Like many Protestants, I have not experienced an in-depth introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy in my life. I’ve driven by its churches, sure, I’ve met its churchgoers, and in religion classes, I’ve read about its history. However, I never have taken a deep-dive into its culture on my own, mediated only be an advocate for its faith expression. Therefore, I read Timothy Ware’s classic work, now in a third edition, on the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith with the hope of better appreciating this church.
Historically, the western and eastern churches began to drift apart in the later half of the first millennium because of language and cultural differences. The frosty relationship was cemented in 1054 when the patriarchs of Rome and Constantinople excommunicated each other. As such, they’ve developed two very different histories, with the Protestant Reformation in the West and a pronounced interaction with Islam in the East. Even the theological terminologies, methodologies, and questions tend to be starkly different among the two groups.
I appreciated much of what this book taught me about Eastern Orthodoxy. I find its theological tradition mostly appealing, but I struggle with its understanding of the church (ecclesiology). Eastern Orthodoxy, like almost every other religious movement, suffers from the idea that its tradition must be exclusively right instead of just another voice in a healthy dialogue. This book’s final chapter on ecumenism illustrates this pitfall well. The church’s only proposal for reconciliation is for other groups to see the “error” in their ways. It’s hard to erase 1500 years of isolation without respecting the other side’s isolation first.
This book offers a solid introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy and represents a good exposition of the religious differences of the church with other Christian faiths. It should continue to help seminary and divinity students understand the rich theological world they inhabit. It’s written more for that ilk and not for the wider reading public. Nonetheless, it helps elucidate the historical forces in one of the most ancient of faiths.
The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity
By Timothy Ware
3rd Edition
Copyright (c) 2015
Penguin Books
ISBN13 9780141980638
Length: 368
Genre: Religion
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