The Religion of Russia; A Study of the Orthodox Church in Russia, from the Point of View of the Church in England
London: 1915. Small quarto (8 3/4 inches tall), original green cloth, gilt spine and pictorial front board, uncut. Occasional light foxing, slight toning to spine, corners sharp, gilt bright. A near-fine copy. Item #1819
"THE RUSSIAN NATION HAS BEEN FREQUENTLY DESCRIBED AS THE MOST RELIGIOUS IN CHRISTENDOM"
First edition of this Study of the Orthodox Church from the "Point of View of the Church in England." Illustrated with both photographs and engravings and published by the Society of SS. Peter and Paul. A lovely book.
Reflecting the longtime Anglican interest in the Orthodox East (which was at a peak during the early days of the First World War), The Religion of Russia was printed by the Chiswick Press with a note: "The woodcuts in this book were specially engraved for the S.S.P.P. by Mr. W.M.R. Quick." Decorated with a tissue-guarded frontispiece ("Church of the Resurrection, Petrograd") and a graceful title page which lists G.B.H. Bishop as a member of The Eastern and Anglican Association (founded in 1864 on the initiative of John Mason Neale). This special Anglican perspective led Bishop to "claim that nobody is better qualified to estimate Russian Orthodoxy at its proper value than an English Churchman."
The woodcuts are supplemented with photographs loaned by the Rev. H.J. Fynes-Clinton. "As early as 1906," Fynes-Clinton "was instrumental in the foundation of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union...and later received decorations from both the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches for his interest and work for them" (Michael Yelton). The final chapter, Inter-Communion, concludes "We shall recall that the visible unity of Christendom is the revealed will of our Lord." The text is supplemented with Appendices A. Russian Orthodox Missions, B. Anaphora, or Canon of the Mass, C. The Council of Florence, 1438-9. With an Index. Michael Yelton. Anglican Papalism: An Illustrated History, 1909-1960.
Price: $75.00