Book Description

This guide to the Eastern Orthodox churches of the world is presented in alphabetical order by their chief sees or national boundaries. Each entry includes a brief summary of the church's history; the location, number, and language of its members; the official title of the primate; the language used in the church; primary sources for the entry; and a chronology of the reigns of the church's primates from its founding to the present day. A concise preface explains the criteria used to include churches in the book and the process by which the entries were created. Descriptions of more than 75 churches make up the bulk of the volume. Following the individual entries are tables presenting comparative names of the primates (rendered in transcriptions of their original languages); statistical information about the primates (most common names, longest reigns); and current hierarchs as of 2004, arranged by church, date of accession, and date of birth. A glossary, selected bibliography and general index complete the work.