This is the classic cake cookbook that enables anyone to make delicious, exquisite cakes. As a writer for food magazines, women's magazines, and newspapers, including The New York Times, Rose Levy Beranbaum's trademark is her ability to reduce the most complex techniques to easy-to-follow recipes. Rose makes baking a joy. This is the definitive work on cakes by the country's top cake baker.
Mix a buttery, tender layer cake in under five minutes with perfect results every time
Make the most fabulous chocolate cake you ever imagined with just three ingredients
Find recipes for every major type of cake, from pancakes to four-tiered wedding cakes
Extensive decorating techniques for the beginner baker and professional alike that show you how to make chocolate curls, pipe rosettes, crystallize flowers and leaves, and much more?
Amazon.com
Reading about the ins and outs of baking the perfect, flaky pie crust is a little like reading about how to achieve the perfect golf swing: the proof is in the doing. And it often takes a remarkably intuitive reader to understand exactly what the author is getting at. Not so the work of Rose Levy Beranbaum, the author who gave us The Cake Bible. If ever there was a cookbook author who could place her hands on top of yours, putting you through the proper motions, helping you arrive at just the right touch, Beranbaum is the one.
The Pie and Pastry Bible begins with the crust. The author confesses right up front that 21 years ago, when she first began her quest for the perfect crust, "it was a complete mystery to me." She wasn't looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but something she could consistently turn out at a moment's notice. The ideal pie crust, she writes, "has light, flaky layers, but also ... is tender, and nicely browned, with a flavor good enough to eat by itself."
In a book that stretches to about 700 pages long, her favorite pie crust is the first recipe: Perfect Flaky and Tender Cream Cheese Pie Crust. Typically, Beranbaum lists the ingredients by measure and weight for three separate sizes of pies, then gives instructions for the food processor or by hand.
After 70 pages of pie crusts, tart crusts, and crumb pie crusts of every imaginable make and combination, Beranbaum starts with fruit pies. Her first (of many) detailed charts shows exactly what her ratios are of fruit to sugar to cornstarch. Then each recipe (start with The Best All American Apple Pie) includes pointers for success as well as several variations on the theme. Under the headline "Understanding," Beranbaum goes that extra mile by taking the trouble to explain just why something works the way it does.
If you are only going to own one cookbook for pie and pastry recipes of every imaginable stripe and combination, you can't go wrong with this one. It's the Bible, after all. --Schuyler Ingle
Customer Reviews:
awesome photos...awesome recipes.......2007-07-08
She is a master of baking. Have tried several recipes...turned out great. With the beautiful photos, I plan to be baking for a long time!
Pie is good.......2007-03-10
And the Lord did sayeth, "Let there be pie", and there was pie, and yea it was good. And the Lord did eateth all the pie, and that did maketh everyone else Angry, and it was all not that good, but nobody did sayeth anything to the Lord because they know that if they Did than the Lord would smiteth them with a Thunder-bolt, and believeth you and me a Thunder-bolt is not much fun.
The Pie Bible doesn't have phrases like that, but when you think about it, it really should. As long as you don't think about it that much.
Excellent resource.......2007-03-10
The flaky cream-cheese pie crust recipe alone is worth the price of the book. Additionally there are other excellent recipes and techniques. Everything is very clear and fail-proof. There are recipes for various types of pie, struedel, danish, and savory pastries like quiche and empanadas.
Perfect !.......2007-01-31
Mme Rose's book is one of the best cooking books around! All is complete: the details are absolutely incredible and all the tips are real and effective. Plus the section "understanding" gives an extra level of comprehension on what you're doing. No wonder why she spent all these years experimenting and trying all the possible ingredient combinations.
If you want to climb up to excellency in pie and pastry standards, it's the guide you need.
Not only HOW, but also WHY.......2006-12-31
I'm new to pastries and have been using this book for about 6 months. It's like having a graduate course in baking and I feel it's the book to buy if you're only going to buy one. And if you're going to buy more than one, it's still the book to buy. I've noticed that some of the reviewers complain that there's too much information. Difficult for me to understand how there can be too much information if your goal is how to make great pastries. The book is complete. You don't need anything else.
