009-07-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

"With the blessing of His Eminence Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America and in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the glorification of Saint John, the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco, a new film (in English) about this ascetic and great God-pleaser has been released. The concept of the film was developed by Priest Peter Shashkoff, the Rector of the Dormition Mission in Los Angeles. The new DVD contains rare footage of St. John, the glorification services and first hand accounts by people who personally knew Vladika John and can attest to his love, service and ascetic feats.

To order the new DVD, please send a check in US funds ($25.00 for US and Canada orders including shipping; $30.00 for all other orders) made out to Holy Dormition Church and mail it to: Holy Dormition Church16350 Kinzie Street North Hills, CA 91343 U.S.A."

Regional Episcopal Assemblies in the Diaspora

2009-07-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

According to a report listed on the Orthodox Christianity List (Indiana List), the Polish Orthodox Church has revealed how the Regional Episcopal Assemblies for the Diaspora approved by the Orthodox Churches two weeks agoat Chambesy will be apportioned.

See in Polish:
http://www.orthodox.pl/Aktualnosci/kraj-gen.htm#ttt

There will be 12 areas for the Regional Episcopal Assemblies:

1. North and Middle America
2. South America,
3. Australia, New Zealand and Oceania
4. Great Britain and Ireland
5. France
6. Benelux countries
7. Austria
8. Italy and Malta
9. Switzerland and Liechtenstein
10. Germany
11. Scandinavian countries (apart from Finland)
12. Spain and Portugal

The assemblies must commence their work before the Pan-Orthodox Council.
All bishops from all Churches in communion with mainstream Eastern Orthodoxwill be members. Retired and guest hierarch can be allowed to participate, without the rightto vote.
The main goals are to promote unity between Churches and to formulate jointstatements re non-Orthodox Churches. The Assemblies will also discuss issues and relationships with Churches outside canonical Orthodoxy. There must be at least one assembly a year.

Break the Holy Bread Master: A Theology of Communion Bread

2009-06-23T14:28:00.000-07:00

"This work examines the history, theology, and praxis of the use of sacramental bread in traditional Christianity. From the Last Supper to the Great Schism, and from Christology to ecclesiology and Christian anthropology—the symbolism of bread has dominated Christian history and belief. What kind of bread did Christ offer to His disciples at the Last Supper? Why do Roman Catholics and the Orthodox disagree on how to bake bread? What is the significance of the symbolism of bread for Christian theology and praxis? This book addresses these and many other questions. Scholars and bakers, clergy and lay folk alike—all are invited to take a closer look at that which speaks of our unity—one loaf to represent one Body. "

Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov is the Rector of the New Martyrs of Russia Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), located in Mulino, OR, near Portland.

See ArchAngelsBooks.com

Episcopal Assemblies" Proposed for Diaspora by Geneva Meeting

2009-06-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

"In a communique issued yesterday by the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference, held in Chambesy, a suburb of Geneva, Switzerland, from June 6-12, the Old World Orthodox Churches announced they had agreed “to create new episcopal assemblies in some regions of the world to order the question of the Diaspora.” The agreement, long sought by Constantinople, stated that the “new episcopal assemblies” would be chaired by “bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the given region”, and in their absence, “the bishops in accordance with the order of the Diptichs of the Churches.”

See the website Orthodox Christians for Accountability

Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age: Tradition Faces the 21st Century

2009-06-05T12:58:00.001-07:00

"Despite over 200 million adherents, Eastern Orthodox Christianity attracts little scholarly attention. While more-covered religions emerge as powerful transnational forces, Eastern Orthodoxy appears doggedly local, linked to the ethnicity and land of the now marginalized Eastern Europe. But Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age brings together new and nuanced understandings of the Orthodox churches--inside and outside of Eastern Europe--as they negotiate an increasingly networked world. The picture that emerges is less of a people stubbornly refusing modernization, more of a people seeking to maintain a stable Orthodox identity in an unstable world. For anyone interested in the role of Eastern Orthodoxy in the 21st century, this volume provides the place to begin. "

See AltaMira Press

Deification in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition: A Biblical Perspective

2009-05-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

"By Stephen Thomas: This unique study brings together the best of contemporary exegesis with the tradition of Eastern Christianity and illustrates the biblical roots of the Eastern Church's understanding of grace as the energy of God: Grace is a transforming experience which exalts the Christian to a state in which sharing in the divine life is possible, first as a pledge in this earthly life, then in paradise and at last in a glorious body at the final resurrection. The book presents, in lay terms, the shape for an Orthodox biblical theology for the 21st century and will be of interest to all Christians for whom the Bible is divine revelation and for whom tradition continues to be creative."

