Book Review

Books are a great source of knowledge and a way of imparting that knowledge to others. This is especially true of religious books. One such book which should occupy the shelves of all faithful Orthodox Christians is the book entitled “The Orthodox Church” by Timothy Ware, (Bishop Kallistos of Diokliea). This book which was first published in 1963 has gone a long way of introducing the somewhat little known and often misunderstood Eastern Church, which has approximately 85 million believers to those in the west. Timothy Ware who was born in England in 1934 is a convert to Orthodoxy having joined in 1958.

The book was written to introduce the Church to those who are not Orthodox as well as for Orthodox who wish to know more about their faith. The book is divided into two parts; the first discusses the Church’s history and the second, the Church’s faith and worship.

Part one traces the Church’s history from the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem to the present day including the Churches in the Diaspora. Reference is made to important individuals and events which has shaped the Church’s past. Even if the reader is totally ignorant of these things, the book covers them in sufficient detail in a book of its size. Such things discussed include the Apostolic period, Christian persecution during the Roman Empire, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the schism with the Latin west, the Crusades, the fall of the Byzantine Empire and subsequent Turkish occupation under Islam. The rise of Christianity in Russia is also discussed including the tragic events that occurred there since 1917 when the atheistic communist government was ushered in. The latest edition of the book also includes the events that have occurred after the collapse of the communists. Finally, mention is made of the Churches in the Diaspora. A brief description of those individuals associated with each episode is also given. To those readers who are not Orthodox, some of this history will be familiar while some aspects will be altogether new.

In part two, non-Orthodox Christian readers will again find common ground with the Church’s faith and worship particularly Roman Catholics more so than with Protestant Christians while much of the Church’s faith is of course uniquely Orthodox. As the author says speaking about what non-Orthodox learning about Orthodoxy would say...”But that is what I have always believed!” Items discussed in this part include the source of the Orthodox faith, Scripture and Holy Tradition, God and Humankind, the Church, the Divine Liturgy, the Sacraments or Mysteries, prayer and the cycle of the Church’s feasts and Fasts. There is also a final note on the possible reunion of Christians.

The book includes an excellent bibliography, which is divided into many topics, which refers the reader to other books on the Orthodox Church and on Her many aspects. A handy index concludes the book.

For those wishing to know more about the Orthodox Church and its teaching, this is an excellent introduction. The book can be purchased from many Orthodox Churches that sell books including the Female Monastery in Geelong.

V. Vozzo