Understanding the Greek Orthodox Church: 4th edition (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An excellent introduction and overview of Orthodox Christianity, with an emphasis on the Greek Orthodox Tradition. The work covers basic themes of history, doctrine, spirituality, and liturgy.

About the Author

"Demetrios J. Constantelos, Ph.D., D.D., a retired priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is Charles Cooper Townsend, Sr. Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History and Religious Studies, and Distinguished Research Scholar in Residence at the Richard Stockton College in New Jersey."

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Holy Cross Orthodox Press; 3 Sub edition (March 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0917653505
• ISBN-13: 978-0917653506
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #414,980 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, January 31, 2002

By	eric burgess "Simon" (Mi) - See all my reviews

Mr. Constantelos has done a Major service to Christianity in general and Orthodoxy in particular in presenting this book. He clearly explains in a language that is easy to understand such sujects as 1) The divinity in history 2)The Holy Spirit 3)Life in the Church 4)The Relevance of the Church today 5)The Patristic and Monastic Aspects of the Church. The book is well ballanced and very informative.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good introductory text on the Greek Orthodox Church, March 8, 2007

By	Enlightenment Man (N. Dartmouth, MA) - See all my reviews

I was very pleased with this book. I had previously used the third edition, but the fourth edition is even better. It is a good introduction to the history, doctrine and culture of the Orthodox Church. It also devotes suffient space to outlining the history of Orthodoxy in the United States (Chapter 5).

Chapters 2 and 4 are superb chapters on some of the core beliefs and practices of Orthodoxy, and are very easy to understand. A major regret is that the author doesn't go sufficiently (in my opinion) into the Orthodox calendar, though he certainly does touch upon it. A list and subsequent explanation of Orthodox holy days, such as Lazarus Saturday or the Sunday of Orthodoxy, would be useful, since sacred time is very important to the Orthodox Church. Perhaps in future editions this will be included.

The history chapter (Chapter 3) is good, but I would suggest that future editions include more information on the filioque clause, due to its importance, (it only gets one page), and might recommend explanding the conciliar history and development of Greek Orthodox theology. I would also like to see more on the development of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (including the role of St. Andrew). Ultimately, I think that the history chapter needs a major overhaul (in a fifth edition???) perhaps dividing into two chapters due to its significance. For example, one chapter on general Orthodox history, the other on the development of doctrine and relations with Western Christianity. The latter would include, among other things, a one or two-page list of the Seven Ecumencial Councils and what each did.

With these rather minor exceptions, I strongly recommend this book to people interested in beginning a study of the Greek Orthodox Church.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Many reasons to respect Greek Orthodox thought, February 9, 2008

By	Brian Griffith (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

Contantelos makes a clear presentation of Greek Orthodox tradition, giving basic insight into the values, rites and spiritual practices of the oldest living church. Concerning marriage for the clergy for example, he explains why most of the common priests remain married. Even the bishops were often married until the council of Trullo in 691, when the Greek Church decreed that a bishops role required undivided commitment, without the distraction of family life. For the rest of the clergy, marriage remained the standard. As Constantelos explains, "The fact that the [Greek Orthodox] Church has not made an official pronouncement placing celibacy above marriage indicates that the conscience of the Church has accepted marriage as a more courageous state of being". (p. 73.)

I came away from the book with greater respect for the depth of thought behind Greek Orthodox traditions.