The Orthodox Book Club

[Phronema]

Very nice, thank you all. I appreciate all the suggestions, and I will be sure to pass them along.

Currently, I'm reading "On the Incarnation". I really need to ask my priest what he recommends for me though. I might very well be reading things I'm not ready for, though it doesn't feel that way so far. Hopefully that's not the case as I'm enjoying it.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Thirsting is great too because the author was still Protestant when he began it.

That was actually one of my favorites.

 

[ArmyMatt]

That was actually one of my favorites.

first one I ever read

 

[Northbrook]

I recommend the A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain by Met. HIEROTHEOS (Vlachos).
Reader Nilus

Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos also wrote Life after Death. I received a copy of it on my visit to the Greek Orthodox women's monastery on the island of Thasos in Greece. It was just what I had been looking for all my life: the Greek Orthodox stance on what happens after we die. Now that I am the church librarian at my Greek Orthodox church, I recommend that book all the time. I tell patrons, it is the best book in the library!

 

[Northbrook]

I hope this is the appropriate place to post this question.

I have a buddy who's interested in Orthodoxy, and is about 30 years old in case that matters. He is fairly well educated as well. He has asked me for a recommended reading list for him. I have my own reading list, but I have approached the discovery of Orthodoxy in a bit of an unorthodox (no pun intended ) manner over a long period of time. I've recommended "The Orthodox Church", and "The Orthodox Way" to him so far, but beyond that I'm not too sure what else to recommend.

So, my question is since I didn't really discover Orthodoxy by means of books alone are there any books that you kind folks would recommend for my buddy? He's coming from a Protestant background that was most likely influenced by Baptists/Non-denoms as far as I know.

I'd appreciate any suggestions any of you might have. Thank you

Hi, my name is Lambrini and I was born into the Greek Orthodox faith, but did not become a Christian believer until the age of 26. After that, I only became a believer in Orthodoxy after reading "The Truth of Our Faith" by Elder Cleopa (2000). That book made an Orthodox Christian out of me...

 

[Northbrook]

...And what did I find on Amazon.com, when I entered the author "Elder Cleopa?" The Truth of Our Faith II! The full title is "The Truth of Our Faith II: On the Christian Mysteries" (2006). For those who do not speak Greek, the word "mysteries" is used in Greek to connote the SACRAMENTS.

 

[Northbrook]

Hi, this is Northbrook again. You know how the Bible says to be always ready to give a reason/justification for what you believe about God? Well, I was thinking about it, and I realized that if a seeker were to ask me, "How do we know the Orthodox Church is the True Church?", I would not be able to articulate how we know. So I asked an Orthodox priest, and he recommended these two books:

1. The Faith: Understanding Orthodox Christianity, An Orthodox Catechism by Clark Carlton;

And 2. Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith by Peter E. Gillquist

Neither of these titles was in the catalog of my local public library, but I have ordered them on Interlibrary Loan. Do you know about Interlibrary Loan? That's where your library doesn't have a certain title you want, but they get it for you from a neighboring library that does have it. They get it for you free of charge. What a great service, huh? Never go to the bookstore again!

 

[Phronema]

So, this may be a slight bit OT. I apologize for that but I'd rather not start a new thread.

I was looking through my Amazon library of books, and noticed that some of the books I've purchased there that I thought were solely Orthodox (in content, edits, and translations) are not. Quite a few of them have been edited by Anglicans or Catholics such as Philip Schaff.

So, my question specifically is if these works were originally written by Orthodox Saints, and later translated by Anglican, or Catholic theologians could that be considered a problem? I'm not meaning to sound legalistic, but a Catholic, or Protestant edit or translation could potentially be problematic in my opinion for a Catechumen.

Does anyone think this could be an issue? Or a case by case basis?

I'd appreciate any input any of you may have.

 

[peregrinus2017]

I think a lot of people start out with Philip Schaffs ante nicene and post nicene fathers, I know I did. It is only fairly recently that a lot of good Orthodox material has been translated into English. Certainly worth bringing up with your priest or spiritual father. That being said, even with strictly Orthodox writings it is good and important to have someone to help and teach you along the way. I know that my mind is not transformed enough to properly understand and discern many things. This is part of why we need spiritual fathers.

