Love it! Great quality!

Very well written and helpful guide.

This is a beautiful introspective reflection of how the heart and soul of author, Fr. John Oliver, was amended during his visit to the monastery on the Island of Valaam. Those who would have preferred a more "fly on the wall" offering missed the manner in which Oliver offered his spiritual acquisition of personal fortification in a work to be read at least once a year.

“When You Fast” is the perfect complimentary follow-up to the short and concise "When You Pray" by the same author.

Letendre explains the definition of fasting, what it means to fast, how to fast as the Church, in what way the heart approaches fasting, and the history of fasting in the Judeo-Christian Tradition of coming before God.

I would say that this little book is a good one for anyone new to the idea of fasting - in or outside of the Orthodox Faith. He refers to several non-Orthodox individuals to whom a greater multitude can relate. This will be good for the Protestant or Catholic who wants to exercise the discipline of fasting, one of the pillars of the Orthodox Faith; and it will be good for Orthodox faithful who wish to relate to non-Orthodox easily in such an important pillar of our asceticism.

With only just over an hour of listening time, and maybe not much more than that to read in print, I definitely think this concise, little book is a helpful resource for anyone wanting to deepen their pursuit of the fast.

“When You Fast” is the perfect complimentary follow-up to the short and concise "When You Pray" by the same author.

Letendre explains the definition of fasting, what it means to fast, how to fast as the Church, in what way the heart approaches fasting, and the history of fasting in the Judeo-Christian Tradition of coming before God.

I would say that this little book is a good one for anyone new to the idea of fasting - in or outside of the Orthodox Faith. He refers to several non-Orthodox individuals to whom a greater multitude can relate. This will be good for the Protestant or Catholic who wants to exercise the discipline of fasting, one of the pillars of the Orthodox Faith; and it will be good for Orthodox faithful who wish to relate to non-Orthodox easily in such an important pillar of our asceticism.

With only just over an hour of listening time, and maybe not much more than that to read in print, I definitely think this concise, little book is a helpful resource for anyone wanting to deepen their pursuit of the fast.

Well made and very beautiful. I’ve ordered three of the eye-glass holders now and have been pleased with each one.

This book for me was life changing . The examples Elder Thaddeus provides and the advice are things we can use everyday . We are blessed with the writings of ancient monastics; but those of modernity such as Elder Thaddeus are invaluable to our daily lives.

I'm not much of a reader of fiction (non-fiction is my preference), but there was something about this story that had me looking forward to every page turn. The story of this Lightkeeper traveling through time was so beautifully written. I couldn't put it down, I read half of the book in a day, which is very unlike me! If you're looking to get lost in a gripping story full of character and timeless truths, I highly recommend reading this novel!

As a catechumen this book was very helpful for me to read the Bible and see Church history in a more Orthodox way. Father Stephen presents a convincing case that the Orthodox Church is the Apostolic faith which is most continuous with the Second Temple religious worldview. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a deeper understanding of the Scriptures and Church History. This book helped connect so many dots and open ways of understanding broad themes in the Bible. Thanks Fr. Stephen for this great book and I hope you are able to continue with more work in this vein.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“The Religion of the Apostles” is a bold title for a book, especially with so many other books in the biblical history genre all claiming to be uncovering some long-lost secrets about “ancient” Christianity. Every few years it seems there is a new bookmaking an audacious claim about what life in the early Church “really” was like at the time of Jesus Christ, and how the first Christian believers reconciled their Old Testament, (supposedly) Unitarian Monotheistic, Jewish understanding with the arrival of their Messiah. Much of the theological framing of these books insist that the early Church was “simple”; that early believers met in houses or bare rooms to hear readings from scripture, possibly listen to teaching from a visiting Apostle, and recite simple psalms and prayers as fellowship. Many authors and scholars also contend that this “simple” Church developed over time, as elements of the worship service were added, and theological concepts progressed and matured to try to understand who Jesus Christ was and what that meant for the Church.

Fr. Stephen DeYoung; creator of the Whole Counsel of God Blog and bible study series, as well as co-host of The Lord of Spirits podcast; uses his book to make a vastly different connection. Fr. Stephen makes a brilliant case for understanding the Orthodox Church to be in direct continuity with the religious understandings of 1st Century Judeans encountering the reality of Christ. He lays out a thorough understanding of how the Old Testament scriptures were understood in their original context, and especially how they were interpreted by the Jewish people in the centuries preceding the birth of Christ. This contextual understanding of the scriptures is critical to conceptualizing how a 1st century Judean would have heard and understood what Christ and His Apostles were saying and doing, and how that would impact their experience of the early Church.

Fr. Stephen expertly references the Old and New Testament, as well as many texts and writings of peoples contemporary to the Scriptures and adjacent to Judea to further develop the cultural context into which the Scriptures and Christ were speaking. Fr. Stephen carefully makes the case that Orthodox Christian theological doctrine was already understood to some degree by the people of the Old Testament and found its fulfillment in the revelation of Jesus Christ. He goes through great pains to describe the worship practices of the Jewish people in the Old Testament and in 1st Century Judea and contends that the coming of Christ CHANGED worship in the Synagogues but did not force new Christians to start their Churches from nothing. In fact, these people did not see themselves as converting to “another religion”, but instead saw the fulfillment of many of their practices in the coming of the Messiah and adjusted their lives and worship practices accordingly.

