A unique and handsome catechism of the Orthodox Christian faith, helpful to young children, older children, and adults. Most of the book consists of full-page illustrations with one simple sentence of text in large print, sequentially numbered. The illustrations are in soft pastel colors in a style reminiscent of Byzantine iconography and are often patterned after well-known icons, but are somewhat simplified for the child. (The artist is an iconographer in Greece). The art is unmistakably Orthodox and of high quality, but clearly done for children. The numbers correspond to paragraphs of text in latter part of the book which explore that theme in much greater depth. Thus it can be used a picture book for preschoolers and beginning readers, while parents and teachers of older children may either read the extended texts to the children or make use of these texts to prepare their own explanations. No few adults will also profit from both text and pictures. The author is a bishop in the Orthodox Church of Greece and one of today's most highly-respected and widely-read Orthodox theological and spiritual writers. His books are sold worldwide in many languages. This catechism covers the biblical stories and themes contained in the Nicene Creed, as well as basics about the Church, the sacraments, and the Christian life. Book dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Well-printed and sturdily bound; published without dust jacket. Imported from Greece. An excellent baptismal gift for Orthodox children, and a welcome resource for parents, godparents, and church school teachers.
At the beginning of the book it is made clear that the person-hypostasis, as it is presented in Orthodox tradition and teaching, is very different from the analyses made by psychology and philosophy, because this is above all a theological subject. The Holy Fathers rejected the views of the philosophers and the methodology which they used, and spoke about the personal God who is Person par excellence. Reference is made to the theory and theology of the Holy Trinity, in accordance with which the Persons of the Holy Trinity have a unity of nature and distinct characteristics. The complete theology of the mystery of the Holy Trinity is set out with the reasoning behind it, but without dialectic and arguments based on logic, because God is experience and the subject of revelation.
It is a fundamental mistake to confuse the theology of the Trinity with anthropology and sociology, and it is wrong for us to identify our own interpersonal relationships with the way of being of the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
The chapter “The Saints, Bearers of Divine Revelation” stresses that it is impossible for us to understand the person apart from the persons of the Saints, who are the bearers of divine revelation, because they lived it “in sense perception and full reality” and attained deification, which is to say, they became true persons. This chapter also covers the theology and pastoral care of holy relics, which demonstrate the reality of triumph over death.
A particularly significant chapter is “The Morality of Freedom and the Freedom of Morality”, which deals with the relativity of human freedom, and the two wills: natural will and the will based on opinion. We read about the freedom of the Saints. In the Saints, who are true persons, we encounter love and freedom in co-existence. They really love God, and their freedom naturally moves towards God. Inspired by God’s grace they are freed from the reign of death.
Reading about “Foolishness for Christ as a Life of Freedom” and what fools for Christ are, we become aware that the whole Christian life, without doing away with reason and the senses, moves beyond them and is a life which consists of foolishness for Christ.
We must grasp the basic fact that the person cannot be understood apart from Christlike asceticism, which is closely connected with the sacraments of the Church. Using the hesychastic method of the Church, the person attempts to free his nous from the tyranny of the passions and logic. Through watchfulness and all his ascetic effort to purify his heart, he attains true freedom and love. Because God is Person this means that the man becomes a person when he is united with God. Then he acquires inner fullness, for “the person does not know loneliness”, lives in peace and even overcomes death.
Instructing and teaching a child the Orthodox faith is the key to their future. Happy are those parents whose child grows up righteous, who loves God and others, and is zealous for spiritual gifts.
This catechism is laid out as a connected narrative, where every new topic is a continuation of the previous one. With precise, yet simple and understandable language for children, it expounds upon the foundations of the Orthodox faith — the firm foundation upon which a growing Christian will build his house.
A Chronicle of the Beginning: From the Creation of the World to the Exodus
$30.00
Where was science when God was making the universe? To this day the question of the world’s creation and the origin of the nations is the subject of numerous debates and disputes. The author asserts that Christian teaching on the origin of the universe in no way contradicts authentic science. The reader is presented with proof of the world’s divine origins, substantiated by modern scientific discoveries. This book gives a detailed description of the most enigmatic period in human history—the time from Adam until the exodus of Israel from Egypt. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Prov. 30:5–6).
