(Part 2) Best products from r/OrthodoxChristianity

CONT:

The idea of heavenly spheres being an authentic feature of the world is evident in the universality of the idea of the seven planetary (Luna and Sol, the sun and moon, are included in this classical definition of a planet- it's not a "wrong" definition- just a different classification system) heavens throughout the world's cultures. They even tend to be associated with the same days of the week and interrelated in intriguing ways with the musical concept of tuning by fifths.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/leithart/2012/06/tuned-cosmos/

Moreover, there are very interesting mathematical relations ordering the seven heavenly spheres (and yes, I do believe NASA is real, I am not a flat earther- I am saying that a "symbol" is an intrinsic aspect of the world and that the ancients and medievals understood this) in their classical associations. Luna and Saturn are the first and last of the seven heavenly spheres. Luna has a 29 day cycle. Saturn has a 29 year cycle in its revolution around the sun. The correspondence, day to year, is actually 99.5%. Yes, we've had a closer look at the moon, the sun, and Saturn. So? I don't think that we have discovered anything which would actually undermine the classical world-picture. It's like seeing a picture in 144k vs 4k. We see a great deal more in ultra-HD than we would in old-style SD. We notice lots of new things. But it's perfectly recognizable as what it is. For more on these mathematically ordered relations among the spheres, see this excellent book, especially the last section:

https://www.amazon.com/Quadrivium-Classical-Liberal-Geometry-Cosmology/dp/0802778135

Unfortunately, most of the people talking about the beauty and symbolic craftsmanship in the Heavens are associated with the occult. But the Bible and tradition speak about these subjects. It's not magic. It's part of the world-design God made through the Logos. "The Heavens declare the Glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day to day they pour out speech, night to night they speak knowledge." (Ps. 19:1-2) For more on the reality undergirding classical and medieval cosmology, see Wolfgang Smith's excellent The Wisdom of Ancient Cosmology:

He is a professional physicist and possesses immense philosophical and metaphysical skill. An excellent thinker if you want to rework your conceptual world.

https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Ancient-Cosmology-Contemporary-Tradition/dp/6602883925/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Wisdom+of+Ancient+cosmology&qid=1557417059&s=books&sr=1-1

I didn't have any chance to speak to the priest tonight, but I did speak with one of the other Monks, and what he had to say was most interesting.

Basically, if I could paraphrase him, is that our joy as Orthodox is really the joy of the resurrection, and never is this more clearly seen than at Pascha which is fast approaching, and that if you really want to understand Orthodox joy you should really try to be there for Pascha. It is the joy of Pascha that gets us through the year.

As far as books go, he recommended "Wounded by Love" by Elder Porphyrious. I've heard it's very good, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet myself.

Amazon link to the book

Be careful about what you bought, it's solid stuff, but those translations are from the 19th century and may not be very clear.

If you want something manageable like an anthology, I would recommend these. They're organized by topic so it's easy to look up stuff you're particularly interested in.

• Documents in Early Christian Thought, ed. Maurice Wiles and Mark Santer
  
  Miles was a renowned patristics scholar at Oxford. He also has a good introduction to the Church Fathers here. Another good intro to the Church Fathers is Boniface Ramsey's Beginning to Read the Fathers. (It was revised recently but for the sake of cost, IDK how necessary it is to get the newest edition.)
  
  
• The Early Christian Fathers, ed. Henry Bettenson
  
  From the Apostolic Age to Athanasius.
  
  
• The Later Christian Fathers, ed. Henry Bettenson
  
  Post-Nicene stuff. It stops at Chalcedon with Leo the Great's tome.
  
  
• This series from Fortress Press is good: Sources of Early Christian Thought. Its a series of anthologies organized by topic. So instead of one-volume anthologies with multiple topics, it's one anthology for the Trinity, Christology, etc. which allows for something more in depth.
  
  
• Finally, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press publishes a Popular Patristics Series. It features an edition of Athanasius' On the Incarnation with an introduction by CS Lewis himself!
  
  As to really important figures (I'm just listing what comes to mind):
  
  
• Origen
  
  
• Irenaeus
  
  
• Athanasius
  
  
• Augustine
  
  
• The "Cappadocian Fathers" (Gregory Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, and Basil the Great)
  
  
• John Chrysostom. In Orhodoxy, Chrysostom is often grouped with Gregory Naziansus and Basil the Great as the "Three Holy Heirarchs", as the tradition's seminal bishops.
  
