Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer
Unlike many books of meditations on icons, this book presents a unique opportunity for readers to visit an imaginary church and see icons "in action" throughout the year--to stand alongside worshipers for whom the use of icons is a natural part of their devotional lives. Reproductions of icons on the book jacket and in the inside text allow the reader to view the icons that would be found in a typical contemporary Orthodox church, as Frederica Mathewes-Green explains their history and theology. Stories of saints and texts of the prayers appointed for the day enhance the devotional quality of the book. Anyone interested in understanding and "praying with" icons will benefit from this warmhearted, practical guide.
Frederica Mathewes-Green is a marvelous storyteller and every searcher's best friend.- Amy Dickinson, Time Magazine
Religious icons aren?t just for Eastern Orthodox anymore...this ancient art form has made the ecumenical leap, becoming wildly popular among Catholics and even some Protestants."- Publishers Weekly
In short, this is a treasure for the person who would like an introduction to icons and the theology of icons as well as a solid devotional text for any season.- The Living Church (2004)
Raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Frederica Mathewes-Green received her B.A. in English from the University of South Carolina and her M.A. in Theological Studies from Virginia Episcopal Theological Seminary.
Considering herself a Hindu, in 1974 Frederica married Gary Mathewes-Green and set off for a back-packing honeymoon in Europe. There she experienced a "totally undeserved miraculous conversion" that changed the course of her life. Returning to the U.S., she and Gary both attended seminary, and Gary became an Episcopal priest. After spending fifteen years in the Episcopal Church, Gary fell in love with Orthodoxy and became a priest of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In 1993 the couple founded the Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Frederica's initial struggle with and eventual reception into the Orthodox Church became the catalyst for her widely acclaimed book,
Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mystery of Orthodoxy. Two years later, she published At the Corner of East and Now: A Modern Life in Ancient Christian Orthodoxy.
