In The Mystery of Faith Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev provides a personal commentary on the teaching of the Orthodox Church, in its historical development and its relationship to the spiritual life. Drawing on ancient texts and contemporary sources, he combines a clear exposition of the central doctrines of God, the Trinity, creation, the Church, prayer and the sacraments with an exploration of their meaning for today.

Newly translated from the hugely successful Russian edition, The Mystery of Faith, published by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd together with St Stephen’s Press, the publishing house of the Russian Orthodox Diocese of Sourozh in Great Britain, is now available in English for the first time. It has also been published in French and in Finnish. The German edition is in preparation.

‘It gives me great joy to welcome the English edition of Bishop Hilarion’s book The Mystery of Faith,’ writes Bishop Kallistos Ware in his foreword. ‘Here is an introduction to Christian doctrine, prayer and worship that is admirably suited to both Orthodox and non-Orthodox readers. It is profound yet clear, Patristic in spirit yet written in the language of today, loyal to tradition yet open to the future.’

According to Bishop Kallistos, ‘The Mystery of Faith is written in a generous, holistic spirit. For the author there is no separation between theology and spirituality, between dogma and personal experience, between faith and prayer; all of them form together a single, undivided whole. Bishop Hilarion agrees with the saying of the Desert Fathers that the theologian is the one who prays. He is not concerned merely to provide a factual description, in an abstract, “scholastic” style, of what it is that Orthodox Christians believe. He wants to present doctrinal teaching in personal, practical, dynamic terms, as a way of life.’

To order, write to St Stephen's Press (ssp@sourozh.org) or click here: http://www.cts-manchester.org.uk