Fr. Stephen’s main assertion is that the understanding and traditions of the Orthodox Church; with its Liturgical services, use of incense, worshipping Christ by partaking of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, warfare against Demonic spirits, veneration of and asking for the intercessions of Saints, veneration of the Most Holy Theotokos, St Mary the Mother of God, veneration of icons, and emphasis on every believer to lead a life of repentance, faithfulness and holiness to hopefully join the Saints in Glory; are the direct continuation of the beliefs of 1st Century Judeans in the Second Temple period and is in fact the Religion of the Apostles as revealed by Jesus Christ. A surprising realization resulting from this understanding is that modern Rabbinic Judaism is in fact the innovation that branched off from and remodeled the beliefs of 1st Century Judeans, and not Christianity as is commonly thought.

As a recent convert to the Orthodox Church, largely due in part to Fr. Stephen DeYoung’s work, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is at all curious about Church history and what the Religion of the Apostles might have looked like, and what it continues to look like today.

Excellent book, written personally and full of valuable experience

First, these are beautiful and well made--sturdy--will hold up in a pocket well, I believe. And, there are many different combinations of images: in my first order there were ten different pairs, which really surprised me; and in my second order ten additional pairs (!), that my first order hadn't included. These 20-packs are like collectors cards to me now. I imagine that when I order another, there will be at least a few that I didn't already get. Anyway, I bought them in the first place to give away, and it was such a blessing to me to share them with my brothers and sisters in Christ over Pascha. Everyone loved them! (And the shipping was faster than I could have hoped for--I ordered the second set just before Pascha, and miracle of miracles, they arrived in time.) Thanks, Ancient Faith, and Glory to God!

Disclaimer: I received a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Religion of the Apostles is a new book by Father Stephen DeYoung. He is one of the two hosts of The Lord of Spirits, a podcast on Ancient Faith Radio and that's where I first heard about the book. Father Stephen takes the reader on a tour of the ancient world, particularly Second Temple Judaism. This gives new insight into what the apostles believed and demonstrates that Orthodox Christianity is the true fulfillment of Judaism.


What I loved:
As a recent convert to the Orthodox Church and as someone with Jewish heritage, it was so meaningful to be taken through all the ways that the Old Testament has been fulfilled in Christ and the Church. Growing up, I was told that Jesus had fulfilled the Law, but no one ever explained how to my satisfaction. People would also say that Christians didn't need to keep Kosher because only the early Jewish Christians kept following the Law, not the Gentiles. So of course I was confused and wondered if I was, indeed, supposed to be keeping Kosher. Father Stephen laid all those doubts to rest by explaining how exactly all those Old Testament rules are fulfilled and how the Church is the true Israel. It was also very interesting to read about how Jewish theology was changed in reaction to Christianity.


What I didn't love:
Honestly, not much. I wish some topics were delved into a bit more deeply in the book, but they were all discussed at length in the podcast I mentioned above. If I were reading this book without having listened to the podcast already, though, I would have been a bit disappointed.


Would I recommend Religion of the Apostles?
Wholeheartedly. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Christian theology and the context of the New Testament. I predict that it will be quickly added to catechism class book lists.


Overall:
This book was a bit drier than other Orthodox books I've read by authors such as Frederica Mathewes-Green, but the subject was fascinating and it was well worth having to read some sections more than once. In fact, I'm looking forward to rereading Religion of the Apostles as a whole so that I can absorb even more of the information! Even though many of the topics had been covered in The Lord of Spirits, I still learned a lot from reading Religion of the Apostles. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by Father Stephen!


Rating: 5/5

Very enjoyable read. The author has done her research and weaves wisdom from notable Orthodox teachers on the Theotokos into her personal story and growing relationship with the Mother of God.

I have typed & retyped this review scrambling to find the words to adequately express the beauty found within the pages of this book. The author has created a truly unique piece of fantasy/sci fi fiction that stands apart. You feel both joy and grief keenly as you journey with the Lightkeeper through time and place. I couldn’t put it down and wept as I finished it, feeling that I am better for having read it. The Lightkeeper is a wonderful story that I will most certainly return to in the future.

Well made and protective material for Bibles that fit inside.

Enlightening

I was very excited about this book because I am not primarily an auditory-based learner, and I don't really listen to podcasts. So even though I've been interested in the Lord of Spirits podcast, it wasn't a good format for me to engage with the material. I've been waiting for this book with bated breath!

I think I speak for many laypeople when I say that my Bible reading over the decades has been frequently punctuated with a "Well, okay. I guess that made sense back then..." This book has provided such important context for a whole bunch of those moments.

Very accessible, this book is nonetheless the work of an obviously very gifted scholar and teacher. Every Christian who is serious about understanding the history of their faith should be reading this book.

Excellent book.I recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to truly understand the Faith. Eugenia Constantinoou writes with knowledge, humility, a deep understanding from her years of profound reflection and questioning. Thank you for such a marvelous book.
Andonia cakouros

I purchased the Pascha books as gifts. My copy is much older, my sister gave to me in 1981. I am sure there is some variation to the new ones. I plan to purchase
more soon. Thanks for having it available.