Extensive Orthodox Catechism: For Old Believers (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798269601298)

This Extensive Orthodox Catechism is the most complete presentation of the Apostolic and Patristic Faith ever prepared in modern English for Old Believers of the Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy (Old Rite Orthodox Church).
It brings together the voice of the Holy Apostles and Fathers of the Church, the Scriptures of the Septuagint, and the unbroken spiritual inheritance of the Old Rite, expressed with absolute theological accuracy, without Western influence or scholastic distortion.

Faithfully translated from the original Church Slavonic and Greek sources, this Catechism restores the true Orthodox understanding of the Holy Mysteries, prayer, repentance, and life in communion with God. It preserves the authentic theological language of the Eastern Church-using Logos instead of "Word," communion instead of "relationship," and Mysteries instead of "Sacraments"-in harmony with the spiritual tradition of the Holy Fathers, including St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Maximus the Confessor, St. Isaac the Syrian, and St. John of Damascus.

Structured in question-and-answer form, it presents not opinions or private interpretations, but the living voice of the Church. Each section is supported by Scripture, patristic commentary, and ecclesiastical teaching as preserved in the Old Rite Orthodox tradition. The translation was reviewed for theological precision by Fr. George Kirpichnikov (Sydney, Australia) and published with the blessing of Archbishop Sofrony, Hierarch of the American, Australian, and Canadian Diocese.

This Catechism includes:

• A full exposition of the Orthodox Faith according to the Apostolic and Patristic sources.

• Explanations of the Creed, Commandments, Beatitudes, Mysteries, and Prayer.

• Patristic commentary drawn from the original Greek and Church Slavonic texts.

• Accurate theological language reflecting the Eastern understanding of the Logos, divine energies, and communion with God.

• Guidance for the faithful on obedience, confession, ecclesiastical hierarchy, and preservation of unity within the Church.

Unlike many modern catechisms influenced by Western scholasticism or juridical language, this work restores the voice of the Orthodox East: doxological, ascetical, and mystical. It teaches not merely about God, but leads the reader into communion with God in Christ Jesus.