"Stephen Thomas recently retired from a long career in academic theology. His last position was that of Senior Lecturer in Christian Theology, Canterbury Christ Church University, from which he retired in 2000. He holds degrees from Oxford and London Universities and has a doctorate from Durham University, England. His book, Newman and Heresy, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2001. He has also written numerous articles on the relationship of theology to philosophy and on conscience in Orthodox thought. He is an Orthodox Christian."

See Gorgias Press

Hidden and Triumphant: The Underground Struggle to Save Russian Iconography

2009-05-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

"By Irina Yazykova and translated by Paul Grenier with a foreword by Frederica Mathewes-Green. Despite persecution and the destruction of monasteries and much of religious life, a small group of iconographers kept the ancient story and practice alive. In Hidden and Triumphant, Irina Yazykova tells the dramatic history of the Russian Orthodox icon in the 20th century. She tells the saga of those iconographers who at great personal cost preserved the tradition from the time of the Bolshevik persecutions through to the present day, restoring and developing Russian iconography under the harshest of circumstances. Adopting the art of the icon from Byzantine tradition, medieval Russia developed its own unique iconography that for many centuries was a glory of the Russian culture. But in 1917, Russia was turned upside down by the Bolshevik revolution. During the ensuing persecutions of the Church, many monasteries and churches were ruined, icons destroyed, and thousands of believers killed or sent to Soviet prisons and labor camps. Many iconographers painted holy images secretly while in prison. Others were forced to leave Russia altogether, and while living abroad, struggled to preserve their Orthodox traditions. These are their stories. Today’s renaissance of Russian iconography unites the traditions of the medieval past and is made possible by the sacrifices of this previous generation of heroes."

See Paraclete Press

Two Forthcoming Books from Routledge!

2009-05-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Eastern Christianity and the Cold War, 1945-91

"Despite widespread persecution, Orthodox churches not only survived the Cold War period but levels of religiosity in Orthodox countries remained significant. This book examines the often surprising relations between Orthodox churches and political regimes. It provides a comprehensive overview of the dynamics between Eastern Christianity and politics from the end of the Second World War to the fall of communism, covering 40 Orthodox churches including diasporic churches in Africa, Asia, America and Australia. Based on research from recently-opened archives and publications in a wide range of European languages, it analyses church-state relations on both sides of the Iron Curtain. It discusses the following key themes: the relationship between Orthodox churches and political power; religious resistance to communism; the political control of churches; religion and propaganda; monasticism and theological publications; religious diplomacy within the Orthodox commonwealth; and religious contacts between East and West. "

Edited by Lucian Leustean and available November 2009

Orthodox Christians in Syria

"Sato gives a thought-provoking discussion of how Syrian Orthodox Christians in contemporary Syria shape the identity of their community, both to reinforce their separate culture, and also to emphasize their integration into wider Syrian society. Although Syrian Orthodox Christians have a long history, pre-dating Islam, the present day community is descended from Syrian Orthodox Christians who fled from Turkey after the 1915 massacre of Christians in Turkey. Their identity is shaped by elements from their history which the community chooses to remember and also by elements which it chooses to overlook. Overall, the book shows the importance of 'memory' in shaping cultural identity in the modern Middle East. "

By Noriko Sato and available April 2010

See Routledge

Research Guide on Eastern Orthodoxy - Saint Louis University

2009-05-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

This guide serves as an introduction to resources and information on the history, theology and practices of Eastern Orthodoxy for students and faculty at Saint Louis University, but can be accessed by anyone. Updates and additions are done regularly. Comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

See: Eastern Orthodoxy

2009-04-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Detailed Descriptive Information Now Available on Holy Trinity Seminary's Archival Collections!

"In 2007, the Hoover Institution of War, Revolution, and Peace received a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for an eighteen-month long project to preserve, process and microfilm a number of significant collections of Holy Trinity Seminary’s archival holdings. The primary goal was to preserve the materials and make them accessible to researchers in the reading rooms of both the Hoover Institution and Holy Trinity Seminary in microfilm form, as materials had previously not been generally available to outside researchers.

