The Heavenly Banquet:
Understanding the Divine Liturgy

by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis

About the Book

A book much needed, and unlike anything that has appeared in the English language on this subject, The Heavenly Banquet is more than a liturgical commentary. With an abundance of copiously documented biblical citations and rich patristic references, the Divine Liturgy is explained line by line, word by word. This book unhesitantly answers all kinds of complex liturgical, social, and theological questions.

In depth, yet easy to follow, written in simple, understandable language, this book will aid Catechists and instructors who can draw from its abundant material for presentation and discussion. This work will be of great benefit to any Orthodox Christian who wants to obtain a better understanding of the Divine Liturgy. The richness and the depth of the subjects treated herein make The Heavenly Banquet a treasure.

"Father Emmanuel's work should be admired for its breadth and depth, as well as the assistance it will bring to all those who seek to enhance their participation in the Holy Eucharist. We thank him with our paternal blessings on this endeavor, with our prayers for its good use among the faithful."

† Metropolitan IAKOVOS of Chicago
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

"This is a book, which will not be placed on a bookshelf to collect dust; it will be an electrifying charge to those who pick it up … A worthy contribution to Orthodox America in this 21st century, written for our time, for our needs, and for the good pasturing of the flock … The Heavenly Banquet will forever banish that unfortunate utterance that, 'I get nothing out of the Liturgy!'"

† NATHANIEL, Archbishop of Detroit (OCA),
From his Foreword to The Heavenly Banquet

What Others are Saying

Second Edition
420 pages | Hardcover
Red and black text
$40

MORE INFORMATION HERE

• For all inquiring worshippers
• Perfect for individual or group study
• Written in simple, understandable language
• A meaningful gift

Jesus: Fallen?

The Human Nature of Christ
Examined From an Eastern Orthodox Perspective

by Emmanuel Hatzidakis

Was Jesus Christ a fallen human being, like us? Was His human nature corrupt and sinful, inherently and necessarily subject to suffering and death? Did He inherit a fallen humanity? If His humanity was fallen how was He sinless? Did He have human ignorance? In what way was His human will involved in the plan of salvation? What effect did the hypostatic union have on His humanity?

In his new book Jesus: Fallen?, Emmanuel Hatzidakis, a Greek Orthodox priest, addresses these and other controversial questions pertaining to the human nature of Christ, which are debated in many Christian denominations, and in his own Church.

Hatzidakis draws richly from the patristic inheritance of East and West in an original, refreshing, and accessible way. He refutes opinions formed by many eminent postlapsarian theologians. This pivotal study is the first to address this topic from an Eastern Orthodox perspective and in this regard it constitutes an important contribution to Christology.

E-mail us to be notified when this book becomes available.

Available in 2011

Papa-Dimitri: The Man of God

Allow us to introduce to you a hero, a champion, a contemporary married Saint who reposed in the Lord in 1975—Father Dimitrios Gagastathis—a towering, prophetic figure; a man of great faith; a man of prayer, whose feet were touching the earth, but whose head reached the heavens.

Father Dimitrios, or "Papa-Dimitri" as he was known, lived amidst the problems and cares of everyday life as a married priest (with nine daughters), yet "lived like an angel rather than an earthly man."

This book contains mostly autobiographical notes taken from Papa-Dimitri's correspondence. In these notes he recorded many wondrous and extraordinary experiences which testify to his "living faith" in the true God. He communicated with the Archangels and the Saints as if they were visibly present. After experiencing their intercessions he would often proclaim, "Our Faith is alive!"

Papa-Dimitri had very little formal education. In his humility, he stated that he could not even deliver a proper sermon, but having received the gifts of simplicity, purity of heart, meekness, and love for God, his very life became a living sermon.

137 pages | $17
Photos throughout

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The Garden of the Holy Spirit:
Elder Iakovos of Evia

by Prof. Stylianos G. Papadopoulos
University of Athens School of Theology

The author of this book, Professor Stylianos Papadopoulos, is in a position to give us firsthand accounts of the life of the remarkable, holy man of our days, Elder Iakovos of Evia. He relates his personal experiences with the Elder to us in a vivid way. Being himself of humble and gentle spirit, he was able to capture the great figure of the renowned Elder and to shed light on his personality for our spiritual edification. Orthodox Witness is humbled to present this all-new edition to English speaking readers.

From the Author: These lines belong to all of us because I did not write just what I thought or what I liked. Instead I wrote down the words we all heard from his holy mouth, the deeds we observed in his saintly life, the miracles we saw him working out through prayer.

The present work concerning a contemporary man, an ascetic of great standards, a God–seer priest–monk gifted with many virtues and innumerable divine signs, involves many dangers, which we tried to tackle with a researcher's conscience and experience. Primarily, exaggeration and laudatory tendency had to be avoided. We took so much care for the latter, that in order to prevent any suspicion, we left out many divine and wondrous signs of the elder's life. The things we caught with our feeble antennae and put down in our small capability are but a sample. Nevertheless, we think that they reveal—however deficiently—the kind of person Elder Iakovos has been before God, the Saints, himself, and the people. It only fits here what the elder himself used to say about St. David: "The miracles of the Saint are innumerable. Many books have to be written. There is neither enough paper, nor enough ink!" S.G.P.

208 pages | $15
Photos throughout

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Elder Porphyrios said of
Elder Iakovos, shortly after
his departure:
"He is one of the greatest saints of our century!"

Preaching Another Christ:
An Orthodox View of Evangelicalism

by Saint Theophan the Recluse

If you are an Orthodox Christian consider this: How many times have you been approached by an Evangelical Christian asking whether you have been saved, or have Jesus in your heart, or have made a confession of faith in Jesus with your lips, etc? Whereupon you have been embarrassed, because you perceived that something was wrong with this approach, yet you could not come up with a proper answer. St. Theophan the Recluse, a holy bishop of 19th century Russia, shows us how to deal with this sensitive subject, allowing us to defend the truth and bring back those who have fallen into error.

If you are an Evangelical Christian, ponder seriously upon these writings with an open mind and without prejudice. Some teachings you hold on to very dearly as "based on the Bible," such as Confessing the Lord with Your Lips, Faith Alone, You are Saved, Sola Scriptura, Invisible Church, etc., will be shown to you as having no standing at all. May the Lord, through this letter, reveal to you the difference between His True Self and another Christ, and the difference between His True, Orthodox Church and another Church.

"We are studying this book now at our Adult Education Class at our church. I think that this book should be read by every Orthodox christian and also given to friends and family to protect them from delusions."

— Customer from Indiana

53 pages | $10

Second Edition. Now with subheadings for easy study.

Sample Pages HERE