The layout takes a little getting used to, but otherwise this is exactly what I wanted. This is a high-quality service book following the Russian pre-Revolution tradition. There are explanations as well that make this a valuable addition to a liturgical library.

This Akathist prayer has comforted me and a couple friends through some dark days. Thanks so much!

I bought the bible for my sister who is a protestant but is interested in Orthodoxy.
She is devouring all the foot notes and seems to be warming up to Orthodoxy.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Love the way Newrome Press puts these books together. We have 4 so far, and they are beautiful. I love how they include a good mix of Saints that are very popular with the ones who are not as familiar. And the ones that are popular have different parts of their lives shared than would be traditionally known. So, bravo! Love these books.

Beautiful images and inspiring stories.

Really love this! The readings are daily and short enough for young kiddos. Starts from Creation through the Nativity, and the ornaments are a fun hands-on follow-up for the kids. One of my favorite purchases!

Beautiful pictures and engaging account of the life of the Saint and his holy family.

Excellent!

Our children absolutely love it!

Great instruction for anyone interested in the Jesus prayer. Simple advice from a monastic with experience on the subject.

Beautiful

Father Stephen is an enormously talented intellect and an equally gifted communicator. This book puts Christianity in a context that I have never encountered before but wish I had. You should read this book!!

This is your best calendar yet! I love every Icon.

I have ordered 5 or 6 of these to give as gifts since I love mine so much. A reasonable price for such a beautiful useful prayer book.

Wonderful books! Nice graphics. All four of my children (ages 13, 12, 8, & 7) especially enjoyed The Cross and The Stag.

St. Paisios of Mount Athos once said, “It [Syria] has a lot of grace because of the ascetics who lived in its deserts. I felt the same way about the Holy Land.” This always stuck out to me and I often referred to it in conversation. Thus, I read “Syria Crucified” by Zachary Wingerd and Brad Hoff with great anticipation. I think it was long overdue and seriously needed to be published. So many misconceptions about Syria and their way of life prior to their destruction needed to be straightened out and this book is necessary. The authors do an excellent job recounting personal events for a number of Syrians. He interviewed people from all walks of life, young and older, from different parts of Syria. All with different yet similar experiences. Every story was a page turner and the book kept you interested from the Preface to the Afterword. Each chapter represents a different story and the authors kept the authenticity of their voices as well as gave background information so that we grasp and understand their story. They all showed great dedication to their faith, great humility, self -sacrifice for their neighbor (Christian or not) and all virtues that all true Christians strive. They risked their life to attend church to help others and still kept their head high and kept going. I think the majority of Americans as well as other nations don’t regard Syria as having a Christian community and strong one at that. I also believe that people forget about the rich Christian history dated so far back. So much holiness, so many relics and historical sites makes one dream of visiting such a place. However, it would be impossible. The destruction and the desire to wipe out all Christianity in such a place and who backed and funded such destruction should be of a concern world-wide. I found many parallels to the tragic genocide of the Christians in Asia Minor where their humbleness stood out even when the world around them was collapsing. This book is relevant and I hope that many people pick it up and read it to erase some misconceptions of what really went down in Syria. It is important to know these events because it is still happening today and can really happen anywhere. We need to understand that no matter where we live something as horrendous as this can happen and we must be diligent and be inspired to keep our faith and humanity strong no matter what.

Syria Crucified By Zachary Wingerd and Brad Hoff is based on true stories of Syrian Christians who grew up in Syria, and witnessed first hand the martyrdom of Christians in their home country. Moreover, they were personally persecuted, hated and rejected just for being Christians. Reading about their faith, love and endurance is inspiring. Martyrdom is no longer a fictional tale we hear about but is happening today. We should be ready to profess our faith. We never know when we will be called to testify; will we be strong enough to endure?
I loved how they integrated the old with new, the ancient biblical Syria with the modern country. Rouba’s story opens with “I was born on a street called Straight. It’s in the Bible. I lived about a block away from the church where St. Paul received his sight. It’s called st. Ananias church.” Throughout the book, the authors connected the famous places in Syria to the biblical incidents. It makes me want to visit Syria.

Age of Utopia is an excellent historical overview of the West from the Renaissance to the Russian Revolution. That may seem like an exceptionally long period to cover in a single volume, but Fr. Strickland does an exceptional job of tying this all together in the overarching theme of this multi-volume series. These approximately 500 years are correctly designated by him as one governed by a utopian vision.

I have—as yet—not read the previous two volumes in this series (Age of Paradise and Age of Division). However, I have been a faithful subscriber to Fr. Strickland’s podcast “Paradise and Utopia” on Ancient Faith Radio. I certainly believe that reading the previous two volumes would greatly enhance my enjoyment and understanding of this one—and I will certainly be reading them at some point in the future. Nevertheless, I believe this volume is not difficult to understand on its own. I am very familiar with late antiquity and medieval history and somewhat familiar with the history covered in the current volume. Even so, I was surprised by the connections the author was able to make between culture (philosophy, literature, fine arts) and politics (statecraft, wars, revolutions).

I am sure that mean readers will be familiar with some of the artists and authors from their high school or college classes. This book places them in these individuals and works into their proper context, giving them a greater meaning and the reader a better understanding of the texts. I found the section on Romanticism, covering the poets, musicians, artists and their works, to be especially interesting as the philosophy of Romanticism seemed so bereft of any certitude of the transcendent. The tragedy of these lives seems aptly appropriate given the zeitgeist of the current age.

I highly recommend this history to anyone who is interested in a deeper understanding of the several utopian-motivated movements of the modern era. I look forward to reading the previous two volumes and the projected fourth volume.

Age of Utopia

I will preface that o have not read the first two books… yet. But now that I have finished Age of Utopia, I will be. I much prefer this style of historical literature, very engaging and thought provoking. I also loved the addition of the pictures (make this a perfect book for our homeschool as well!). I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will probably be purchasing an audible version once available along with the rest of the series. A well put together book!

10/10!
*I received a copy of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own

This beautiful spiritual book might be given to all members of a parish, from teens to adults. It speaks the soul of Orthodoxy and Christianity.