Orthodox Christianity: A Suggested Reading List

 

(Fr. Steven’s comments are in blue)

 

Introduction to Orthodoxy:

 

James Bernstein, Surprised by Christ: My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity (Ben Lomand, CA: Conciliar Press, 2008).  ISBN # 1888212950.  Destined to become a classic!  This book tells the story of Fr. James Berstein’s journey from Judaism to Protestantism and then to Orthodox Christianity.  The first half of the book is largely autobiographical and the second half of the book is an exceptionally well-written look into the theology and teachings of the Church. 

 

Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Western Perspective, 2^nd edition. Daniel B. Clendenin, Ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003).  ISBN # 0801026520.

 

Anthony Coniaris, Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Life and Faith (Minneapolis: Light and Life Publishing, 1982).  ISBN # 0937032255

 

Peter Guillquist, Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith, Revised Edition (Ben Lomand, CA: Conciliar Press, 2002).  ISBN # 0962271330.    This book describes the journey of a group of evangelical Christians from Campus Crusade for Christ who went in search of the New Testament Church and discovered Orthodoxy.

 

James R. Payton, Light from the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007).  ISBN-13 # 9780830825943.   An excellent overview of the Orthodox Faith with only one problem - the author errors in explaining to whom the debt was paid by the ransom of Christ on the Cross.  Christ offered Himself to death, not to Satan.  I contacted the author and gave him references regarding this issue.  He plans to correct it for the next edition. 

 

Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church, New Edition (Penguin [non-classics], 1993).  ISBN # 0140146563.  This book is the “gold standard” introductory text on the Orthodox Church. 

 

Bishop Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way, Revised Edition (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998).  ISBN # 0-913836-58-3.  This book is a general account of the doctrine, worship, and life of Orthodox Christians and it discusses the basic issues of theology.

 

Archimandrite Meletios Webber, Bread & Water, Wine & Oil: An Orthodox Christian Experience of God (Ben Lomand, CA: Conciliar Press, 2007).  ISBN # 1888212918.  In this unique and accessible book, the author first explores the role of mystery in the Christian life, then walks the reader through the seven major Mysteries (or sacraments) of the Orthodox Church, showing the way to a richer, fuller life in Christ.

 

Church History:

 

Henry Chadwick, The Early Church, Revised Edition (Penguin [non-classics], 1993).  ISBN # 0140231994.

 

Veselin Kesich, Formation and Struggles: The Birth of the Church AD 33-200 (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2007).  ISBN-13 # 978-0-88141-319-9

 

Carl J. Sommer, We Look for a Kingdom: The Everyday Lives of the Early Christians  (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007).  ISBN # 1586170791.  Written by a Roman Catholic, it is an excellent look into the early Church.  Be careful, however, as the author tries to project the modern Roman Catholic Church (the papacy in particular) back onto the ancient Church.

 

Liturgy and Worship:

 

Fr. Lawrence Farley, Let Us Attend: A Journey through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy (Ben Lomand, CA: Conciliar Press, 2007).  ISBN # 188821287X

 

Benjamin D. Williams and Harold B. Anstall, Orthodox Worship: A Living Continuity with the Synagogue, the Temple, and the Early Church (Minneapolis: Light and Life Publishing, 1990).  ISBN # 0-937032-72-7

 

Church Fathers and Patristic Writings:

 

The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations.*  Edited and revised by Michael W. Holmes (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1999).  ISBN # 0-8010-2225-8

*(a less expensive, English only text is available, ISBN # 0801031087.)  The writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome, and the Didache (included in this publication) are standard reading in Orthodox seminaries and are an essential look at the liturgical, eucharistic, and hierarchical nature of the immediately post-apostolic Church.

 

The Sacraments:

 

Alexander Schmemann.  Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1974).  ISBN # 0913836109.

 

Alexander Schmemann, The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1988).  ISBN # 0881410187.