Book Description
In one engagingly written, frankly opinionated, lavishly illustrated volume, America's leading authority on roses reveals everything the gardener needs to know about the most popular of all garden plants: from how to grow and maintain them to critical information for the most experienced gardener on such essentials as harvesting, propagating, grafting, and breeding new varieties.
Customer Reviews:
Coffe table book.......2006-11-05
Even if you aren't into roses this is a good book to brouse through. He does concentrate on his favorites making them sound like they are the best. The thing to keep in mind with this book is that most of the modern roses will do well in his area as he says they do. However the best chapter in the book is the part on how to grow. He does give detailed type of information generously, plus pictures to show you how to do it which is a big plus. I haven't found clear photos like his in most rose books.
Did They Say Rose Bible?.......2006-09-11
It would take volumes to cover the multitudes of roses that are out there, but, with a name like "The Rose Bible" I expected more than this book delivered.
It's not a bad book, it just doesn't live up to it's name. The roses listed are common, the type you can find information on anywhere. ( Try: [...])
There is nothing new in this book.
If you're new to roses The Rose Bible will open your eyes to a whole new world that exists beyond the Hybrid Tea rose and it gives very good information about selecting, growing and pruning roses.
As an experienced rosarian whose looking for more in depth or obscure rose information, The Rose Bible doesn't have it.
Beautiful book.......2005-01-18
I am an avid gardner and appreciate a book that tantalizes me with new ideas for my garden. Although I already have some 18 roses in my garden, this book has inspired me to create even more space for more roses, and collect some amazing bourbons and antiques that are out there. I originally purchased this book to research new climbers, and found that and more! The photos are captivating, and the author provides a great history on the various species. In addition, I feel like the author does an outstanding job of explaining the positives and negatives of roses he highlights. I have reread the chapter on "Fifty Immortal Roses" numerous times, and can't seem to put this book down. I can't wait to start digging in the dirt. Very inspirational!
Great for the beginner.......2003-08-27
Make no bones about it, this book is about roses the author enjoys. This is not a bad thing. He gives you a good concise history on roses, introducing you to the various types of roses grown through time. He gives great advise on planting, pruning and maintenance over the year. Then there are the pictures- lots of them, and beautifully photographed. Yes there is a whole chapter on his favorite roses (many of them tried and true) but hundreds more are referred to with photos and text. This is an ejoyable book, fun to flip through, but still has the information a beginner needs to know when choosing roses.
I am glued to this book! Help!.......2001-11-16
"The Rose Bible" is the best and most helpful book on roses I've ever browsed or read. The pictures are magnificient, the language is informative, honest, and humorous, and the history of roses is explained very well. There is a slight bias towards cutting as opposed to garden roses in the top fifty list, but the contents and organization are nearly flawless. No potpourri tips here! If you want to know where roses came from, what is available now (with strong and weak points for each), how to buy, feed, prune, protect roses, and if you don't mind drooling over hundreds of rose pictures in the most undignified fashion, this is the book you want.
Amazon.com
Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible introduced readers to a newly illuminating baking-book approach--a precisely detailed yet accessible recipe format emphasizing baking science. The Bread Bible follows the same plan, offering 150 recipes, arranged by type, for a great variety of baked goods--from muffins, popovers, and English muffins to sandwich loaves, focaccia, rolls, hearth breads, rye bread, challah, and more, with a particularly vivid (and passionate) stop at sourdough loaves. Instruction is abetted by 32 pages of photos plus 300 step-by-step illustrations that depict, for example, bagel forming, in exact, imitable detail. In addition, an introductory section, "The Ten Essential Steps of Making Bread," includes a particularly lucid discussion on the way yeast works plus an invaluable comparison of kneading methods. Like the book's final look at ingredients, these "mini-texts" provide information uncommon to most home bread books, rendered in simple language that allays fears of putting one's hand in the dough.
All this is impressive indeed, and readers bitten by the bread-baking bug will welcome the ultra-thorough Beranbaum approach. The less committed may find her technical demands too painstaking (her baguette recipe requires two starters, for example; though simpler loaves are, of course, offered) or even impractical (ingredient quantities using grams are sometimes given in minute fractions, requiring a special scale). The frequent inclusion of alternate mixing methods and equipment options can also make the formulas unwieldy. On the other hand, features like Pointers for Success and Understanding often yield exciting discovery as well as rewarding results. In short, this Beranbaum bible answers virtually every bread-making question, as well as providing exemplary formulas. It's the real deal for those willing to bake along with Rose. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
The new baking masterwork from the author of The Cake Bible and The Pie and Pastry Bible.
