Seeking God

From the reopening of the churches to the expressions of religious charity to the revival of monasticism, signs of recovery of Eastern Orthodox religious culture are evident throughout the former Soviet lands. While occasioned in part by the death of communism, the new religious consciousness is rooted in living traditions that antedate by centuries the relatively brief period of Soviet rule. Addressing these living traditions, this volume's essays highlight both historical and contemporary sources of religious identity. Seeking God examines the roots and recovery of Orthodox religious culture in Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. The authors of the essays are leading international authorities on Orthodoxy, and their contributions reflect the growing scholarly interest in Orthodox popular culture, as well as the linkage of confessional identity with nationalism in the Eastern Orthodox world. Following an introduction by Stephen K. Batalden and an opening essay on the life and work of Father Aleksandr Men', the essays deal with such topics as Old Believers, women's religious communities, schism and cultural conflict, architecture, contemporary politics of the Russian Bible, and sources for studying Eastern Christianity.