/lit/ - Literature

The Orthodox Study Bible

The dessert fathers

>>15511476
>The dessert fathers
Yum

>>15511431
Email the priest at your local church. Orthodoxy doesn't exist in a vacuum, reading books outside of the environment is generally unproductive, and odds are you'll just turn into either an insufferable fuckwit with no understanding of Orthodoxy as a lived faith (like a great deal of people online) or a regular bog standard heretic. Alternatively, you just might have a headache and just not get anything. Basically, reading things out of order (and that order should be suggested to you by your priest, especially at first) is bad, prideful, and generally leads to prelest.
4chan is not the place for spiritual advice.

>>15512028
>just join a religion without reading about it or you'll become a heretic
You can't be serious

>>15512271
Experiencing the liturgy and the life of a parish is important to understanding the what you're reading. You'll hear almost everything that is believed brought up throughout the liturgical year, usually in the hymography. Orthodoxy (right belief) is inseparable from Orthopraxy (right practice). It's also not like anyone is going to force you to start participating. Just go and see when you can. Talk to the priest. Your local parish might have an inquiry class were they can answer your questions if you're in an area with a lot of converts.

>>15512271
There's an old saying "One Christian is no Christian". The Church was built as a community of believers. Even hermit monks participate in the sacraments and have to take guidance from a spiritual father. If you decide to jump straight into reading the philokalia without any context, yes you will likely fall into prelest. Your spiritual life is a serious and dangerous matter, to be handled carefully: failure can mean death everlasting. It is written, "woe to him who is alone when he falls, for there is not a second one to help him up". Being in contact with the living enactment of Holy Tradition is utterly irreplaceable.

Is Constantine the Great considered a saint?

>>15512386
Yes, despite being sinful. All men are sinful, even saints. Saints are, in many ways, simply those who had a strong relationship with God.

>>15512383
>failure can mean death everlasting
I'm sure that god turns a blind eye to people who die outside the eastern orthodox community

>>15512271
Then read something like "The Orthodox Way", though you can also just show up to church. You don't have to join right away, in fact the Orthodox don't let you. You have to show up for a while and show an interest, as well as talk to the priest about getting into the catechumenate. In fact, if someone came in knowing too much about the Ecumenical Councils (as an example) and didn't come from some situation where they should have known a ton about them, that's a red flag and will probably end with some sort of conversation with your priest so that you understand their purpose and understand the application of the canons. It'd be less severe with something along the lines of "Hey, I heard of Saint Basil and read a lot about them!" but it's still wholly unnecessary, you'll be provided good literature.
Your faith is, to some degree, the responsibility of the priest. Ultimately it is yours as well, but trust the priest, submission is a virtue.

>>15512563
>In fact, if someone came in knowing too much about the Ecumenical Councils (as an example) and didn't come from some situation where they should have known a ton about them
unbelievable retardation

>>15512028
This is actually a bit overzealous. There is a very clear place to begin with orthodoxy: The Bible. Not only that, it's completely appropriate to recommend that someone begin with introductory works like Kallistos Ware's Orthodox Church or Orthodox Way, or reading something more ecumenical such as Mere Christianity. It's also acceptable to read things on the internet, and to look at books like Ladder of Divine Ascent, or The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. I also read the didache early on and enjoyed it greatly. It's certainly important to visit a church, see the liturgy performed, and talk to a priest and see the lived faith, but that's not possible right now, so studying the faith will have to make up for it.

>>15512598
No dude where supposed to just randomly walk into a church and submit, you're not supposed to read the Didache or even know about the council of Nicaea or you'll be viewed with suspicion

>>15512598
>So studying the faith will have to make up for it
Exactly, which is why I suggested emailing the priest of the church they'd end up going to. I've seen too many people be like "Ah yes, the Philokalia, a perfect starting place for Orthodoxy!" I'm not suggesting not reading anything at all, I'm just suggesting "Don't get your reading lists from strangers on the internet, especially not yet."
>>15512593
Brilliant refutation, nicely done.
>>15512615
There are miles of difference between what I've written and what everyone seems to think I'm saying. /lit/ can't read for shit.