The Bread Bible gives bread bakers 150 of the meticulous, foolproof recipes that are Rose Levy Beranbaum's trademark. Her knowledge of the chemistry of baking, the accessibility of her recipes, and the incomparable taste of her creations make this book invaluable for home cooks and professional bakers alike.
Recipes include bread made with yeast starters, quick breads, flatbreads, brioche, and much more. From ciabatta, semolina, rye, and sourdough breads to bagels, biscuits, crumpets, and pizza dough, The Bread Bible covers all the baking bases.
"Understanding" and "Pointers for Success" sections explain in simple, readable language the importance of various techniques and ingredients demonstrated in a recipe, providing a complete education in the art of baking, with thorough sections on types of flour, equipment, and other essentials. Easy-to-use ingredient tables provide both volume and weight, for surefire recipes that work perfectly every time. 225 line drawings and 32 pages of color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
The BEST book on bread!.......2007-09-12
Rose Levy Beranbaum has done a magnificent job with this book. Her instructions for each loaf are perfectly detailed, and I've yet to have one of her recipes fail. Some here have faulted her recipes for being repetitive in their details. However, I see this as a positive. I would rather not have to flip to five different parts of a book in order to make a loaf of bread. Provided that repeating a part of the instructions doesn't take up large amounts of space, it's worthwhile. I also really appreciate the introductory descriptions and stories she writes for the various breads. They really get you excited about making the various loaves of bread. You have to try making the pita bread, as watching them puff up in your oven is amazing. Her pizza crust is also the best I've made. Oh, and if you try the rosemary foccaccia, be patient, and magic will happen! At just over 20 minutes in the mixer, a wonderful dough ball will form. I suggest you watch the process, as you can see the gluten forming before your eyes. I can't recommend this book highly enough, and if you've ever got questions, check out her blog, Real Baking with Rose, where she answers reader questions all the time!
My husband cooks from this book..........2007-08-31
...and although he's an accomplished cook already, the recipes are easy to follow, with perfect results.
The Best.......2007-08-14
If you want to learn how to bake bread, you must get this cookbook. Some other reviewers have complained that the book is too long, the recipes too complicated, or the author is too scientific. I disagree. To me, having this cookbook is like having a brilliant teacher in your kitchen--one who explains what you are doing, offers encouragement, and tells you why things might have gone wrong. In a yearlong project, I baked every loaf of bread in The Bread Bible, and the quality of what I--a novice bread baker--was able to turn out was extremely gratifying to me. I had only one mishap (the rosemary focaccia, the bread I started with and one of the more difficult ones in the book), but when I made it a second time, carefully following every instruction, it was wonderful. If your method of cooking is to add a little of this and a little of that and see what happens, this is probably not the book for you. But if you want to bake perfect bread, guided by one of the best bakers on the planet, buy this book.
The last word in bread making..........2007-07-16
I just adore Rose Levy Bearnbaum's style of writing cookbooks. While, it is certainly not for the occasional baker, enthusiasts will hang on ever word. My first Rose book purchase was the Cake Bible about 12 years ago. The Cake Bible is still my go-to for cakes and now the Bread Bible is the same for my bread baking endeavors.
Rose is a passionate baker and it shows in her books.
Excellent Book.......2007-06-09
I really enjoy this book. It has everything from everyday recipes to special occasion breads and everthing in between. It has great illustrations and the recipes cover all skill levels.
Product Description
Did you ever wonder what God would have to say about abortion; same sex marriages; fidelity; religion; prostitution; pornography; natural disasters; children; same sex parents; the media; suicide; other civilizations, and what is in store for you after this life? The messages contained in this book are from God and for all of humanity.
