The Prologue is one of the most important and well loved books in our home library. We read it as a family daily even with our preschool children (some little editing sometimes needed!) and as converts love getting to know these heroic men and women who go before us. Our school aged kids are loath to miss this reading and engage enthusiastically. The other pieces for each day are treasures that I look forward to reading again or for the fist time as each year passes and I encounter them. There is so much here. We now give it as a gift for baptisms, chrismations and weddings.

A wonderful way to introduce even the youngest one to proper bedtimes prayers. My grandson loves it. 5 stars

I received my Old Calendar version in the mail, and was totally blown away by the beauty and new layout that Thomaida has created! This is a completely new way of using your calendar for Orthodox! I love the beautiful pictures that the team was able to capture, the grouping of the different months according to our Fasts and the shading for fasting! I have recommended this calendar to St. Paisius Monastery and all my Orthodox friends! Thank you Beauty First Films for making my journey in Orthodoxy so much richer!

The Age of Paradise by Fr. John Strickland will surely become a cherished text in any but especially in an Orthodox Christian library, be it in the home or the parish.

The book starts at the “Dawn of Christendom”, with Christ Himself, and travels through Christianity’s historical milestones up to the first millennium. What distinguishes “The Age of Paradise” from other books covering the same, is its approachability because of a style that is more like a hagiography than that of an history book. Theological thought, the impact of philosophy, worship, the varied concerns of Gospel and Epistle writers, martyrology in context of pagan overlordship – the whole is clearly expressed so that the reader can easily apprehend the link between the Kingdom above and the earthly realm.

What is refreshing in The Age of Paradise is that Fr. Strickland does not assume the reader’s background (national, religious), and is clearly on the side authentic Christian culture which is cosmological, sacrificial, and ecclesiastical – all without being polemical. Another part of the book’s beauty was in the moments of resonance: when I was struck by how very familiar but nonetheless very new the content all seemed.

Much like that special time of year which is the journey through Holy Week to Pascha, The Age of Paradise will become for many a ‘place’ which will be often revisited in joy and anticipation, and from which there will be renewal.

Full disclosure: I was provided with an e-copy of the book for a fair review.

I bought this copy as a gift for a teenage girl who said that A WRINKLE IN TIME was her favorite book so far. Since that book is one that has to be destroyed in the book ICON, I thought of ICON as a present to this young Orthodox person. I was somewhat shocked by this book, especially the opening and then the torture later in the book, but the author certainly makes an important point about our secular world and our faith. It is a book that keeps moving, keeps one reading. We need more fiction for our youth.

Loved it!!

No hard religious jargon, but straight to the point. I'm not the best at articulating my position all the time, but this was something to definitely place in my toolbox. If you are new to Orthodoxy or inquiring this helps clear all of those superstitions you may have heard.

Good content but not put together very well

Very inspiring story of a great saint.

I wish every person that calls themselves a Christian could have this Bible, it is to be treasured for all that it is. Thanks to all who lovingly produced this priceless gem of our faith.

Beautiful book! I bought it for my son, Efstathios (Stathi), for his Feast Day tomorrow. I know he is going to love it. This book is appropriate for all ages. I love that you stuck to the story of his life and didn't omit anything. Graphic novels of Saints is a brilliant idea. Thank you for sharing your talent to glorify God and his saints.

Hello,
I enjoy the Bible very much. I think in future printings a few more foot notes, and a super Bible dictionary and concordance would be advisable.

The copy that I received had about 50 pages that were not trimmed properly - not cut and the flap was folded in. I had to take a scissor and cut them off. A little messy.

Al Freeland

You never really grasp how much you don’t know, until you try to teach someone. This was me. My children are now elementary school aged and I ambitiously decided to work with them on Church history. I knew about that: I attend Divine Liturgy, I’ve read some of the works of the Church fathers, I know the lives of the Saints. However, the more I tried to condense my knowledge to small lessons, the more I realized I didn’t know. Enter John Strickland’s The Age of Paradise.

This book is a both approachable and in-depth look at the Church from Pentecost to the First Millennium. But it is more than that. Interwoven with a more traditional tracking of history (names, dates, places) is the development of Christianity, theology, philosophy, and worship. It was amazing to watch the early Christians and the early Church coalesce into the Divine Liturgy that I know today. I loved seeing old friends such as St. Constantine and St. Helen, St. Patrick, St. Theodora, and many more, emerge from the pages of the book to become more than the delightful stories I know—instead taking their proper place in the context of time, place, and history.

