It has come to my attention that people have been confused by our past calls for membership all the while there is nothing concrete by way of that membership.  One person asked me what it even meant to acknowledge that he/she would like to be considered a member.  This is a fair response and so I thought I would speak to this concern.

First and foremost, please accept our apologies here at SOCHA.  It has taken us longer to develop some aspects of SOCHA than we had initially anticipated.  In large part, this is because we have limited funds and also time constraints as well.  Our requests for “membership” in the past have been to help us get a sense of how many people would actually be willing to become due paying members in time.  This information has been helpful to us in our strategic planning.

Secondly, here are some things that we anticipate for the future.  We intend to have SOCHA legally incorporated.  This necessary step will enable us to collect funds.  Once that is done, we will determine what sort of benefit to members could come from our partner journal, the Journal of American Orthodox Church History (JAOCH), published by Prairie Parish Press (http://prairieparishpress.com).  Future members will either receive a discount on the journal or receive it as part of their membership in SOCHA.  We will also explore the possibility of providing SOCHA members with a discounted registration for our symposia.

Another future project will be an online database of searchable primary sources.  That will take quite some time to develop, and we are still debating whether this will be free or available to members only via a password, but we hope that some year down the road, this will come to fruition.  Regardless of how we structure this, monies from future membership will help fund this.

In the very long run, we also hope that membership monies will help fund research grants (modest in size).  Obviously, all of this takes time to develop and we ask for your patience.  It is our hope and prayer that SOCHA will continue to be a beneficial presence to anyone interested in Orthodox Christian history and thought and we assure you that we are doing the best we can.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Oliver

Last Friday, the excellent Eastern Christian Books blog posted an interview with Fr. Oliver Herbel, Executive Director of SOCHA. While Fr. Oliver touches on his work in American Orthodox history, the focus of the interview is on his recent book on St. Sarapion of Thmuis. Here’s a snippet:

I first learned of St. Sarapion in a liturgical theology class at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.  His euchologion, or collection of prayers, has been studied and I was intrigued by them.  For example, in the Eucharist and at Baptism, rather than praying for the Holy Spirit’s descent, the Word of God was asked to descend.  I looked into him a little more and learned that St. Antony the Great willed one of his two cloaks to Sarapion.  The other he had willed to St. Athanasios the Great.  St. Athanasios’ letters to a “Sarapion” were, in fact, written to this same Sarapion and this led me to research whether any of Sarapion’s own writings were still extant.  Some are: two complete letters, a treatise against Manichaeans, and a letter partially preserved, written to Antony’s disciples.

The whole interview is really well done, and anyone interested in early Christianity and the Church Fathers should take a few minutes to check it out. CLICK HERE to read it.

Fr. Oliver Herbel, Executive Director of SOCHA

Fr. Oliver Herbel, Executive Director of the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas, has a newly published work, Sarapion of Thmuis: Against the Manicheans and Pastoral Letters. The book is published by St. Paul’s Publications in conjunction with the Centre for Early Christian Studies in Australia. Here’s the official blurb:

Although St. Anthony the Great, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, and the Desert Fathers have received considerable attention in early Christian studies, St. Sarapion of Thmuis has remained in relative obscurity. This book introduces the thought of this early Egyptian monastic bishop, highlighting the importance of both Sarapion’s biblical hermeneutics and his utilization of Stoic philosophy. It includes an argument for Sarapion’s authorship of the Letter to the Monks as well as translations of Sarapion’s three extant writings: Letter to Bishop Eudoxios, Letter to the Monks, and Against the Manichaeans.

To order a copy directly from the Centre, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page. The book will also be available through the incomparable Eighth Day Books of Wichita, Kansas, and SOCHA readers are encouraged to order a copy from that fine bookseller.

WHAT’S NEW AT SOCHA?