  
• Similar to the Three Holy Hierarchs, Catholicism recognizes the "Four Latin Doctors" for their influence: Augustine, Ambrose, Jerome, and Gregory the Great.

There are many great introductions to this period of Christianity. These books in particular are written by evangelical scholars for an audience like you, so they would be of great use.

• Classical Christian Doctrine by Ronald Heine
  
  
• Life in the Trinity by Donald Fairbairn
  
  
• Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction by Bryan M. Litfin
  
  Heine teaches at Northwest Christian University, Fairbairn at Gordon-Conwell, and Litfin at Moody Bible Institute. They are not whitewashed treatments of the topic by any means - I'd recommend Heine and Fairbarin in particular because they've published advanced scholarship on patristics in the past and know the topic very well. Another great introduction to early theology is The Spirit of Early Christian Thought by Robert Louis Wilken (who taught Litfin!)
  
  Hopefully one of these will be the most useful for your dad's small group. I think Litfin's book is designed to be accessible (each chapter is focused on a major figure), Heine's is designed to be informative and clear, and Fairbairn's is designed to feel devotional.

1. Nope. Not rude or disrespectful.
   
2. http://www.orthodoxiya.fm/ (If you speak Arabic, here is an Orthodox on-line radio station. If not- you'll be just as lost as I am with this! However, if you like chants, there is some good chanting to be found here. If you prefer or know English better, then this might be more up your alley: Ancient Faith Radio (music/chanting, podcasts, blogs)
   
   Well, I'll just share books and links with you that I just shared to someone else on another thread. I don't know how useful some of them will be for you, since you don't have a Christian background, but there they are anyway. Regarding specific differences between Copts, Armenians, Old Believer, and Eastern Orthodox, I don't know of any books that specifically address the differences (but Ethiopians are Copts and Greeks/Russians/Antioch are all Eastern Orthodox). ;)
   
   The Orthodox Faith by Thomas Hopko (It's all on-line- so no need to buy anything here.)
   
   Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom (Wonderful resource for anyone.)
   
   On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius (Catholics of all stripes should approve of this, but this is definitely something the East looks at more frequently in my observation. Also all on-line.)
   
   The Meaning of Icons by Vladimir Lossky (Icons are often overlooked in book recommendations on Orthodox Christianity. It's a shame. It's one of the most fascinating subjects.)
   
   On Acquisition of the Holy Spirit by St. Seraphim of Sarov (Even the pope has recognized him as a saint. This is a wonderful and deceptively simple (i.e. heavy) read. This is also all on-line. There are also six you-tube videos for this so you can just listen: https://youtu.be/pBynRA0wNg8 )
   
   Also, I don't think this has much to do with theology, but I really liked them:
   
   The Way of a Pilgrim (I recommend this book to everyone. Always.)
   
   How to Live a Holy Life by Gregory Postnikov (This is a small book. It's deceptively simple. The doing of what's in it is more difficult.)
   
   

3. For an Orthodox view, I highly recommend this podcast series on the bible to you. Dr. Constantinou of the University of San Diego essentially covers what she would in one of her survey courses. This goes in-depth on the topics of scripture (old and new). It truly starts with the second podcast (Inspiration and Inerrancy) and moves on to cover oral tradition, bible manuscripts, the septuagint, the canon, translations and versions, patristic interpretation, the school of Alexandria, the school of Antioch, and the Latin fathers in other podcasts. Search the Scriptures: Introduction to the Bible (Lesson 2)

The writers of the Creed strove to use the language of Scripture without defining it. In saying "We believe in one God the Father and one Lord Jesus Christ," they're alluding to passages like Eph. 4;6-7 "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all," or 1 Cor 8:6 "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." In Paul's letters there is a fairly consistent pattern of referring to the father as God and to Christ as the Lord which is the Greek version of YHWH.

If you're interested in some reading, I highly recommend Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity by Larry Hurtado. This thoroughly-researched book is scholarly and academic in approach but it is also very readable. (And to me it's an inspiring reminder of why I came to worship the Jesus of the New Testament. It's one of a very few academic textbooks that I read devotionally.)

Hurtado's goal is to use the earliest Christians' own words and self-descriptions to explain how fiercely monotheistic Jews were able to worship "one God and one Lord Jesus Christ" without having two gods, hence the book's title. He's not Orthodox, but he's orthodox, if that makes sense :-)

I love Christian books and music!

