Anglican-Orthodox Pilgrimage
Billererbeck, Franklin (Ed.). (1993). Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press. ISBN 0-9622713-5-7. 67 pages.

An easy reading in an evening or two, this slim book contains seven articles and letters from former Episcopalians who were chrismated Orthodox.  Their backgrounds are different: some were cradle Anglicans, some converted from other denominations.  Some were and remain priests; most were lay.  Regardless of each one's original motivation, all found that in the Orthodox Church they had "come home." 

 

Orthodox inquirers interested in the personal odesseys of others should find these useful.  They represent the struggles in faith of high- and low-church Episcopalians disturbed by the last twenty years of the Anglican Church as it turned itself into "just another denomination," (note that this book was published before the odd and disturbing Episcopal Church USA General Convention in the summer of 2003).  Of local interest to us at St. Michael's, one article is by a husband and wife who were chrismated at our mother church, St. George Cathedral, and attend services across town at St. Mary's right here in Wichita.

Fee and Stuart summarize each Biblical book in a way that aids reading the Bible.  Each chapter corresponds to one book.  The layout is consistent: A couple of pages in a standard format that first briefly outlines the book, gives an overview of key concepts, then lists specific advice to help one to understand the intent of the book.  This preview leads into a description of key passages (chapter and verse numbers are given) in the form of a walk-through of the chapter.

It is very readable, placing the Bible's chapters into their historical or theological context.  As its title suggests, it is intended not as an outline, but as a study guide.  A glossary and a chronological listing of the Bible's chapters are included.

The Interior Mountain
Iredale, Simon. (2000).  Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. ISBN 0-687-09022-9. 91 pages.

Simon Iredale's short, readable book is an introduction to the desert fathers of early Christianity.  St. Anthony of Egypt and his followers in the 3rd and 4th century lived in solitude and small communities in the Egyptian desert.  Separating themselves from cities and secular life, they searched for God within themselves, through solitude and self-discipline.

Subtitled Encountering God with the Desert Saints, each chapter of this book is devoted to a particular spiritual theme: charity, temptation, self-control, stillness, prayer, simplicity, solitude, and endurance.  The format of the chapters is designed to promote introspection.  A statement of the chapter's theme follows quotations and descriptions of encounters among the brothers and sisters in the desert.  A short list of questions to reflect upon are provided.  Each chapter concludes with a short meditation drawn from traditional prayers or psalms.  The Jesus Prayer - central to the hesychiatic idea of spiritual development through inner stillness -- and the Trisagion appears at the end of the book.

This book, written by an Anglican priest who has studied the Orthodox Church and early history, can be used as a basis for individual or small group meditations.

Thoughts in Solitude
Merton, Thomas. (1956).  New York: The Noonday Press. ISBN 0-374-51325-2. 124 pages.

"Spiritual life is not mental life.  It is not thought alone.  Nor is it feeling … and experiencing the things of the spirit, and things of God."  So writes Thomas Merton (p. 27) regarding the nature of meditation and spiritual exercises.  Everyone, some time or another, seeks a period of solitude, to get away from the materialism and the din of everyday life.  Learning to live in solitude, however, does not have to require withdrawal from society.  It is really a way to become social in the fullest sense, connecting one's self to others.

Merton, a Trappist monk, wrote this approachable book following a period of solitude and meditation in 1953-54.  He saw that people put words between themselves and God, so this very readable book is a set of reflections on what it means to find God by finding one's inner self.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism
Pulcini, Theodore. (1995).  Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press. ISBN 1-888212-23-3. 21 pages.

Fr. Pulcini's short pamphlet summarizes the similarities and differences between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic traditions.  It is a useful guide for anyone in the western traditions that emerged after the Reformation.  Two of the most important differences (the filioque clause "and the Son," inserted into the Nicene Creed; and the concept of purgatory and indulgences) are discussed in detail.  The difference in "feel" of the traditions from medieval scholasticism and the 18th century Enlightenment that affected the Roman, but not Eastern churches, is nicely treated. 

A two-page chart showing essential differences in doctrine, worship, and church governance is reprinted from AGAIN magazine [vol 18(2)].  Pulcini studied in Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic seminaries and colleges.  He converted from Catholicism to Antiochian Orthodoxy.

A Pocket Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians
Upson, Stephen. (1956). (7th ed.). Englewood, NJ: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. ISBN 126 pages.

The full title describes the book: A Pocket Prayer Book for Orthodox Christians, Containing Daily and Occasional Prayers, together with The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom according to the use of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. This index card sized collection is more commonly called "The Little Red Book."  It contains the liturgies for morning, midday, and evening prayers; the Divine Liturgy; many occasional prayers; the Ten Commandments, a list of the seven grievous sins, and the nine capital virtues.  In short, it is a portable guide to the liturgy and practices of the Church.

It is recommended to followers of the Western Rite who may sometimes need to refer to the Byzantine ritual and prayers.  For example, when traveling, one might wish to attend a traditional liturgy.  At diocesan or national gatherings, the prayers and invocations used may likely be found in this little book.

The Orthodox Church
Ware, Timothy. (1997). (New ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-014656-3. 344 pages.

For those looking for a thorough discussion of Orthodoxy, this is the book to read.  It is in two parts: a history, and an exposition of theology. Be warned, however, that the writing sometimes is dense and slow to read.  This is because the material is detailed and complete, and the author's approach is scholarly.  A glossary is not included, but would be useful.  Timothy Ware is Bishop Kallisitos of Diokleia in the Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, a monk of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian in Patmos, and, before his retirement in 2001, a lecturer in Orthodox studies at Oxford University.  He was trained in the classics and theology, and converted to Orthodoxy in 1966.

Part one, the history, begins with the seven ecumenical councils in the early Byzantine era.  It continues with an unfolding of the 2000-year history of the eastern Church, including the events leading to the Great Schism, the conversion of the Slavs and the missionary competition with the Roman church, the contracting but continuing Orthodox Church while the east was under Islamic rule up to and beyond the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the movement of the center of Orthodoxy to Russia until the Communist Revolution in 1917.  The historical trends in the 20th century are examined, including the Greeks, Arabs, and the Orthodox Diaspora into North America and elsewhere.  As with any good church history, doctrine and theology is described as key elements if them emerged over time.

Part two turns to the beliefs and worship of today's Orthodox Churches.  Topics include the traditions of faith, the relationship between God and people, worship practices and sacraments, the calendar of feasts and fasts, and the place of private prayer.  A concluding chapter considers the possibilities of reunion between the east and the west.  An extensive bibliography with commentary is appended.

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