• On September 30-October 1, SOCHA held its first symposium at Princeton Theological Seminary. Many thanks to Princeton’s Florovsky Society (and especially Seraphim Danckaert), which organized the event, and to all who participated. It was a major moment for SOCHA, and we can’t wait to do it again.
• Immediately after the symposium, SOCHA added a fourth director, Aram G. Sarkisian. For more on Aram, click here.
• Don’t forget to pick up a digital copy of the inaugural issue of our journal, the Journal of American Orthodox Church History. Copies are available for $10 from the Prairie Parish Press website. To learn more about the contents of the journal, click here.
• One of our authors here at OH.org, Nicholas Chapman, was recently featured in a fantastic interview with the journal Road to Emmaus. He discusses his latest discoveries about the origins of Orthodoxy in America. This is a must-read for anyone interested in American Orthodox history. We’ll be publishing an excerpt, along with ordering information, very soon.
• The ongoing research projects here at SOCHA include investigations into Fr. Raphael Morgan (the first black Orthodox priest in America) and the martyrdom of St. Peter the Aleut. In recent articles, we’ve published new information on both of those stories. Click here to read the latest discovery involving Morgan, and click here to read a preliminary translation of the original martyrdom account of St. Peter.

IN THE NEWS:

• At long last, the Greek Archdiocese has succeded in getting permission from the government to rebuild St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, which was destroyed when the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001
• The OCA’s All-American Council will take place in Seattle from October 31 to November 4, and they’ve planned two excursions to historic Seattle Orthodox churches on October 30. The first trip will go to Holy Trinity in Wilkeson, WA (one of the oldest Orthodox buildings in America, built in 1896). The second will visit St. Spiridon Cathedral (OCA, founded 1895) and St. Nicholas Cathedral (ROCOR, founded 1932). At St. Nicholas, visitors will visit the upstairs room where St. John Maximovitch died in 1966. Each excursion costs $50 per person. If any of our readers attend and take photos, we’d love to publish them here at OH.org. For details on these excursions, click here.
• Parish anniversaries: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Augusta, GA (100th anniversary). St. George Romanian Orthodox Church in Canton, OH (100th anniversary). Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church (OCA) in Merrillville (formerly Gary), IN (100th anniversary). St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in East Chicago, IL (100th anniversary). Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church (OCA) in Meriden, CT (100th anniversary). St. Seraphim Orthodox Church (OCA) in Santa Rosa, CA (75th anniversary).

Matthew Namee, Editor

We’ll have more on our recent Princeton symposium soon, but before that, a special announcement: Immediately following the symposium, SOCHA added a fourth director to its executive board — Aram Sarkisian, whose work has already been featured on OrthodoxHistory.org. Aram is a member of the Armenian Church, and his grandfather was a longtime priest in the OCA. Here is Aram’s bio, which appears on our “Administration” page:

Aram G. Sarkisian is an independent researcher based in the Detroit area. He is a 2008 graduate of the University of Michigan, holding a BA from the Center for Russian and East European Studies, and a 2011 graduate of the University of Chicago, holding an MA in Social Sciences. He hopes to begin his doctoral work in 2012.

Aram’s primary research interest is Russian Orthodox Christianity in early 20th century America, focusing on issues of language, immigration, the intersection of ethnic and religious identity, and the impact of secular political and social movements on religious institutions.

He has also conducted research and written on topics concerning the Armenian Orthodox Church, including “And Always in Their Church: A Survey of English Translations of the Divine Liturgy in the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church,” published in Orientalia et Occidentalia, Vol. 8, published by the Michael Lacko Centre for East-West Spirituality (Kosice, Slovakia, 2010).

We’re very pleased to welcome Aram on board, and we look forward to his future contributions.

This evening begins “Pilgrims and Pioneers: The Growth of Orthodox Christianity in 20th Century America,” a conference taking place at Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary from September 30 to October 1, 2011. Tonight’s event, a panel discussion, is free and open to the public.

Some of the figures whose lives and ministries will be discussed during the conference include St Tikhon Bellavin, St Raphael Hawaweeny, St Nikolai Velimirovich, St Alexis Toth, Fr Theoclitos Triantafilides, Archbishop Iakovos Koukouzis, Fr Georges Florovsky, Fr Alexander Schmemann, and Fr John Meyendorff.

