commentaries are more or less interesting, but I don't care for the translations of the texts, The Lenten Triodion Mother Mary amp Bishop Kallistos Ware is vastly better, The Anglican priest Hugh Wybrew has long been fascinated by Orthodox Christianity and is interested in giving Western Christians a better understanding of this littleknown tradition.
In Orthodox Lent, Holy Week and Easter, Wybrew describes the elaborate traditions of this crucial period of the year in Orthodoxy, and how it differs from the traditions Anglicans are familiar with.
Wybrew begins his work by tracing the development of a Lenten tradition through history and how this tradition was further elaborated in the Orthodox Church after the schism which sadly separated East and West.
The main part of the book is a discussion of each Sunday and occasionally weekdays of this period when Christians are called to remember certain themes during the Liturgy.
Salient extracts from Vespers and Matins are provided, and the historical context of the days is presented,
The book is, however, somewhat incomplete, For example, only small extracts are provided from the Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete and Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos instead of the complete texts.
Discussions of history, such as the debate over hesychasm and St Gregory Palamas' role, are too brief and insubstantial,
Still, the book is at least something to familiarise Westerners with the Orthodox calendar, As a catechumen in the Orthodox Church,
I was in need of a book to accompany me through my first Lent, Holy Week, and Eastern in the Church, and Wybrew's work was a good aid.
Those looking for a more substantial explanation of Orthodox liturgics for Anglicans are advised to pick up Wybrew's The Orthodox Liturgy as well.
As the death and resurrection of Jesus are central for the Christian faith, so Lent, Holy Week and Easter are central in the Christian calendar.
This book describes the observance of this season in the Orthodox Christian Tradition by presenting selected liturgical texts from the services of its most significant days.
Each day's material is set in its liturgical context and accompanied by a brief theological and spiritual commentary, A concise opening section outlines the development of this season in the Byzantine rite and its present patterns in the Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Lent, Holy Week and Easter introduces the reader to the richness of Orthodox liturgical prayer in this vital season, It provides Christians of all traditions with material for meditation and personal prayer, helping us all to become faithful disciples of the crucified and risen Christ.
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