Customer Reviews:
A Treasure! You Will Be Awestruck Too! You Will Gain Phenomenal Clarity!.......2006-09-18
God has things to say, Barbara Rose was one of the chosen vehicles to deliver the message. Once again her work is magnificent. A must read, a life-changing read, regardless of religious practice. God/our higher consciousness/ supreme power is non-denominational. When I first read this book, I was in awe! I thought, this is it, raw and to the point! This is all humanity needs to read, to hear, to understand and realize as truth! If each one of us would practice and live by this wisdom, our world would ONLY be filled with self-truth, self-love, inner and outer peace. Only love and joy would be in our lives. "If God Was Like Man" is about Unity, not You versus Me; it is about "All You Need Is Love", not love versus fear; it is about stabilizing our planet earth by meeting in the middle, not Left versus Right. It teaches us how clearing away all pre-conditioned judgment, accepting each other as equal and part of ourselves and God, there would be no right versus wrong, competition, greed, and hate. There would be no need for divide and conquer or forgiveness. Some of the most important subjects concerning our lives are covered. Any of my questionable beliefs that still existed, all vanished, and many of my perspectives changed too, after reading this book. "If God Was Like Man" is a true gift to all of us, humanity and beyond. You will want to read it at least twice!
'If God Was Like Man' is an AMAZING Book!.......2006-06-21
I read this book from cover to cover two times in a row and am still amazed at the clarity given by God in the messages for 'all of humanity.'
The only part I felt myself entirely change my view was regarding the death penalty, which I used to advocate. Since reading this book I no longer do, and the reasons are so simply put, I can't imagine anyone not changing their views.
The areas about parenting, suicide, same sex marriages, telepathic communication, abortion, fidelity, human cloning, space exploration, toxins in our foods and environment, all of them and more are profound.
I can see where much of the population can definitely benefit from this book. It took me out of the labyrinth of the media maze that covers our news, and gave me a fresh and enlightening perspective that harnesses the true meaning of God's messages. They are abundantly clear.
I would give this book at least 100 stars if I could. God really does speak to humanity through Barbara Rose. I listened in on one of her teleconferences and was taken back at what she said. I also love her other book "Know Yourself" which was life changing for me. "If God Was Like Man" is life changing for all!
Superb Solutions for the Human Race.......2006-06-21
Life on earth would be distinctly better for everyone if this book was read and applied by all. No matter what area of life has brought distress to humanity, it's all covered in a crystal clear manner for every side involved.
If God Was Like Man is one of the best solution oriented and mind opening books I've read. It's clear that the messages can only result in the most peaceful planet, where life on earth can actually be what it's meant to be. In short, If God Was Like Man is a gift to the human race.
A Must for Humanity!.......2006-03-18
In "If God Was Like Man", Barbara Rose wrote the words of God given to her for humanity in a way that is simple, and what God selected are the most heated present day topics facing every society and culture on earth.
The manner and language used to convey the solutions that plague life on earth are clear and cannot be misinterpreted. I found many areas and prejudices I used to believe vanish because of the clear and direct logic, and tell-it-like-it-is approach that made more sense to me than what I used to believe. This book opened my mind and turned around prejudices I used to have. It is the same prejudices that many people still have and fight over.
One thing is certain about this book; we do have one God who does not judge anyone. On page 134 God says, "All I can ever do is work through you. I am not physical as one being; I am physical inside of every being existing throughout the universe."
There are many topics discussed in this book. For each one God brings humanity the solutions for that topic. The solutions are a must for humanity!
"If God Was Like Man" is EXTRAORDINARY! This is one of the best books I've ever read.
Relief from Fearing God.......2006-02-26
It's hard to describe the relief this book gave me because I carried fear inside as a `good and God fearing Christian' my whole life, but when I was reading this book, my eyes welled up with tears of relief. I always thought I was judged by God, and I was always afraid I would somehow not please God. I've read a lot of good spiritual books but that nagging fear was always there. Because of this book I learned that God loves me even if I make mistakes. I was taught growing up that I was born a sinner, along with everyone else in Church. The messages in this book gave me a real desire to get closer to God in my heart, and took the fear away. There's a lot of important messages in here that will help many people. This one was what made the most difference for me because it changed how I believe God views me. I learned God loves us all unconditionally and just learning this took the old fears away and replaced them with relief. I'm thankful for this book.
Customer Reviews:
Preperation of the Bride.......2003-12-10
I have taught this bible study 5 times now. It is an excellent tools. I am always learning new revelations when I study it. I have also read the overcoming life and would like to get a new copy of it. thank you.
Book Description
In addition to hundreds of pages of full-color artwork, this Bible presents over 150 Bible stories.