The project resulted in full processing, including conservation, creation of finding aids, cataloging, and microfilming, of twenty nine collections, comprising 274 boxes of archival materials.
Matching contributions in materials, labor and training were provided by the Hoover Institution. John Raisian, Director of the Hoover Institution, served as Principal Investigator. Richard Sousa, Linda Bernard, and Anatol Shmelev of the Hoover Institution also assisted in the project. On behalf of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Michael Herrick, Slavic librarian, and Sergei Jakubov, archival assistant, along with other volunteers provided the necessary support to complete the project on time. The project archivist was Vladimir von Tsurikov. "

For more information and descriptions see: Project Description and Collections Listings

New Book in a New Series on the Orthodox Liturgy from St. Vladimir's Seminary Press!

2009-04-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

"The healing ministry of Jesus Christ is a primary task of the Church. This work describes the healing ministry of the Church as it is expressed in Scripture, Tradition, and the liturgical life, focusing particularly on the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. The author discusses both the history and theology of this sacrament, which has its roots in the Tradition of the Church as expressed in James 5.14(–) 15: “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” The theology of this rite embraces the whole person and addresses the connection between sin and sickness, and the disintegrating power of illness on a person and the reintegrating power of grace. A new translation of the rite is appended, as well as an abbreviated version for use in a hospital or home setting. "

For more information see: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press

$2 Million Gift Funds Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture

2009-04-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Fordham University has received a $2 million gift to establish the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture. The donation comes from the Jaharis Family Foundation, which provides grants to arts, cultural and religious institutions.“This chair will make it possible for Fordham to continue the work it has done to establish itself as a center for Orthodox study in America,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. For more information

see Fordham University

New Book on the Russian Church Diaspora!

2009-03-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

"St. Tikhon's Humanitarian Theological University in Moscow has published a new book by Viktor Kosik, 'Russkoe Tserkovnoe Zarubezh'e: XX vek v biografiiakh dukhoventsva ot Ameriki do Iaponii' ('Russian Church Diaspora in Biographies of Its Clergy from America to Japan,' Moscow 2008). The author is a specialist in Balkan studies and he also used to teach the course on the history of Russian church emigration at St. Tikhon's University. In 2000 he published his research on the Russian Church in Yugoslavia in the 1920-1940s. This recent study, a work of more than 400 pages, represents an ample spectrum of clergy belonging to various ecclesiastical jurisdictions. These clergy and monastics were born in Russia and left the country before WWII. We hope that many more biographies will be appended to the second edition of this valuable book. Archpriest Peter Perekrestov from San Francisco and Inokinia Vassa (Larin) from Munich enthusiastically helped the author to gather relevant information. "

For more informaiton see: Historical Studies of the Russian Church Abroad

The Royal Way of the Cross of Our Lord Leading to Eternal Life

2009-03-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

From the introduction - “Archbishop John Maximovitch of Chernigov originally published the book The Holy Path of the Lord’s Cross in a part-Slavonic, part-Ukrainian dialect in 1709. The edifying nature of the book led it to be well known throughout Russia and many copies were produced[...]. Archbishop John was a firmly Orthodox and truly spiritual man, as his saintly life-style, his blessed end, and the many blessed signs (produced) by his prayers affirm. Confirmation of his sanctity occurred in 1826, 111 years after his repose, when during repairs of the Tobolsk cathedral where he was buried, the archbishop’s body was discovered uncorrupted and emitting a fragrant odor."

Under the supervision of Elder Saint Ambrose, Optina Monastery continued the publishing efforts started by the Elder Saint Macarius. They produced and reintroduced timeless spiritual works which evoked a nationwide blossoming of sanctity in Russia.

Among the works produced then is the present volume now in the English language. This work was originally presented to Orthodox Russia by Saint John of Tobolsk, ancestor of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, in 1709, which became very well known and beloved throughout Russia. Because of the obscurity of the original language (part-Slavonic, part-Ukranian) many requested a translation into Russian. This was undertaken by Fr. Clement Sederholm, one of Elder Ambrose's closest disciples and author of many of the biographies of the Optina Elders.
By the vehicle of a conversation to define and explore the profound meaning of "bearing one's cross for Christ's sake." An Angel of God speaks to a young woman, Stavrophila. He guides her to an understanding and acceptance of the Christian struggle to bear the sorrows and difficulties of life as a necessary means to purify the whole person—heart, mind, will and body.
Abundant in references from Holy Scripture and Patristic writings, this work presents the culmination of the Christian teaching on "bearing one's cross".