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Part I. The Beginning: A Chronicle
Chapter 1. A theological interpretation of evolution
Chapter 2. Evolutionism and the origin of death
Chapter 3. How long did one day of creation last?
Chapter 4. Evolutionism and the nature of things
Part II. Revelation or Evolution?
Chapter 1. Was there a Big Bang?
Chapter 2. The anthropic principle
Chapter 3. The age of the Earth
Chapter 4. Did life occur by accident?
Chapter 5. How did different species originate?
Chapter 6. Man: ape or image of God?
Chapter 7. Key takeaways
Part III. The Seven Days of Creation
Chapter 1. The first day
Chapter 2. The second day
Chapter 3. The third day
Chapter 4. The fourth day
Chapter 5. The fifth day
Chapter 6. The sixth day
Chapter 7. The creation of man
Chapter 8. The incorruptible world
Chapter 9. The seventh day; the sabbath
Chapter 10. Paradise
Chapter 11. The creation of woman
Part IV. The World After the Fall into Sin
Chapter 1. The Consequences of the first sin on earth
Chapter 2. The division at the gates of paradise
Chapter 3. The terrestrial city
Chapter 4. The ways of the celestial city
Chapter 5. The giants
Chapter 6. The antediluvian Church
Part V. The Great Flood
Chapter 1. The flood
Chapter 2. The ark
Chapter 3. The end of the deluge
Chapter 4. Extrabiblical evidence of the Great Flood
Chapter 5. Geological evidence of the Great Flood
Chapter 6. Did the flood cover the whole earth?
Part VI. The Church from Noah to Eber
Chapter 1. Biblical chronology; the sin of ham and the fate of the races
Chapter 2. The original monotheism; the covenant of Noah
Part VII. The Tower of Babel
Chapter 1. The rebellion of Nimrod
Chapter 2. Construction of the tower
Chapter 3. The confusion of tongues
Chapter 4. The end of the Tower of Babel
Chapter 5. The table of the nations
Chapter 6. The spread of the descendants of Shem
Chapter 7. The spread of the descendants of Japheth
Chapter 8. The spread of the descendants of Ham
Chapter 9. A few words concerning the Stone Age
Chapter 10. The rise of paganism
Chapter 11. Eber; the Church before Abraham
Part VIII. The Church of the Patriarchs
Chapter 1. The reality of the patriarchs
Chapter 2. The birthplace of Abraham
Chapter 3. The calling of Abraham
Chapter 4. Abraham in Egypt
Chapter 5. Melchizedek
Chapter 6. The Covenant with Abraham
Chapter 7. The appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three travelers
Chapter 8. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Chapter 9. The birth of Isaac
Chapter 10. The sacrificing of Isaac
Chapter 11. The marriage of Isaac
Chapter 12. Jacob and Esau
Chapter 13. Jacob in Haran
Chapter 14. Joseph the All-Comely
Chapter 15. The story of the righteous Job
Chapter 16. The migration of the Hebrews into Egypt
Chapter 17. The last days of Jacob and his blessing
Chapter 18. Archaeological confirmation of the story of Joseph
Part IX. The Birth of the Church Under the Law
Chapter 1. Egyptian bondage
Chapter 2. The birth of Moses
Chapter 3. The Burning Bush
Chapter 4. The divine inspiration of Holy Scripture
Chapter 5. Did Moses write the Law? or: A few words concerning biblical criticism
Chapter 6. The biblical canon
Chapter 7. The plagues of Egypt
Chapter 8. Exodus; the Passover of the Lord
Chapter 9. The crossing of the Red Sea
Chapter 10. The appearance of God on Sinai
Chapter 11. The meaning of the Law
Chapter 12. The golden calf
Chapter 13. The building of the tabernacle
Chapter 14. The Old Testament priesthood
Chapter 15. The spies in the Holy Land
Chapter 16. The rebellion of Core, Dathan, and Abiron
Chapter 17. The wandering in the Desert: traces in history
Chapter 18. Balaam the soothsayer
Chapter 19. The uprising at Mount Peor
Chapter 20. The death of Moses the God-seer
Chapter 21. The spies in Jericho
Chapter 22. The storming of Jericho
Chapter 23. The battle at Gibeon and the conquest of the Holy Land