More information is available on the conference website.

If you have any questions, please contact the Fr Georges Florovsky Orthodox Christian Theological Society of Princeton University at florov@princeton.edu.

See you there!

A quick note to our readers: Last week, Bobby Maddex of Ancient Faith Radio interviewed me about SOCHA’s latest developments, especially the journal and the upcoming symposium. Click here to listen to the interview.

Matthew Namee

Last week, we introduced the first issue of the Journal of American Orthodox Church History (JAOCH), which is available from Prairie Parish Press (PPP). In addition to publishing JAOCH, PPP has begun producing a “Collected Works Series,” featuring the writings of important Eastern Christian figures, with a special emphasis on American authors. The first book in the series is a collection of Nicholas Bjerring’s writings (appropriately titled Nicholas Bjerring: The Collected Works). The e-book is edited by Fr. Oliver Herbel, who has spent years researching Bjerring.

Regular OrthodoxHistory.org readers are probably familiar with Bjerring, a Roman Catholic who converted to Orthodoxy in 1870, was ordained a priest in Russia, and established the first Orthodox chapel in New York City. Bjerring published an English-language Orthodox journal and acted as a sort of embassy priest until 1883, when the Russian government closed the chapel. Rather than accept a teaching position in St. Petersburg, the discouraged Bjerring converted to Presbyterianism before ultimately returning to Roman Catholicism shortly before his death.

Nicholas Bjerring: The Collected Works opens with an introduction by Fr. Oliver, who provides an 11-page biographical sketch of the man. This is followed by two letters by Bjerring in 1870 — one to Pope Pius IX in which Bjerring denounces the dogma of papal infallibility and informs the Pope that he will become Orthodox, and the other to the Russian Holy Synod in which he requests reception into the Orthodox Church. Next come four of Bjerring’s best sermons, all from his days as an Orthodox priest. My favorite, I think, is his 1873 Sermon on Unbelief and Indifference. The last two pieces were written at the end of Bjerring’s life, when he was a Roman Catholic layman, and they are essential in understanding how the once anti-papal Bjerring came to be convinced that Rome was, in fact, his true home.

All told, if you have any interest in Bjerring, 19th century Orthodoxy, or early American Orthodox converts, this book is a must-have. The introductory price is a mere $1.00, and is available until September 1. After that, the price will go up a bit, although it will remain very affordable. I hope you’ll consider buying a copy.

And in case you missed it, here’s a link.

This article was written by Matthew Namee.

Earlier today, we posted a press release announcing the publication of the first issue of SOCHA’s peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of American Orthodox Church History (JAOCH). This has been in the works for a long time, and I’m really excited that it’s here. The table of contents is available here, but I thought I’d briefly discuss some of what you’ll learn if you buy the journal.

• Back in 2009, I gave a paper called “The Myth of Past Unity” at a St. Vladimir’s Seminary conference. It’s gotten a fair amount of attention, and some people took issue with my conclusion — that there was not a single, unified American Orthodox Church prior to the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution (or, if you prefer the 1921 incorporation of the Greek Archdiocese). Anyway, over the past couple of years I’ve been asked many times if (or when) that paper would be published. It’s here in JAOCH, beginning on page 2.
• The second main article in the journal is by Fr. Oliver Herbel and discusses the work of Fr. Boris Burden, one of the most influential convert clergymen in American Orthodox history. Burden, and his longtime (and better-known) associate Fr. Michael Gelsinger, were behind multiple attempts to bring together the various American Orthodox jurisdictions. As far as I know, this is the first substantial scholarly treatment of Burden’s efforts.
• Fr. John Erickson is the foremost historian of American Orthodoxy, and we are very fortunate to have a major contribution from him in the first issue of JAOCH. His paper, “Slavophile Thought and Conceptions of Mission in the Russian North American Archdiocese, Late 19th-Early 20th Century,” provides an essential framework for understanding the sometimes-mythical Russian Mission in North America. This is the era of Tikhon and Platon, Hapgood and Hawaweeny, and Fr. John’s paper helps us better understand the ideas that shaped that period.
• Next, the journal features a 1967 article by ROCOR author Fr. Constantine Zaitsev, translated into English by Evgueni Kadossov. This is a remarkable text. It proposes the idea of America as a sort of “Fourth Rome.” You have to read the article, and Dr. Kadossov’s introduction, to really grasp the concept, but it’s a fascinating argument, and a wonderful contribution to JAOCH.
• Finally, the journal features two book reviews, one by Fr. Oliver and the other by Amy Slagle. Fr. Oliver reviewed Fr. John McGuckin’s ambitious Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and Dr. Slagle wrote about a biography of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel, an important French Orthodox theologian who died in 2005. She taught at the famed St. Sergius Institute in Paris, which had such an influence on American Orthodoxy (by way of figures like Schmemann and Meyendorff).