Customer Reviews:
easy for children to understand.......2006-03-13
i checked this book out from the library for my 7 YO son. he is really enjoying the stories and asks me to read from it every night. the stories are written on a child's level and are easy for him to understand. they flow from one to the next. important lessons are taught and reinforced.
excellent.......1998-11-05
I have a very active five year old - he loves this bible - calls it his favorite book. Short amount of text per wonderfully illustrated page. Attention getting animation. Scripturally acurate. A wonderful bible for 4-8 year olds - especially boys
Amazon.com
Christians who have longed for a more readable literal Bible translation will find much to praise in the English Standard Version. The ESV's translation team of over 100 members has admirably attempted to preserve the stylistic variety of biblical authorship and ease of reading (at the eighth-grade level) despite the word-for-word translation, which historically has resulted in a choppier text flow. Bible study aficionados will appreciate the short introductions to each book, an extensive center column cross-reference system, full-color maps, and a 14,500-entry concordance. The hardcover edition includes the basic Bible frills: a presentation page, as well as marriage, birth, and death registries. There are some luxurious touches as well. The free, prepackaged CD-ROM has the ESV text, KJV Bible for comparative study and use with Strong's Concordance, Nave's Topical Bible, the Crossway Classic Bible Commentary, and others. These extra bonuses are a good incentive to take the English Standard Version for a test drive. --Cindy Crosby
Customer Reviews:
Great Bible if you need a small one........2007-10-06
I used this to read a verse at a wedding in France. I, of course, did not want to carry a large Bible from the USA to France. It was the perfect size. Although, a little small in print but I knew that going in. It worked perfectly and everyone was pleased. I then gave it to the bride and groom as part of their wedding present.
A nice handy ESV bible.......2007-10-05
As for the translation, it's the best in accuracy and readability better than NIV and NASB. I bought this so that I can carry it around in my pocket. It's the perfect size to take it with you for a walk and devotion. The letters are quite small so it's not for long studies. A handsome little Bible for...highly recommend it.
Fantastic, concise Bible!.......2007-09-28
I purchased this ESV Bible because I wanted something small and portable, as well as a good, practical, readable translation. This print is excellent, the font is clear and not too small. The leather cover being soft gives the book an elasticity while not being too floppy. I have truly enjoyed my first few weeks of using this Bible and recommend it to everyone.
ESV Weathered Metal Bible.......2007-09-07
This is a handy bible to toss in my bag that I carry to work, the library, etc. Being in the Army National Guard, I appreciate the rugged, durable cover and the look of it. It's a decent translation, basically a conservative evangelical modernization of the revised standard version. I would recommend this bible to friends.
The Only Flaw is the Tiny Print.......2007-09-06
It's good to see the ESV gaining traction in the market. This is a beautifully bound compact Bible, with excellent reference notes and a remarkably complete concordance. Small enough to fit into a typical ladies purse, it's a convenient size to take on the train or bus. But the print is extremely small and takes some getting used to. It's a shame the publisher didn't make the Bible even slightly larger; I think it would have been a runaway best seller. As it stands, I can only give it 3 stars...the print is just too small.
Book Description
This concise work is a classic exposition of how the Christian Church has venerated the Mother of God throughout the ages, and the chief errors which have attacked this veneration. It clearly tells why the Virgin Mary should be honored by all generations, but not considered a co-redemptress along with Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world.
"For He hath looked upon the lowliness of His handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." (Luke 1:48)
A right understanding of Jesus Christ, the Son of God is not possible without a right understanding of Mary, the Birthgiver of God. When her image is distorted, the image of her Son also becomes distorted.
The sources of Archbishop John's theology are, quite simply, Holy Scripture, the Holy Fathers (especially the great Fathers of the 4th and 5th centuries), and--most distinctively--the Divine services of the Orthodox Church. The latter source offers a clue to the practical approach of St. John to theology.
