The author presents an introduction to the Chalcedonian Orthodox churches. Beginning with a summary of their history and modern organization (chapter 1), the author then discusses the reception of early Christian writings and practices (tradition, chapter 2), Trinitarian theology and Christology (chapter 3), the theology of suffering, soteriology, anthropology, Mariology, angels and saints, the problem of evil, and ecclesiology (chapter 4), sacramentology (chapter 5), church and state (chapter 6), and moral theology in the modern context (chapter 7). Accompanying this work is a select bibliography, a glossary of terms, and a brief index. The intended audience seems to be in-house, evidenced for example by the use of technical Greek terminology such as “Megalomartyr” where “Great Martyr” would suffice, and then the exclusion of this term and others from the glossary.

There are many elements of the author's presentation of readings of biblical and patristic texts that simply ignore the problems inherent in interpretation. For instance, the author's note (p. 267, n. 139) that “Sons of God” in the Bible (bnê ^elōhîm) refers to angels is stated as a fact. Better to see it as the reception of this phrase in Christian (and Jewish) theology; many biblical scholars argue (on very good evidence) that the “Sons of God” is the divine counsel of deities with whom Yahweh confers. However, from a confessional standpoint, the author does not betray the received understanding.

The role of the Bible in the Orthodox Church could also have been given more space. This is one area where critical scholarship has been received with greater alacrity among Orthodox theologians in recent years. The understanding of the origins of the Greek Bible (or Septuagint, the basis for all Chalcedonian Orthodox Old Testament Bible versions) and the various reception aspects of the New Testament in the early Church canon deserve at least a few paragraphs in this expansive work. To be sure, the author provides a discussion of how the Orthodox Church traditionally interpreted the Bible (102–109).

The main difference between this and earlier works such as Kallistos Ware's The Orthodox Church (New York: Penguin, 2004) is an expanded discussion of key elements of the major points of Orthodox theology (chapters 3–5), of the relationship between church and state historically and in the modern context (chapter 6), and of modern moral theology, covering issues such as bioethics, gender discrimination, and freedom (chapter 7). The large format of this work permits areas of central theology to be explored in greater detail than in any single previous introduction to the subject, supported by examples and citations drawn from patristic sources, later theologians, spiritual and ascetical treatises, and liturgical texts. In this sense, the reader is presented with a general introduction to the sources of theology in the Orthodox Church.

Look elsewhere for a critical view of Chalcedonian Orthodox theology and its self-concept of the origins of Christianity, reception and tradition histories, and relations with the West. The present volume is a confessional work that is addressed to an audience already versed with or sympathetic to the author's Christianity. As a normative work, it does not engage the debates among Orthodox theologians on key matters such as biblical interpretation, historical theology, and ecclesiology.

The treatment of the origins of Christianity and the weak attempt to engage the vast quantity of scholarship on the Traditionsgeschichte within the New Testament itself and with early Apocryphal texts is perhaps to be expected, but McGuckin's response is not exclusively “Orthodox.” One can imagine a Roman Catholic or conservative Protestant theologian arguing along similar lines (9–10). The author's historical treatment of the ecumenical councils is presented entirely from a reception-history standpoint, with no hint that one day some of the mountain of critical scholarship might have to be taken into account in an “official” church history. The origins of important features of this church such as bishops and monasticism are entirely lacking. The statement that monks were troublesome because at times they belonged to “dissident” groups, such as the Anti-Chalcedonians, is rather amusing, given that Chalcedonian Christianity was hardly accepted (or suppressed) in huge swaths of the Near East, such as Egypt, Armenia, and Mesopotamia. Could this have been a reaction in part to the hegemony of the very political and ecclesiastical system the author seems to defend? The comparisons with “The West” are more or less stock-in-trade for this genre of writing.

What is most disappointing about this skillfully crafted introduction is that it does not attempt to educate its audience on the cultural conditioning of its doctrinal development. Not a small quantity of work has been done by now on the study of Christianity in late antiquity. The veneration of icons, Christian anthropology, biblical exegesis, and the role of women in the church are all elements of the cultural and religious worlds of the Mediterranean and the Near East where Christianity first emerged. An engagement with these materials and perspectives could be a refreshing mark of distinction for this genre. Yet it would require a work of a different organization than the well-trodden one that McGuckin has adopted.

In a work of such broad scope, nevertheless much had to be left out. The discussion of ecumenism (chapter 7) is theologically accurate but does not reflect the actual on-the-ground engagement of the Orthodox Church. Little mention is given to dialogue with Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Especially the latter has been a major element of the effort of bishops in Lebanon, to name only one example, and remains important for many clerics in the Antiochian church (the jurisdiction of the Near East) to this day. A summary of the theory behind canon law, which is another area of active discussion among the Chalcedonian Orthodox, especially in the West, would have been helpful. One might quibble that the author has not done enough to present some of the later theological material, particularly from Symeon the New Theologian and especially Gregory Palamas, whose corpus is barely cited in the book but who is venerated as an important Orthodox theologian on the first Sunday of Great Lent.

In sum, the author provides an expanded presentation of Orthodox theology that deviates little in scope or plan from other introductions. As a handbook for what would be considered the traditional Orthodox position on matters of Christian belief, thought, and praxis, it is reliable, with relatively few omissions, and well written.

The absurd price, $149.95 cloth, will guarantee that this work remains in obscurity, which is a shame. One awaits the paperback edition and an end to this outdated business model of academic publishing.