Orthodox Reading

[JM]

Hey folks, just picked up the following titles using the interlibrary loan system. What do you think?

 

[All4Christ]

They all look great. The first two are on my list to read. I actually hadn't heard of the third one - I'll have to add it to my list

Getting Orthodox books through interlibrary loans is a great idea!

 

[~Anastasia~]

On the Prayer of Jesus is excellent. I would only say that going too far is not a "do it yourself" endeavor but is meant to be done under guidance.

(I've got Facing East too, but it's not standing out in my memory. It's probably been over a year since I read it, and I've read many since then.)

Your ILL is better than mine. I had high hopes of being able to get the books I needed to read, but so far none of the ones I needed have been available. Though I did get "Everyday Saints" and enjoyed that.

If you're looking for a particular kind of book, folks could probably give good suggestions.

 

[ArmyMatt]

go for it

 

[gzt]

Everybody I know who's read the last really liked it, but I haven't read it.

 

[JM]

Hehe I work at a library and have for 23 years now...and I'm a fee years from 40! Anyway, I have a few tricks to ordering.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Well, I'm not allowed any tricks. My county won't do ILL because they said people weren't picking them up. I teach in public schools in a neighboring county, so I get a courtesy card there without having to pay for it. But it doesn't come with any special perks, lol.

 

[Orthodoxjay1]

Hehe I work at a library and have for 23 years now...and I'm a fee years from 40! Anyway, I have a few tricks to ordering.

your so lucky the most peaceful place in town, the library. I like going there at times just to tune out the noise from the outside world.

 

[~Anastasia~]

your so lucky the most peaceful place in town, the library. I like going there at times just to tune out the noise from the outside world.

You're right - I will almost always take a day working in the library (though in our districts, they are turning them into playgrounds for elementary and middle school.)

But I love days spent in the library.

The only job I think I envy among my acquaintances more is a guy who works at Eighth Day Books - he is among books AND icons and the whole atmosphere every day.

 

[All4Christ]

Turns out the last book you listed and At the Corner of East and Now by Fredericka Matthewes Green are available at some of one of our sister libraries in our library system. Looks like I should be able to request them pretty easily.

It's great to have them available now; the last time I checked the only Orthodox book was The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware. There also are multiple copies of the Nicene and Post-Nicene fathers available.

Great idea @JM!

 

[~Anastasia~]

I think the closest thing I have found to anything Orthodox in our two counties are a couple of books of sayings of the Desert Fathers and prayers of the hours by Thomas Merton, who I believe is Catholic?

Though I suspect more popular books like those by Ware and Green would probably come up in ILL. Just I already have the ones like that I needed.

The ones on my list now are not quite so widely available. Though a few I can find in free PDF online, like The Way of the Ascetics, which I had already downloaded and read.

 

[JM]

I've ordered for the library I work at the following:

The Russian Orthodox Resurgence by Garrad
The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology
The Faith by Carlton

We did have more but a due to a leaky roof and water damage we had to withdraw them.

jm

 

[Lukaris]

Of the 3 books you have originally mentioned, I have only read the one by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) which is excellent and intense at times. Our parish priest has encouraged us to pray the Jesus Prayer in times we feel a need to call upon the Lord or alongside our daily prayers; since the pool of spiritual advisors is limited & not easily found, the monastic forms of intense repetition is properly better just read about than readily engaged.

Re Frederica Matthews-Green, I have read another book by her titled: The Illumined Heart http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/417577.Illumined_Heart
which I felt was a wonderful read for a sense of daily living in the faith. From that, I would think the Facing East book you have selected would also be great.

I have not read Pr. Bartholomew's book but I would think it would a good read.

May I also recommend a rather short but good primer on the Jesus Prayer by Fr. David Hester:

 

[JM]

Just so we are clear. I'm a Reformed Christian. My interest in Orthodoxy is purely intellectual. I appreciate the help so far.

Thank you.

jm

 

[Jesus4Madrid]

Just so we are clear. I'm a Reformed Christian. My interest in Orthodoxy is purely intellectual. I appreciate the help so far.

Thank you.

jm

Not to be polemical, but "orthodox Protestant" sounds rather oxymoronic to my ears. I understand protesting Rome, but unless your protest takes you back to the consensus of the Fathers, it is hardly "orthodox". It's just another innovation. Perhaps "conservative Protestant" would be more appropriate.

 

[gzt]

Do we need to get picky with him?

 

[Lukaris]

Just so we are clear. I'm a Reformed Christian. My interest in Orthodoxy is purely intellectual. I appreciate the help so far.

Thank you.

jm

I believe other Christians can carefully practice aspects of Orthodox spirituality since we both profess Jesus Christ as our savior and should share common faith like that of the apostles' creed: http://www.ccel.org/creeds/apostles.creed.html

While formal ecumenism is highly risky considering that all Christian laity should be wary of the elites among us, perhaps our spiritual bonds can increase although Eucharistic unity is regrettably distant.

 

[JM]

I'm a guest here so I'll just nod and smile. I am looking forward to reading through the Orthodox Study Bible next year. I'll probably start next week because of the longer canon. I have questions about the LXX but I'll wait a little while so I don't flood the forum.

 

[ArmyMatt]

a good book for the intellectual is The Orthodox Church by Kallistos Ware

 

[JM]

I own a copy of that title, I picked it up at a thrift store for .50 cents along with Abraham Kuyper's work on the Holy Trinity. It was a good day. The book by Ware has made it into the hands of many of my Reformed and Baptist friends.