The Friend of the Bridegroom
Subtitle: On the Orthodox Veneration of the Forerunner
Contributors: Boris Jakim (Translator)
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Published: February 2003
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 200
ISBN-13: 9780802849793
Subjects: The historical Jesus; the Baptist, Saint; John,; Theology - Christology; Religion; Christian Theology - Christology; Christian Theology - General; John; Christianity - Theology - General
First sentence: By celebrating the venerable conception of the Forerunner (24 September) and his vulnerable birth (24 June), the Holy Church puts him into close proximity with the Mother of God, whose glorious conception (9 December) and glorious birth (9 September) she also celebrates.
Description: "The Friend of the Bridegroom offers a compelling theological interpretation of John the Baptist as seen through the eyes of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Written by Sergius Bulgakov, the greatest Russian theologian of modern times, this book sheds new light on the mission and meaning of John the Baptist, commonly referred to in Orthodoxy as the "Forerunner of the Lord." Bulgakov traces the Baptist's life from beginning to end - his birth, his preaching of repentance, his baptism of the Lord, his agony, his death, and his veneration in the context of Eastern Orthodoxy.

In addition to its use of the Gospel narratives, Bulgakov's profound portrait of the Baptist is colored by sacred tradition as it is embodied in patristic literature, in liturgy, and in iconography."--BOOK JACKET.