See Monastery Press

Journey Begins Toward Convening of Grand Pan-Orthodox Synod

2009-03-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

By NAT da Polis

"The invitation letters have gone out for the two preparatory meetings that will be held in June and December. Ten topics of discussion. The ecumenical patriarchate has been trying to hold a synod of Orthodox Churches since 1901."

For the full report see AsiaNews.IT & ROCOR United

Mental Disorders and Spiritual Healing by Jean-Claude Larchet

2009-03-18T08:31:00.001-07:00

"This work, the third panel of a triptych dedicated by the author to the notion of illness derived from the patristic and hagiographic texts of the Christian East from the first to the fourteenth centuries, makes an essential contribution to the history of mental illnesses and their therapies in a domain very little studied until now. After indicating how the Fathers understood the psyche and its relationship with body and spirit, the author gives a detailed analysis of the different causes they attribute to mental illness and the various treatments recommended. At the same time he shows how, relying on fundamental Christian values, they manifest a constant solicitude and respect for the sick, and how they are at pains to integrate them into community life and have them participate in their own healing, foreshadowing in this way the needs and aspirations of our own time. The last part discloses the deep significance of one of the strangest and most fascinating forms of asceticism the Christian East has known: 'Folly for the sake of Christ', a madness feigned with the goal of attaining a high degree of humility, but also a way well-suited, through a close experience of their condition, to help those who are often among, today as in the past, the most destitute."

Table of Contents:

Introduction—Anthropological Background: The Human Composite—Insanity Due to Somatic Problems—Insanity of Demonic Origin—Insanity of Spiritual Origin—A Most Singular Kind of Folly—the Fool for Christ—Conclusion

See: Sophia Perennis Press

Novo-Tikhvin Women's Monastery launches new publishing house!

2009-03-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Novo-Tikhvin Women's Monastery located in Ekaterinberg, Russia, hopes to publish spiritually enlightening, hagiographic, children’s, theological, and ascetic literature in their new publishing house.

One of their current projects is publishing a series on the Saints of the Ekaterinburg Diocese. They have already published the life of their abbess Magdalina (Dosmanova), and plan to soon publish the works on the lives of St. Righteous Simeon of Verkhotursk and the miracle-worker of Siberia, the elder Vasilisk of Siberia, the nun Evfrosinia (Mezenova), in addition to other ascetics.

Fore more informatin see The Novo - Tikhvin Women's Monastery.

An Orthodox Festival Book in the Habsburg Empire

2009-03-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

"This work, is a transcription and translation of Zaharje Orfelin's 1757 festival book, "Festive Greeting to Mojsej Putnik", and is one of the most comprehensive accounts of the festival life of the Orthodox hierarchy in the Habsburg lands. While the Festive Greeting remained just an outline for the spectacle and was never publicly performed in its entirety, it remains a fascinating embodiment of Church politics, an issue too dangerous to be made public in the political arena of the Catholic Empire. In addition to the transcription and translation of the festival book, Jelena Todorovic provides a full account of the background to the Mojsije Putnik's episcopal investiture, beginning with a study of the political and historical context to the foundation and establishment of the Orthodox Archbishopric in the Austrian Habsburg and moving on to an examine the religious politics of the Orthodox Archbishops during this period. With detailed surveys of the book's illustrations, proposed scenography and music, it concludes with an assessment of the place of the Festive Greeting in the history of spectacles in the Archbishopric as well as in the history of the Orthodox Church. The author, Jelena Todorovic, is based at the Department of Scene Design, The University of the Arts, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro."

For more information see Ashgate Publishing.

A Noble Task: Entry into the Clergy in the First Five Centuries

2009-03-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

"This recent book from Holy Cross Orthodox Press presents a rich collection of key texts from the Fathers and early councils setting out what was expected in moral and educational terms from aspirants to the clergy in the early Christian centuries. Previously students of the early church have had to search for this material in a variety of different publications. Here they will find it translated and discussed in a comprehensive manner. While the latest historical scholarship has been taken into account, the book’s main focus is on the spiritual rather than the social role of the clergy. It is the author’s deepest wish that those aspiring to the Christian priesthood might find here an accurate and vivid account of the virtuous life which should always be their goal."

