Le Chiese Orientali: Sintesi storica by Giorgio Fedalto (review)

Scholars of the Christian East have employed different methods to make sense of the vast and complex array of churches in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. One method is to group these churches according to "rites," thus treating together the churches of the Byzantine rite, for example, even if some of the churches of that tradition might be estranged from one another. A second method has been to group them according to communions, which yields the four categories of churches that exist today: the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholic Eastern Churches.

In this new book, the Reverend Giorgio Fedalto, professor emeritus of Christian history at the University of Padova, employs a third method which is strictly historical. In just under 200 pages he covers the vast sweep of the Christian East, providing an overview of all the churches in each period. In doing so, he gives ample space not only to the larger more predominant players in that history, but also to the smaller and less well-known churches to the south and east of the old Byzantine Empire.

In the first part of the book, which includes six chapters, the author explores the antecedents of christianity in the Middle east and the Mediterranean area, the emergence of christianity, and its eventual adoption as the state religion of the Byzantine empire. He goes on to describe the characteristics of these eastern forms of the christian faith with their distinctive structures and liturgical traditions, and looks at early developments in india, Arabia, and Persia. The Arab expansion into Byzantine territory and its consequences for the churches of the area receives special attention, as well as the missions of the church of the east into central Asia and beyond.

In the four chapters of the second part of the book, Fedalto focuses on the interaction between the Latin church and the christian east beginning with charlemagne, and the very damaging effect the Fourth crusade had on that relationship. He then takes up the fall of constantinople and the beginning of the centuries-long domination of the Patriarchate of constantinople by the ottoman Turks. This period also saw the expansion of Byzantine christianity far to the north, originally in Kiev and later in Moscow.

In third part of the book, the author brings the history of the eastern churches up to the present day, beginning with the decline and fall of the ottoman empire. This began as a chaotic period with the establishment of newly independent churches in the Balkans; the breaking away of the church of Greece, which left constantinople, still on Turkish soil, bereft of most of its faithful; and the catastrophic effects of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. in the relative calm that has prevailed since World War ii, Fedalto brings his narrative up to the Holy and Great council of the orthodox church, which took place in crete in June, 2016.

In his conclusion, Fedalto reflects on the effect globalization has had on the eastern churches and on christianity in general. This, along with the slow but steady progress made by the modern ecumenical movement, makes him hopeful regarding the future unity of christians, and he offers some thoughts on what role the Bishop of Rome might play in that.

This brief volume is the distillation of decades of study and reflection by one of the world's foremost historians of the christian east. No doubt, it is destined to become the standard introduction to the field among italian speakers. An english translation of this valuable and insightful work would be most welcome.