Recommended reading – Orthodox Christianity

The full list below was recommended by Fr Timothy Pavlatos of St Katherine Greek Orthodox Church, Arizona. It is long, and nobody needs to read all of it. If you are starting out, begin with the short list under Start here, and use the full list later to go deeper into a subject that interests you.

Download this list as a Word file

Start here

Read the Gospel every day. The readings for each day are on goarch.org, or in the Daily Readings app. A good first step is the Sermon on the Mount, Christ's own teaching, in Matthew chapters 5 to 7.

Alongside the Gospel, choose from these books. There is no set order, so start with whatever meets your needs:

  • The Orthodox Faith (4 vols) – Fr Thomas Hopko (Orthodox Church in America, 1981; now from St Vladimir's Seminary Press). All four volumes are free to read online at oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith.

  • The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity – Timothy (Bishop Kallistos) Ware (Penguin, revised edition 2015)

  • The Orthodox Way – Bishop Kallistos Ware (St Vladimir's Seminary Press; first published 1979, new edition 2019)

  • Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios (Denise Harvey, Limni, Evia, 2005)

  • The Arena: Guidelines for Spiritual and Monastic Life – St Ignatius Brianchaninov, trans. Archimandrite Lazarus Moore (Holy Trinity Publications, Jordanville, 2nd ed. 2012)

  • On Prayer – St Sophrony of Essex (St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1998)

  • The Philokalia: The Complete Text – trans. G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware (Faber and Faber, 4 vols, 1979–1995)

  • The Way of a Pilgrim – trans. Olga Savin (Shambhala, 2019 edition)

  • The Lives of the Desert Fathers: The Historia Monachorum in Aegypto – trans. Norman Russell (Cistercian Publications, Cistercian Studies 34)

Apps

  • Daily Readings (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America): the Epistle and Gospel for each day.

  • Digital Chant Stand (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America): all the services of the day in Greek and English. We follow it for the structure of most of our services, although we use a slightly different translation.

  • Orthodox Study Bible: use the app, or buy the printed book.

  • Patristic Nectar: talks and sermons.

  • Prayer apps: there are several. Pray Always is a good one.

Talks on YouTube

Talks by Fr Maximos Constas, Fr John Behr, Fr Josiah Trenham, Fr Zacharias Zacharou and Abbot Peter Vryzas.

Websites for books, articles, videos and podcasts

The full list

The books below are grouped by subject.

Introductory books

  • The Orthodox Faith, Worship, and Life: Orthodox Catechism, an Outline – Hieromonk Gregorios (New Rome Press)

  • Know the Faith: A Handbook for Orthodox Christians and Inquirers – Rev. Michael Shanbour (Ancient Faith Publishing)

  • Bible, Church, Tradition: An Eastern Orthodox View – Georges Florovsky (Crux Press, 2023)

The Holy Trinity

  • The Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit – St Photios the Great, trans. Joseph Farrell (Holy Cross Orthodox Press)

  • The Holy Trinity in the Life of the Church (Holy Cross Studies in Patristic Theology and History) – ed. Khaled Anatolios (Holy Cross Orthodox Press)

  • On the Incarnation – St Athanasius (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • On the Holy Spirit – St Basil the Great (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

Holy Tradition and Scripture

  • Holy Tradition – Harry Boosalis

  • The Orthodox Faith, Vol. 1: Doctrine and Scripture – Thomas Hopko (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • Scripture in Tradition: The Bible and Its Interpretation in the Orthodox Church – Fr John Breck (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

Church history

  • The Orthodox Faith, Vol. 3: Church History – Thomas Hopko (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity – Timothy Ware (2015 edition)

  • The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century – Stephen De Young (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2021)

  • The Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy – Alexander Schmemann

  • Rock and Sand: An Orthodox Appraisal of the Protestant Reformers and Their Teachings – Fr Josiah Trenham (New Rome Press)

The Divine Liturgy and the Holy Mysteries

  • The Orthodox Faith, Vol. 2: Worship – Thomas Hopko (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • The Eucharist – Alexander Schmemann (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • For the Life of the World – Alexander Schmemann (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • Let Us Attend: A Journey through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy – Fr Lawrence Farley (Conciliar Press)

  • Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism – Alexander Schmemann (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • The Forgotten Medicine: The Mystery of Repentance – Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev (St Xenia Skete Press, 2nd ed. 2006)

  • Repentance and Confession – St Nektarios (St Nektarios Monastery, 2002)

The Mother of God

  • Celebration of Faith, Vol. III: The Virgin Mary – Alexander Schmemann (St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2001)

  • The Life of the Virgin – attributed to St Maximus the Confessor, trans. Stephen Shoemaker (Yale University Press)

  • The Feasts of the Mother of God: History and Theology of the Most Holy Theotokos – Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos

  • Mary, Worthy of All Praise: Reflections on the Virgin Mary – Fr David R. Smith (Conciliar Press)

  • Against Those Who Are Unwilling to Confess that the Holy Virgin is Theotokos – St Cyril of Alexandria, trans. Protopresbyter George Dion. Dragas (Orthodox Research Institute)

Orthodox spiritual life

  • Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios (Denise Harvey, Limni, Evia, 2005)

  • Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica (St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1st ed. 2009)

  • Sermons on the Spiritual Life – St Philaret of Moscow (Patristic Nectar Publications, 2020)

  • The Garden of the Holy Spirit – Elder Iakovos of Evia (1999)

  • The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation – Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev (St Xenia Skete Press, 4th ed. 2005)

  • The Orthodox Faith, Vol. 4: Spirituality – Thomas Hopko (St Vladimir's Seminary Press)

  • Thinking Orthodox: Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian Mind – Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou PhD (2020)

  • The Ladder of Divine Ascent – St John Climacus, trans. Archimandrite Lazarus Moore, revised (Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston). Also published by Paulist Press, trans. Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell.

Prayer

  • Prayer: Encounter with the Living God – Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev (St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2015)

  • The Jesus Prayer and its Application: The Opinions of Saints, of Elder Paisios and Other Contemporary Elders – Archimandrite Arsenios Katerelos (2016)

  • On Prayer – St Sophrony of Essex (St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1998)

  • On Prayer – St Paisios the Athonite, Spiritual Counsels, Vol. VI (2022)

  • The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer – Archimandrite Irenei (St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2012)

  • A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain: Discussion with a Hermit on the Jesus Prayer – Archimandrite Hierotheos Vlachos (1991)

  • St John Chrysostom and the Jesus Prayer: A Contribution to the Study of the Philokalia – Archimandrite Maximos Constas and Fr Peter A. Chamberas (New Rome Press, 2019)

Holy icons

  • The Art of Seeing: Paradox and Perception in Orthodox Iconography – Fr Maximos Constas (Sebastian Press)