The Concise Encyclopedia of Orthodox Christianity

The separation that occurred between the Eastern Orthodox  world  and Western Catholicism was one of the most extensive disruptions to Christian unity until the time of the European Reformation. Today the Eastern Orthodox Churches remain the second largest grouping of Christians in the world. The Concise Encyclopedia of Orthodox Christianity is an outstanding reference work providing an accessible English language account of the key historical, liturgical, and doctrinal features of Eastern Orthodoxy, including the Non–Chalcedonian churches.  Compiled and edited by one of the leading scholars in the field, this uniquely comprehensive volume brings together a large panel of internationally respected writers. It explores the major traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy in detail, including the Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopic, Slavic, Romanian, Syriac churches. Spanning the period from Late Antiquity to the present, it encompasses subjects including history, theology, liturgy, monasticism, sacramentology, canon law, philosophy, folk culture, architecture, archaeology, martyrology, and hagiography.  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.

List of Entries vi List of Illustrations xi Editors and Contributors xiv Preface and Acknowledgments xvi Maps xx Orthodox Christianity A–Z 1 Index 526

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. An Archpriest of the Romanian Orthodox Church (Archdiocese of the  Americas), Professor McGuckin is the author of  twenty five books on religious and historical themes, including The Orthodox Church (2008) and The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity (2–volume set, 2011), both published by Wiley Blackwell. Professor McGuckin is assisted by two Associate Editors: Dr. Julia Konstantinovsky and Dr. Justin Lasser.