Terry Cornett
05-10-2008, 09:16 PM
I recently finished reading Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Fr. Michael Pomazansky and found it an accessible and helpful guide for understanding the basics of Eastern Orthodox theology.
This is a particularly helpful resource because Eastern Orthodoxy is not prone to produce many textbooks of dogmatic theology in the "western" style. This one (which is translated from the Russian) is used in Orthodox seminaries here in the US and is an easy read for those who are used to reading standard western style systematic theology texts.
Fr. Pomazansky is a clear writer and, at least in the context of orthodoxy, writes with a fairly irenic style. I have read a fair amount of Orthodox theology and I found his explanation of the orthodox position on the sin nature (which is different from Catholic and Protestant views) to be one of the simplest and clearest I have found.
The major drawbacks are that a) the text was written before Vatican II and so includes some criticisms of Roman Catholicism that are dated and b) the translator inserts material in footnotes and appendices that may or may not reflect Fr. Pomazansky's own positions.
Still, for those who are looking for a basic text in Eastern Orthodoxy to use as a reference, this comes highly recommended.
For those who live in Wichita, I got my copy at Eighth Day Books and always recommend supporting Warren's store. For the rest of you, here is a link from Amazon.
This is a particularly helpful resource because Eastern Orthodoxy is not prone to produce many textbooks of dogmatic theology in the "western" style. This one (which is translated from the Russian) is used in Orthodox seminaries here in the US and is an easy read for those who are used to reading standard western style systematic theology texts.
Fr. Pomazansky is a clear writer and, at least in the context of orthodoxy, writes with a fairly irenic style. I have read a fair amount of Orthodox theology and I found his explanation of the orthodox position on the sin nature (which is different from Catholic and Protestant views) to be one of the simplest and clearest I have found.
The major drawbacks are that a) the text was written before Vatican II and so includes some criticisms of Roman Catholicism that are dated and b) the translator inserts material in footnotes and appendices that may or may not reflect Fr. Pomazansky's own positions.
Still, for those who are looking for a basic text in Eastern Orthodoxy to use as a reference, this comes highly recommended.
For those who live in Wichita, I got my copy at Eighth Day Books and always recommend supporting Warren's store. For the rest of you, here is a link from Amazon.