Orthodox Theology is intimately linked to spiritual experience. Thus, it has a very different meaning to the present usage of this word coming from academia. The scientific methods developed in the West since the seventeenth century can be of benefit in many regards, but without strong roots in the Orthodox tradition theology risks being "eaten up" by the human sciences. These roots are in the mystical tradition of the Church as passed down from the the beginning and expressed in the lives of saints, iconography etc. Thus this work has both a theoretical and a practical scope, of relevance to all Christians.

Dr Jean-Claude Larchet is one of the most notable living philosophers and authors on Orthodox Christian Patristics. He holds a Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Nancy and a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Strasbourg. A teacher of philosophy for nearly thirty-five years, he is an author of over thirty books and countless articles whose work has been translated into seventeen languages. His magnum opus, Therapy of Spiritual Illness, and several other works have been translated into English to wide acclaim. Michael Lomax was educated at Cambridge University, INSEAD Fontainebleau business school and St Sergius Orthodox Academy in Paris. He entered the Orthodox Church in 1993, which he now serves as a priest. He lives in Belgium with his wife Irina Gorbunova, a Russian icon painter and art historian, and works as a translator from French, Dutch, German and Russian.

Foreword INTRODUCTION Chapter I. THEOLOGY: ORIGINAL NATURE, SUBSEQUENT EVOLUTIONS AND SHAPES Theology in its most elevated sense: mystical theology The practice of theology in the Church: catechetical, apologetic and doxological theology The birth and development of speculative theology The conditions for practicing theology in an Orthodox setting The birth and development of academic theology Chapter II. THE USEFULNESS OF SCIENTIFIC METHODS IN THEOLOGY Bibliographic research The critical editions of texts and their use Historical criticism The use of references (precise and exact) Rational argumentation Chapter III. DOGMATIC THEOLOGY Chapter IV. SACRED SCRIPTURE AND ITS EXEGESIS The status of Sacred Scripture in the Orthodox tradition The deleterious character of modern Protestant exegesis and Catholic exegesis Principles of Orthodox exegesis Chapter V. PATROLOGY The essential place of patrology in the teaching of Orthodox theology The importance of knowledge of the Fathers in theological knowledge and understanding The need for reference to the Fathers in the practice of theology On the proper use of the Fathers in the practice of theology Thinking in the spirit of the Fathers The continuing relevance of the Fathers today Studying the Fathers in their works and not in the commentaries on them Methodology of patristic studies in the field of research Chapter VI. CHURCH HISTORY Chapter VII. MORAL THEOLOGY AND BIOETHICS Moral theology Bioethics Chapter VIII. HAGIOLOGY Chapter IX. ICONOLOGY Chapter X. STUDY OF THE CANONS Chapter XI. PASTORAL THEOLOGY AND HOMILETICS Conclusion Notes Index Description for sales people