“This book is not a history of the Orthodox Church, much less a scientific study... The reader will find here a kind of commentary on such a story with references to the main events, an attempt in the past to distinguish the main from the secondary, to note - at least basically - the milestones of a long historical path of the Orthodox Church. Reflection on the past, an assessment of it according to conscience, and a fearless acceptance of historical truth are now especially necessary for all those for whom the Church stands at the center of all aspirations and all hopes. The book is based on a course on the history of the Eastern Church that I taught from 1945 to 1951. at the Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris, and for the last two years at St. Vladimir’s Theological Academy in New York.” A. Schmemann