Adrian Fortescue and the Eastern Christian Churches

Adrian Fortescue (1874-1923) was a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster and was widely recognized as one of England’s foremost authorities on Eastern Christianity. Through numerous books and his articles for The Catholic Encyclopedia, Fortescue helped to shape the English-speaking world’s understanding of the Eastern Churches. For nearly a century, Fortescue has had a tremendous influence on Western perceptions of Eastern Christianity, and in recent years there has been a new resurgence of interest in his work.

This book is a critical examination of his writings on the subject. It analyzes what he said about the Eastern Christian Churches and highlights his insights into key questions. In particular, it focuses on Fortescue’s understanding of the schisms and his thoughts as to how reunion can come about. It also considers his presentation of Eastern Christian theology, liturgy, spirituality, and ecclesiology. The book concludes by comparing Fortescue's perspective to later advances in theology and historical scholarship, as well as important developments in the Eastern Churches themselves, in order to ascertain the long-term accuracy of his writings.