For more information see: Holy Cross Bookstore

Noteworthy Tribute to Patriarch Alexy II

2009-03-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

While republished in several other BLOGS and news sources, it is worthy to be repeated here. Originally published on February 18, 2009 in Chronicles Magazine.com by Srdja Trifkovic.

See: Patriarch Alexy, R.I.P.

Sacred Spaces in Imperial Russia

2009-02-27T12:46:00.000-08:00

Icon and Devotion is the first historical survey in English of the making and meaning of Russian icons. The craft of icon-making is set into the context of forms of worship that emerged in the Russian Orthodox Church in the mid-seventeenth century. Oleg Tarasov shows how icons have held a special place in Russian consciousness because they represented idealized images of 'Holy Russia.' He also looks closely at a range of issues, from the sacred meanings of icons to how and why icons were made. Wonder-working saints and the schismatic 'Old Believers' appear in these pages, which are copiously illustrated with paintings, lithographs and engravings never before published in the English-speaking world.By tracing the artistic vocabulary, techniques and working methods of icon painters in the last 400 years, Tarasov shows how icons have been integral to the history of Russian art, influenced by folk traditions and Western European currents alike. As well as articulating the specifically Russian piety they invoke, he analyzes the significance of icons in the cultural life of modern Russia in the context of popular prints and of artists associated with the 'Modern Movement,' such as Malevich and Larionov.This book will not only interest specialists in icons and the history of Russian art, but everyone with a general interest in Russian history and culture. It includes a substantial Foreword by the translator and editor, Robin Milner-Gullard, which is a valuable introduction to icons, devotion and Imperial Russia.Oleg Tarasov is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Cultural History of the Institute of Slavic Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences), Moscow. He has written extensively on icons, painting and cultural history.

For additional details see: Iconofile

New Book by Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff!

2009-02-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

In his Russian-language book Dom Bozhii [the House of God], published by Sretensky Monastery, Mitred Protopriest Alexander Lebedeff uses plain language to discuss the interior organization of the Orthodox temple, divine services, and how to behave appropriately inside. The book is intended as a primer and includes explanations of how to venerate icons, put up candles, write out commemorations slips. It explains how to ask a priest for a blessing, and the various forms of address used for clergy, as well as other basic information for those attending Church services.
Fr Alexander was born on March 11, 1950 in Austria. He has lived in the USA since 1951. In 1971, he graduated Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY, Norwich University in Vermont, and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Fr Alexander went on to teach at Holy Trinity Seminary, Norwich and Yale University. He is the author of numerous books, articles and other publications.
He is the Rector of Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Los Angeles, Dean of the Southern Deanery of the Diocese of San Francisco and Western America of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and was Secretary of the Commission on negotiations with the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
See: http://www.russianorthodoxchurch.ws/synod/eng2009/2enlebedeffbookrelease.html

Latin Books and the Eastern Orthodox Clerical Elite in Kiev, 1632-1780

2009-02-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

Founded in 1632, the library of the Kiev Mohyla Academy went up in flames in 1780. Encompassing predominantly humanist, scholastic and homiletic titles in Latin yet placed in a heartland of Eastern Orthodox territories, the library was something of an anomaly for its time, offering East Slavic intellectuals a comprehensive introduction to Western printed matter. Those books brought along with them not only a new pattern of knowledge, but also an awareness of the diversity and multiplicity of views which the educated could hold.

Table of Contents:

List of abbreviations * Acknowledgements * Introduction * ‘The future written in the stars’? The historical background * ‘The only legacy of my life’: Peter Mohyla and his College * ‘Latin books are readily available’: Mohyla’s private library * The ‘Old’ and the ‘New’ collections: the library from within * ‘Completely destroyed’? The 1780 fire and the surviving books * ‘Seeds being sown up and down’: the library as a tool and cultural symbol * Conclusion * Appendix I - List of the surviving books * Appendix II - List of the authors quoted in Athanasius Kalnofoyski’s Teratourgema (Kiev, 1638) * Bibliography

See: http://us.macmillan.com/latinbooksandtheeasternorthodoxclericaleliteinkiev16321780

Eastern Orthodox Librarian

Just Published - The Explanation of the Epistle of St. Paul To the Galatians by Blessed Theophylact

The Eastern Church in the Spiritual Marketplace: American Conversions to Orthodox Christianity

Patriarchs of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Nineteenth Century

Spiritual Elders: Charisma and Tradition in Russian Orthodoxy

Greece’s Dostoevsky: The Theological Vision of Alexandros Papadiamandis

New Monograph on the History of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad Published

Father Gabriel Bunge Receives Tonsure to Great Schema

Hermitage of the Holy Cross: 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book

Archimandrite Alexander Golitzin Elected... !

