Life after Death According to the Orthodox Tradition
$26.95
An accessible and well organized synthesis of the ancient Christian understanding of death and the afterlife. Drawing primary from the Greek language writings of the Fathers it does not neglect the Latin sources. It will benefit all who desire to understand the classical Christian teaching of what lies beyond our temporal life.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 344
— About the Book —
This book offers an accessible and well organized synthesis of the ancient Christian understanding of death and the afterlife. French philosopher and patrologist Jean-Claude Larchet draws both from Scriptures and a multiplicity of early Christian writings, both Greek and Latin, in demolishing false conceptions such as reincarnation, whilst setting forth with clarity an authentically Christian understanding.
The reader will gain understanding of both the time and modalities of the bodily resurrection, the nature of the Particular and the Universal judgments, and of the Church's intercessory prayer for the departed. He notes that some divergences between eastern and western traditions have existed since the fifth century and argues that these became of much greater importance after the twelfth century, when the Roman Catholic Church developed the notion of Purgatory.
This work will be of benefit both to the Orthodox Christian reader in enhancing their own understanding of the Church's teaching, and to Roman Catholics, Protestants, and others who desire to become acquainted with the fullness of the Christian tradition on death and the afterlife. All will encounter the abundant heritage of “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).
— Author Biography —
Dr Jean-Claude Larchet is one of the most notable living philosophers and authors on Orthodox Christian Patristics. He holds a Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Nancy and a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Strasbourg. A teacher of philosophy for nearly thirty-five years, he is an author of over thirty books and countless articles whose work has been translated into seventeen languages. His magnum opus, Therapy of Spiritual Illness, and several other works have been translated into English to wide acclaim.
G. John Champoux is a retired independent scholar. He is the translator and editor of several French spiritual writings and the author of The Way to Our Heavenly Father: A Contemplative Telling of the Lord's Prayer.
— Contents —
Preface
- Death: Origin and Spiritual Meaning
- The Moment of Death
- From the First to the Third Day Following Death: The Separation of the Soul from the Body
- From the Third to the Ninth Day: The Passage through the Aerial Toll-houses
- From the Ninth to the Fortieth Day: The Introduction into the Other World
- The Fortieth Day: The Particular Judgment
- From the Fortieth Day to the Last Judgment: The Intermediate State
- Purgatory
- The Relations between the Living and the Dead
- The Resurrection and the Last Judgment
- Eternal Life: The Kingdom of Heaven and Hell
- Preparing Oneself for Death and the Life Beyond
Notes
Bibliography
The History of the Russian Church in Australia: From Siberia to Sydney
$38.95
The history of the Russian Orthodox Church in Australia is diligently chronicled within the context of a modern culturally diverse society, drawing on extensive archival sources and the author's own life experience. First published in 2006 this new edition includes a substantive new chapter recounting the ongoing story from 2000 through to the end of 2020.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 536
— About the Book —
In this comprehensive work, the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in Australia is diligently chronicled within the wider context of the place of Russians in the dominantly anglophone society of what was at first a British colony and then an independent state. The study begins with the first contact of Russian naval ships with the Australian continent in the early nineteenth century and progresses through to the establishment of the first parish of Orthodox believers in Melbourne in the 1890s and ultimately the creation of a diocese. The catalyst for this was the arrival of thousands of Russians fleeing their homeland via Siberia after the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. For these dispossessed refugees Australia was a haven of safety and the Russian Orthodox Church a symbol of the Motherland they had lost. They were later joined by successive waves of fellow Russians after World War II and the fall of communism. Together they created a unified organism, retaining a sense of heritage and purpose and taking their rightful place in Australia’s multi-cultural society.
In writing this work the author has drawn on extensive archival sources spread over several continents together with his own life experience, having arrived as a small boy in Australia over six decades ago. First published in 2006 this new edition includes an added chapter recounting the ongoing story from the beginning of the twenty-first century through to the end of 2020, covering the effects on the Church in Australia of major world events as diverse as the reunification of the Russian Church Abroad with the Patriarchate of Moscow in 2007 and the global coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
— Author Biography —
Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov is chancellor of the Diocese of Australia & New Zealand of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Australian Catholic University. In addition to his pastoral duties, he currently lectures in History and Theology at the Sts Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Theological Institute. He is the author of a number of books, including biographies of past bishops of the Australian Diocese. For his years of service to the Russian community, he was awarded the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1991.
