Orthodox Book List

Jordanville Prayer Book

A consistent best seller since the first edition was published in 1979, selling thousands of copies each year. This is perhaps the most popular Orthodox prayer book published in the English language, frequently referred to as “The Jordanville Prayer Book.” Contains morning and evening prayers and much more besides. Traditional English is used throughout.

Purchase through: Holy Trinity Publishing.

The Orthodox Study Bible

Orthodox Christianity is the face of ancient Christianity to the modern world and embraces the second largest body of Christians in the world. In this first of its kind study Bible, the Bible is presented with commentary from the ancient Christian perspective that speaks to those Christians who seek a deeper experience of the roots of their faith.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

The Law of God

This is the English edition of the classic Russian textbook designed for parents to teach their children “all the fundamental points of the Orthodox Christian faith and way of life.”An overview of the whole of the Old and New Testaments as well as instruction on prayer, worship and what it means to live by the teaching of the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. Well illustrated with black and white photographs and icons.

Purchase through: Holy Trinity Publishing.

The Sunflower: Conforming the Will of Man to the Will of God

“May our love for the Sun, the will of God, be as strong as the sunflower’s, so that even in days of hardship and sorrow we will continue to sail unerringly along the sea of life, following the directions of the barometer and compass of God’s will that leads us to the safe haven of eternity.” This is a thoroughly practical manual of learning the will of God and struggling to mold our life to it.

Purchase through: Holy Trinity Publishing.

Divine Energy: The Orthodox Path to Christian Victory

Applies time-tested Orthodox spirituality to contemporary Christian living. A true “back to the basics” book which shows how Christians can fight and win the struggle against temptation, sin, and spiritual lethargy through the divine power of Christ’s Incarnation.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

The Forgotten Medicine

THE FORGOTTEN MEDICINE is the first volume to appear in a series of spiritual writings by Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev. It provides not only the Scriptural and theological foundations for repentance and Confession, but also a clear instruction for one’s own approach to this Sacrament.

Purchase through: Saint Hermon Press.

The Meaning of Suffering & Strife and Reconciliation

THE MEANING OF SUFFERING and STRIFE & RECONCILIATION are presented as a two-volume sequel to FORGOTTEN MEDICINE. These volumes reflect a depth of insight and experience which can touch the souls of all those in the world today who are hungry for God—written by an outstanding contemporary pastor, spiritual writer and theologian.

Purchase through: Saint Hermon Press.

The Way of a Pilgrim & The Pilgrim Continues His Way

This spiritual classic is the firsthand account of a pilgrim’s journey as he endeavors to live out Saint Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing.” An un-named nineteenth-century peasant sets out on his pilgrimage with nothing but a Bible, a prayer rope, and some dried bread, and as he walks, he recites the Jesus prayer.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

The Faith: An Orthodox Catechism

The Faith is a one-volume introduction to the doctrines and practices of the Orthodox Church. First published in 1997, The Faith has become the standard book in the English language for those wanting to understand this ancient Christian Faith. Its publication has been described as “a joyous and vital event in the life of the Church.”

Purchase through: Amazon.

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

In 2002 Elder Thaddeus reposed, leaving behind a large collection of his teachings, preserved by his faithful spiritual children. His life, teachings, and spiritual conversations are here presented for the first time in English.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity

This revised and updated third edition of the classic introductory work on the Orthodox Church (first written 50 years ago) has become a worldwide standard in colleges and seminaries. Part One describes the history of the Orthodox Church. Part Two outlines doctrine and worship. The final chapter deals with restoring the breaches between East and West.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

The Orthodox Way

An excellent companion to Bishop Kallistos’s book The Orthodox Church, this book discusses the spiritual life of the Christian and sets forth basic issues of theology as a way of life for the follower of Christ. This new edition, released in 2019, features a new cover and a Foreword by Fr John Behr.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

The Northern Thebaid: Monastic Saints of the Russian North

This latest edition is a facsimile of the original edition, which was hand-printed by Fr. Seraphim Rose and his monastic brothers in the mountain forests of northern California. It includes a new preface and a new appendix on the recently rediscovered, incorrupt relics of St. Alexander of Svir, a sixteenth-century luminary of the Russian North.

Purchase through: Saint Hermon Press.

The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to John, Vol. 1

Written 900 years ago by Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid, these commentaries distill the essence of St. John Chrysostom’s preaching―and that of other great fathers of the patristic era―many centuries before his own time.

Purchase through: Amazon.

The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to St. Mark, Vol. 2

Purchase through: Amazon.

The Explanation of the Holy Gospel According to St. Luke: Vol. 3

Purchase through: Amazon.

