A Hint on this Work
The author describes his work as;" The Fulfillment of a lifelong vow", a vow of the teaching deacon (Didaskalos) that A. S. Atiya, of blessed memory, delivered on "the essentials of the extensive and complex but highly interesting subject of the Eastern Christian Churches." This is the history of the churches who led Orthodox Christianity, whose theology and dogma could be intellectually defined as the dialogue between Alexandria and Antioch. Eric Jurgens precisely describes it as "masterfully introduces the reader to a fascinating and little known segment of the Christian world". (preceding review)

Summery of Contents
I. Alexandrine Christianity, the Copts, the Ethiopians and their Church
II. Antioch and the Jacobites
III. The Nestorian Church
IV. The Armenian Church
V. St. Thomas Christians of South India
VI. The Maronite Church
VII.The Vanished Churches; Carthage, Pentapolis, and Nubia

Beautiful Erudite Introduction
Looking at the front page, enjoy reading the Coptic icon (the Louvre): Christ with his right arm around the shoulder of St. Menas, an Egyptian martyr, theology of beauty. The preface is key to Atiya's philosophy of Church history, "Though conscious of the controversial character of some of my arguments, I have decided to relinquish even the most provocative among them so long as they have any foundation in available source material." Seven maps introduce you to the geography of the early Christian world, and the regional facts of the time.

Eastern Christianity at a glance:
Part I: Alexandrine Christianity:
The ancient patriarchate of Alexandria was one of the chief sees of the early church. The Copts, descendants of the ancient Egyptians, never assumed their Church ethnic identity untill after the Arab invasion of the Byzantine empire. Through a long period of persecution since Byzantine domination of the East, the Orthodox Church in Egypt tenaciously held fast to the "faith of the fathers", preserving the Coptic language in their liturgy. One of its main strengths was in continuing the ascetic and monastic traditions originated by the Egyptian deserts fathers. The church has initiated considerable missionary work early in its ministry in europe and British Isles, recently in other parts of the African continent, and has a significant diaspora in North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.
The Ethiopian church has a history going back to apostolic times. For long under the tutelage of the Church of Alexandria. In 1959, the Coptic patriarch consecrated the Ethiopian Abuna as Catholicos of the Church of Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa. The church uses both the ancient language of Geez and modern Amharic in its liturgy, and has produced considerable religious literature with its own iconographic tradition.
The Eritrean Orthodox Church is an autocephalous church, depending directly on the See of St. Mark , got its catholicos and Synod in recent years, after separation of Eritria from Ethiopia.

Part II; Antioch and the Jacobites
The Syrian Orthodox Church traces its history to the early traditions of St Peter's work, Christians were first called by their name in Antioch. The church suffered severe persecution during the struggle against Byzantine domination after the council of Chalcedon, and later through invasions and Islamic rule. The patriarchate had to be moved several times until it was established in Damascus during this century. Syrian liturgical and theological life flourished until the 13th century, and became an inspiration to the Coptic Church which was in desolation, but steadily declined afterwards. The monastic movement produced many universally acknowledged saints and contributed enormously to the creation of a rich liturgical tradition.
In the seventeenth century, the Antiochian church came into contact with the ancient church of St Thomas Christians in India, and W. Syrian liturgy was thus introduced to the Christians in South India. Though the Syrian church is vastly reduced in number, it has a considerable diaspora in the US, Australia and Europe.

Part IV; The Armenian Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church: Armenia is the first nation to accept Christianity as the official religion traditionally Orthodox Christianity is linked with the preaching of St Thaddeus and St Bartholomew. Armenian Christians heroically preserved their apostolic faith, and were victims of terrible persecution through the centuries. There are three ecclesiastical centres within the church apart from Armenia: the catholicate of Cilicia (Antelias, Lebanon), the patriarchate of Jerusalem and the patriarchate of Constantinople. The Armenian church has a very significant diaspora spread out in all the continents. The Armenian national aspirations and the Armenian Orthodox faith are integrally interconnected.

The Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church has always cherished the tradition of St Thomas as the founding father of Christianity in India. The Indian church, has suffered from Western colonial missions. The church came into contact with the west Syrian patriarchate of Antioch in 1665 and thus inherited the Syrian liturgical and spiritual tradition. The Orthodox church in India declared itself autocephalous in 1912, though conflicts with the Syrian patriarchate continue. With a well- equipped theological college, a mission training centre and many educational and charitable institutions, the church is fully involved in the life of the country. With the catholicos residing in Kerala. It has a diaspora in North America, Malaysia, Singapore and the Gulf countries.

The Late A. S. Atiya
the author, Distinguished Professor of History, University of Utah, is one of the greatest Coptologists, and Editor in Chief of the 8 volume, Coptic Encyclopedia. He was a member of the Mount Sinai expeditions of U. of Alexandria with The Library of Congress, and with U's of Princeton and Michigan, he then discovered the Codex Georgianus. While tenure in Alexandria, he was the Henry Luce visiting professor of world Christianity, at Union Theological Seminary New York. In conclusion, he says about his book: "In sum, if this book proves to be a modest counterweight to the Galaxy of standard manuals of the History of Western Christianity, I shall be more than rewarded."

For further reading
1. Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions, john Meyendorff, SVS, 1989
2. The First Seven Ecumenical Councils, Leo D. Davis, M. Glazier, 1987
3. The Rise of the Monophysite Movement, WHC Frend, Cambridge U. P., 1972
4. Christ in Christian Tradition, Vol. 2, Part Four, The Church of Alexandria with Nubia and Ethiopia,
Aloys grillmeier, theresia hainthaler, Nowbray & W j Knox, 1996.

Aziz Atiya's work, The History of Eastern Christianity, masterfully introduces the reader to a fascinating and little known segment of the Christian World. The chapters are well-organized thematically, ranging from the origins and histories of the Coptic, Ethiopian, and Nestorian Churches (among others), to descriptions of Christian communities in far-off India. Atiya's flair for storytelling combines well with his scholarship, making this work an interesting read for both scholars and interested non-scholars alike.