Early Translations and Overviews of Eastern Orthodox Theology

Dogmatic theology and Catechisms

N. Boulgaris, A Holy Catechism: Or, Explanation of the Divine and Holy Liturgy and Examination of Candidates for Ordination. 1861.

R. W. Blackmore, ed., The Doctrine of the Russian Church. 1845.

A. S. Chomjakov. The Orthodox doctrine on the Church, an essay. 1864.

F. Gavin. Some Aspects of Contemporary Greek Orthodox Thought. 1923.

W. Gass. Symbolik der griechischen Kirche. 1872.

W. C. Kind, ed. Translation from the original Greek of a pamphlet entitled: “Letters of the most pious king [Peter I. of Russia], and of the most holy patriarchs, concerning the establishment of the most holy synod: with an expotion of the orthodox faith of the eastern catholic church.” 1865.

Konrad K. Grass, Geschichte der Dogmatik in russischer Darstellung. 1902.

Macarie, Introduction à la théologie orthodoxe. 1857.

Macarie, Théologie dogmatique orthodoxe, Volume 1. 1859.

Macarie, Théologie dogmatique orthodoxe, Volume 2. 1860.

Makarius. Handbuch zum Studium der christlichen, orthodox-dogmatischen Theologie. 1875.

Peter Mogila, The Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Eastern Church. 1762.

Platon, Metropolitan of Moscow, The Present State of the Greek Church in Russia: Or, a Summary of Christian Divinity. 1815.

Platon, Metropolitan of Moscow, The orthodox Doctrine of the Apostolic Eastern Church. 1857.

Platon, Metropolitan of Moscow, The Great Catechism of the Holy Catholic, Apostolic, and Orthodox Church. 1867.

George Williams, The Orthodox Church of the East in the Eighteenth Century: Being the Correspondence Between the Eastern Patriarchs and the Nonjuring Bishops : with an Introduction on Various Projects of Reunion Between the Eastern Church and the Anglican Communion. 1868.

Church history

A. D. Kyriakos. Geschichte der orientalischen Kirchen von 1453-1898. 1902.

Philaret, Geschichte der Kirche Russlands, 1. Bd. 1872.

Philaret, Geschichte der Kirche Russlands, 2. Bd. 1872.

 

 

 

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Some Digitized Resources on Hagiography and Heortology

Batiffol, Pierre. History of the Roman Breviary.

Delehaye, Hippolyte. The Legends of the Saints: An Introduction to Hagiography.

Delehaye, Hippolyte, ed. Synaxarium ecclesiae Constantinopolitanum.

Duchesne, Louis. Christian Worship: Its Origin and Evolution.

Kellner, Karl Adam Heinrich. Heortology: A History of the Christian Festivals from their Origin to the Present Day.

Martinov, Johannes. Annus ecclesiasticus graeco-slavicus.

Nilles, Nikolaus. Kalendarium manuale utriusque ecclesiae orientalis et occidentalis, vol. 1.

Nilles, Nikolaus. Kalendarium manuale utriusque ecclesiae orientalis et occidentalis, vol. 2.

Thurston, Herbet J. and Donald Attawater, eds. Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Complete Edition.

 

Some Classics of Pastoral Theology

Pastoral theology is the theological reflection on ordained ministers and their function.

The early church produced four great classics on pastoral theology which together with the decrees of the ancient councils shaped the functions and ideals of the ordained ministry in both the Western and Eastern Churches:

St. Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy.

St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 2.

St. John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood.

St. Gregory the Great, Pastoral Rule.

One can still, for example, see the influence of these Patristic classics on pastoral theology in the standard nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox textbook on pastoral theology, On the Duty of Parish Priests.

New Book on the Pan-Orthodox Council

Eva Synek. Das “Helige und Grosse Konzil” von Kreta. Kirche und Recht 29. Freistadt: Verlag Plöchl, 2017, pp. 135. ISBN 978-3-903093-15-7.

