This is a worthwhile book for anyone who is embarking on a study of Orthodox Christianity whether for academic or spiritual reasons. Bishop Ware's style is straightforward and clear, and his summaries are an adequate introduction. The sections on theology accomplish their purpose quite nicely, the sections on history less so. While the book establishes a basic timeline for Orthodox history, it's apparent that Ware is not a historian by training and the sections suffer from various anachronisms and misuses of theory. Most egregiously, Ware projects the notion of a modern Russian nation backwards onto Kievan Rus. My recommendation would be to skim the history sections and spend your time in the excellent and succinct introduction to Orthodox theology. ( )

An introduction to the Eastern church.

Sufficient introduction to the Orthodox Church. ( )

Reading Timothy Ware’s book Orthodox Christianity, I realized that the joy of life was the essence of Orthodoxy. God became incarnate, thus transforming the material world by sanctifying it. Orthodox theology emphasizes the unknowability of God. The fundamental truths of Christianity are mysteries, ineffable, beyond our understanding.

Ware concisely explains the schism between the Latin and Eastern churches. Linguistic differences made the churches strangers to each other, with Rome speaking Latin and Constantinople Greek. Cultural differences contributed to the rift, too. In the 11th century the East was richest, most sophisticated empire in the world. They saw the West as smelly upstarts, not much more evolved than barbarians. Ware, an Orthodox priest, expresses regret that the East wasn’t more tolerant.

The schism was mainly caused by arguments about religious doctrine. The problem of the Filioque was a dispute about the emanation of the Holy Spirit and the Trinity, which spoke directly to the place of Christ within the Trinity and the nature of Christ himself. Another fight was on papal authority; the West was for a highly centralized authority while the East preferred a system of patriarchates, with the Bishop of Rome as first among equals, not superior to other churches. There were other religious differences, such as marriage for priests and the use of leavened or unleavened bread for communion, but these were not as severe as the questions around the Filioque or papal authority.

Essential book for anyone considering joining the Orthodox church. He is inclined to look on the "bright" side of certain issues, like ecumenical relations. ( )