— Contents —
Introduction
A Russian Presence
Revolution: Agitators, Imposters, and Refugees
Settlement Brisbane
Settlement Sydney
Settlement Melbourne
Ecclesiological Perspectives on the Church in the Russian Migrant Experience
A Diocese is Born: Archbishop Theodore Rafalsky
A Time of Growth: Archbishop Sava Raevsky Turmoil and Revolt: Archbishop Athanasy Martos
The Need for Healing: Archbishop Theodosy Putilin
Some Thoughts on the State of Russian Monasticism in Australia
Consolidation and Stability: Archbishop Paul Pavlov
Coarse and Wicked Times: Bishop Daniel Alexandrov
Into the Twenty-First Century: Archbishop Hilarion Kapral
A Positive Direction: Metropolitan Laurus and Metropolitan Hilarion
Appendix: Explanation of Ecclesiastical Awards Notes
Bibliography
Index
The Boy, A Kitchen, and His Cave
$20.00
A clumsy scullery boy finds solace in a place known only to him and his God in this charming children’s book (for ages 6-10) about the ninth-century saint, Euphrosynos, commonly known in Orthodox tradition as "The Cook." Author Catherine K. Contopoulos easily links the feelings of contemporary children with the feelings of this legendary character, a self-conscious, awkward boy who leaves his loving family and the taunts of his neighbors to find a niche in the kitchen of a monastic community. Children will feel for a confused Euphrosynos when neighbors make fun of him at the local cheese shop; laugh and then tremble when an austere monk slips upon Euphrosynos' newly mopped floor; and find an oasis of peace as Euphrosynos prays in his solitary cave. They also will learn lessons of perseverance, humility, and dependence upon God as they are naturally drawn into the story. Contopoulos achieves these goals with language that a child will understand. Her marvelous account is illustrated by Chrissanth Greene-Gross' soft, yet vibrant, realistic images that will engage children and warm their souls.
About the Author: Catherine K. Contopoulos is a freelance writer who lives in Hackensack, New Jersey with her husband and daughter. This is her first children's book. Chrissanth Greene-Gross is an award-winning portrait artist and sculptor, who explores her passion for the marriage of word and image in this, her first children's book.
Format: Hardcover
Page Length: 32 pages
The Book of Jonah
$20.00
About the Author: Niko Chocheli was born in Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia and graduated with honors from both Tbilisi Nikoladze Art College and Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts. His work is reminiscent of the style of the old masters, which he has studied for over sixteen years, and his concentration is in Orthodox iconography. Chocheli is an associate professor of art at LaSalle University and is a member of the Orthodox Church.
Format: HardcoverPage Length: 32 pages
Blackbird's Nest
$20.00
Kevin was always different. He loved animals and seemed to understand their secret language. But other children brought out the worst in him. He chased, bullied, and shoved, until one spring when he learned an unforgettable lesson from an unlikely teacher--a blackbird who built a nest in his hand. The Blackbird's Nest: Saint Kevin of Ireland is the unforgettable story of Kevin's transformation into one of Ireland's best-loved saints (AD †618), revered in many Christian traditions. Written with simplicity and humor by Jenny Schroedel, and brought to life with stunning illustrations by Douglass Montross, The Blackbird's Nest is a rich, vibrant tale of renewal and a welcome addition to children's literature.
Format: Hardcover
Page Length: 32 pages
Syria Crucified: Stories of Modern Martyrdom in an Ancient Christian Land
$17.95
by Zachary Wingerd and Brad Hoff
The tragic war in Syria along with the plight of the Christians there remains among the most misunderstood situations in the world today. Syria Crucified seeks to contribute to better understanding in the West by giving a voice to individual Syrian Christians living in exile from their homeland. These men and women have undergone horrific trauma and loss without losing their faith in God or the ability to forgive their persecutors. Their first-person accounts, framed by the authors' narration for historical, cultural, and geopolitical context, are both edifying and inspiring.
About the Authors:
Zachary Wingerd, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer in history at Baylor University, where he teaches, among other courses, the history of the United States in Global Perspective. His first publication, Conversations of Modern World History: 50 Voices from 1400 to the Present, emphasizes the role and perspective of the individual within a broad historical context. He lives with his wife, Lindsey, and five children, Joshua, Jonathan, Juliana, Genevieve, and Joseph, in Waco, Texas, where they attend St. Andrew Orthodox Church.
Brad Hoff served as an active-duty Marine through the early 2000s, watching with alarm the consequences of U.S. action abroad. After leaving the military, he began wandering around the Middle East, eventually adopting Damascus as his second home. After a decade-long teaching career, he turned to independent journalism, last embarking on a reporting trip to Syria at the height of the war. His work has been cited in multiple international publications. He resides in Waco with his wife, Reem, and children Sophia, Emilia, and Justinian. They attend St. Andrew Orthodox Church.