The Prologue of Ohrid, 2 volume set

Detailed lives of the saints for every day of the year, as well as reflections, homilies and other spiritually-enriching “thoughts upon which to ponder.”

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

Saint Silouan the Athonite

Part I is a remarkable account of St Silouan’s life, personality and teaching. Part II consists of St Silouan’s writings, which he had laboriously penciled on odd scraps of paper, expressing an authentic personal experience of Christianity identical with that of the early Desert Fathers.

Purchase through: Amazon.

Lives of the Saints (May) by St. Demetrius of Rostov

Contains full length lives of the saints for each day of May, including: Prophet Jeremiah, Righteous Job, St. Arsenius the Great, Prophet Isaiah, Sts. Constantine and Helen. Hardbound. 525 pages.

Purchase through: Saint Hermon Press.

A Psalter for Prayer: An Adaptation of the Classic Miles Coverdale Translation

The Psalter for Prayer, is presented here for the first time in a slimmed down pocket edition to inspire daily use in prayer at home and when traveling. The text is complimented by a flexible textured binding, gold stamped cover, and three marker ribbons.

Purchase through: Holy Trinity Publishing.

Thirty Steps to Heaven: The Ladder of Divine Ascent for All Walks of Life

In Thirty Steps, Archimandrite Vassilios interprets the Ladder for the ordinary Christian without sacrificing any of its beauty and power. Now you too can accept the challenge offered by St. John Climacus to ascend closer to God with each passing day.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

My Life in Christ: The Spiritual Journals of St John of Kronstadt

My Life in Christ has been read by millions, making it one of the most beloved modern works of Orthodox Christian spirituality. This new paperback edition is presented in a complete volume with scripture and subject indexes.

Purchase through: Holy Trinity Publishing.

Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia: New Martyr of the Communist Yoke

Fascinating as a historical biography, the book is also remarkably relevant to spiritual seekers and strugglers of today, illustrating as it does the practical realization of timeless spiritual principles against a background—of waning faith, decaying morals and social ills—not so very different from our own.

Purchase through: Amazon.

Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Fr. Michael Pomazansky

Fr. Michael’s theology is in this warm-hearted and inspiring tone. He is not the only one to write Orthodox theology with this intent today, but he is one of the few, in an older generation that is fast vanishing, who can serve as a link between us and the genuine theology of the Holy Fathers.… Orthodox Dogmatic Theology is his masterpiece.

Purchase through: Saint Hermon Press.

Letters to Spiritual Children (2015 edition)

This new 2015 edition includes a new cover and a substantially expanded biography of the author, Abbot Nikon. Written in the 50s and 60s these letters provide a contemporary distillation of the age-old wisdom of the Church, at once simple and profound, instructing the reader in the fundamentals of the Christian struggle.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

Nicholas Planas, Papa, Paper bound, 2nd Printing

Papa-Nicholas Planas (1851-1932) was a most pious priest whose entire life was devoted to the services of the Church. He served the Liturgy daily for over fifty years, and was deemed worthy of spiritual gifts.

Purchase through: Holy Transfiguration Monastery.

Vladimir the Russian Viking: The Legendary Prince Who Transformed a Nation

Vladimir, prince of Novgorod at the age of twelve and the great-grandson of Rurik, is one of the most influential and most mythologized figures in Russian history. He spread his rule from the Baltic to the Black Sea and from the Dvina River to the Volga.

Purchase through: Amazon.

Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future by Fr. Seraphim Rose

This work is a concise and unequivocal Orthodox statement on contemporary trends; its urgent message rings loud and clear. Viewed from the foundation of patristic teaching, many of the spiritual movements of today are seen to be spiritual deceptions which have existed since the beginning of the Church.

Purchase through: Saint Hermon Press.

The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios

Popular in Greece since its first publication there in 2001, The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios is a page-turning narrative of both outward adventures and inward struggles. What stands out most in this book, however, is the radiant image of Elder Paisios, possessed of divine gifts, laboring in prayer for his fellow man, and overflowing with unconditional love.

Purchase through: Ancient Faith Store.

Christ the Eternal Tao by Hieromonk Damascene

Much more than a mere study in comparative religion, CHRIST THE ETERNAL TAO uses Lao Tzu’s intuitive realizations as a springboard by which to catapult the spiritual seekers of our day all the way into the mystical depths of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Purchase through: Saint Hermon Press.

The Sword of the Prophet: Islam; History, Theology, Impact on the World

The book pulls no punches in identifying the rise of Islamic fundamentalism as the greatest danger to Western values since the end of the Cold War. This books outlines Islam’s fundamentalist origins, basic tenets, historical record and the implications for the rest of us.

Purchase through: Amazon.