Books

If you want to order books at bulk discount, or for a booksigning event, scroll to the bottom to see the contact information.  

  • Two Views of the Cross: Orthodoxy and the West

  • For Protestants or Catholics seeking to understand Eastern Orthodoxy, the Cross is a good place to start. In the West a multitude of different views sprang up over the last millennium, but Orthodox Christian beliefs have remained unchanged. The contrast between those views is suggested by the two images on the book’s cover, showing how differently the meaning of the Cross was understood, East and West.

    Two Views of the Cross is a short, focused book, ideal for readers looking to grasp the overall picture (with some passages from Mathewes-Green’s more-comprehensive classic, Welcome to the Orthodox Church). This volume adds a new title to Mathewes-Green’s long list of helpful books about Eastern Orthodoxy. Looking at the Cross from Western and Eastern perspectives provides a concise introduction to the beautiful, mystical, and sometimes-surprising Orthodox faith.

  • Order on Amazon.com.
  • Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity

    This friendly guide to the Orthodox Church provides a comprehensive introduction to Orthodoxy, but with a twist: readers learn by making a series of visits to a fictitious church, and get to know the faith as new Christians did for most of history, by immersion. Enjoyable, easy-to-read, and leavened with humor, “Welcome to the Orthodox Church” is a gracious guide to the ancient faith of the Christian East.

  • Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity
    (Paraclete Press, 2015; 800-451-5006)
  • Outline | Discussion Questions | Read an excerpt »
  • The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God

    The Jesus Prayer has historically been passed on face to face, from one Christ-loving person to the next, down the generations ever since the desert saints. It is learned in a community of fellow-believers, all of whom are aware of their need and sin, trying daily to resist temptation better and love God more. As you form the habit of saying this prayer in the back of your mind all the time, it soaks into you, like dye into cotton, and colors the way you encounter every person and circumstance you meet.

  • The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God
    (Paraclete Press, 2009; 800-451-5006)
  • Mary As the Early Christians Knew Her: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts

    [Note: this book is “The Lost Gospel of Mary” with a new title and cover.] Mary is the flower of femininity to some, a woman of power to others. She has been seen as a paragon of obedience, as well as an instrument of liberation. Some have piled her status so high that it rivals that of her Son. Others do their best to ignore her entirely. Behind all of these images there is still a girl who grew up to become the mother of Christ.

  • Mary as the Early Christians Knew Her: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts
    (Paraclete Press, 2007; 800-451-5006)
  • First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew

    “The Great Canon of St. Andrew” is an extended offering of liturgical poetry, written in the 8th century, which tracks through Scripture readings about repentance closely and with a yearning heart. Mathewes-Green has divided this hymn into 40 readings, making it an ideal guide during Lent—or any time you would like to bring your heart before the Scriptures in reflection and humility.

  • First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey through the Canon of St. Andrew
    (Paraclete Press, 2005; 800-451-5006)
  • Read an excerpt »
  • Facing East: A Pilgrim’s Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy

    “Facing East” is a journal of a year in the Orthodox Church, from the perspective of a recent convert. Mathewes-Green is the wife of a priest and mother of three teens, and her story is filled with humor, storytelling, wonder, and gratitude for her spiritual home.

    Read an excerpt »

  • The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer
    (Pocket Faith Series, 4)

    “The Open Door” introduces readers to the art and prayer of iconography. In addition to an overview of this liturgical aspect of the visual arts, the book examines in greater depth 12 of the world’s favorite icons, providing four color and eight black-and-white plates.

  • The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer
    (Paraclete Press, 2003; 800-451-5006)Read an excerpt »
  • Illumined Heart (Paraclete Pocket Faith)

    “The Illumined Heart” is a nugget of deep wisdom, packing into one small volume an overview of early and Eastern Christian spirituality: fasting, repentance, the Jesus Prayer, love of others, and many other spiritual disciplines.

    Read an excerpt » 1 | 2 · Download the Study Guide

  • The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation
    (Paraclete Press, 2001; 800‑451‑5006)
  • At the Corner of East and Now

    A contemporary Orthodox Christian today lives “at the corner of east and now.” This volume alternates chapters in which we track through the series of services offered every Sunday morning (including the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) with chapters looking at how a person can live this ancient spirituality in the context of a thrift shop, a radio station, a campground, and many other places.

  • At the Corner of East and Now: A Modern Life in Ancient Christian Orthodoxy
    (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2009; 800-967-7377)
  • Audio Book | eBook | Read an excerpt » 1 | 2
  • Gender: Men, Women, Sex , Feminism

    “Gender” is a collection of essays by Frederica Mathewes-Green on the topic of Gender. Some are serious, some are humorous, and all offer new insights to a topic that always rouses controversy.

    Read an excerpt » 1 | 2

  • Real Choices: Listening to Women, Looking for Alternatives to Abortion

    Frederica Mathewes-Green’s first book, originally published in 1994, is the result of an examination of the reasons women have abortions, and analysis of what pregnant women need in order to choose life instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to order books in bulk, please contact the publishers at the 800 numbers below. If it is for a booksigning event, say that the order is “in conjunction with an author visit.” You will be able to buy the books at a discount, and can sell them for whatever price you set. You can return unsold books for a refund. You keep all profits. I am happy to do booksignings, but please have someone sit at the table with me to handle payments. (And I’m happy to sign books attendees have brought from home.)

Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity
(Paraclete Press, 2015; 800-451-5006)

The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God
(Paraclete Press, 2009; 800-451-5006)

Mary as the Early Christians Knew Her: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts
(Paraclete Press, 2007; 800-451-5006)

First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey through the Canon of St. Andrew
(Paraclete Press, 2005; 800-451-5006)

The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer
(Paraclete Press, 2003; 800-451-5006)

Gender: Men, Women, Sex, Feminism
(Ancient Faith Publishing, 2002; 800-967-7377)

The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation
(Paraclete Press, 2001; 800‑451‑5006)

A Companion Guide to ‘The Illumined Heart’ (with Robert Gibson)
(Paraclete Press, 2006; 800-451-5006)

At the Corner of East and Now: A Modern Life in Ancient Christian Orthodoxy
(Ancient Faith Publishing, 2009; 800-967-7377)

Facing East: A Pilgrim’s Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy
(HarperOne, 1997; 800-242-7737)