 

[Phronema]

I think a lot of people start out with Philip Schaffs ante nicene and post nicene fathers, I know I did. It is only fairly recently that a lot of good Orthodox material has been translated into English. Certainly worth bringing up with your priest or spiritual father. That being said, even with strictly Orthodox writings it is good and important to have someone to help and teach you along the way. I know that my mind is not transformed enough to properly understand and discern many things. This is part of why we need spiritual fathers.

Thank you Peregrinus. I'm glad you're familiar with Philip Schaff, and have read some of his translations.

I agree with your sentiment that as a Catechumen I need direction, and likely will my entire life. As such I didn't start reading the Bible until I got direction from my priest, and then found out about the Orthodox Study Bible which is great since it has commentary from Orthodox clergy. I am blessed to have Father Thomas as my spiritual father, but he's not read some of these titles unfortunately as I've asked him about them, so he doesn't have a stance one way, or another on them. That said, I suppose I could run things by him if they're questionable, but I'd think it'd get tiring for him.

I have read most of the Catechetical Lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem which was translated by Philip Schaff, and so far nothing seems different from what I've learned in my catechism classes, or anything I've read elsewhere from Orthodox sources. Maybe I'm looking too far into things?

 

[JM]

I'm not Eastern Orthodox, far from it...but as a person who has worked in libraries for 25 years I have to drop in and give encouragement.

 

[peregrinus2017]

I think that Philip Schaffs translations themselves aren't that bad (although a little old English), but a lot of the commentary is obviously not coming from an Orthodox perspective. And don't be too concerned with tiring out Father Thomas with sincere questions. As a spiritual father it's part of the job and I expect it has it's own blessings, and I hope that he would appreciate your diligence.

 

[Phronema]

I think that Philip Schaffs translations themselves aren't that bad (although a little old English), but a lot of the commentary is obviously not coming from an Orthodox perspective. And don't be too concerned with tiring out Father Thomas with sincere questions. As a spiritual father it's part of the job and I expect it has it's own blessings, and I hope that he would appreciate your diligence.

Thank you again Peregrinus.

The old English gets translated as I read it at this point, so it's not a bother. I'll be sure to steer clear of the commentary as that's one of the portions I thought would present an issue.

Also, you may well have a point regarding Father Thomas, and asking sincere questions. I sometimes feel like I'm bothering him as I did my biological Father when I was a child, and he's a very busy man. Maybe the coincidence is purposeful?

 

[AMM]

I also feel like I'm tiring out my priest... I emailed him with about a dozen questions earlier today, haha. I know he's busy - he's only a part-time priest since I'm at a mission parish, so that has its advantages and disadvantages. That's part of why I ask a lot of things on here, too.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Ah, my priest has gotten largely too busy - at least for things I can find out on my own. I tend to mostly discuss with him things that affect our own parish and carrying out my work there. But if I needed him for any personal matter I know he would be there for me. I do rely on TAW and on my many priest/deacon/other friends on FB who are consistently very helpful when I have particular questions about books, etc., as well as my SF. I am blessed to have so much help! (God must have known I would need it LOL)

I think you've gotten good advice to be wary of commentaries. Some translations especially only seem to be available on Protestant or Catholic sites. I've not seen anything not faithful from them. But I've often asked for guidance with particular writers. Even if they are Orthodox, some may have leanings you might want to be aware of. I would have liked even to compile a list of such things but apparently it wasn't such a good idea as I had thought.

But it's always a good idea to ask questions to check out the authors/translators. Hehe, I even checked out St. Cyril himself by asking here before I read his catechism. I was maybe overdoing a bit in my caution.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I'm not Eastern Orthodox, far from it...but as a person who has worked in libraries for 25 years I have to drop in and give encouragement.

Hi there JM! Always good to see you. I hope you and yours are blessed and well.

