Orthodox Religion

For nearly a thousand years following its foundation, there was only one Christian church. Centered in the city of Rome, the church expanded and grew until it became the dominant religion in Europe and beyond. The early growth of the Church had been suppressed by the Romans until the Emperor Constantine became the first to convert the empire to Christianity. From that point forward, the growth of the Church was inextricably linked with the Roman Empire - the most powerful military, economic, and political force in the ancient world.

Derech Hashem (The Way of God) is a philosophical text written in the early 1740s by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. It is considered one of the quintessential handbooks of Jewish thought. The text covers a vast gamut of philosophical topics in the vast spectrum of classical Judaism's outlook on the world. These topics include the purpose of creation, the Creator, human responsibility, the spiritual realms, providence, Israel and the nations, astrology, the human soul, theurgy, prophecy, the study of Torah, prayer, and the function of mitzvah observance.

The publication of the long-awaited English edition of Elder Anthimos of Saint Anne’s, translated from the sixth Greek edition (2004), brings to the Anglophone world a treasure of Orthodox spirituality. Elder Anthimos (1913-1996) was a humble monk of the St. Anne’s Skete on Mount Athos whose life shone “like a star shedding a new light of piety and as a brightly shining vessel of grace.”

Annalisa Boyd knows motherhood has its challenges, its joys, and its potential for spiritual growth. In this prayer book, she offers a wide selection of prayers mothers can use to intercede for their families as well as to grow in virtue themselves.

A profound spiritual classic. Inspiring prayers written by Bishop Nikolai.

The Psalms Study Course is designed to guide listeners into the timeless depth and spiritual power of the Psalms, offering a structured and meaningful way to study one of the most treasured books of Scripture. For generations, the Psalms have served as the heartbeat of Jewish prayer and devotion, recited in times of joy, sorrow, gratitude, and supplication. This course provides an opportunity to connect more deeply with these sacred verses and to discover how they can elevate daily life with faith, hope, and trust in God.

Though compassion lies at the heart of the Gospel, it has been little studied in its own right. This book, written by an accomplished scholar yet accessible to the lay listener, fills that void by drawing on the broad and ancient tradition of the Orthodox Church.

Losing someone we love is never easy, but the Orthodox Church provides a wealth of resources that help us to bear it. Chaplain and bereavement coordinator Sarah Byrne-Martelli draws on these theological, scriptural, and liturgical resources, as well as the collected experience of a variety of people undergoing grief and loss, to provide a kind of road map to the grieving process. Included in the book is a guide to an eight-week bereavement curriculum that can be used in a group or on one’s own.

Much has been written about the similarities and differences between the Orthodox and Evangelical faiths. In this book, Fr. Lawrence Farley provides a concise and non-confrontational summary of the major issues that divide the two. Evangelicals inquiring into Orthodoxy, Orthodox Christians who want to speak knowledgeably with evangelical friends, and Orthodox Christians who simply wish to understand and appreciate their own tradition more fully will find this book useful and accessible.

Saint Athanasius was an astute apologist, proficient theologian, and champion of orthodox Christology. He earned the title Athanasius Contra Mundum for his willingness to take on the world in defending biblical truth.

How do we, as orthodox parents, keep our children in the church throughout their lives? It all begins with involving them in the life of the church from birth onward - in the parish and also at home. Blueprints for the Little Church provides practical ideas and encouragement - without judgment - for incorporating the primary practices of orthodox spirituality into your family life at every stage of its growth and throughout the church year.

How do we acquire this mind of Christ and where is it to be found? For the Orthodox Christian, salvation is the acquisition of this mind of Christ which is to be found in the Church. This acquisition moves us from the image of God to the likeness of God; through our obedience to this call we begin to know God and this knowledge is eternal life (John 17:3). This small book hopes to begin to answer how acquiring the mind of Christ is possible and why it is necessary in our lives today.

Speaking to non-believers and believers alike, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick attempts to create a sacred space in which we can encounter God. In this compact volume, he distills the essence of the traditional Christian faith, addressing the fundamental mysteries of where God is, who God is, why we go to church, and why Christian morality matters. If you’ve only heard about the Protestant or Roman Catholic version of Christianity, what he has to say may surprise you—and make you long to encounter God in Jesus Christ.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second-largest Christian church, with more than 260 million members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by bishops in local synods. In this classic work Prof. Adrian Fortescue describes in detail the history, structure, and current state of the Orthodox Church. An excellent introduction for those seeking to better understand this historic apostolic church.

Father Thomas Hopko draws on the wisdom of the Orthodox Christian Church and the Holy Scriptures to help us understand same-sex attraction, with both compassion and clarity. Combining theological and pastoral insights, this small gem will aid pastors, those who experience same-sex desires, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the nature of our identity and our sexuality. This book is in reality a primer on how to overcome the passions through the traditional Christian ascetic struggle, which, of course, applies to everyone.

This book begins with a deeply thoughtful reflection on the nature of truth in the face of relativism, absolutism, and fanaticism showing Jesus Christ as the logic and love that undergirds and unites the universe.

In a carefully choreographed propaganda video released in February 2015, ISIS militants behead twenty-one orange-clad Christian men on a Libyan beach. In the West, daily reports of new atrocities may have displaced the memory of this particularly vile event. But not in the world from which the murdered came. All but one were young Coptic Christian migrant workers from Egypt. Acclaimed literary writer Martin Mosebach traveled to the Egyptian village of El-Aour to meet their families and better understand the faith and culture that shaped such conviction.

Shulem Deen was raised to believe that questions are dangerous. As a member of the Skverers, one of the most insular Hasidic sects in the US, he knows little about the outside world - only that it is to be shunned. His marriage at 18 is arranged, and several children soon follow.

The tradition of the Church is consistent and has been passed on to us unchanged from the times of the apostles. It teaches that the avoidance of children is a lawless act and a deliberate resistance by man to the will of God. If, in this matter, even heterodox Churches have tried not to deviate from this tradition, all the more is faithful adherence incumbent upon us the Orthodox, the unbending custodians of the dogmatic and moral truths handed down to us from the beginning.

Aartspriester Sergei Hackel was een priester van de Russisch- Orthodoxe Kerk in Engeland, theoloog en academicus. Hij studeerde moderne talen aan Lincoln College in Oxford en onderwees gedurende vijfentwintig jaar Russisch aan de Universiteit van Sussex. Hackel stond bekend als een van de sterkste proponenten van het oecumenische, met name tussen de Orthodoxe Kerk en de Anglicaanse Kerk.