An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches

'Binns has written a fair-minded and profound study.' Independent on Sunday

'The book will enable readers to discover the different forms that Eastern Christianity has taken … they will find a wealth of information about both the past and present of the Orthodox churches, and will be left with a lively impression of Christian communities.' Hugh Wybrew, Church Times

'Immensely readable, this is a 'popular' book in the best sense: it makes the fruit of extensive research, scholarship and personal experience accessible to a wide audience of non-specialists. … An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches represents a substantive contribution to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the Orthodox tradition and its place in today's world. It will be read with profit both by those seeking literally an introduction to the Orthodox world, and also by those who regard themselves as quite familiar with it.' Sobarnost

'This is a wonderful book, written with deep affection and understanding, which ought to be read by every member of the Diocese of Sourozh and every person to whom the life of the Orthodox Church and its development in the twenty-first century is a matter of interest and concern.' Sourozh, A Journal of Orthodox Life and Thought

'… Bins manages - in just 250 pages - to give a formidably comprehensive and readable account of the histor, culture and ecclesiology of the eastern Churches, skipping artfully from the ascetic struggles of the desert to the arcance squabbles of the modern diaspora.' The Anglo-Hellenic Review

'Binn's Introduction is balanced, readable and accessible … it is an excellent model of how to study someone else's tradition, with a view to understanding how they see themselves.' The Ecumenical Review

'… excellent overview of the history, church life, and contemporary situation of the orthodox churches …' Journal of Ecclesiastical History

'John Binns has done a worthwhile task in writing about the complexity and richness of the Orthodox Church for the general reader. … Binns' encyclopaedic grasp of his subject gives the reader a fascinating insight not only into the past history of the churches but also into their contemporary witness in today's world. … The book can be recommended to any who want a sympathetic objective introduction to the Orthodox Church both in history and as it exists today. Binns has collected a truly heroic amount of information in 250 pages and it is hard to see a better starting place than this book.' The Expository Times