The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity — Book by Timothy Ware (Metropolitan Kallistos), Paperback

The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware has been, since it first appeared in 1963, the book recommended to anyone who wants to discover Orthodoxy in English. Its author, who took the name Kallistos as a monk, was Metropolitan of Diokleia and taught for decades at Oxford.

Two parts: history and faith

The first part traces the history of the Orthodox Church: the Church of the Fathers and the Ecumenical Councils, Byzantium, the separation of East and West, Russia (Святая Русь, "Holy Russia"), the Churches under the Ottoman Empire and under communism, and Orthodoxy in today's world.

The second part presents faith and worship: Tradition, the Holy Trinity, man and his freedom, the Church, the sacraments, the Divine Liturgy, icons, prayer, and the great questions debated with Catholics and Protestants, such as the papacy and purgatory.

Clear and reliable

Written with clarity and balance, this book suits catechumens, faithful who want to know their Church better, and Christians of other traditions curious about the Christian East. This third revised edition (Penguin, 2015) was updated by the author.

The cover shows a Russian icon: Christ in glory before a church with onion domes.