Praise for Syria Crucified
"Syria Crucified is a deeply moving book, which is at the same time an extraordinarily valuable document for understanding an area that was long so vitally important to Christian history. Even if we read all the many works of analytical scholarship about religion and conflict in the contemporary Middle East, they are still no substitute for the firsthand accounts that we find in this really enlightening and often harrowing piece of oral history. Syria Crucified gives us the voices of the ordinary people themselves, in all their courage and hope and sadness. I cannot recommend this book too highly." -Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University
"This important work on the tragedy of the unjust war in Syria is vital for bringing the forgotten war in Syria to light. The accounts the authors have documented will provide historians of the future vital details of the real-life experiences of the Orthodox Christian families and others who suffered at the hands of radical terrorists supported by countries and groups from outside Syria. These examples are representative of the suffering of all the Syrian people in general and the Christians in particular." +JOSEPH, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
"The overwhelming love and hospitality of the Syrian people, both Christian and Muslim, are not foreign to me. This book includes so many places and faces that I have known and experienced. Yet their dark and tragic days happened so far away. Until now. Syria Crucified brings us face to face with the suffering, the sacrifice, the martyrdom - yes, even the love and hospitality - of the Cross. By their faithful witness, may God grant us all good strength and Syria’s Resurrection." -Archpriest Joseph Huneycutt, Antiochian Archdiocese Department of Missions and Evangelism
"Syria Crucified introduces mostly unknown and oft-forgotten voices. I could not put it down once I started. The strength and endurance of Syria’s Christian minority is shared through first-hand accounts of the tragic events of the past decade. Hoff and Wingerd have written an invaluable text that ensures their voices will not be silenced." -Fr. Christopher Salamy, Pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, Arizona, and author of The Way of the Warrior Saint
"Pre-war Syria offered the Christian community its version of religious freedom and tolerance. The war broke the secure bubble. Yet, how these individual Christians responded to their tragedy should touch the reader’s mind, heart, and conscience. Syria Crucified contributes both to the academic and popular literature, as well as to those who claim a religious faith." -George W. Gawrych, Professor Emeritus of Middle East History, Baylor University
"This is an excellent and unique book on Syrian Christians during the past ten years of war - unique because each chapter provides the testimony of a Syrian while including lots of church history spiced throughout." -Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma
"I hope this book will reach many readers and open many eyes as to the suffering that Christians in Syria endure. This untold tragic story is untold no more." -Frederica Mathewes-Green
Authors: Zachary Wingerd and Brad Hoff
Paperback: 256 pages
The Cellarer's Celery
$19.95
by Fr. Jeremy Davis, illustrated by Luke Garrow
In a remote canyon, Saint Martin’s monks seek the Lord with all their hearts. Among them is the Cellarer, whose not-so-secret love of celery helps him remember what it means to be a monk. When misfortune strikes, his friendship with the Sower lifts these spiritual brothers above momentary hardship to find joy in God.
Written in exuberant verse, this endearing and whimsical tale hides a wealth of meaning. Smile at its rhymes, bounce to its rhythm, and rejoice in the blessings of Christian brotherhood.
Download complimentary, printable coloring pages!
About the Author: Father Jeremy Davis is both a priest and a monk. He enjoys gardening, baking, and the music of language. He graduated as co-valedictorian from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary in Yonkers, New York, and currently serves as Hierarchical Assistant to Metropolitan JOSEPH at the Antiochian Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood, NJ. He’s visited monasteries in countries around the world - including the United States, England, Greece, and Bulgaria. Before Father Jeremy was a priest-monk, he lived in Australia for a year, and he often goes back to visit friends there. That’s how he met Luke, our illustrator!
About the Illustrator: Luke Garrow is an animator and artist born in Melbourne, Australia. He moved around while growing up, living in Singapore, England, Texas, and Virginia before moving back to Melbourne at the age of fifteen. He studied animation at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and has been working as an animator ever since. In his professional life, he still goes by his birth name, Toby, but in 2018 he was received into the Orthodox Church and took St. Luke the Evangelist as his patron. Luke married his wife Emilia in 2020, and she gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth, while he was illustrating The Cellarer's Celery.
Age Range: 5 - 10 years
Author: Fr. Jeremy Davis
Hardcover: 32 pages
Akathist to the Holy Archangel Michael, Protector and Defender of the Faithful
$5.50
As a prayerful aid in these troubled times, we offer the Akathist to the Holy Archangel Michael, whose mighty intercession for Christians assuages fears! Included in this edition is the account of the Miracle wrought by the Holy Archangel Michael at Chonae, and Hymns of Praise composed by St. Nikolai (Velimirovich).