 

Scripture:

 

John Breck, The Power of the Word in the Worshiping Church (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1986).  ISBN # 0881410438

 

Veselin Kesich, The Gospel Image of Christ, Revised Edition (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1992).  ISBN # 0881411027.

 

Theodore G. Stylianopoulos, The New Testament: An Orthodox Perspective.  Volume 1: Scripture, Tradition, Hermeneutics (Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1999).  ISBN # 1885652135.

 

Theology:

 

Eastern Orthodox Theology: A Contemporary Reader.  2^nd edition. Daniel B. Clendenin, Ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003).  ISBN # 1-84227-234-9

 

John Behr, Asceticism and Anthropology in Irenaeus and Clement (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).  ISBN # 0198270003.   Fr. John Behr is a phenomenal writer and thinker.  I recommend all of his books.

 

John Behr, The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2006).  ISBN # 0881413062.

 

John Behr, The Nicene Faith (2 volumes) (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2006).  ISBN # 088141266X.

 

John Behr, The Way to Nicea (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press) 2001.  ISBN # 0881412244. 

 

Miscellaneous:

 

Paisius Altschul, Wade in the River: The Story of the African Christian Faith (Crossbearers Publishing, 2001).  ISBN # 0971636508

 

Frederica Mathewes-Green, At the Corner of East and Now: A Modern Life in Ancient Christian Orthodoxy. (Jeremy P. Tarcher, Publ., 2000).  ISBN # 1585420441

 

WARNING # 1:  Oftentimes inquirers into the Orthodox Christian faith may find themselves overwhelmed with a plethora of books on monastic “spirituality.”  Monasticism is an intensified version of the Orthodox Christian life, an “alternative lifestyle” that exists apart from job, marriage, and family.  The spiritual writings of the monastic lifestyle reflect that.  St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians says that new converts must be first fed on milk like children before given solid meat to consume (re: I Corinthians 3:2).  If you are investigating the Orthodox Christian faith, avoid going immediately to the “meat” such as the Philokalia, the writings of monastics (sainted or not), etc.  Start first with a general overview of the faith and the history of the early Church, re-learn the Bible and how to study and interpret it, learn about the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ from the Orthodox point-of-view, learn about how we worship the crucified and risen Christ, and learn how we are united to Christ in the sacramental life of the Church.  Once you have mastered these “basics”, you can then cautiously, with the guidance of your parish priest, venture into the world of “spirituality.”

 

WARNING # 2:  This is related to # 1 above.  Avoid the writings of Seraphim Rose.  He is a highly controversial figure within mainstream canonical Orthodox Christianity.  He represents a fundamentalist, Old Calendarist, reactionary, hyper-monastic, neo-gnostic version of Eastern Orthodoxy.  Many of his teachings, in particular the “Aerial Toll Houses,” are not representative of the dogmatic teachings, or even the theologumena (theological opinions), of authentic Orthodox Christianity.  In fact, they were elaborated when he was a member of a pseudo-Orthodox monastic sect in northern California that was not recognized by any canonical body of Orthodox Christianity in this country or the world for that matter.  In 2006, Metropolitan Daniel of Moldovia (now Patriarch Daniel of Romania) condemned Seraphim Rose and his “Orthodox Terrorist literature.”  He does not want Seraphim Rose published and distributed in Romania because he scares people away from the Church.¹  Rose’s approach runs contrary to the way of the Church.   

 

WARNING # 3:  Anyone can produce a website and claim to be proclaiming the “truth.”  Beware of websites that are more concerned with fundamentalist, Old Calendarist, reactionary, hyper-monastic, neo-gnostic versions of Eastern Orthodoxy.  They are easily discerned by their lack of humility, absence of Christian love, bizarre teachings, and prolific writings that contain words like “modernist,” “ecumenist,” “deconstructionist,” and other “-ist” words.

 

 

 

 

¹ V. Rev. Fr. Theophan Koja, Presbyter, St. Thomas Romanian Orthodox Church, May 11, 2008, personal communication.