The journal runs 98 pages and costs $10. There’s some really groundbreaking material in there, and I hope all the readers of OrthodoxHistory.org will get a copy. (Oh, and in case you missed it, here’s a link to purchase the journal.)

This article was written by Matthew Namee.

August 16, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Journal of American Orthodox Church History

The Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas (SOCHA) is pleased to announce a new, affiliated academic publication, the Journal of American Orthodox Church History (JAOCH).  JAOCH is peer reviewed by established scholars within the field and published electronically.  JAOCH is published annually and consists of articles, book reviews, and translations of historically significant texts. 

—Future articles will be developed from the upcoming history symposium at Princeton Theological Seminary. 

—Submissions are also encouraged.

The journal is available through Prairie Parish Press and the cost is $10 per issue.  More information, including the table of contents and an introduction to the first issue, may be found on the website of Prairie Parish Press. You can also find PPP on Facebook.

This is the second issue of our SOCHA newsletter, first introduced last month. If you know of anything we should include in the next issue, or to offer any other feedback about the newsletter, please email me at mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com.

WHAT’S NEW AT SOCHA?

• Today, August 15, is the last day to get the early-bird discount on your registration fee for the upcoming SOCHA symposium at Princeton. The symposium takes place on August 30 and September 1. For more information, see the symposium’s web page or send an email to florov@princeton.edu.
• The first issue of the Journal of American Orthodox Church History (JAOCH) will be launched THIS WEEK. The cost is $10. We’ll have lots more information in the coming days, so stay tuned.
• Things have been rather slow lately here at OrthodoxHistory.org, and for that, I apologize. A brief update on my personal research: As many of you know, my recent studies have been focused on Orthodoxy and the US civil courts. I’ve completed an initial paper on the subject. First, I review the history and existing rules used by courts. I then dissect those rules and (attempt to) demostrate why they don’t work, either constitutionally or in practical application to Orthodox cases. Finally, I propose an alternative approach which (so I argue) avoids the constitutional problems and also works better for the Orthodox Church. I’ll be presenting a short version of my paper at the upcoming SOCHA symposium, although (1) I may focus on the history and current rules rather than my proposed alternative, and (2) I won’t actually be presenting the paper in person. Unfortunately, circumstances prevent me from attending the symposium, so I’ll have a friend present the paper on my behalf. In addition to that short paper, I plan to submit my longer paper to a scholarly legal journal. So, yeah — that’s what I’ve been up to in terms of historical research.

IN THE NEWS:

