Orthodoxy

From one of the most important Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century comes a sweeping and accessible presentation of Orthodox Christian faith in its fullness.

Orthodoxy brings together foundational texts by John D. Zizioulas — Metropolitan of Pergamon in the Ecumenical Patriarchate — into a single, unified volume. Edited by Bishop Maxim Vasiljević and Professor Stavros Yangazoglou, the book distills a lifetime of theological reflection into three interconnected parts: The Orthodox Worldview, Orthodoxy in History, and Orthodoxy and the Modern World.

At the heart of the book stands a central conviction: that the Holy Trinity is not an abstract doctrine but the very source of all existence, and that the Church — understood as a community of communion (koinonia) — is the place where humanity recovers its true identity as persons made in the image of the Triune God. Zizioulas traces this vision through the Eucharist and the sacraments, through the witness of the Church Fathers, through the Great Schism and the history of East-West relations, and into the pressing questions of our own time: globalization, technology, secularization, and the future of ecumenical dialogue.

Drawing on the patristic tradition and decades of engagement with contemporary philosophy and theology, Zizioulas offers not a systematic textbook but a living theology — rooted in worship, shaped by community, and oriented toward the transfiguration of the human person.

This volume is for everyone who wants to understand Orthodox Christianity — whether you are encountering it for the first time, returning to the faith of your ancestors, or simply searching for answers to the deepest questions of human existence. No prior theological background is required.

Part of the Contemporary Christian Thought Series, No. 101. Published by Sebastian Press.

John D. Zizioulas (1931–2023), Metropolitan of Pergamon in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and one of the most influential Orthodox theologians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He studied theology in Athens and at Harvard, where he worked with Georges Florovsky, and later received his doctorate from the University of Athens. He taught systematic theology at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and served as visiting professor at Geneva, King’s College London, and the Gregorian University in Rome. A member of the Academy of Athens, he also played a leading role in international theological dialogue, particularly through the World Council of Churches. His major works—including Being as Communion, Communion and Otherness, and Remembering the Future—have had a lasting impact on contemporary theology, especially in the areas of ecclesiology and the theology of the person.