Full-color cover and inner pages, abundantly illustrated.
Format: Softcover
Pages: 32
Akathist to the Myrrh-streaming Icon of the Mother of God, "Softener of Evil Hearts"
$5.50
The wonderworking, myrrh-streaming icon of the Mother of God, “Softener of Evil Hearts,” is one of the sacred treasures of the Russian Orthodox Church today. The icon depicts the boundless sorrow and pain of heart that the Theotokos experienced during her earthly life, as prophesied by Simeon the Godreceiver, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also... (Luke 2:35). The icon first began to stream myrrh in 1998 and continues to stream, often in response to occurrences in the world, including the 9-11 terrorist attack and the Beslan school massacre. On Pascha night, 2020, bright red drops resembling blood appeared on the icon. I n an interview with the guardian of the icon, Sergei Fomin, he speaks of the many healings that occur. Everywhere, the icon is received with joy and hope. Multitudes of people come to venerate the holy icon and to ask for healing from bodily illnesses (including cancer), for consolation in sorrows and afflictions of life, for the softening of their own hearts and those of their neighbors, for help and support for their spirits and souls. All those who turn to the Mother of God in prayer before the icon sense an easing of spiritual and physical suffering. They begin to recognize that when they pray for their enemies before the icon, their feelings of enmity are softened, and that strife and hatred abate, giving way to kindness.
Full-color cover and inner pages, abundantly illustrated.
Format: Softcover
Pages: 32
Akathist to Child-Martyr Gabriel Protector of Vulnerable Children
$5.50
This new addition to the Series of Akathists is to the Child-Martyr Gabriel of Poland. Though the saint lived in the late-seventeenth century and on the other side of the world from us, he is nonetheless a ready intercessor for our times. This innocent child, at the age of six, was abducted and subjected to cruel torture, yet heroically proved himself to be a true passion-bearer for Christ, attested by his wondrous incorrupt relics. Miracles of the saint’s intercession abound. For us the faithful, sorrowing over the serious sins against the youth of our own times (such as the victims of the multi-billion-dollar child-trafficking industry), we offer this publication as a means for prayer for the protection of any child who is in a vulnerable situation: those who have fallen prey to abductors, who are being abused, or those being neglected even in their own homes. The publication includes a Foreword by Fr. Nectarios, the Guardian of the Wonderworking “Hawaiian” Iveron Icon of the Holy Theotokos, as well as a Brief Life of the saint, which portrays the fascinating account of the history surrounding the saint’s holy relics. Also included in the publication is a beautiful Prayer for Children, composed by St. Nikolai Velimirovich.
Full-color cover and inner pages, abundantly illustrated.
Format: Softcover
Pages: 36
Canon to New Martyr Ephraim Wonderworker of Nea Makri
$5.50
Complimenting the Akathist to Child-Martyr Gabriel is this additional new publication in the Akathist Series. It is a Canon to New Martyr Ephraim of Nea Makri, whose holy relics were discovered in Greece, in the year 1950. Although there is a rich array of various healings by the saint, his “signature,” as it were, is for helping wayward youth, those addicted to drugs, the despairing and suicidal. The publication includes an insightful introduction, depicting the explosion of social media resulting in a youth culture racked by isolation and despair. Several accounts of the saint’s dramatic miracles are included, revealing the closeness of the saint and his powerful intercession.
Full-color cover and inner pages, abundantly illustrated.
Format: Softcover
Pages: 36
101 Orthodox Saints
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Did you know there was a saint who used a dogsled for transportation? Or a saint who turned down a marriage proposal from the Roman Emperor? How about the saint who jumped from building to building during a siege to bring the Eucharist to his parishioners?
Discover all of these stories and more in 101 Orthodox Saints. Written for children and those with a childlike curiosity, this visual encyclopedia will enhance your family’s understanding and celebration of the saints of the Church. Each page is filled with illustrations, icons, graphics, and fascinating facts about the martyrs, monks, and mothers who boldly lived out their Faith to the glory of God.
About the Authors:
Presbytera Sarah Wright is an Orthodox Christian, wife, mother of three, and teacher. As a teacher, the highlight of her job is helping kids get hooked on reading. She hopes to write books that will encourage that love of reading and, more importantly, a love for Christ and His Church. She and her family live in Waco, Texas, where her husband is the priest of a lovely and loving parish. Sarah also writes the popular blog Orthodox Motherhood, and she can usually be found at her Texas home watching an old movie, hiking, or eating Mexican food with her family.
