Volume I — Doctrine and Scripture

The Orthodox Faith, Volume I — Doctrine and Scripture, By Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko.

The sources of Christian doctrine, the Symbol of Faith, the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Scriptures.

68 lessons, each followed by a five-question quiz. Score 80% or higher to open the next lesson; quizzes may be retaken as often as needed.

Preface

Some elders once visited Abba Anthony, and Abba Joseph was with
them. The elder mentioned a verse from Scripture, wishing to put them to
the test. He began to ask, starting with the least of them, what this
verse was about and each one began to speak according to his own
ability. But the elder said to each one: “You have not discovered it
yet.” Last of all he said to Abba Joseph: “You then, what do you say
this phrase is about?” “I do not know,” he replied—so Abba Anthony said:
“Because he said, ‘I do not know,’ Abba Joseph has indeed discovered the
way.”

During the last years of his life, the late Protopresbyter Thomas
Hopko was fond of carrying with him a copy of The Arena, by Saint
Ignatius Brianchaninov, and a print-out of the thirty-eight sayings of
Saint Anthony the Great from the Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert
Fathers, from which the above quotation is taken. Being himself
deeply rooted in the rich scriptural, patristic, and historical soil of
the Orthodox faith, Father Tom saw both texts as fundamental to the
Christian life. He knew through his own experience what Saint Anthony
was trying to convey to the elders that came to see him: that knowledge
of God is best attained, not through study and discourse—though these
have their place—but through the experience of living in Christ, which
requires great humility and great love.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the series The
Orthodox Faith, one of the earliest publications written by Father
Tom, the first volume of which came out in 1971. This deceptively
labeled “elementary handbook” on the Orthodox Church has been used by
thousands, from casual enquirers to catechumens to lifelong Church
members, as both a catechesis and basic reference tool on Orthodox
Christianity.

Yet the series has always been more than a simple set of reference
manuals, precisely because it is the fruit of the living faith and
understanding of tradition of its author, which give the work its sense
of immediacy and zeal. Over forty-five years after their first
appearance, these volumes continue to fulfill a dual purpose. First,
they provide a rich base of introductory information on many aspects of
Orthodoxy: Church doctrine and its development, Holy Scripture,
liturgical practices, the spiritual life, etc. But, beyond this, through
the rousing voice of Father Tom, they remind us that our life in the
Church—in Christ—means more than a vain repetition of ritual by a group
of individuals.

Writing about the Liturgy, Father Tom writes:

The Divine Liturgy is not an act of personal piety. It is not a
prayer service. It is not merely one of the sacraments. The Divine
Liturgy is the one common sacrament of the very being of the Church
itself. It is the one sacramental manifestation of the essence of the
Church as the Community of God in heaven and on earth. It is the one
unique sacramental revelation of the Church as the mystical Body and
Bride of Christ.

And so, it is more than fitting that these books be given an update
in design and content after so many years of faithful service. Father
Tom had plans to revise and update all four volumes of this series. But
alas, with his final illness and death in March, 2015, this was not to
be.

Significantly, however, Father Tom, working together with Dr. David
Ford of Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, was able to complete one important
piece of that plan, namely, a fully re-worked Church history volume. The
revised and expanded Volume 3: Church History of this series
contains the fruit of that labor, containing greatly enhanced coverage
of major events in the history of the Church, from the Church’s birth at
Pentecost through the arrival of Orthodoxy to the Americas in the
eighteenth century and into the early twenty-first. This new edition of
Church History also includes theological and historical
developments occurring in the West during the same periods.

Of course, in today’s digital era, there are more considerations to
take account of when updating content. These volumes will also be
available for download in digital formats.

My hope is that these volumes will continue to inspire those who have
made use of them over the years and will serve as an introduction to the
Orthodox Faith for a new generation of seekers and learners who are
willing to enter into the experience of God by following the example
provided by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko and his words.

†Tikhon

Archbishop of Washington

Metropolitan of All America and Canada