Some examples of some really great Christian books are:

• Everyday Saints
  
  
• Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
  
  
• The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society
  
  
• May God Give You Wisdom!: The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin
  
  
• The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios
  
  
• Letters to Spiritual Children
  
  
• Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father
  
  These are some of the best Christian books you will find anywhere - you can check out their reviews on Amazon through the links above. The first book was the #1 bestselling book in Russia (of all genres), recently translated into English.
  
  For Christian music, I like to listen to the music stream of Ancient Faith Radio. They publish the titles so you can track down and purchase the piece if you like it.

I don't know whether a catechism is the best kind of resource to provide. He should contact the priest nearest to him and establish a relationship - let the priest guide him. One way or another, he will need a spiritual father.

Depending on your friend's disposition, I might be more inclined to recommend Elder Cleopas' The Truth of Our Faith. Personally, I would definitely not recommend any of Clark Carleton's books. They are not inaccurate - I just think they are too polemical.

I would also strongly recommend Everyday Saints. The book is not any kind of catechism, but it gives a very strong sense of what an Orthodox life feels like, even though it is written from a Russian monastic perspective. The same holds true for Mountain of Silence, which is from the perspective of a Greek layperson.

My priest used The Faith by Clark Carlton as a catechism. It's very good, as is the aforementioned books by Kallistos Ware. It lays out our beliefs and our practices well for a newcomer.

If you are interested, it is here on Amazon, where I am surprised at it's price (my parish bookstore had it for twenty dollars). If you are serious, PM me and I would be willing to loan you my copy.

You have come to the start of the path to the Truth. It's a hard one, but very rich and fulfilling. May God bless you on your journey!

There is a good one that helped my family:

Ask for the Ancient Paths

https://www.amazon.com/Ask-Ancient-Paths-Discovering-Church/dp/1936270633

It's directed at Protestants and is very informative. It is a small book and a VERY easy read!

Good luck my friend.

Here is a collection of primary sources that you'll want. The forward for this is by fr. Michael Oleska, but this is a book of historical primary texts that he, and I believe another scholar, published.

https://www.amazon.com/Alaskan-Missionary-Spirituality-Michael-Oleska/dp/0881413402/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QDSFJB7G7F7QBRKXY05D

Otherwise you might want to look at

non Orthodox sources like

Sergei Kan (highly recommend)

(focused on the Tlingit who adopt Christanity slower and for various reasons gives us a lot of insight into the interaction between the cultures and why various actors are acting as such)

https://www.amazon.com/Sergei-Kan/e/B001JS67JA?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1567298541&sr=1-2

Andrei A. Znamenski

(focuses on both Alaskan and Siberian indigenous cultures)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0313309604/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Richard K. Nelson (focused on Koyukon culture)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226571637/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Orthodox sources like

fr. Micael Oleksa

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMichael+J.+Oleksa&s=relevancerank&text=Michael+J.+Oleksa&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1

S. A. Mousalimas

https://www.amazon.com/S-A-Mousalimas/e/B001JWY1BW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1567298348&sr=1-1

You might also like parts of this book as well

https://www.amazon.com/Re-Imagining-Nature-Environmental-Humanities-Ecosemiotics/dp/1611487161

Here are few video sources, mostly fr. Michael Oleksa that you should check out.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-9LUs2vGSp78Z4I84T5Q1ZhJLphcFpRp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW2tKtfDQXM&list=PLIMyKJBJ2PB2udVlZdno909WBA3HUNjUK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fvt7joe_G4&t=5s

Those interested in this topic would do well to read the book Everyday Saints. And Father Arseny. The revolution was utter destruction, but did not come out of the blue. As far as the Church is concerned, and this Father Arseny explains beautifully, the revolution was a result of the clergy especially and the laity forgetting God, living an ungodly life, ... So the Church was in a bad state before the revolution and the revolution nearly destroyed what was left of it. Expecting everything to be rosy right away is, well, expecting somewhat of a miracle! And so far as I understand, much of the Russian clergy understands this quite well. The ones who survived Communism know what it's like to keep the flame burning despite dire circumstances, and they know that today's circumstances though better, are still dire.

The Ancient Commentary on Scripture Series (published by InterVarsity) has in-depth patristic commentary on individual books of the Bible. It goes verse-by-verse, so it sounds like what you're looking for. If you want patristic/medieval commentary for free, this site is quite good: https://sites.google.com/site/aquinasstudybible/home .

