The most uneducated, educational
program on the internet today. If you haven’t heard Raphael Fiedler speak, then
you honestly don’t know what you’re missing.
I converted to Holy Orthodoxy five years ago this November and for much
of that time I have listened and learned from one of the most knowledgeable
people I know. Raphael takes in-depth looks at a variety of orthodox resources
that allows people to learn and grow in the faith. There have been several
books that I have picked up right after he recommended them. Today we’re going
to look at Orthodox Review and I am going to highlight this man’s great work.
First let me say, that without
Raphael there may not be a Tsar’s Corner blog. His ability to promote the Orthodox
faith and do so in a way that is both relatable and educational is the
foundation for this blog as well. I am no means better than Raphael, in fact I feel
inferior to his knowledge and love of books and reading, but I learnt a great
deal by watching his videos over the course of the past few years. I first came
across Raphael and Orthodox Review two years ago when he was first reviewing
the Jordanville Prayer Book, a book that I really want and hope to someday
acquire a copy of. His ability to highlight the features of the prayer book and
detail the history of the publication allowed me to get an understanding of why
and how books like this have shaped the faith both here in America where Jordanville
is and abroad. From there Raphael branched out to psalters, New Testament
translations, bibles, and other prayer books. Each one of them having a history
and a background what was both good and bad about them. Not only that but Raphael has provided people with
the tools to help perform the services at home in the role of a reader, especially
during the trying times of Covid when many people have not ventured out to church
in two plus years. He also has reviewed the use of prayer ropes and lestovkas
which led to me purchasing a lestovka about two years ago now, though that one
got used so much it has worn itself out. From his suggestions I have acquired
the Monastic Diurnal, the Hapgood Service Book (which is still my all-time favorite
book by the way), and more recently a copy of the Small Book of Needs.
Something also that I find very
interesting is his love of both western rite books and old rite books,
something that was very foreign to me when I first converted to Orthodoxy. Not
only the reviews of the books, but his talk about the divine liturgy is a thing
of beauty! The way he is able to articulate the parts of the divine liturgy and
why the Orthodox do the things we do, makes me cherish the faith even further.
I have always been one to learn history and you certainly will learn history
and a have a fun time with Raphael over on his YouTube channel. So please I implore
you to seek out Raphael and Orthodox Review on YouTube and give his channel a subscribe.
It is a blessing for me, and I believe it will be a blessing for you.
Amen.
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