 

[Phronema]

Ah, my priest has gotten largely too busy - at least for things I can find out on my own. I tend to mostly discuss with him things that affect our own parish and carrying out my work there. But if I needed him for any personal matter I know he would be there for me. I do rely on TAW and on my many priest/deacon/other friends on FB who are consistently very helpful when I have particular questions about books, etc., as well as my SF. I am blessed to have so much help! (God must have known I would need it LOL)

I think you've gotten good advice to be wary of commentaries. Some translations especially only seem to be available on Protestant or Catholic sites. I've not seen anything not faithful from them. But I've often asked for guidance with particular writers. Even if they are Orthodox, some may have leanings you might want to be aware of. I would have liked even to compile a list of such things but apparently it wasn't such a good idea as I had thought.

But it's always a good idea to ask questions to check out the authors/translators. Hehe, I even checked out St. Cyril himself by asking here before I read his catechism. I was maybe overdoing a bit in my caution.

Thank you, @~Anastasia~ . I did happen to ask Father about this while at church this weekend, and he instructed me that it's unlikely that there will be many issues in the translation portion with a lot of the works having been translated in the 19th century. He was also familiar with most of the translators which was helpful. He was a Protestant pastor prior to becoming an Orthodox priest, so that is likely why he is familiar with them.

As for the commentaries, I have noticed when I've come across certain websites, or blogs that claim to be Orthodox sometimes things can seem a little "off", and usually my gut feeling is correct, and then I find out that some of the things written there aren't so orthodox in practice at all. I definitely am always guarded as I don't want to end up learning incorrect information/praxis. So, as you all and Father have recommended I'll just steer away from the commentaries. Thank you again.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Thank you, @~Anastasia~ . I did happen to ask Father about this while at church this weekend, and he instructed me that it's unlikely that there will be many issues in the translation portion with a lot of the works having been translated in the 19th century. He was also familiar with most of the translators which was helpful. He was a Protestant pastor prior to becoming an Orthodox priest, so that is likely why he is familiar with them.

As for the commentaries, I have noticed when I've come across certain websites, or blogs that claim to be Orthodox sometimes things can seem a little "off", and usually my gut feeling is correct, and then I find out that some of the things written there aren't so orthodox in practice at all. I definitely am always guarded as I don't want to end up learning incorrect information/praxis. So, as you all and Father have recommended I'll just steer away from the commentaries. Thank you again.

Yes I've found it helpful that those little warning bells start to go off when reading blogs or articles or what have you that aren't quite right. It actually develops in a surprisingly short time, IMO, given how rich Orthodoxy is.

I don't mean to say that I'm always right. In fact, I usually double check with someone just to be sure. But I've found it's a pretty reliable inner guide we can develop just by taking in what's genuine and true.

 

[dzheremi]

Not sure if this is the right forum for this sort of thing, but I recently stumbled into a small cache of about 14 (out of 25-30 total, I think?) issues of the scholarly journal Coptologia, which was the brainchild of one Fayek M. Ishak (RIP), a man of considerable intellect and knowledge who contributed several articles to the 8-volume Coptic Encyclopedia, the standard academic reference work in the field of Coptic Studies/Coptology (edited by Aziz S. Atiya, the father of modern Coptology).

I mention this because some of the journals contain otherwise unavailable writings (and one interview) by Fr. Matta El Meskeen/Matthew the Poor, the modern desert father who I know is somewhat beloved or at least given as spiritual food to some EO (what with SVS publishing English translations of some of his writings and all).

Would it be appropriate or would there be interest for me to transcribe these sections of the journals and post them in a thread on this section of the website? The Copts obviously already know the immense value of Fr. Matta's writings and sayings, since he comes from within our own tradition, but I am not sure how widespread appreciation of Fr. Matta is among EO. I remember one of you (Anastasia, maybe?) commented that they were not aware that he was OO. I don't want to overstep the bounds of this subforum (I could just as easily post them and more in the OO forum were it not for the fact that literally nobody goes there except to occasionally ask about Chalcedon, and then presumably leave disappointed...), but I thought maybe since he is at least semi-accepted by you guys (maybe?), you all might gain some spiritual benefit from the Fr. Matta-related content.

 

[ArmyMatt]

from what I gather, Matthew the poor is very respected by us because he had a great appreciation for St Gregory Palamas. kinda like our respect for CS Lewis.