As for Bible translations, Fr. Thomas Hopko once recommended the RSV (plus the apocrypha) for balancing readability and literalness. I myself like the KJV, but the RSV is quite good: Ignatius press publishes a good edition.


Fr. Laurent Cleenewerck, an OCA (?) priest, is working on translating the Bible from the official Greek of the Orthodox Church. He has only finished the New Testament. But you can pair it with Lancelot Brenton's (old) translation of the Septuagint.


For what its worth, Richard Hays has recently published a book explaining figural exegesis (the method for interpreting the bible that the Fathers use), called [Reading Backward] (https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Backwards-Figural-Christology-Fourfold/dp/1481302337/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1500494710&sr=8-3&keywords=richard+hayes).

That is a bad translation. A better one is:

"For You possess my heart, O Lord; you took hold of me from my other's womb."

It goes on:
"I will give thanks to You, For I am fearfully and wondrously made ..."

If all our inclinations are the will of God, then God ordained pyromaniacs and pedophiles, as /u/sarracht pointed out. What this verse means in context is that God created man to be in communion with him.

So no, it is not the case that "whatever is, is as is it should be." This is the unfortunate consequence of the Protestant Calvinist doctrine that God predestined everything. He has foreknowledge, but he lets us have free will.

Are you sure you "personally really only disagree with one or two things and that's it?" A good book to read is The Faith. It includes chapters about the creation, the fall, and the sacrament of marriage.

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

​

Also download the app called "Catena" on your phone. It's free and it's the bible with patristic commentary for pretty much every verse.

​

EDIT: my best advice would be to ask for book recommendations from your spiritual father; i.e. the priest you confess to. They would have a better idea of what you should be reading. When I first started meeting with my priest regularly I told him I had been reading some of the ascetic fathers and he told me to stop. He was right, I wasn't ready for that and am still not ready for that. Let the Church guide you.

Fair enough. It was actually the first Ortho book I read, but for where I was it was just what I needed. But as you said, doesn't mean it's a good starter for everyone. I've heard a lot of people talk about "The Mountain of Silence" but haven't had a chance to read it myself. I'd also highly recommend "A Light from the Christian East". It's actually written by a Protestant professor but does a great job of explaining Eastern theology for western readers. It's a bit academic, but if that doesn't phase you check it out!

Divine Liturgy in Orthodoxy is going to closer resemble Jewish temple services (I don't know much about Judaism myself).

Here's an Orthodox book: https://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Christ-Journey-Orthodox-Christianity/dp/1888212950/

Here's a Catholic book: https://www.amazon.com/Crucified-Rabbi-Judaism-Catholic-Christianity/dp/057803834X/

Hope this random comment helps!

In that price range, you could pick up the NRSV with Apocrypha (some may find issue with that translation, but I like it for personal use) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061827215/

Or if you want a more reverent translation, the RSV2CE is quite good, keeping in mind it won't have the full Orthodox deuterocanon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898708338/

Edit: Also, it's my understanding that one can find a KJV with Apocrypha for a decent price

David Bentley Hart has "The Story of Christianity", which is not academic, but is written by an Orthodox theologian, and it's pretty interesting. He gives more time to Christianity in the far east than you might get from a more western-oriented writer, so that's interesting too.

Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology is a readable introduction based on a lecture series.

Light from the Christian East was written by someone in the Reformed tradition who nevertheless does a pretty good presentation of Orthodoxy.

Orthodox Christianity (3 vol.) is probably the most comprehensive overview by a contemporary Orthodox theologian and churchman.

Amazon has a really good clean simple one. It's the one I have, and many people I know who converted have. It's well priced and stainless steel so it won't tarnish and it'll last a lifetime.

If there's any way you could make contact with an Orthodox monastery, or even just a parish, some elders and priests are willing to give guidance and hear confession over the phone.

Also, you may benefit from reading "Wounded by Love" by St. Porphyrios.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/9607201191/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524260470&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=wounded+by+love&dpPl=1&dpID=519V8EM3oyL&ref=plSrch

Ignorant people exist everywhere.

Now, the stuff about the antichrist is complicated because the notion of a man who masquerades as the Messiah and fools the world IS part of Christianity. Obviously, fooling the world would include things like World Peace, and if he wants to win Israel over, he may build the Temple or something. But this is really all conjecture. All we know is that if Christ is the Godman (Theoanthropos) then the AntiChrist will be the perfect inverse of this, the Mangod (Anthropotheos). That's what we should all be on the look out for (keep your eye on the Transhumanists). Maybe he'll be Jewish, maybe he'll be Italian, who knows? I doubt it'll be so blatantly obvious.

