J. Edward WALTERS, editor. Eastern Christianity, A Reader. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2021. 423 pp. $39.99. ISBN 978-o-8028-7686-7. Reviewed by Andrew D. CIFERNI, O.Praem., Daylesford Abbey, Paoli, PA 19301.

This book is a collection of selected English translations of Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Arabic, Coptic, and Ethiopian Christian texts from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Period. The editor explains that the book’s title was chosen to respect the many Eastern Orthodox churches (often called the Oriental Orthodox churches) not in communion with the other Eastern churches. The Introduction by the editor introduces major topics that will emerge in one or other of these readings.
The general introduction of topics, also by J. Edward Walters, is followed by an introduction to the major topics addressed by the selected authors: the territory of Eastern Christian literature, origin narratives, interpreting Scripture and Theology, Hagiography, Encounters with non-Christian religions, Christianity and Political power. The individual sections follow a similar format. I present here the most complete example, the chapter on Syriac literature:
     Extensive General Introduction
     Extensive Bibliography
     Introduction to The Doctrina Addai
     Bibliography: Text, Editions and Studies
     Translation of The Teaching of the Apostle Addai
     The Syriac section then moves to Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns against Heresies 3 and 53. Here there is an introduction and bibliography, followed by the translation of the text.
     Following the sections there is a List of contributors, Index of Subjects, and an Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Texts.
    Touching on all 39 selections in this “Reader” would go beyond the parameters of this review. However, a topical trench devoted to liturgical texts may provide sufficient perspective for the whole work.

Armenian.  Nerses Shnorhali, Hymn for the Sunrise Hour, Instructional Preface to a Prayer of Nerses, Prayer of Nerses. Introduction and translation by Jesse S. Arlen. The short hymn was composed for the Sunrise Hour, thus its emphasis on light and the sun. The Instructional Preface to the Prayer That Was Made by Lord Nerses, the Brother of Nerses the Brother of Grigor, Overseer is an explanatory text for the Prayer of Nerses  commended for daily use by Christian men and women of all ages. The Prayer of Nerses is the 24-verse hymn for common Christians.

Arabic. Homilies on the Gospel Readings for Holy Week. Introduction and translation by John C. Lamoreaux. The selection here on Luke 23:32 – 49 read on Holy Thursday evening.

Coptic, The Anaphora of Saint Thomas the Apostle. Introduction and translation by Mary K. Farag. This portion is all that is extant of an Egyptian eucharistic payer,

Ethiopic, Synaxarion on Yared. Introduction and translation by Aaron M. Butts. A synaxarionis a collection of short lives of the saints employed as liturgical lessons arranged according to the liturgical calendar. The example here is of Yared, the melodist.

This work is highly recommended for instructors desiring to introduce undergraduate students to a broader vision of Eastern Christianity or to expose church history majors to an expanded panorama of the dynamic life of the churches of the Middle East before the Muslim domination of the Mediterranean world. The texts selected hint at the vibrant work of often little-known ecclesiastical writers.