After almost half a century of preparations the Pan-Orthodox Council, or Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (official website: https://www.holycouncil.org/), was convened at Pentecost, 2017, on Crete.

Even until the end it was uncertain if the council would convene. Five autocephalous churches said they would boycott the council (Antioch, Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia). The Orthodox Church of Serbia changed its mind in the last minute, but four autocephalous churches still abstained from the council.

The council produced an encyclical, a message, and six documents on various topics (fasting, ecumenism, the proclamation of autonomous churches, the orthodox diaspora, marriage, and the mission of the church today). The Orthodox Churches have now entered a period of reception during which the status of the council and its documents will become clear.

The pre-conciliar process up to the 1980s has previous been studied by Anne Jensen in Die Zukunft der Orthodoxie: Konzilspläne und Kirchenstrukturen (1986).

The fall of the Iron Curtain and the subsequent political development suspended the pre-conciliar process until 2009 when it was resumed. To everyone’s surprise in 2014, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew officially convoked the council to convene in 2016.

The documents produced by the council have several implications for Orthodox canon law. Eva Synek has therefore written a short book about the council which is partially to be viewed as an addendum to the textbook on Orthodox canon law by Richard Potz and Eva Synek, Orthodoxes Kirchenrecht: Eine Einführung (2nd ed. 2014).

Synek divides her book into six chapters. The first two chapters deal with the historical background and pre-conciliar process. The third chapter analyzes the participants of the council and related issues. The fourth chapter analyzes the organization and procedural rules of the council. The fifth chapter analyzes the document of the council and their implications for Orthodox canon law. The sixth chapter discusses the status, authority, and reception of the Council of Crete.

Synek’s book is a welcome scholarly guide to the Council of Crete that put the council in its context and will help scholars and others to understand the event of the council, its documents, and the reception of the council and its documents by the Orthodox Churches.

Documents from the Orthodox Bilateral Theological Dialogues

Orthodox – Roman Catholic Dialogue: 

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/sub-index/index_orthodox-ch.htm

Orthodox – Oriental Orthodox Dialogue: 

https://orthodoxjointcommission.wordpress.com/

Orthodox – Anglican Dialogue: 

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/relationships/ecumenical-dialogues/orthodox.aspx

Orthodox – Lutheran Dialogue:  

https://www.lutheranworld.org/content/resource-agreed-lutheran%E2%80%93orthodox-statements-1985-2011

Orthodox – Reformed Dialogue: 

http://www.reformiert-online.net/t/eng/rwb/tdbilate.jsp

Orthodox – Old Catholic Dialogue:

http://www.utrechter-union.org/page/295/relations_with_the_orthodox_chur

Digitized Resources for Canon Law Studies

Bright, William. The Canons of the First Four General Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon with Notes.

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 1: To the Close of the Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325. 

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 2: A.D. 326 to A.D. 429.

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 3: A.D. 431 to A.D. 451. 

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 4: A.D. 451 to A.D. 680.

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 5: A.D. 626 to the Close of the Second Council of Nicaea, A.D. 787. 

Landon, Edward H. A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church, vol. 1.

Landon, Edward H. A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church, vol. 2.

Percival, Henry R. The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church: Their Canons and Dogmatic Decrees.

Rauschen, Gerhard. Eucharist and Penance in the First Six Centuries of the Church.

Schroeder, Henry Joseph. Disciplinary Decrees of the General Councils: Text, Translation, and Commentary.

 

Digitized classics of historical theology

Here are links to English translations of some classics in the field of historical theology that have been digitized:

Bardenhewer, Otto. Patrology: The Lives and Works of the Fathers of the Church.

Brück, Heinrich and Joseph Hergenröther. History of the Catholic Church, vol. 1.

Brück, Heinrich and Joseph Hergenröther. History of the Catholic Church, vol. 2.

Campenhausen, Hans von. The Fathers of the Greek Church.

