'The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity'

The 2-volume, The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity edited by John Anthony McGuckin has been published.

"This is a monumental Encyclopedia, in both breadth and depth. It is sure to become a standard reference work for generations to come." — V. Rev. Dr. John Behr, Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary

With a combination of essay-length and short entries written by a team of leading religious experts, the two-volume Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodoxy offers the most comprehensive guide to the cultural and intellectual world of Eastern Orthodox Christianity available in English today.

* An outstanding reference work providing the first English language multi-volume account of the key historical, liturgical, doctrinal features of Eastern Orthodoxy, including the Non-Chalcedonian churches
* Explores of the major traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy in detail, including the Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopic, Slavic, Romanian, Indian and Syriac churches
* Uniquely comprehensive, it is edited by one of the leading scholars in the field and provides authoritative but accessible articles by a range of top international academics and Orthodox figures
* Spans the period from Late Antiquity to the present, encompassing subjects including history, theology, liturgy, monasticism, sacramentology, canon law, philosophy, folk culture, architecture, archaeology, martyrology, hagiography, all alongside a large and generously detailed prosopography
* Structured alphabetically and topically cross-indexed, with entries ranging from 100 to 6,000 words
* I (Tenny Thomas) got an opportunity to contribute to this Encyclopedia. Six entries - Confession, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Monasticism, Nestorianism, St. John Chrysostom and Vestments were part of my contribution.

The Orthodox churches are extensive families of ancient Christianity that derive from apostolic times and took much of their external shape in the Byzantine era. Today they are reemerging after generations of suppression and state persecution in eastern Europe, and now have a growing presence in Western Europe. Their voice is that of the largest single block of world Christians after contemporary Roman Catholics, but it is a voice, so far, largely unheard in the West. This Encyclopedia will serve as a voice for the Orthodox World.

The Encyclopedia is structured alphabetically and is topically cross-indexed, combining essay-length articles and brief, informative notations on hundreds of topics central to the history and theology of Eastern Orthodoxy. This invaluable new work will appeal to both academic and ecclesiastical groups, and represents a major resource for anyone interested in exploring the full breadth of topics surrounding the Eastern Christian world.

About the Author:

John Anthony McGuckin is Nielsen Professor of Early Church History at Union Theological Seminary, and Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies at Columbia University in New York. A Stavrofor priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church in America, Professor McGuckin is the author of more than twenty books on religious and historical themes, including The Orthodox Church (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008), and is widely considered one of the leading experts on Early Christian and Eastern Orthodox traditions writing today.