The Burning Bush: On the Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God

I have been contemplating a move from Protestantism to Orthodoxy and have done much internet research and read several books on the subject. Coming from a Protestant perspective, we are always uncomfortable with Roman Catholic and Orthodoxy beliefs as they relate to Mary. The book does a great job explaining every aspect of Orthodoxy beliefs on Mary and goes into great detail about the differences between Orthodox and Roman Catholic veneration of Mary. The book can be very difficult to understand at times since I am by no means a Christian Theologian. This book is the most difficult book out of four that I have read concerning Orthodox faith but the insights are well worth it. If you are a Protestant like myself that is looking into becoming Orthodox, this book is a great place to start. You will either come away with a thirst to learn more about the ancient faith or you will know that you just can't relate to the views on Mary that are held by the Orthodox in which case you won't have to read further.

I'm leaving this review only to counter a previous comment by another (likely well-intentioned) reviewer. Bulgakov is not representative of Orthodoxy's views on Mary. To quote from OrthoWiki.org: "Bulgakov’s teaching on sophiology is highly controversial". If you are an inquirer into Eastern Orthodoxy, you may find yourself appalled at what you read in The Burning Bush and be on the same track as the Orthodox.

Bulgakow is one of the most Russian theologs during the XX century. This book is a pearl of very big value which shows who is Mary for the Orhodox Theology.