• In last month’s newsletter, I mentioned the plight of Holy Protection OCA Cathedral in New York City. The cathedral community is in a fight with the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, which is trying to have the cathedral declared a historic landmark against the wishes of the cathedral itself and its diocesan bishop. If the Commission is successful, the cathedral will be forced to get government approval for any changes to the church exterior (anything from replacing a broken window to adding an onion dome). They may also be forced to make “improvements” deemed appropriate by the city. This is an unacceptable infringement on the religious freedom of the cathedral community in the name of “historic preservation.” As I said last month, I’m (obviously) a huge supporter of preserving history, and so are the folks at the cathedral, but we don’t need the government telling us how to do it. Here is an update from Fr. Christopher Calin, dean of the cathedral: “The Community Board #3 voted 32 to 9 to endorse the Landmark District which would include our Cathedral and other houses of worship in the EV [East Village]. We are currently working with a Local Faith Communities group to find alternatives to the forced landmarking of our buildings and have a meeting scheduled for 9/12 with the Commissioner of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Tierney. There is support to NOT designate religious institutions as individual landmarks, but the well-funded and staffed preservationists are lobbying the LPC and city council members very hard.” We at SOCHA strongly and officially support the cathedral in its efforts to resist the coerced landmarking. In a future article, we’ll let you know how you can help.
• On August 31, 1963, a major gathering of thousands of Orthodox young people took place in Pittsburgh. It’s an event that we should eventually discuss here at OrthodoxHistory.org. The Orthodox Christian Laity organization (OCL) is looking for video of that event. Here’s a statement from OCL’s executive director, George Matsoukas: “Since December 2010, we have conducted a search that includes contacting most Archdioceses and various dioceses of all Orthodox Jurisdictions, individual hierarchs, clergy, laity and various archives, as well as CBS, looking for the 1963 ‘Lamp Unto My Feet’ Documentary of the CEOYLA Pittsburgh Festival. If you know anyone who has it, please contact me via ocladmin@ocl.org. We want to keep the memory alive of this great event. It is a shame that somehow the video tapes have disappeared. Thank you for your consideration.”
• A Russian expedition to Alaska began on July 16 and continues through the end of this month. From the article: ”During the expedition its participants will be collecting ethnographic material, writing an academic diary, questioning local people and describing the land.” The plan is to make a film and a school manual about Alaska for Russian students.
• Speaking of Alaska, on July 15 in Moscow, an event was held to mark the 270th anniversary of discovery of “Russian America.”
• On September 9-10, St. Theodosius OCA Cathedral in Cleveland will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its construction. The cathedral was founded in 1896, making it one of the oldest Orthodox parishes in the United States, and the current temple was built in 1911.
• Another centennial was celebrated in South Bend, Indiana, where Ss. Peter and Paul Serbian Orthodox Church was founded in 1911.
• The Secretariat of our Assembly of Bishops has begun a series of interviews with the hierarchs of the Assembly. The first five interviews, conducted by Fr. Josiah Trenham, are available on the Assembly website. Eventually, there will be interviews with every active Orthodox bishop in America. Over at the respected Orthodox blog Byzantine, Texas, the author had this reaction to the interviews: “Having listened to some of these talks, let me say they are not fluff. Fr. Josiah Trenham asks direct, probing questions and the bishops answer with great candor.”

NOTABLE LINKS:

• A video in memory of Fr. John Meyendorff was recently produced and is available on YouTube. Meyendorff, a longtime professor and former dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, died in 1992. He was one of the most influential theological writers in American Orthodoxy. To learn more, see this article from the St. Vladimir’s website.

 Matthew Namee, Editor

For Immediate Release

Registration Discount for Orthodox Conference at Princeton About to Expire

There are still a few days left to register at the early-bird rate for “Pilgrims and Pioneers: The Growth of Orthodox Christianity in 20th Century America,” a conference taking place at Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary from September 30 to October 1, 2011.

Some of the figures whose lives and ministries will be discussed during the conference include  St Tikhon Bellavin, St Raphael Hawaweeny, St Nikolai Velimirovich, St Alexis Toth, Fr Theoclitos Triantafilides, Archbishop Iakovos Koukouzis, Fr Georges Florovsky, Fr Alexander Schmemann, and Fr John Meyendorff.

More information is available on the conference’s website: http://www.princeton.edu/~florov/orthodox_history_symposium.html

Early-bird registration expires on August 15, so please register today — and encourage others to do likewise!

If you have any questions, please contact the Fr Georges Florovsky Orthodox Christian Theological Society of Princeton University at florov@princeton.edu.

My apologies for the lack of new material lately. All of us at SOCHA have been busy with various projects and obligations (to say nothing of our families and parishes). Personally, I am devoting a lot of my energy to my paper on Orthodoxy in the U.S. civil courts, which I need to finish by August 10. We’ll get some new articles posted as soon as possible, though. Thanks for your patience.

