The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity [Paperback]

Ken Parry (Editor), David J. Melling (Editor), Dimitri Brady (Editor), Sidney H. Griffith (Editor), John F. Healey (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 2001

Containing over 700 articles, this Dictionary allows the reader to explore Eastern Christian civilization with its cultural and religious riches. The articles are written by a team of 50 international contributors, including leading historians, theologians, linguists, philosophers, patrologists, musicians, and scholars of liturgy and iconography.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Five academics from universities in Manchester, U.K., and the Catholic University of America have created a very useful dictionary on individual Eastern Christian traditions, important historical figures, overviews of major geographical areas, and definitions of specific theological topicsAterra incognita for the average Westerner. Parry is the author of Depicting the Word: Byzantine Iconophile Thought in the Eighth and Ninth Centuries, while consulting editor John Hinnells is a widely respected editor of comparative religion dictionaries. A dictionary of this type has clearly been needed, as nothing comparable exists in EnglishAalthough Peter D. Day's The Liturgical Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (Liturgical, 1993. o.p.) was of use in a narrow subject area. A German work edited by Julius Assfalg and Paul Kr?ger (the Kleines W?rterbuch des christlichen Orients, 1975) is probably the best non-English reference on Eastern Christianity. The Blackwell dictionary is concise and reasonably complete in subject coverage, carefully explaining distinctions among Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Church of the East, Eastern Catholicism, and dissident Eastern communities. Included are the typical dictionary conventions such as capitalization within articles of those terms for which there is an additional article. Some line drawings are included, but their paucity makes them seem more an afterthought than an integral part of the dictionary. An important and welcome addition to the literature on a poorly understood part of the diverse Christian tradition. Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries and all religious/theological collections.AWilliam P. Collins, Library of Congress
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"It includes almost 700 entries in a manageable volume that provides both a handy basis for study and a readable source for browsing ... Its major success results from the way in which it combines together information about all the churches of the Eastern traditions, and so allows their similarities and differences of thought, practice and history to be discerned ... This is a work that will be of use and interest to both specialist researchers and student readers, and it should be welcomed onto the shelves of both scholars and librarians." Islam and Christian Muslim Relations

"All libraries should have this handy volume." International Review of Biblical Studies

"There is plenty here to learn and inspire." European Journal of Theology

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (December 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631232036
• ISBN-13: 978-0631232032
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,506,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference Work!, January 18, 2003

By 

matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (Paperback)

Since the above discription is so complete, all I will add is that this work is very detailed and comes in under three pounds! THe articles are all balanced and scholarly, with great attention to the general reader. It is also a great way to find an updated bibliography on the subject as well, since all articles are followed by detailed biblios. There are few works like it in English. Enjoy!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A reminder, September 9, 2009

By 

J. Taylor - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (Paperback)

A previous reviewer here has titled his entry as "Full of Bias". This may be tiresome to some readers but there is no wrong in being biased -- a book that is intended to be supportive of its topic we expect to be biased, which just means to have an inclination for or toward a subject, person, football team, and so on. E.g., I am biased about Eastern Rite theology and spirituality, and find I enjoy that position more and more especially as it tends to open me more to my neighbors of the world. Prejudice, on the other hand, is different and often malicious, unfounded, and irrational.

7 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Full of Bias, Lacking in Facts, January 28, 2007

By 

James M. Boubonis (Travis, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (Paperback)

This work was written mainly by outsiders to Orthodoxy who apparently didn't do their homework.

Some of the articles are factual and unbiased; unfortunately, some are not and are likely to lead the uninitiated researcher down the unfortunate road of church politics. I won't go too far in detail on this matter, but especially in the area of investigating various Orthodox jurisdictions, this book is hopelessly prejudicial.