An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches

ISBN-13: 9780521661409 / Angielski / Twarda / 2002 / 294 str.

John Binns

Opis

This introduction describes the life of the Orthodox Churches of the Christian East from the accession of the Emperor Constantine in 312 up to the year 2000. It discusses the distinctive Orthodox approaches to the themes of liturgy, theology, monastic life and spirituality, iconography, popular religion, mission, politics and the schism between East and West. The final chapter examines the response of the Churches to the new freedom following the collapse of communism and the prospects for the future.

Recenzje

'John Binns has done a worthwhile task in writing about the complexity and richness of the Orthodox Church for the general reader. … Binns' encyclopaedic grasp of his subject gives the reader a fascinating insight not only into the past history of the churches but also into their contemporary witness in today's world. … The book can be recommended to any who want a sympathetic objective introduction to the Orthodox Church both in history and as it exists today. Binns has collected a truly heroic amount of information in 250 pages and it is hard to see a better starting place than this book.' The Expository Times

Spis treści

List of illustrations; List of maps; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction: identifying Orthodoxy; 2. Description: a map of Orthodoxy; 3. Liturgy: where heaven and earth meet; 4. Doctrine: believing in the Orthodox Churches; 5. Icons: revelation in image; 6. Monasticism: shaping of saints; 7. Popular piety: people, places, pilgrimage; 8. Mission: incarnation as proclamation; 9. Church and state: the dream of God's kingdom on earth; 10. East and West: the division of Christendom; 11. Prospect: a cautious reforming; Table of dates; Bibliography; Index.