I thought this was a great introduction Saint Mary.

Love my cross! Bought a few extra for gifts the family loves them!

My priest told me to read it and I found it informative especially in regards with explaining the Holy Mysteries and the difference between the Nous.

Great book.

I appreciate all of the "corrections" made which originally appeared in the former Study Bible. Yes, I am glad to have it.

I enjoyed the first read through of this book.

My priest told me to read it and I found it informative especially in regards with explaining the Holy Mysteries and the difference between the Nous.

“Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century” by Fr. Stephen De Young was an eye-opening read that I am sure I will refer to many times in the future. The author is well respected in the Orthodox Christian community, and I’ve heard his work referenced quite a few times in my studies over the past couple of years. He does great work educating readers/listeners of his blog and podcasts on scripture that has become obscure the further we get from the time they were written. This book continues that tradition and enlightened me on aspects of early Christianity (and some of the Old Testament) that always puzzled me. His work creates a more full picture of what it means and has always meant to be a follower of Jesus. Overall, I am glad I read the book.
Although I did enjoy the book, I am not sure it perfectly accomplished what it set out to do. From my understanding, this book was meant to be a book that could take more academic topics about the beginnings of Christianity and make them more accessible to non-academics. In some sections, I feel like this goal is accomplished. My understanding overall of early Christian thinking is much more informed than it once was. On the other hand, there are parts in which the author does not seem to find this balance. There are sections that are both too detailed for the average reader and not detailed or have enough citations for the academic. By staying in the middle ground, perhaps this information was not presented to its greatest advantage. Either way, the subject matter of this book is very interesting, and I am sure will be much discussed in the years to come.
Another note I have is not a critique of the book itself but a warning for potential readers. There are some topics (such as discussion of Nephilim) that were very new for me. My religious background before I entered the Orthodox church tended toward fundamentalist thinking that was both confusing and detrimental to my faith. I am not by any means saying that this book promotes that sort of thinking! I will say that aspects of it could be manipulated or misinterpreted by those that already have a tendency towards thinking that way already. Especially if they don’t read the whole book carefully. There were several moments when I had to take a step back from the book to properly absorb the information I had just heard and discuss it with someone more knowledgeable than myself. Much of the information in this book is absolutely beneficial for all Orthodox Christians to better understand Christianity. Some of the information people may not be ready for or should approach with guidance. This is of course left to each individual and their spiritual father or mentors.
Yet again, let me reiterate how informative this book was for me. It will take a long time before I am able to fully process it all. I absolutely recommend it to those who are ready for it!

****One more side note about the audible version. I noticed that some of the sound production was a little strange. For example, the separate addition of the “end quote” audio that was clearly recorded at a different time. The audible was not terrible to listen to, but I just overall got the impression that the work was rushed.

Great book! I would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the Christian faith better.

The leather soft edition is very well made and the binding is sturdy. The notes are helpful and I find the flexible text easier to use than the hardback edition. I love my new Bible!

So far it is exactly what my heart needed to hear. I have believed all of what is in this book for years, but to have someone list it out with scriptural references is extremely helpful! THANK YOU!

A lovely story and a testament to the power of marriage. I wish it had been more explicitly Christian, but it still got the message across!

Outstanding treatment of some very complex ideas and topics. Highly recommend.

I don't think I could ever recommend this enough!

Excellent, thought provoking and it is a book I will continue to reference forever.
Dr Jeannie has put to words my thoughts and questions as “Cradle Orthodox Christian”
Thank you Dr Jeannie!

Favorite book ever!

This book was so well written and very eye opening! Glory to God!

fantastic read!

Religion of the Apostles by Fr. Stephan De Young blew my mind. I was baptized and raised Orthodox Christian and attended St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the gem that is this book raised questions and offered enlightenment to a level I had never experienced before. I highly recommend this book.
It is so easy to accept prevailing viewpoints especially regarding history. Religion of the Apostles undertakes the monumental task of avoiding common assumptions regarding the origin of the Christian church and instead takes extraordinary effort to both look deeply at the details and back out for a wider perspective, using common sense. I really appreciate the level of research that went into this book. You just have to listen and hear the number of citations nearly on every page to appreciate how deep Fr. Stephen went in researching for this topic.
Our modern world is full of skepticism and cynicism. To try to read the Bible or appreciate the early Church from this perspective inevitably falls short. Reading this book introduced me to the rich and vibrant mystical experience that was much more common in the early centuries. Their common experience was one of angels and demons, gods and demi-gods. It is tempting to throw all that away with our modern scientific rationalistic mindset but after reading this book, there is no going back.
Just to point out for the audiobook version specifically; Fr. Stephan’s reading was clear. The book itself did start out a bit slow and then quickly got interesting. The citations did break up the listening quite a bit at times. But it did also impress me with his scholasticism.
All in all, I recommend anyone who is ready to gain a broader perspective on the origins of Christianity to read this book. You will not be disappointed.

Love this psalter - especially Sylvia’s reflections at the end of each Kathisma. I would recommend this to anyone but especially someone new to orthodoxy like me!