And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment.
Hebrews 9:27
The Departure of the Soul
According to the Teaching of the Orthodox Church
Master Reference Edition
Death, our common inheritance, reaps all humanity. But the crucial question of what occurs after the soul departs from the body lies shrouded in enigma. The answer is revealed in the teachings of the great Fathers of the Church, now comprehensively presented in a monumental encyclopedic tome of enormous spiritual value.
1,112 pages
First Edition, 2017
Second Edition, 2020
Edited and published by St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, Florence, Arizona
- Unique as both the sole Reference Edition on the subject and an engrossing and spiritually profitable book
- Over 500 chronologically arranged entries covering all aspects of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Christian Church’s traditional teaching regarding the separation of the soul from the body and the preceding and subsequent events
- Spans the 2000-year history of the Church with chapters on:
- Holy Scripture exegesis
- Hymnography from the liturgical services
- Theological and ascetical writings of the Fathers of the Church
- Engrossing accounts from the Lives of the Saints
- A stunning 216-page all-color selection of iconography
- An exclusive chapter on contemporary antagonists of the Church’s teaching
- Front piece with full endorsements by eight hierarchs, including six ruling hierarchs, of various North American and European Orthodox ecclesiastical jurisdictions
- A truly comprehensive survey including many rare texts and images with dozens of texts translated for the first time from the original Greek, Russian, Slavonic, Serbian, and Romanian.
- International entries from diverse countries: Greece, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, China, the United States, and Canada
- Informative and engaging introduction, setting the subject in its historical and contemporary context
- Complete scholarly apparatus:
- 1300 footnotes with hundreds of cross references helping the reader understand the subject contextually
- 400 bibliographic entries
- 9 appendices with full reproductions of key texts and rare antique manuscript witnesses
- 4 indexes by author and subject
- Full glossary of unfamiliar and important terms
- Premier manufacturing for longevity and aesthetics:
- 896 pages of text on acid-free, attractive natural eggshell 50 lb. paper meeting ANSI/ISO standards
- 216-pages of full-color iconography on high-quality durable glossy stock
- Smyth sewn, Arrestox clothbound with gold foil stamping
- Titles and drop caps for each entry printed in red, enhancing presentation and readability
- Attractive soft touch matte lamination dust jacket presenting over a dozen endorsements by professors at top universities