The Orthodox Study Bible

The Bible is the most important book in all Christianity, including for Orthodox Christians. On one hand, it may seem strange to have different "types" of Bibles such as Orthodox or Catholic or whatnot, but the idea is not that the contents are substantially different (although Orthodox Christians accept more books in their canon than most Protestants and Roman Catholics) but rather that in a study Bible, that the notes are written for a particular audience. This being the "Orthodox Study Bible", that audience is assumed to be mainly Orthodox Christians or people looking into Orthodoxy. Reading the entire Bible has been a continuing project of mine, and I am happy to say that I have made it through at least once. (This reading hopefully won't be the last time either.) There is no way I can "rate" the Bible, only to say that this translation is one that seems to be on a pretty good level without being extremely difficult. Although I find the notes quite helpful in some places (particularly in the New Testament), after awhile in reading the Old Testament, I quit reading them for the most part because many of them seemed to be written for someone who might randomly be reading a page here and there and may or may not have any Christian background. This isn't a bad thing, but for a more in-depth resource, one would probably have to graduate from Bible notes to something like Bible commentaries or writings of the Church Fathers. My only disappointment with this Bible is that it doesn't include 4 Maccabees, which is one of my favourite books of the Bible.

Elder Porphyrios Testimonies and Experiences

Klitos Ioannidis

One of the things that impresses me about Orthodoxy is the willingness, first, to acknowledge saints, and secondly, to sometimes recognise them not just centuries later, but in the modern time, and, in a few cases, while that person is still living. Elder Porphyrios is one of those people, and it was an absolute treat to read about a saint here in the modern world, and the sort of gifts and discernment he had while still walking this earth. This book is, primarily, an anthology of people's testimonies of how their lives came into contact with Elder Porphyrios' and the things that they saw and experienced when so near to such a holy man.

May 2010

God's Child Andrew

Sandra Johnson

There are few things more devastating in life than the sudden death of a child. This book is difficult, emotionally, to read because it brings the reader right into the pain and suffering of parents who had to come to terms with the death of their son Andrew, who departed this life at the tender age of six.

However, this book also not only serves as a touching testimony to Andrew's life, but also to the assurance that we have as Christians that death, indeed, is not the end, that love itself never dies, and that there is hope in knowing that we will live eternally the life to come.

I originally read this book sometime in 2002, and it was very deeply touching to me then. I just happened to pick it up off one of my bookshelves recently, and although it is a fairly short read, it was no less powerful as it was the first time I read it.

July 2010