Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century

By: Stephen De Young

Narrated by: Stephen De Young

Rev. Dr. Stephen De Young, creator of the popular The Whole Counsel of God blog and podcast, traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.

©2021 Stephen De Young (P)2021 Stephen De Young

Overall Successful Defense of Main Thesis

In broad terms, yes, the orthodox Faith is in a direct continuum with the Apostles. The non-sequitur, however, is this: continuity does not demonstrate faithfulness. The Priesthood of Messiah’s day were in direct continuity with Aaron, but they were not faithful to him. To this, the imperialized mindset of the Easter Roman Orthodox Church, otherwise known as the Eastern Orthodox or Greek Orthodox Church, must turn her attention with fasting prayer.
-Ի Փառս Միմիայն Ամենակալին և Թագաւորին,
Այժմ և միշտ և յաւիտեանս յաւիտենից.
Ամէն։

Glory to God.

This clear and concise book outlines the true Faith given to our first Fathers, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, all the way down to the Apostles and their successors who live and operate by the Holy Spirit today. Bless those who read this.

Perspective Shifting but not Perfect

“Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century” by Fr. Stephen De Young was an eye-opening read that I am sure I will refer to many times in the future. The author is well respected in the Orthodox Christian community, and I’ve heard his work referenced quite a few times in my studies over the past couple of years. He does great work educating readers/listeners of his blog and podcasts on scripture that has become obscure the further we get from the time they were written. This book continues that tradition and enlightened me on aspects of early Christianity (and some of the Old Testament) that always puzzled me. His work creates a more full picture of what it means and has always meant to be a follower of Jesus. Overall, I am glad I read the book.
Although I did enjoy the book, I am not sure it perfectly accomplished what it set out to do. From my understanding, this book was meant to be a book that could take more academic topics about the beginnings of Christianity and make them more accessible to non-academics. In some sections, I feel like this goal is accomplished. My understanding overall of early Christian thinking is much more informed than it once was. On the other hand, there are parts in which the author does not seem to find this balance. There are sections that are both too detailed for the average reader and not detailed or have enough citations for the academic. By staying in the middle ground, perhaps this information was not presented to its greatest advantage. Either way, the subject matter of this book is very interesting, and I am sure will be much discussed in the years to come.
Another note I have is not a critique of the book itself but a warning for potential readers. There are some topics (such as discussion of Nephilim) that were very new for me. My religious background before I entered the Orthodox church tended toward fundamentalist thinking that was both confusing and detrimental to my faith. I am not by any means saying that this book promotes that sort of thinking! I will say that aspects of it could be manipulated or misinterpreted by those that already have a tendency towards thinking that way already. Especially if they don’t read the whole book carefully. There were several moments when I had to take a step back from the book to properly absorb the information I had just heard and discuss it with someone more knowledgeable than myself. Much of the information in this book is absolutely beneficial for all Orthodox Christians to better understand Christianity. Some of the information people may not be ready for or should approach with guidance. This is of course left to each individual and their spiritual father or mentors.
Yet again, let me reiterate how informative this book was for me. It will take a long time before I am able to fully process it all. I absolutely recommend it to those who are ready for it!

****One more side note about the audible version. I noticed that some of the sound production was a little strange. For example, the separate addition of the “end quote” audio that was clearly recorded at a different time. The audible was not terrible to listen to, but I just overall got the impression that the work was rushed.

Wonderfully fills in historical holes.

This material would be excellent for those who are falling into the Exvangelical Phenomenon. It also utterly crushes ideas hill by men like Andy Stanley who think the Old Testament is not important for new Christians in this modern age. This book also has information that would be appealing to pagans who have only ever been exposed to western Christian ideas.They may indeed find that ancient Christianity has everything they’ve been looking for in their pursuit of spiritual truth

Worship Changed

My view on worship, the Scriptures and so much more has radically changed after reading through this book! So well done!
It has also helped to to explain and formulate thoughts that I’ve been trying to communicate and been at a loss on how to connect all the dots.