Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive, Comprehensible and Outstanding Introduction
Review: This is the best single-volume introduction to Eastern Christianity currently available. Bishop Ware's approach covers virtually all aspects of the Eastern Church -- history, theology, sacramentality, church organization, and the Orthodox diaspora with a special emphasis on rendering Orthodoxy comprehensible to Western Christian readers. Ware's approach is very ecumenical, and he frankly and even-handedly addresses the issues that unite and divide the Christian East and West. Because of his own dual background as a Westerner (he teaches at Oxford) who chose to become Orthodox, Ware is particularly well-situated to explain the wondrous and beautiful mysteries of Eastern Christianity to Westerners. While the book is in the nature of a broad overview, it actually covers the issues addressed in an impressive level of depth. The bibliography is also a great starting point for further reading and research, broken down helpfully by topic. This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to acqaint themselves with the riches of the Eastern Christian tradition.
Rating:
Summary: The best " First Book " on Orthodoxy
Review: This was the first book that I read about Orthodoxy, and with the benefit of hindsight I must say that I couldn't have done any better. Bishop Ware is himself a convert to Orthodoxy, so he is keenly aware of what the novice to Orthodoxy needs to learn. He is one of the world's foremost scholars on the Orthodox Church, yet his writing is lucid and approachable. Like all of the world's faiths, Orthodoxy is practiced and understood, at least a little differently, from person to person and nation to nation. One of the many things that Bishop Ware does so brilliantly in this book, is to transcend these issues and to introduce the reader to the core values of Orthodox spirituality. The Orthodox Church is filled with wonderful surprises for the uninitiated. It is the closest thing we have to the earliest, familiar expressions of Christianity, while possessing a decidedly " Eastern " outlook that is refreshing and unique. Bishop Ware is able to express this quality in a compelling and enjoyable fashion.
Rating:
Summary: The best " First Book " on Orthodoxy
Review: This was the first book that I read about Orthodoxy, and with the benefit of hindsight I must say that I couldn't have done any better. Bishop Ware is himself a convert to Orthodoxy, so he is keenly aware of what the novice to Orthodoxy needs to learn. He is one of the world's foremost scholars on the Orthodox Church, yet his writing is lucid and approachable. Like all of the world's faiths, Orthodoxy is practiced and understood, at least a little differently, from person to person and nation to nation. One of the many things that Bishop Ware does so brilliantly in this book, is to transcend these issues and to introduce the reader to the core values of Orthodox spirituality. The Orthodox Church is filled with wonderful surprises for the uninitiated. It is the closest thing we have to the earliest, familiar expressions of Christianity, while possessing a decidedly " Eastern " outlook that is refreshing and unique. Bishop Ware is able to express this quality in a compelling and enjoyable fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable resource for understanding historical Orthodoxy
Review: Timothy (now Bishop Kallistos) Ware's book, The Orthodox Church, is a comprehensive, detailed, yet easy-to-read analysis of the history of Christianity, and in particular of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Having read the book more than 5 years ago for the first time, it was instrumental in my understanding of Christianity from its roots and in my eventual entrance into the Orthodox Church. But more than that, I find it an invaluable resource for use in Christian education (Sunday school and adult catechetical classes). Of particular interest is the thematic approach which anlayzes the periods of persecution faced by the Church throughout history, from ancient Rome to the Ottoman Empire to Soviet Russia. The book is balanced in its treatment of many of the historical issues between the churches of East and West, and in general presents the reader with a robust fact base and insightful historical analysis from which to draw his/her own conclusions about the relationship between the various churches in modern Christendom. A highly recommendable book for anyone looking for a serious yet not too heavy journey through the history of the Church, whether Orthodox or heterodox.
Rating:
Summary: The Orthodox Church
Review: Timothy Ware has written an excellent but brief history of the development of the Eastern Orthodox Church from the Apostolic period of Christianity to the present state. It is a MUST for anyone who is contemplating converting to Eastern Orthodox Christianity, renewing your Orthodox Christian Faith and for those who are curious about the Orthodox Church. I for my part, who am contemplating converting from Roman Catholicism to Eastern Orthodoxy have found it so rewarding and enlightening. It was a good start for me on my quest/journey to the ancient Church of the Apostles.
