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said that, Louth does often legitimately challenge Western traditions
and practices. His arguments for the Eastern view that there are poten-
tially more than the seven Sacraments de?ned by Western Catholic
theology are persuasive. Funeral Rites and the Divine Liturgy itself
would seem to be candidates at least as likely as those usually included.

At the end of the book there is a helpful bibliography in which
Louth points us to that still standard work ‘The Orthodox Church’ by
Kallistos Ware. In that book Ware wrote, ‘Christians in the west, both
Roman and Reformed generally start by asking the same questions, al-
though they may disagree about the answers. In Orthodoxy, however, it
is not merely the answers that are di?erent – the questions themselves
are not the same as in the west.’ This statement came to mind as I read
Louth’s book. It is a work that will itself become a standard introduc-
tion, helping many to break out of stale theological discussions and
ways of thinking, and enable a broader and richer understanding of the
Christian faith.

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