I have read this book through once, and am already starting to read it again. This is the type of book from which you can glean new information, new ideas, and new thoughts every time it is read. And this time I’m taking notes to be able to truly introduce my children into the history of the Church—our Church, their Church.

A beautiful book, full of wonderful information on the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church. It's an excellent resource for both families and Church schools.

I received an Audible credit in return for an honest review.


Your first take from this book is the feeling you get from Matthew the Poor’s personality as you listen to him tell you stories of his life and experiences. This man, trying to remove himself from society’s grasp, has a fantastically inviting attitude, disposition, personality, etc. in relation to others and the Lord. It’s so inspiring to listen to his kind words about sin, about how he just wanted to be left alone (yet loved people) to read the bible and how worried he was that he wasn’t going to be able to finish it before his death, and how he helped bring others to Christ.

It helps that Kristina Wenger, the audiobook narrator, has such passion with her work. You can really get a feeling for how the conversations went and how the author’s personality radiated love. This is the second audiobook from Ancient Faith that I have read (listened to) with her as narrator. Both books were from men, but each with their own personality. She lends her voice to simply bring to life what the author is conveying and she does so very well.

I would highly (read: HIGHLY) recommend this book to anyone looking for inspiration in their faith, at ANY level. Even older teenagers, who are devout or looking for inspiration, can reap so much from his take on situations, how he handles them, and his faith. You have a new appreciation for the faith, bible, and all that we have access to as orthodox christians after you have sat “at the feet of one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our age.”

I received an Audible credit from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

As a parent, we want to become the best parent we can be. We want a successful household which bears successful children. We always search for that step-by-step guide that we can run to when things are new, tough, or even confusing. As parents of faith, we tend to look towards the church and the church fathers. Sometimes, what we find isn’t really right for our particular situation, isn’t aimed towards children or we can’t find it at all. We can talk to our priests, some of whom are raising their own children. We can talk to other laity and receive guidance from those more experienced than ourselves. This type of advice can be good for particular situations but what about raising children in the whole of the faith. How do we keep the consistency from one issue to another? How do we inspire the growth of the faith in their hearts? And how do we feed that faith and keep it growing throughout their lives, especially in an age of so many distractions?

In Raising Them Right: A Saint’s Advice on Raising Children, Theophan the Recluse walks us through the path of parenthood, starting with ourselves, and where we must work to be, and right through to adulthood of the child. While there are no specific cases or examples given, and ideals seem lofty or above our reach, the advice and strategies, when broken down and really studied, are very practical and easy to apply, even in this day in age.



One of my first thoughts/feelings about this book was How is it going to be relevant in this age? I, honestly, also thought How did a recluse know anything about raising a family? After reading this book, I now understand the wisdom and heart he had. He was obviously a child himself once and he worked in a number of academies, was a priest, then bishop for some time and it wasn’t until he was 51 that he started to withdraw from public life. So you can imagine how many families and children he worked with.

I received a free audio copy of this book, in exchange for a review. The audiobook was published by Ancient Faith Publishing and narrated by Kristina Wenger. It can be found here. I felt like she did a great job at narrating with the same passion St. Theophan would have. She really drove home points and it was like having a friend read to you while you worked, cleaned or just relaxed.

I wholehearted recommend this book to any parent, at any stage of parenting. I would also recommend it as a gift for new parents. I know that I will be referencing it and my husband and I will better our parenting because of it.

amazing book. great tips

In “Out of Step with God”, Fr. Patrick Reardon offers a thorough chapter-by-chapter study of this commonly skimmed/overlooked book of the Bible. While you could very well read this study without a Bible in hand, I highly recommend reading Numbers chapter-by-chapter, reading the coinciding chapter in “Out of Step” along the way. Some highlights of the book for me: 1. Fr. Patrick’s attention to detail of the times/context as he shares information relating to each chapter; 2. He is not afraid to examine discrepancies or “issues” within the text; 3.He provides literal translations of certain crucial words from the text of Numbers; 4.When appropriate, he provides application to modern times and short expository essays to help bring the text of Numbers to life. This would be a perfect month-long study to do alone or with a friend. Highly recommend!

I read many books during my journey toward Orthodoxy, but I think this was the one that helped me the most. The compare/contrast to other forms of Christianity really helped me coming from a protestant background.
The doctrine of the Orthodox Church is laid out in a simple and easy to follow way that is ideal for lay members and those without a lot of theological study. This book and "The Orthodox Church" by Kallistos Ware are in my opinion, probably the best books for inquirers to read.

Loved this book. Actionable, insightful, and encouraging.