Matthew Namee

A few weeks ago, I tested a new OH.org feature, “Friday Links.” The response was generally positive, but the idea has evolved a bit since then. Instead of merely posting links on each (or every other) Friday, we’re going to begin offering a SOCHA newsletter.

At the outset, I’m planning to do this on a monthly basis, but depending on how things go, it may be more often than that. Also, once I can figure out the technical side of it, the plan is both to post the newsletter as a regular article at OH.org and to send it, by email, to anyone who wants a copy. The idea here is that we post quite a lot of material on our website, and not all of our readers check it every day (or even every week). By getting a regular email, readers who forget to check the site can catch up on the highlights of the past month. But as I said, I still need to figure out how to get that set up; for now, the newsletter will just be here on the website.

This is kind of new and inevitably will evolve (and hopefully improve) over time. As always, ideas/suggestions/etc. can be sent to me at mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com.

WHAT’S NEW AT SOCHA?

• I’ve revived my American Orthodox History podcast at Ancient Faith Radio. Click here for details, and here to listen to the latest episode.
• Nicholas Chapman, who uncovered the lost story of Orthodoxy in colonial Virginia, has made yet another remarkable discovery: an Orthodox Christian fired the first shot in the Civil War!
• Our first-ever SOCHA symposium at Princeton is fast approaching. The dates are September 30-October 1 (Friday-Saturday). As you can imagine, we’re pretty excited about this, and I can say in all honesty that it’s shaping up to be a phenomenal event. One of the coolest aspects of the symposium is that it’s bringing together professional scholars and “amateurs,” and people from all over American Orthodoxy. Check out the list of short papers to get a feel for the kind of diversity I’m talking about. And lest anyone think I’m patting myself on the back, please know that I had nothing to do with planning the symposium — that was primarily the work of SOCHA executive director Fr. Oliver Herbel and Princeton’s Seraphim Danckaert. I hope as many readers as possible will attend!

IN THE NEWS:

• The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is trying to have a 15-block section of the city’s East Village declared a historic district. This area includes the OCA’s Holy Protection Cathedral, which was built in 1891 and acquired by the OCA in 1943. It housed the OCA administration until the jurisdiction acquired its present headquarters in Syosset, NY. The Holy Protection parish community is opposing the proposed designation, arguing that “the congregation could not afford to meet standards that landmark designation would impose on repairs and maintenance of the 110-year-old house of worship.” I’m very sympathetic to those concerns. Certainly, as a historian, I love the concept of preserving artifacts and buildings from our past. But preserving history and Historic Preservation aren’t one and the same. The latter involves government-imposed “historic preservation” designations, and while these may seem an attractive way to preserve a venerable building, the practical results can be unjust. Here, the Holy Protection community would be legally obligated to spend more money than it can afford in maintaining the building, not just as a working church, but as a historical landmark. And it would have to go through the government’s historic preservation bureaucracy to make changes to the building in the future. All things considered, Holy Protection is best off preserving its own history without having the government get involved.
• Another New York Orthodox parish has been having some issues with the government and its church building: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which stood next to the Twin Towers and was destroyed on September 11, 2001, has been negotiating for years with New York’s Port Authority to obtain permission to rebuild. Recently, the Greek-American group AHEPA held a rally calling for the rebuilding of the church.
• William Kobasz of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Perth Amboy, NJ recently published a history of the church’s bells. The bells are over 100 years old and originally cost $1,734 to cast (equivalent to over $40,000 today). Proceeds from Kobasz’s book will fund the upkeep of the bells.
• The examiner.com website published a history of St. Andrew Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR) of St. Petersburg, FL. The parish was founded in 1948.

