text: I have only read the Swedish translation of what I suppose is the "old edition", but judging by "Look inside this book", this new English-language edition incorporates much material from the old. Incidentally, the Swedish edition gives the authors name as Kallistos Ware, apparently his taken Orthodox name, while Timothy Ware is his original, given name. 
  
  In Sweden, the Swedish translation of "The Orthodox Church" is the only readily available book on the history of the Orthodox Church. Apparently, its used informally as a textbook in some college classes on Church history. It also contains chapters on theology and worship.
  
  In my opinion, the book is a necessary introduction for those interested in Orthodox Church history. Its first chapters summarize the history of this Church during the Byzantine Empire, under Islam, and in Russia both before and during Communism. Of particular interest is the authors interpretation of the Catholic-Orthodox split, usually dated to 1054. The author believes that the so-called Fourth Crusade in 1204 was the real and final consummation of this split. 
  
  However, the book must also be read with some reservations. The author is, after all, an Orthodox Christian himself. Its safe to assume that there is a certain bias here and there. For instance, Ware denies that the Byzantine Church was caesaropapist, a very untenable suggestion. At other times, he is surprisingly "liberal" for an Orthodox. For instance, he paints Mehmet Fatih, the Muslim conqueror of Constantinople, as a very tolerant ruler. I also wonder about his interpretation of the Church father Cyprian. 
  
  Even so, "The Orthodox Church" remains an indepensable book for those looking for a short and concise historical over-view of this remarkable Christian Church. 
  
  