Cobham, Claude Delaval. The Patriarchs of Constantinople.

Delehaye, Hippolyte. The Legends of the Saints: An Introduction to Hagiography.

Duchesne, Louis. Early History of the Christian Church, vol. 1: From its Foundation to the End of the Third Century.

Duchesne, Louis. Early History of the Christian Church, vol. 2: From its Foundation to the End of the Fourth Century. 

Duchesne, Louis. Early History of the Christian Church, vol. 3: From its Foundation to the End of the Fifth Century. 

Fortescu, Adrian. The Orthodox Eastern Church. 2nd ed.

Fortescu, Adrian. The Lesser Eastern Churches.

Hackett, John. A History of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus: From the coming of the Apostle Paul and Barnabas to the Commencement of the British Occupation (A.D. 35-A.D. 1878).

Harnack, Adolph von. The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, vol. 1.

Harnack, Adolph von. The Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries, vol. 2.

Harnack, Adolph von. History of Dogma, vol. 1.

Harnack, Adolph von. History of Dogma, vol. 2.

Harnack, Adolph von. History of Dogma, vol. 3.

Harnack, Adolph von. History of Dogma, vol. 4.

Harnack, Adolph von. History of Dogma, vol. 5.

Harnack, Adolph von. History of Dogma, vol. 6.

Harnack, Adolph von. History of Dogma, vol. 7.

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 1: To the Close of the Council of Nicaea, A.D. 325. 

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 2: A.D. 326 to A.D. 429.

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 3: A.D. 431 to A.D. 451. 

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 4: A.D. 451 to A.D. 680.

Hefele, Karl Joseph von. A History of the Christian Councils from the Original Documents, vol. 5: A.D. 626 to the Close of the Second Council of Nicaea, A.D. 787. 

Kellner, Karl Adam Heinrich. Heortology: A History of the Christian Festivals from their Origin to the Present Day.

Lagrange, Marie-Joseph. Historical Criticism and the Old Testament.

Lebreton, Jules and Jacques Zeiller. The History of the Primitive Church.

Lietzmann, Hans. The Founding of the Church Universal.

Loisy, Alfred Firmin. The Gospel and the Church.

Neale, John Mason. A History of the Holy Eastern Church, vol. 1: The Patriarchate of Alexandria.

Neale, John Mason. A History of the Holy Eastern Church, vol. 2: The Patriarchate of Alexandria.

Neale, John Mason. A History of the Holy Eastern Church, vol. 3: The Patriarchate of Antioch.

Newman, John Henry. An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

Percival, Henry R. The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church: Their Canons and Dogmatic Decrees.

Schaff, Philip. The Creeds of Christendom with a History and Critical Notes, vol. 1: The History of Creeds.

Schaff, Philip. The Creeds of Christendom with a History and Critical Notes, vol. 2: The Greek and Latin Creeds with Translations.

Schroeder, Henry Joseph. Disciplinary decrees of the general councils, text, translation, and commentary.

Seeberg, Reinhold. Text-Book of the History of  Doctrines.

Thurston, Herbet J. and Donald Attawater, eds. Butler’s Lives of the Saints, Complete Edition.

Tixeront, Joseph. History of Dogmas, vol. 1: The Antenecene Theology.

Tixeront, Joseph. History of Dogmas, vol. 2: From St. Athanasius to St. Augustine (318-430).

Tixeront, Joseph. History of Dogmas, vol. 3: The End of the Patristic Age (430-800).

Tixeront, Joseph. A Handbook of Patrology.

Wace, Henry and William C. Piercy. A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies.

