The Early Eastern Orthodox Church: A History, AD 60-1453

The Early Eastern Orthodox Church: A History, AD 60-1453 by Stephen Morris

I stumbled across this one while searching for books by the Joy Division drummer of the same name. This is a history of early Christianity. The Eastern Orthodox church originally was just part of the same Catholic church. However, as the Roman Empire moved east and Constantinople was established, this became a central area for the church in the ast. The east gradually began to differ from the west. Eventually there was a great schism. This was not a sudden change, so much as a culmination of different changes. The sacking of Constantinople by crusaders further contributed to problems.

The book presents chapters zeroing in on key characters and events in the church history rather than attempt to be an exhaustive story. There were debates over the nature of Mary and icons. Religious leaders such as John of Antioch and Cyril had important roles. Secular rulers such as Justinian also had a part int the establishment of the church.

The book doesn't have much of a narrative, but it does include sources for further reading. It is fairly short, so can be a good introduction of key points.