The resurrection from death is a strong component of the Christian faith, which the Nicene Creed, affirms stating: "We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come." The early Christian writers Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, in the second century, wrote against the widespread idea of their time that only the soul survived. In like manner, we have this later writing of St. Gregory of Nyssa (335-395 AD) which clearly articulates the position that a person is both soul and body and that Christ has promised to raise them both.

In this classic book, John of Damascus laboured to form one complete, clear, and brief theological work that would summarize all Christian doctrine that had been passed down and agreed upon. The following was said of the book: The result was an inexhaustible storehouse of tradition in which nothing is to be found that has not been either approved by the ecumenical synods or by the established leaders of the Church.

St. Gregory of Nyssa (AD 335 - 395), the great theologian and bishop of Nyssa, turned his considerable skill to finishing the work that his brother St. Basil the Great had started on the creation of the world (the Hexaemeron). The result is this book, which examines how humans are formed as a "mean between the divine and brute beasts".

St. Cyril's (313 - 386 AD) famous 23 lectures were delivered to the catechumens in Jerusalem who were being prepared for baptism. They are best considered in two parts. The first 18 are known as the catechetical lectures or Homilies, while the rest are often called the mystagogic catecheses, since they deal with the mysteries: the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist.

This book was written in Latin by Augustine of Hippo (354 - 430) to discuss the Trinity in relation to God the Word (logos). Even though it is not as well known as some of his other writings, it is considered by many to be his masterpiece and of more doctrinal importance than either the Confessions or the City of God. St. Augustine is considered a saint in the Catholic Churches, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. He is ranked among the doctors of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church.

Saint Anthony of Egypt was a pioneer of the monastic tradition, who inspired the establishment of Christian monastic orders in Europe and beyond. An important event in St. Anthony's life was his encounter with demonic forces in the desert. This occurrence has been covered extensively in art and literature.

These are the words or sayings (Apophthegmata), of various monks (the abbas, i.e. fathers) who lived in the deserts of Egypt between 250 A.D. and 400 A.D. They cover topics such as love, poverty, fasting, humility, and prayer, and there is usually a short story that gives the context of the sayings. These sayings are one of the few surviving records of the first monks such as St. Anthony the Great and St. Pachomius, who followed a strict way of life. Their sole aim was to draw closer to God through their labours.

Christian tradition often seems to give only grudging approval to married life, particularly its sexual aspect. In these sermons of St John Chrysostom, we find an important corrective to this view.

This audiobook has been made for three purposes. First, to provide the Orthodox listener with a competent overview of the history of Protestantism and its major traditions, from its beginnings in the 16th century to the present day. Second, to acquaint Orthodox and non-Orthodox listeners with a narrative of the historical relations between the Orthodox East and the Protestant West. Finally, to provide a summary of Orthodox theological opinion on the tenets of Protestantism.

Macarius was born in Upper Egypt around AD 300. As a young man, he was a saltpeter smuggler and became familiar with the desert. He was known for his wisdom and was called "old young man" by his friends. While in the desert, he visited Anthony the Great and learned monasticism from him. After he left, around the age of 40, he returned to his former desert and governed a monastic community there for the rest of his life. St. Macarius is venerated in all Christian denominations, and his spiritual homilies have always been held in high regard throughout the ages.

This commentary on Galatians was compiled from six homilies given by St. John Chrysostom (347 - 407), the great preacher of Constantinople, providing a detailed verse by verse study of this important letter by the apostle St. Paul. The epistle is the ninth book in the New Testament and is addressed to the Christians in Galatia, a region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). In the letter, St. Paul addresses the controversy of the Mosaic law and how it applies to non-Jewish Christians. It is also notable for recording the controversy between Paul and Peter over "Judaizers".

The City of God is one of the most important works of Christian history and philosophy ever written. The writings of St. Augustine are as intriguing to the casual reader as it is to Christian researchers. St. Augustine's work provides insight into Western thought and the development of Western civilizations. The City of God provides the reader with an artful contrast between earthy cities and those in heaven as a representation of the eternal struggle between good and evil. The City of God was originally penned in the early 5th century as a response to the prevalent belief that Christianity was to blame for the fall of Rome. St. Augustine is known as one of the most influential Fathers of the Catholic Church. Born November 13, 354, Augustine would eventually be recognized as a Saint by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Christian Church, and the Anglican Communion.

One of the great early Christian writings of the second century, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching is a book all true believers can learn from. In writing to his friend, Irenaeus unfolds the Christian faith by quoting extensively from the Old Testament.

The author of this work identifies himself as Dionysios the Areopagite, the Athenian convert of St. Paul the Apostle mentioned in Acts 17:34. There are various legends surrounding the figure of Dionysius, who became a symbol of the spread of the gospel to the Greek world. A tradition quickly arose that he was the first bishop of Cyprus or of Milan, and that he authored the Epistle to the Hebrews. According to Eusebius, he was the first bishop of Athens.

The audiobook version of this book on an approach to the world and life within it stems from the liturgical experience of the Orthodox Church. The author understands issues such as secularism and Christian culture from the perspective of the unbroken experience of the Church, as revealed and communicated in her worship, in her liturgy—the sacrament of the world, the sacrament of the Kingdom.

