Permission on Orthodox Books

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adstrinity

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Do the Orthodox have something akin to the, “Imprimatur,” and, “Nahil Obstat,” saying that everything in a book about the Faith is correct and it may be printed with the blessing of the Church? Is this something that is silly in the East’s eyes because it’s so legalistic?

IF the East does not have this option, how do you know what you are reading is in the Truth of the Church?
 
Good question.

While we’re on the subject, does anyone happen to know how long the imprimatur system has been around? (Wikipedia has some helpful info about imprimaturs, but little about the history.)
 
Ahimsa said:
Did anyone put an imprimatur on the gospels in 400 A.D.?
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I edited my post.

I don’t know. Does it matter if the Gospels weren’t being given to the common peoples for anybody to read?
 
adstrinity said:
Yes. All Catholic Bibles have to have the Imprimatur, that’s how we know that the Bible we have contains nothing against God.
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OK, but how did people know the truth before “imprimaturs” were being given out?

They knew because the Church (via councils, synods, bishops, and priests) addressed these questions.
 
Ahimsa said:
OK, but how did people know the truth before “imprimaturs” were being given out?

They knew because the Church (via councils, synods, bishops, and priests) addressed these questions.
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Which is well and good, but, I, as an outsider, bought a book on what Orthodoxy teaches. How do I know that this book actually represents the correct teaching of Orthodox Teaching or at least does not teach anything opposed to it?
 
adstrinity said:
Which is well and good, but, I, as an outsider, bought a book on what Orthodoxy teaches. How do I know that this book actually represents the correct teaching of Orthodox Teaching or at least does not teach anything opposed to it?
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Your local Orthodox priest would gladly be of some help.
 
adstrinity said:
Which is well and good, but, I, as an outsider, bought a book on what Orthodoxy teaches. How do I know that this book actually represents the correct teaching of Orthodox Teaching or at least does not teach anything opposed to it?
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What is the title?
 
adstrinity said:
“The Orthodox Church” By Timothy Ware
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Well, it’s usually recommended reading for inquirers and catechumens, although I understand the first two editions are the best ones to get, Bishop Kallistos (Timothy Ware) is seen by many as having become a bit overly ecumenically-minded in recent years. The quote that comes to mind in regard to this is in a chapter on Catholics and Orthodoxy where he says that an Orthodox Christian could not be deemed a heretic for believing in the Immaculate Conception if I recall correctly. That is the only concrete example I know of but there may be others, it’s been a while…
 
In general, the range of Orthodox books (in the U.S. at least) is different from the range of Catholic books.

Many of the Orthodox books I’ve come across are the works of the great Fathers and Orthodox saints. This alone speaks to their orthodoxy. Other books are written by bishops or other holy men who are in communion with the Orthodox Church. Regarding books on “theology,” these are often written by professors on the faculty of Orthodox seminaries. Of certain importance, a great number of the English-language Orthodox books in the U.S. are published by Orthodox presses that are attached to seminaries or monasteries. I imagine, given the tradition in Orthodoxy of asking for blessings for important undertakings, that the authors seek the blessing of the bishop before writing their book.

I think the Latin Church, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation, Jansenism, the Enlightenment and more recently modernism, post-modernism and secularism, has been bombarded with beliefs contrary to the truths of orthodox Christianity. In this world of dangerous ideas, the *impramatur *serves as a indication for pious Catholics that the reading is free from error and suitable to read.

I’m not aware of the Orthodox Church having the impramatur. However, Orthodox leaders have excommunicated literary authors for their heretical views as expressed in their published writings (e.g. Leo Tolstoy and Nikos Kazantzakis).
 
Madaglan said:
Many of the Orthodox books I’ve come across are the works of the great Fathers and Orthodox saints. This alone speaks to their orthodoxy.
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Sort of. Not everything written by every Father is considered correct doctrine. Reading the Fathers requires some discrimination.
 
Ahimsa said:
Sort of. Not everything written by every Father is considered correct doctrine. Reading the Fathers requires some discrimination.
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No Father or any Orthodox Christian for that matter is infallible. Of course you read with discrimination. No argument there. This said, the Fathers are teachers of the Orthodox faith, in the past and at present, and have much to offer in their writings.

When I mention Fathers of the Church, I mean the “great” orthodox Fathers of the Church–e.g. St. Athanasius, The Cappadocian Fathers, St. Gregory Palamas, etc.

Origen, Tertullian and other “Fathers” who fell into heresy are a different matter. Luckily, Orthodox presses do no publish their writings as frequently as those of their orthodox counterparts. When their writings are included in a publication, introductory elucidations or footnotes identify errors and direct the reader towards the Orthodox interpretation.
 
Then if I understand this correctly, there is no stamp on the books of the Orthodox faith MOSTLY because the Orthodox only print books that are in line with their own teachings.*1 IF I were to have any questions about anything that I could read, I should discuss it with an Orthodox priest.*2

*1. Should I therefore avoid books on Orthodoxy if they are printed by a secular publisher?

*2. I don’t know any, though, I suppose one wouldn’t be too hard to come by where I am. Hypothetically, though, if this is not an option, and one doesn’t know if one has read the Truth, there is no way to discern what is true? OR to clarify, should one read the proclamations set out by the councils and the writings of the Fathers?
 
adstrinity said:
Then if I understand this correctly, there is no stamp on the books of the Orthodox faith MOSTLY because the Orthodox only print books that are in line with their own teachings.*1 IF I were to have any questions about anything that I could read, I should discuss it with an Orthodox priest.*2

*1. Should I therefore avoid books on Orthodoxy if they are printed by a secular publisher?

*2. I don’t know any, though, I suppose one wouldn’t be too hard to come by where I am. Hypothetically, though, if this is not an option, and one doesn’t know if one has read the Truth, there is no way to discern what is true? OR to clarify, should one read the proclamations set out by the councils and the writings of the Fathers?
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  1. I wouldn’t say avoid. There are many good books on Orthodoxy published by non-Orthodox companies. Some of these books are classics (e.g. The Way of a Pilgrim), and more recently, Bishop Kallistos’ (Timothy Ware’s) The Orthodox Church, published by Penguin. I’m reading two good books on the Russian Church Underground, and neither one is published by an Orthodox press.
  2. It’s good to read the Fathers and the Councils. This definitely helps. I think, however, that it also helps to attend Eastern Christian services to gain a better understanding. The liturgy is rich with the teachings of the Fathers.
As an aside, there are many excellent Catholics books (written by Catholic authors) that do not bear impramaturs. The works of Walker Percy and Flannery O’Connor come to mind.
 
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