Recommended Daily Readings Mobile App for smart phones!

The Orthodox Church and Russian Politics

Metropolitan Hilarion: Recommendations on general Orthodox themes... .

Terry Mattingly Interview with Pravoslavie-ru

For the Peace from Above

Atlas of American Orthodox Churches

Interesting Interview with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk

The Veneration of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco: Recollections of a Spiritual Son

Reflections on a Spiritual Journey by Metropolitan Jonah Paffhausen

New Orthodox History Journal!

Singing in a Strange Land - New book from Holy Cross Orthodox Press

Archimandrite Alexander Golitzin Nominated as New Bishop of OCA Bulgarian Diocese

Coming November 2011

Ancient Christian Wisdom and Aaron Becks Cognitive Therapy: A Meeting of Minds

My Take: U.S. is Christian nation, Congress data shows

The Heart of Russia: Trinity-Sergius, Monasticism, and Society after 1825

Dragon’s Wine and Angel’s Bread

State Archives of Russia and Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville Exchange Documents

iPhone apps, etc.

Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Separate Truths: God Is Not One

Images of the Mother of God: Perceptions of the Theotokos in Byzantium

Maximus the Confessor and his Companions Documents from Exile

The Book of Calendars

The Wisdom of Isaac of Nineveh: A Bilingual Edition

Orthodox Spirituality and the Philokalia

Hidden Holiness

Toward the Endless Day: The Life of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel

Go Forth! Stories of Missions and Resurrection in Albania

The Old Testament as Authoritative Scripture in the Early Churches of the East

Man and the God-Man

Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece: The Role of Religion in Culture, Ethnicity and Politics

Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions

Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective

Invitation to the Septuagint

Serbian Orthodox Fundamentals: The Quest for an Eternal Identity

Worship in the Early Church: An Anthology of Historical Sources in Four Volumes

Theodore the Stoudite: The Ordering of Holiness

Bulgarian Orthodox Church May Return to Julian Calendar

Orthodoxy and the Cold War: Religion and Political Power in Romania, 1947-65

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives

St. Maximus the Confessor's Questions and Doubts

New Edition of the Russian Orthodox Psalter

Biblical Interpretation in the Russian Orthodox Church: A Historical and Hermeneutical Perspective

Forthcoming Book from the Routledge Contemporary Russia and Eastern Europe Series!

Orthodox Christian Studies Series at NIU Press!

Bodies Like Bright Stars: Saints and Relics in Orthodox Russia

National Survey of the Orthodox Church in the United States

And God Created Lenin: Marxism vs Religion In Russia, 1917-1929

The Teachings of Modern Orthodox Christianity on Law, Politics, and Human Nature

Translation and Survival: The Greek Bible and the Ancient Jewish Disaspora

Indispensable Reference Work! The SBL Handbook of Style: For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies

His Kingdom Come: Orthodox Pastorship and Social Activism in Revolutionary Russia

Augustine and Russian Orthodoxy

New book from East European Monographs!

Back in Print! Pavel Florensky: A Metaphysics of Love

Antiochian Bishop Threatens OCA Seminaries

From Ukraine to the World

New Publicaton on the Works of the Historian of Liturgical Music and Composer Ivan Gardner

Three Scholarly Works on the Orthodox Church from Mellon Press!

The Halki Seminary and the Patriarchate’s Existential Crisis

Two Commentaries on Patriarch Kirill's Visit to the Ukraine

Fellow Workers with God: Orthodox Thinking on Theosis

OCABS Announces New On-line Journal!

The 4th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference completed its work!

New Film on the Life of Saint John (Maximovitch) is Released in Los Angeles

Regional Episcopal Assemblies in the Diaspora

Break the Holy Bread Master: A Theology of Communion Bread

Episcopal Assemblies" Proposed for Diaspora by Geneva Meeting

Eastern Orthodoxy in a Global Age: Tradition Faces the 21st Century