Rating: 
Summary: Errors flaw this review of the EO Church
Review: Timothy, now Bishop Ware, has some errors in this narrative: namely that the Eastern Orthodox Church does not have a purgatory. We most certainly do, in the idea of the 'Bosom of Abraham' from the gospel of Luke, where the righteous are separated out from the wicked (in the advent of the WTC massacre we prayed today on Rememberance Friday for those dead to be safe 'in the Bosom of Abraham').
In this same section, he says we do not allow a working off of evil deeds in (this non-existent) purgatory; again this is wrong, we do have the notion of penintential work for the evil but whether this does any good at the Final Judgement of the Second Coming we do not speculate.
This is the largest of several errors that mar this book; otherwise it is largely well done but unfortunately not a very inspired text; I think it needs a revision & could only recommend it with reservations because they unknowing may think that this book is an accurate portrayal of the Eastern Orthodox faith.
Rating:
Summary: Clear intro Orthodox Christianity
Review: Very clear and understandable book about Orthodox Christianity: its history, dogmas, and struggles with Turkish occupation and Western Christianity.
Rating:
Summary: Tops My List
Review: When any inquirer asks me about books to read on the Orthodox Church, this is one of the two books that I always recommend. In plain language, +Kallistos gives an excellent overview of the history and beliefs of the Orthodox Faith. You want to become Orthodox? Read this! Yoou want to know more about Orthodoxy? Read this!
Rating: 
Summary: Useful Start to Understanding the Subject
Review: When Bishop Ware first wrote this book, which was around 1970, it was truly a useful introduction to the Orthodox Church for those who know nothing about the subject. Since then, it suffers the sad fate of familiarity. Most educated Orthodox that I have met have read it, including probably almost all Orthodox clergy that are literate in English, and it has been criticized considerably in some quarters since then, particularly the sections on Orthodox eschatology, the sacraments and ecumenism. Sometimes these complaints are unfortunately and unfairly leveled based on the fact that Bishop Ware is an Anglican convert. Given that Orthodoxy, by its nature, has no infallible living authority on what it teaches, there is going to be dispute over what is "correct." I believe that Bishop Ware wrote this book mainly to explain his faith to other Christians, and it should be appreciated on that basis; it was meant to be a starting point, not a definitive explanation of Orthodoxy. It is a good place to start on the subject, rather than with the spate of books on Orthodox spirituality that have been in vogue in the last ten years or so. If that's what you want, I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: History of the Orthodox Church
Review: _The Orthodox Church_ by Timothy/KALLISTOS Ware is a history of the Orthodox Church first published in 1963. The first part of the book traces the Church's history from the First Ecumenical Council under the Emperor Constantine until the recent Communist regime in Russia and the ecumenical movement in which Orthodox churches have participated in. The main focus is on the Russian and Greek churches, and the account of the Russian Orthodox Church under Communism was particularly disturbing. The story of how the three Romes rose and fell was truly great: Rome fell apart and was overrun by barbarians, and Constantinople was ordained the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine, and Christianity became the official religion of the Empire. Constantinople in turn was taken by the Turks in the 1400s and became incoperated in the Ottoman Empire, which was officially Muslim but protected Christians. The Slavs and other peoples of Eastern Europe in the meantime were Christians at this time, and Moscow, the capital of Russia became the new "Rome" with the Grand Duke adopting the title "Czar" or "Caesar" in Russian. The second part of _The Orthodox Church_ outlines the doctrines, worship and positions of Orthodoxy and compares both their similarity and differences to Western Catholicism and Protestantism. The only shortcoming of this book was that it did not discuss the Nestorians and Mononphysites enough, as these ancient Christian sects broke off from the Church before the East-West schism of 1054 and remain very similar to Orthodoxy.
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