From Apostolic times, all who truly love Christ give veneration to her who gave birth to Him, raised Him and protected Him in the days of His youth. In THE ORTHODOX VENERATION OF MARY THE BIRTHGIVER OF GOD, St. John traces her veneration from the time of the Apostles to the present.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I had hoped, but it sort of answered my question........2007-08-07
I bought this book, thinking from the description it could give some sort of Biblical foundation for offering Prayers to Mary. The author, who is supposedly a master Theologian, doesn't do that. Instead, he merely reiterates Orthodox Church teaching on the subject. For instance, he says the 12 Apostles were transported from various parts of the world to be present at Mary's death...simply because the Orthodox Churches teaches this, and therefore you have to believe it. There's really no argument for the worship of Mary, other than the Orthodox church says to do it. I was unconvinced.
But in a way, it did answer my question: Is there a Biblical foundation for praying to Mary. The answer is no. So for that, I gave it 2 stars.
Decent, Not Great.......2007-07-17
I have several complaints about this book. First, the typography was sub-par. I don't know if this was inherent in St. John's original manuscript, but the Whole Work is filled with Unnecessary Capitalization. It seemed like every sentence contained a title, doctrine, or a personal pronoun that was capitalized such as every instance of "She" or "Who", or doctrines such as "Redemption", and titles such as "Mother of Jesus", "Teacher of the Church", "Her Icon of Hogiditria" et cetera. They were everywhere and made for difficult reading. Future editions might want to improve this by minimizing the capitals.
Second, the first few chapters introducing the subject make numerous claims about traditions concerning Mary, most notably concerning her dormition, without referencing the sources for these traditions. Considering St. John's concern in later chapters, particular in VI, to distinguish between false and true traditions concerning Mary, it would seem prudent for an editor to add some footnotes to bolster Maximovitch's argument. I am particularly troubled by his insistance on the miraculous transportation of Dionysius the Areopogite to Jerusalem to join the other apostles at Mary's funeral. It troubles me because the Areopogite's position of high esteem in the Orthodox church is largely due to some mystical texts that have been falsely attributed to him. It is well known that these works were written many centuries later by a pseudonymous author and are not original to the Biblical character. In other words, the authenticity of the tradition cited by Maximovitch is called into question by his reference to the Areopagite.
That being said, I did enjoy chapter VI, where Maximovitch counters what he sees as the heresies of Rome. Or rather, what I appreciated most were the many references from Sts. Ambrose, Epiphanius, Bernard, and others that breathe some fresh air into the discussion by distinguishing between truthful and fictitious traditions about Mary. I will definetly delve into their works more thoroughly as I seek to pursue this topic in greater depth.
Otherwise, there were some good points made here and there about the need to give some level of veneration to Mary if only to safeguard the true glory of her divine Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
In sum, though I did not enjoy the book as thoroughly as I hoped, I think chapter VI was (almost) worth the cover price.
An Eastern View of Mary.......2006-10-29
The place of Mary in the Church is certainly among the most contentious issues along the Protestant/Catholic divide. Thus it is useful to see how the issue is handled by those Churches in the East who have no part in the contentions of the Reformation era. This little booklet written by an Orthodox saint of the 20th century sets in clear and sometimes blunt language the differences between the Eastern and Western approaches to the question of Mary's role in the continuing life of the Church.
Maximoviotch begins by covering the history of opposition to Mary's veneration among heretics and non-Christians in the patristic era and the condemnation of their errrors by the Church. Given the most attention are the two issues that most directly involved the Church's veneration of Mary: the Netorian heresy and the Iconclast controversy. In each, the Church sided with those who continued the tradition of Mary's veneration against new opponents of the practice.
Even among those who do honor the Blessed Virgin, there is the temptation to add to the honors given to her by God and invent new doctrines that could tangentially lead to considering her on a par with Christ. Such beliefs ascribed by Maximovitch as "zeal not according to knowledge" include the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception which states that Mary was conceived without stain of original sin. This was not part of the patristic witness and even the most honored theologians in Catholicism (St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Thomas Aquinas) did not hold it.
Maximovitch counters both extremes with the Orthodox ideal of the great holiness of Mary and the proper respect and honor given her by the Church that venerates her without seeking to deify her. In this context the Orthodox veneration is an acknowledgement of the role of Mary in the Church that is reflective of the honors she has already receieved from God.
One thing that might be unnerving to some is Maximovitch's unquestioned acceptance of beliefs concerning the life of Mary that are generally considered to be little more than pious legend to the modern world. The translator of the work, Fr. Seraphim Rose, makes a point in the introduction that an Orthdoox Christian cannot pick and choose among the Church's tradition because of modern sensibilities anymore than one should compromise the teaching of the Holy Scriptures to accomodate contemporary sensibilities. It is to be accepted or rejected as a whole.