The Apostolic Fathers are the Christian writers from the first and second centuries who are thought to have been disciples of the Apostles or to have been so directly influenced by the Apostles that their writings are considered echoes of genuine Apostolic teaching. Their writings form a link of tradition that binds these writings to those of the New Testament. Chief among the apostolic fathers are the three first-century Bishops: St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Polycarp of Smyrna, who were disciples of St. Peter and St. John.

By any standard, this is a classic of Christian theology. Composed by St. Athanasius in the fourth century, it expounds with simplicity the theological vision defended at the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople: that the Son of God himself became "fully human, so that we might become god."

Origen (c. 185-c. 253) was the most influential Christian theologian before Augustine, the founder of Biblical study as a serious discipline in the Christian tradition, and a figure with immense influence on the development of Christian spirituality. This volume presents a comprehensive and accessible insight into Origen's life and writings, written and compiled by Joseph W. Trigg, a leading Origen authority. An introduction analyzes the principal influences that formed him as a Christian and as a thinker.

The seven works in this volume (some translated for the first time) explore the great human mystery of death and the promise of eternal life. They present—along with On the Soul and the Resurrection (PPS 12)—a vision that is consistent, philosophically profound, and characteristic of Gregory’s wider theology.

Christian tradition often seems to give only grudging approval to married life, particularly its sexual aspect. In these sermons of St John Chrysostom, we find an important corrective to this view.

In this classic book, John of Damascus laboured to form one complete, clear, and brief theological work that would summarize all Christian doctrine that had been passed down and agreed upon. The following was said of the book: The result was an inexhaustible storehouse of tradition in which nothing is to be found that has not been either approved by the ecumenical synods or by the established leaders of the Church.

St. Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyon, France, wrote Against Heresies in 180 AD. It is a collected work made up of five books, in which Irenaeus examines the many schools of Gnostic thought of his day, in addition to various heretical Christian sects. He contrasts these with the orthodoxy of Christianity. This version of the work contains the first three books, which, before the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library, were the best surviving description of Gnosticism.

Nothing except the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a greater miracle or wonder in human history. God becoming flesh in human history is the greatest marvel. Jesus of Nazareth was foretold in the Torah and the Prophets centuries before his appearance, and he was proved to be real and not a pretender due to his death and Resurrection. The early church grappled with all of this intellectually.

Considered by many to be the final and crowning work of the patristic age, St John of Damascus’ On the Orthodox Faith addresses all the major areas of Christian belief: Trinitarian theology, Christology, soteriology, the sacraments, the veneration of icons, saints, relics, and much more.

The resurrection from death is a strong component of the Christian faith, which the Nicene Creed, affirms stating: "We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come." The early Christian writers Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, in the second century, wrote against the widespread idea of their time that only the soul survived. In like manner, we have this later writing of St. Gregory of Nyssa (335-395 AD) which clearly articulates the position that a person is both soul and body and that Christ has promised to raise them both.

The Orthodox priest Father Spyridon invites us to confront the reality of our death and through the ancient faith of the Church find hope. Only when we have a true perspective on our death can we begin to live out our true purpose. By dispelling many myths that exist in the West about purgatory, judgement, heaven and hell, the rapture, angels, the soul and many more he reveals a path free from fear. In a book of deep spiritual reflection Father Spyridon manages to convey a robust and practical realism while dealing with profound theological truths.

This audiobook has been made for three purposes. First, to provide the Orthodox listener with a competent overview of the history of Protestantism and its major traditions, from its beginnings in the 16th century to the present day. Second, to acquaint Orthodox and non-Orthodox listeners with a narrative of the historical relations between the Orthodox East and the Protestant West. Finally, to provide a summary of Orthodox theological opinion on the tenets of Protestantism.

The Chapters on Theology is one of Maximus’ most eclectic writings. In this short piece, Maximus discusses many diverse themes, including God's relation to the cosmos, monastic discipline and life, scriptural difficulties, and his vision of the consummated universe in relation to the incarnate Word of God. The work is arranged into 200 “chapters,” which are often pithy pearls of wisdom that monks could learn from the respected figure of an elder or abbot. Chapters tend to address a range of issues monks would face in the course of their spiritual progress.

From the pulpit of the cross, Christ gave His final and most riveting sermon: His seven last words. In times past, Christ frequently spoke in parables, but no more. No, Christ penned these words with His royal blood like a calligrapher using the most delicate of strokes. Christʼs seven last words are the greatest utterances ever recorded in the history of the world—greater than the words of any esteemed orator, heroic leader, or even saint, because they were the last words of God to mankind.

St Gregory of Nyssa wrote the Catechetical Discourse as a handbook for his catechists, to help them defend and articulate the foundations of the faith, the Trinity, creation and the image of God, the fall and the nature of evil, the saving work of Christ, and the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. The Discourse draws upon the previous tradition—especially Origen, St Methodius of Olympus, and, above all, St Athanasius' On the Incarnation (PPS 44)—and influences later fathers like St John of Damascus in his On the Orthodox Faith (translation coming soon to SVS Press).