ABOUT THE BOOK
Many visitors to Greece
quickly find that this beautiful country is so much more than beaches, bars and
bazouki and there is more to see than ancient archaeological sites. They want to
learn more about what makes Greece tick. Since there seems to be a church on
every street corner, the Orthodox Church seems to play a central role and yet
here lies a problem. Although most people have a vague appreciation and
knowledge of the layout of churches and of Christian worship and belief,
Orthodoxy does seem different and, at times, almost exotic. Thus, visitors are
often left with a host of questions:
Why do Greek priests have
long hair and beards?
Why are Greek churches
full of pictures but short of seats?
Why is Easter a different
date in Greece?
What are those
little models of churches at the side of the road?
When my wife and I first
moved to Greece in 1994, we looked for a book that would give us the answers to
these and a host of other questions in a simple, compact way. Since such a thing
didn't seem to exist, I decided to write one and, after much research, “A
Glimpse of Heaven” was born. The original printed version is no longer available
but by publishing the book in Kindle, I have taken the opportunity to correct,
improve and expand the first edition.
The book now includes a
guided tour of a normal Greek Orthodox church and sections on icons, worship,
monasteries, feast days, fasts and family occasions such as baptisms and
weddings.
My main aim in writing “A
Glimpse of Heaven” has been to make it accessible, compact and “user-friendly.”
To this end, I have used many illustrations and I have not been afraid to use
humour where appropriate. Nevertheless, several theologians, two priests and a
couple of bishops have all vouched for the accuracy of the information even if
it is simplified. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of Diokleia wrote of the original
version: "You have found exactly the right tone and level to appeal to your
readers. You convey plenty of practical information, and you do so in a clear
and interesting way. But that is not all: you transmit also something of the
inner spirit of the Orthodox faith, and your love of Orthodoxy - without being
obtrusive - is clearly apparent throughout the book."
From Amazon Reviews of Kindle
Edition:
“A glimpse
of humour as well as a Glimpse of Heaven!”
“Highly
recommended to readers of all ages and beliefs.”
“The Kindle
version looks even better, with much more information and better quality photos.
A lovely book, highly recommended for any holidaymaker to Greece.”
“I even
found it useful when visiting Orthodox churches in London.”
“A gentle sense of
humour, a warm devotion and extensive research combine to make this an unusually
entertaining book.”
Please note that the
Second Edition of “A Glimpse of Heaven” is now available in printed form on
Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
ABOUT ME
Born in Sussex, England,
in 1948, I attended St. Catherine’s College, Oxford and the University of
Surrey. Having worked for British Telecomm for about twenty years, I solved my
mid-life crisis in 1994 by moving with my wife to Greece, where I found teaching
English to Greek children considerably more satisfying than statistical analysis
of telephone usage. In 2001, my wife and I were baptised into the Orthodox
Church.
I am the author of Traveling Companions, Walking with the
Saints of the Orthodox Church (Ancient Faith Publishing) and Under Mount Oxa, a guide to the churches
of Elounda (available on CD-ROM from the author). I am currently working on a
brief history of the Orthodox Church under Enver Hoxha's rule in Albania.
My blog, www.chrismoorey.blogspot.gr, contains musings on
various aspects of Orthodoxy and is currently running a series of articles on
twentieth century Orthodox martyrs.
My facebook page, www.facebook.com/