>unironically becoming Orthodox
Just become an actual Christian, focus on reading the Bible, not that pagan nonsense

>>15512619
>There are miles of difference between what I've written and what everyone seems to think I'm saying.
This is my first post in the thread and you haven't exactly been clear. Try writing more directly.

>>15512629
Are you saying he should begome catholic?

>>15512662
Apologies, then. For clarity's sake:
>>15511431
I'd recommend starting with the Bible and emailing your priest for other introductory literature, though "The Orthodox Church" by Kallistos Ware is a common suggestion. For the Bible, I'd recommend reading the Orthodox Study Bible, as it includes the majority of the canon used by the Orthodox (to the best of my knowledge) and it includes theological points so you don't accidentally become a Baptist or something. Past that, the best recommendation (in the beginning) is to email your priest for suggestions and advice. If you're starting with Orthodoxy, as it seems you are, email the priest at the church you'd try to attend.

>>15512665
Even worse. At least in Orthodoxy they don't worship the Pope.

>>15512629
>actually being a pr*testant in current year
ISHYGDDT

>>15511431
The great thing about Eastern Orthodoxy is you can just make shit up as you go along. Systematic Theology is a foreign concept to them.
If someone tries to tell you that you are wrong just find one a thousand church fathers that agrees with you and you are golden.

>>15512665
>become a child molesting papist

>>15512692
The Orthodox and Catholics both worship dead people, though the Catholics take it a step further and worship a living man.
Then there's all the Protestants who claim to be "Sola Scriptura" but keep various traditions. Denominations are a sin and a sham, just read the Bible yourself, you idolatrous heretic.

>>15512692
>roleplaying in the current year

>>15512700
That makes sense considering how many white nationalists convert to Orthodoxy and entangle their racist revisionism into the tradition, where they wouldn't be able to in Roman Catholicism.

>>15512701
cringe

>>15512706
Why does the Bible have any authority?

>>15512765
Ah yes, worshiping basically everything except for God and then fucking literal children, the peak of Christianity

>>15512769
The Old Testament was used by the Jews (not to be confused with modern Jews) and Jesus, the New Testament is written by the early Christians, who notably weren't man-worshiping idolatrous pedophiles.

>>15512769
I'm not a protestant or even a Christian but I'll answer on their behalf, Christians believe in the scriptures because they know and believe in what it reveals to them. It's simple actually, they don't need an external authority to tell them it's true, because deep down they genuinely believe in the gospel message

KJV or Scofield Bible.

>>15512772
ah yes splintering into 5000 sects speaking in tongues and playing with snakes and women priests and gay weddings and shilling for da joos, the peak of christianity

>>15512802
That's not what speaking in tongues is, way to mangle together every piece of shitty propaganda you know of.
There's not actually 5000 different denominations.
Speaking in tongues has to do with being understood, not gibberish. Speaking in tongues doesn't happen nowadays.
Snake handling is stupid.
Women can't be priests. Nor can they be pastors. They're supposed to shut the fuck up.
We read in Leviticus that homosexuality is an abomination so that's right the fuck out too.
Jews of nowadays aren't the actual Jews of antiquity, they're impostors and not God's chosen people.
Fucking retarded cathodox cunts on 4channel.org today, I swear

>>15512802
Ok zoomer

>>15512028
>>15512383
>>15512563
OP here - to be honest I think this is exactly what I needed to hear, especially as I endlessly worry about prelest and have had little to no spiritual guidance ever in my life
thanks anon(s)

>>15512819
Great. You’ve denounced all of these things based on your own authoritative interpretation. Unfortunately pastor jim down at the strip mall has a different authoritative interpretation and says the opposite.
>>15512830
I see the difference. The difference is the problem and indicates that the individualism of protestantism is a fundamental flaw. And portraying the difference as liberal vs conservative is retarded.

>>15514267
Wow, it's almost like a broad meaningless category is broad and meaningless! Guess you can just toss everything out offhandedly rather than actually do some thinking, guess the ChUrCh doesn't allow that.