NOTABLE LINKS:

• The OCA has launched its redesigned website, which includes a nicer-looking section for its Department of History and Archives. I can’t actually tell if there’s new historical material, though. We can only hope that the OCA (and the other jurisdictions) will someday get around to digitizing their vast archives and sharing them with the rest of the world.
• On the other hand, if you want some good digital sources, check out the publications of AARDM Press that are now available online. In addition to loads of Russian sources that are begging to be translated (including documents on St. Alexander Hotovitzky), they’ve got tons of English-language collections of St. Alexis Toth’s writings, as well as Bishop Nestor Zakkis (or Zass, the Russian bishop of Alaska from 1879-82). AARDM is just a tiny little publishing house in Minnesota, and it’s nearly impossible to find these materials for sale, so having them available online is especially exciting.

Matthew Namee, Editor

Two years ago today, June 19, 2009, we launched OrthodoxHistory.org with a post entitled, “Real Church. Real History.” I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working on this website in the 24 months since then, and I’m very grateful for the contributions of our other authors: Fr. Oliver Herbel, Fr. Andrew Damick, Dn. Matthew Francis, Dr. William Samonides, Nicholas Chapman, and Aram Sarkisian, as well as the various guest authors we’ve featured over the years.

I’m especially thrilled that SOCHA has continued to grow and develop. If you can, I’d encourage you to attend our first-ever symposium, which is right around the corner. And be on the lookout for the first issue of our peer-reviewed journal, which will be published soon.

Most of all, thanks to all of our readers, without whom SOCHA and OrthodoxHistory.org would not exist.

Matthew Namee

Thus far, on the third Thursday of each month this year, I have written a post concerning Orthodoxy and higher education in America.  I conclude this half-year mini-series by announcing that the authors and titles of the papers to be delivered at this fall’s symposium are now online.  In addition to the four keynote presentations, we will have fourteen other papers:

http://www.princeton.edu/~florov/history_shortpapers.html

The topics, institutions represented, and authors speaking are all diverse in a most intriguing way and a testament to the breadth of American Orthodox history.  I am very truly thankful to Seraphim Dankaert at Princeton Theological Seminary and to all the scholars who submitted abstracts for this year’s event.  It is my hope and prayer that this will become a regular gathering for SOCHA and all who may be interested in American Orthodox history.

The newly-published Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Churches, edited by Alexei Krindatch, is now available for purchase via Holy Cross Bookstore. The price is $19.95. SOCHA advisory board member and renowned historian Fr. John Erickson authored a history of American Orthodoxy, and I contributed the historical census data, an article on ten interesting facts about American Orthodoxy history, a timeline of Orthodoxy in America, and the entry for the Antiochian Archdiocese. I’m kind of biased, but I think it’s fair to say that this book is a must-have for anyone interested in American Orthodoxy — past or present.

I hope to publish more on the Atlas here at OH.org, including, hopefully, a critical review by an independent reviewer. In the meantime, click here to see exercpted pages from the Atlas, and click here to order your copy.

Matthew Namee

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, one of the Associate Directors of the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas, has a newly published work from Conciliar Press, Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Exploring Belief Systems Through the Lens of the Ancient Christian Faith.

While the work does not pertain explicitly to the history of Orthodoxy in the Americas, it does contain some general Orthodox history, as well as history of many Christian denominations and world religions. Its focus is on comparing Orthodox Christianity with other Christian religious groups and also non-Christian religions.

Here’s the official blurb from Conciliar Press: Are you an Orthodox Christian who wonders how to explain to your Baptist grandmother, your Buddhist neighbor, or the Jehovah’s Witness at your door how your faith differs from theirs? Or are you a member of another faith who is curious what Orthodoxy is all about? Look no further. In Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick covers the gamut of ancient heresies, modern Christian denominations, fringe groups, and major world religions, highlighting the main points of each faith. This book is an invaluable reference for anyone who wants to understand the faiths of those they come in contact with—as well as their own.

The work is available both from Conciliar Press and also Amazon.com.

Just a quick note to our readers to apologize for the lack of new material recently. As it happens, all of our regular writers are very busy with other obligations. Personally, besides the usual demands on my time, I’m gearing up for law school final exams. And with Holy Week right around the corner as well, it might be May before we get back into a more regular publishing schedule. Please accept my apologies.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday this weekend!

Sincerely,
Matthew Namee, Editor