Alexandra Schmalzbach is a lifelong Virginian and Orthodox Christian. Alexandra was born in Arlington to second-generation Greek Americans. Alexandra majored in American history and religious studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, graduated in 2007, and three weeks later married her husband, Brian. They now reside in Richmond with their five children: Stella Virginia, Peter, Josiah, Sebastian, and Raphael.
About the Illustrator:
Nicholas Malara grew up in Denver, Colorado, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration. Over the course of his twenty-year-long career, he has illustrated books, designed games, and created products of all kinds for children. Using his talents to serve the Kingdom of heaven is his greatest passion. He currently resides in Spokane, Washington, with his wife and two children.
Format: Hardcover
Page Length: 120 pages
Ages: 7-14
Russian Monks on Mount Athos: The Thousand Year History of St Panteleimon's
$38.95
This is the first detailed history of the Russian presence on the Holy Mountain of Athos that traces it back over one thousand years. It will be invaluable to both historians and the general educated reader. The text is complemented by a timeline, glossary, comprehensive bibliography, index, full-color illustrations and photographs.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 280
— About the Book —
The Holy Mountain of Athos is a self-governing monastic republic on a peninsula in Northern Greece. Standing on the shores of the Aegean Sea is one of the twenty ruling monasteries that comprise the republic, that of St Panteleimon, known in Greek as the Rossikon. Its building, fully restored in recent years, can accommodate up to 5,000 men, reflecting the scale of the settlement at its apogee in the nineteenth century and prior to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 the monastery has experienced a strong revival and is now among the most numerous of the twenty. But the vast buildings that can be seen today are a reflection of only the past two centuries. That the Russian presence on Athos goes back more than one thousand years is much less well known.
This book is the first comprehensive account in the English language of this millennium of history. The author has been able to draw from previously inaccessible archival materials in gathering the wealth of information he shares in this work. The history of the community is not described in geographical isolation but shown as interacting with the much wider worlds of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires and the modern nation state of Greece, together with that of the Russian homeland whose political character is constantly evolving. There are shown to be three distinct phases in this history:
- from the tenth to the twelfth centuries when Russian Athonites inhabited the ancient Russian Lavra of the Mother of God, also known as Xylourgou;
- then the six hundred years from the mid-twelfth to the mid-eighteenth century when the ancient Monastery of St Panteleimon was the Russian house on Athos, more commonly referred to as Nagorny or Stary Rusik;
- the most recent 250 years, that are naturally covered in greater depth thanks to the wider availability of sources.
Amongst the themes explored in the book are ethnic relations, the Pan-Orthodox ideal, the role of money and political pressure, sanctity and heroism in adversity, and the importance of historical memory and precedent. The author seeks to arbitrate fairly between often strongly opposing ethnic viewpoints.
It examines in detail the fluctuating fortunes of the monastic community of St Panteleimon during the past 250 years, when its ethnic identity was frequently questioned. St Panteleimon's is a history that has been blighted by Greek-Russian quarrels, mass deportation of dissenting brethren, troubles in the Caucasus, and even tangential implication in the present-day dispute between the Ecumenical and Moscow Patriarchates over Ukraine.
This text will be invaluable to both academic historians and the general educated reader who does not possess specialist knowledge. It is complemented by a timeline, glossary, comprehensive bibliography, index, full-color illustrations and photographs.
— Author Biography —
Nicholas Fennell holds a MA in Modern and Mediaeval Languages from Trinity College Cambridge, where he was a Senior Scholar, and a PhD from Southampton University. He is a member of the Friends of Mount Athos and of the Institute of the Athonite Legacy in Ukraine. The author of three previous books on Athonite Russian history, he has been researching and visiting Mount Athos since the 1980s.
— Contents —
Introduction: The Russian Monastery on Mount Athos
1 - The Monastery’s Early History: from Xylourgou to the Old Mountain Rusik
2 - From Abbot Savvas to Abbot Gerasim
3 - The Return of the Russians in the Reign of Abbot Gerasimos
4 - The New Spiritual Father and Leader of the Russian Brotherhood is Chosen
5 - The Crimean War
6 - The Greek and Russian Brotherhoods at Loggerheads
7 - The Reign of Archimandrite Makary
8 - Makary’s Successors: Abbots Andrey and Nifont 1889–1905
9 - Archimandrite Misail
10- The Name of God Dispute
11 - From 1913 to Abbot Misail’s Death in 1940
12- The Next Four Abbots: from Iustin to Avel´ (1940–1978)
13 - From Abbot Ieremiya to Abbot Evlogy
Conclusion
Timeline
Acknowledgements
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index