The book closes with the Akathist to the Theotolos - the greatest of all devotional prayers to Mary in the Orthodox Church. This allows us to close this work by seeing the Orthodox veneration in its clearest form and removed from the sometimes arid confines of theological discussion. Orthdooxy, perhaps more than any other form of Christianity is one that has to be seen in practice through the prayers, devotions, and liturgies to fully understand. Although the words of prayers are ceraintly not the same as seeing them prayed (which in turn is not the same as praying them), it allows us to get a glimpse of what Maximovitch has been describing in the previous chapters. Alhough it is unlikely that this book will change many minds, it does give a powerful witness to the honor that has always been given to the Theotokos by the Church.
Correct Veneration of the Theotokos explained.......2006-06-27
Author: St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco (St. John Maximovitch), of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Preface by Father Seraphim Rose (d. 1982), noted American Orthodox monastic and theologian.
Topic: The proper veneration of the Blessed Mary from the Eastern Orthodox perspective.
When St. John died in 1966, he little imagined that this work would be resurrected. It had originally been published in a Serbian church journal in the 1930's. It is a short exposition, grounded in Holy Scripture, Patristics, and Orthodox liturgy (including Vespers and Akathists).
St. John does an amazing amout of theological exposition in this short essay. He explains from church history and the sources noted, the role always accorded the Theotokos in Christianity. This includes her full humanity, the fact that she was ever-virgin but not immaculately conceived herself, and that she led an exemplary life. St. John does this in no uncertain terms and with a clean simplicity of faith rather than speculation, legalism, or theorizing.
In so doing, he presents the Orthodox refutation of the Protestant failure to give Mary the veneration scripture commands (Luke: "for, behold, from henceforth ALL generations shall call me Blessed"). He also refutes the Roman church's over-veneration to the point of adoration, semi-deification, and raising Mary to an incarnation of a hypostasis of Trinity and co-redemptrix.
In the latter, St. John does a wonderful job of pointing out how, in misplaced love, humans in the Roman church may have actually lessened Mary's stature by attempting to ascribe unto her gifts beyond those given by God.
If there's a failing in The Orthodox Veneration of Mary, it's that it could use three more things:
a) A good explanation of Mary's intercession--scripturaly--at the wedding feast at Cannae--practically the first thing in the New Testament.
b) A good explanation of how the Koine term 'theotokos' really translates into English.
c) An explanation of how the Orthodox concept of the fall from grace and sin of Adam differs from the Protestant-Catholic concept of inherited, genetic original sin. This makes Mary's immaculate conception by Joachim and Ann unnecessary.
St. John touches these topics--but just barely.
Nonetheless, The Orthodox Veneration of Mary remainswell worth reading for Orthodox Christians seeking the explanation of their practice or other Christians seeking to understand the Orthodox Way on this topic.
The Theotokos and the People of God.......2004-08-27
St. John Maximovitch (1896-1966) of the Russian Orthodox Church does an amazing job in writing a book for the laymen, wether young adult or adult, tecaher or student, on the veneration of Mary, the Mother of God. He effectively deals with why Mary is called the Mother of God and the Nestorius controversy which climax at the Third Ecumenical Council and why denying Mary has Mother of God (Theotokos) also denies the full humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ.
He also deals effectively with the ever-virgin position as espoused by the Orthodox Church and he does so using scripture and building a concise and logical argument (ch. 3).
He also speaks to the dangers of putting more on Mary than is revealed in the sriptures and early Church history. He speaks to the errant teaching of sophia/marianism as espoused by a minority of Orthdoox Chrsitians such as Sergei Bulgakov aswell as the errant teachings of Latin/Rome theolgy of c0-reemptress. Of course, much of the book, by teaching what Orthodox affirm about Mary, counter the gregious erros of Prottetsant theologies about Mary and their lack of following the Biblical mandate.
While I do have some minor disagreements with the presentation of the material and not citing enough sources, this book works extermely well as a work to aid teh Orthodox Christian in learning more about Christ, Mary and why blessing her is important and how to give one's who do not understand Marian doctrine an answer.
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