Simple Guides The Orthodox Church — Katherine Clark

THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU

• to appreciate the depth and beauty of the dominant form of Christianity in Greece, Russia and much of Eastern Europe
• to understand the tenets, nature and holy days of Orthodox belief
• to recognize the physical features of an Orthodox church, and the spiritual significance of icons
• to know what to expect and how to conduct yourself during Orthodox services and ceremonies

Orthodoxy is the dominant form of Christianity in Greece, Russia, parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Its practices are largely unfamiliar in the West, and have remained essentially unchanged since the earliest days of the faith. This lucid introduction outlines the tenets, nature and holy days of Orthodox belief with the Western reader in mind. It describes the physical church, especially icons, services, and common practices, and offers advice to visitors on how to conduct themselves so that they are accepted and feel comfortable.

Several chapters concern the life of Jesus and the beginnings of Christianity; others trace the origins and history of the Church, with particular attention to its great champion, Constantine the Great. The present structure of the Church is described in brief, and the split between the Eastern and the Western Churches is related with differences clearly explained.

About the Author
KATHERINE CLARK is a writer, editor and translator of German and Greek. After completing her MA at the University of Michigan, she spent a number of years teaching and writing in Greece, where she first encountered Orthodoxy. Following years of study and discussion with Orthodox monks, priests and laypersons, particularly in Greece but also in Jerusalem and at the monastery of St Catherine in Sinai, she converted to Greek Orthodoxy in 1987. She has studied Byzantine chant and has written and translated articles about Orthodoxy and Orthodox Churches.

Ms Clark has taught languages and literature at universities and schools in the USA, Germanyand Greece, and was for thirteen years director of the Heidelberg branch of Schiller International University. Later employed with Greenpeace International in Amsterdam, she served as liaison to Greenpeace in Athens. She now lives with her husband in Germany and Greece.