Holy and Great Council

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church is in session on Crete from Orthodox Pentecost and the during the following week. Here are some information about the pan-orthodox council:

Official site of the council: https://www.holycouncil.org/

Official versions of preconciliar documents: https://www.holycouncil.org/preconciliar-documents

Message of the council: https://www.holycouncil.org/-/message

Encyclical of the council: https://www.holycouncil.org/-/encyclical-holy-council

Official documents of the council: https://www.holycouncil.org/official-documents

News bulletins from the council: https://www.holycouncil.org/news/bulletins

Videos of the daily press briefings from the council: https://www.holycouncil.org/video

Press office of the council: https://www.orthodoxcouncil.org/

Coverage of the council by The Wheel (including summaries of press briefings): http://www.wheeljournal.com/council/

The preconciliar acts and documents (including the official periodical Synodica): http://www.apostoliki-diakonia.gr/gr_main/dialogos/

Site of the secretariat for the preparation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church: https://sites.google.com/site/centreorthodoxe/saint-et-grand-concile

 

The Preconciliar Documents

The preconciliar acts and documents in Greek and French are available here and here.

The secretariat preparing the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church has published its acts in the periodical Synodica in Greek and French. Synodica is available online:

• Synodica 1 (1976) (GR)
• Synodica 2 (1978) (GR)
• Synodica 3 (1979) (GR)
• Synodica 4 (1980) (GR)
• Synodica 5 (1981) (FR)
• Synodica 6 (1982) (GR)
• Synodica 7 (1994) (GR)
• Synodica 8 (1994) (GR)
• Synodica 9 (2014) (GR)
• Synodica 10 (2014) (FR)
• Synodica 11 (2015) (GR)
• Synodica 12 (2015) (FR)

All the documents on the Orthodox Diapora from the Fourth Preconciliar Conference in Chambesy, 2009, are available here in English, French, Russian, and Greek.

Section III from the report of the Third Panorthodox Preconiliar Conference is available here in English.

English, French, Russian, and Greek Versions of the Documents for the Pan-Orthodox Council

The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Churches will be held at the Orthodox Academy of Crete from June 16 to 27, 2016.

I will here collect links to English, French, Russian, and Greek versions of the documents for the pan-Orthodox council as they become available.

English:

• COMMUNIQUE
• Organization and Working Procedure of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church
• The Mission of the Orthodox Church in the Contemporary World
• The Orthodox Diaspora
• Autonomy and its Manner of Proclamation
• The Sacrament of Marriage and its impediments
• The Significance of Fasting and its Application Today
• The Relations of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World

French:

• COMMUNIQUE
• Règlement d’organisation et de fonctionnement du Saint et Grand Concile de l’Église Orthodoxe
• La mission de l’Eglise Orthodoxe dans le monde contemporain
• La Diaspora orthodoxe
• L’autonomie et la manière dont elle doit être proclamée
• Le sacrement du mariage et ses empêchements
• L’importance du jeûne et son observance aujourd’hui
• Les Relations des Eglises Orthodoxes avec l’ensemble du monde chrétien

Russian:

• СООБЩЕНИЕ
• Регламент организации и работы Святого и Великого Собора Православной Церкви
• Миссия Православной Церкви в современном мире
• Православная диаспора
• Автономия и способ её провозглашения
• Таинство брака и препятствия к нему
• Значение поста и соблюдение его сегодня
• Отношения Православной Церкви с остальным христианским миром

Greek:

• ΑΝΑΚΟΙΝΩΘΕΝ
• Κανονισμός οργανώσεως και λειτουργίας της Αγίας και Μεγάλης Συνόδου
• Ἡ ἀποστολή τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Ἐκκλησίας εἰς τόν σύγχρονον κόσμον
• Ἡ Ὀρθόδοξος Διασπορά
• Τό Αὐτόνομον καί ὁ τρόπος ἀνακηρύξεως αὐτοῦ
• Τό μυστήριον τοῦ γάμου καί τά κωλύματα αὐτοῦ
• Ἡ σπουδαιότης τῆς νηστείας καί ἡ τήρησις αὐτῆς σήμερον
• Σχέσεις τῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Ἐκκλησίας πρός τόν λοιπόν χριστιανικόν κόσμον