Also, you may like this book, written by an Orthodox Jew who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy https://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Christ-Journey-Orthodox-Christianity/dp/1888212950

A book about a heroic soul named Fr. Arseny. May it edify you like it has edified me.

https://www.amazon.com/Father-Arseny-1893-1973-Narratives-Concerning/dp/0881411809

No, but this book - Ask for the Ancient Paths - was amazing for me.

The Story of Christianity by David Bentley Hart is very good, though it isn't strictly reserved to the study of the Church Fathers. Hart is an Orthodox scholar, so he knows his stuff about the early years of the Church, as well as much that comes after.

I think your dad would find this helpful, because it isn't written from a polemical perspective, covering the history of Christianity in all parts of the world, whether Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and even touches on the Nestorian church and the Church of the East.

(The paperback copy is a regular book, the hardcover is more "coffee-table" style, including pictures and organized pages with side bars and timelines.)

Same here. It's my baptismal cross. Love it.
https://smile.amazon.com/G-I-Jewelry-AX-AY-ABHI-16394-Orthodox-Necklace/dp/B00382W2VM/ref=sr_1_21

https://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Icons-Vladimir-Lossky/dp/0913836990/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487480778&sr=1-1&keywords=9780913836996

Perhaps not the guidebook you are looking for, but a good start.

Like everything else, there is not much of an "official" anything in the Eastern Orthodox Church, but somehow it all hangs together.

I know more or less what you are getting at. Give The Longer Catechism of Metropolitan Philaret a spin.

For contrasting Orthodox beliefs with those of what we call "sectarians" (non-Orthodox), check out The Truth of Our Faith, vol. I.

Neither are exactly the sort of "checklist" you are looking for, but I think they might serve your purpose.

Surprised by Christ “Surprised by Christ.” Is a book by Fr. James Bernstein, a convert from Judaism and now an Orthodox Priest! I highly recommend!

I posted this a while back to a similar question. In addition to reading, try to visit a church if you can, so you can see theology in action.

That being said, this is a wonderful little primer:

http://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith

Also, I cannot recommend the following book highly enough. It's an excellent book for any beginner (or anyone really):

http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Faith-Elder-Cleopa-Romania/dp/9608677807

RSV-CE|RSV-2CE

---|:---
Thee/thou|you/your
archaic verb forms ('didst')|modern verb forms
'Steadfast love'|'mercy'

And other changes that aren't well documented. Although while thinking about writing this post, the Psalter I use is a you/your Psalter, so it would make sense to have a you/your Bible.

Plus, the RSV-2CE comes with iconography on the front, and I would like to have that.

How to live a holy life covers how to handle most situations. Highly recommend it.

My introduction was, Ask for the Ancient Paths, by James Guirguis; it was an easy read and it was moving.

Ask for the Ancient Paths: Discovering What Church Is Meant to Be https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936270633/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yWF1BbKJP3J83

The Faith: Understanding Orthodox Christianity https://www.amazon.com/dp/0964914115/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2ye9ybVK8CRE4 This is what my parish uses for the inquirers class

Well, I know of a book.

What about this cross? Reviews say it has some decent weight and it's inexpensive. Thisis a wood one but gets mixed reviews.

I would suggest The Light From the Christian East by James R. Payton. Dr. Payton is a Protestant and is sensitive to Protestant perceptions. The book is also more in depth theologically than some of the "testimonial" type books. After reading this volume I wish I had picked it up earlier in my inquiry.

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Christian-East-Introduction-Tradition/dp/0830825940

This one: http://www.amazon.com/G-I-Jewelry-Orthodox-Cross-Necklace/dp/B00382W2VM

Mountain of Silence - by Kyriakos Markides

https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Silence-Search-Orthodox-Spirituality/dp/0385500920

​

Fr Arseny: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father

https://www.amazon.com/Father-Arseny-1893-1973-Narratives-Concerning/dp/0881411809

​

The Orthodox Church - Timothy Ware

https://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Church-New-Timothy-Ware/dp/0140146563

​

Byzantine Thought and Art - Constantine Cavarnos

https://www.amazon.com/Byzantine-Thought-Art-Constantine-Cavarnos/dp/0914744224