The Unknown Europe: How Eastern Europe Got That Way

by James R. Payton Jr.

Overview

The fascinating history of Eastern Europe includes highs of soaring cultural achievement and lows of almost unimaginable repression. But we in the West don't know much about Eastern Europe or its history--this book helps us see why. We got interested when the region became a threat during the Cold War, but what we learned focused on the Communist period after World War II--not Eastern Europe itself or its deep history, a history that continues to live in the hearts of its peoples. James Payton offers an accessible treatment of the history of the region, an opportunity to learn about Eastern Europeans as they are. He overviews that story from pre-history to the present, examining eleven turning points that profoundly shaped Eastern European history. His treatment considers the backgrounds to the turning points, the events, and the long-lasting impacts they had for the various Eastern European nations. This helps us understand how Eastern Europeans themselves see their history--the "long haul" over the centuries, with the influence and impact of events of the sometimes-distant past shaping how they see themselves, their neighbors, and their place in the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666704778
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	11/03/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	324
File size:	30 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

James R. Payton Jr. is Professor of Patristics and Historical Theology at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, and Emeritus Professor of History at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario. He has authored numerous books and served for fourteen years on the executive of Christians Associated for Relationships with Eastern Europe.
James R. Payton Jr. is Professor of History at Redeemer University College, in Ancaster, Ontario. He is the author of Light from the Christian East: An Introduction to the Orthodox Tradition (2007) and Getting the Reformation Wrong: Correcting Some Misunderstandings (2010).

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This propitious and important publication is at once an invitation, passport, and contextualizing guided tour informing of the lands, peoples, and stories of the historically significant ‘other Europe.’”

—Joseph Loya, Director, Russian Area Studies Concentration Program, Villanova University



“After decades of slumber, many of us are being freshly reawakened to the urgency of political and religious developments in Russia and Eastern Europe. Yet even for the historically minded among us, few in the West know the stories of the peoples and cultures of what Payton rightly calls ‘the unknown Europe.’ Here, finally, is a beautiful, accessible, and trustworthy overview, proven through decades of study, travel, and relationships, from one of the West’s finest interpreters of Eastern Europe. You will not be disappointed.”

—Robert J. Joustra, Associate Professor of Politics and International Studies, Redeemer University



“As a native of Eastern Europe—the subject of this book—I am impressed by the fairness and accuracy by which James Payton presents the centuries-long history of this vast area, by focusing on the eleven most-important watershed events. Payton is writing from a general Western vantage point, specifically from a distinctly North American perspective. He insists that viewing Eastern Europe primarily by focusing on the period of its Soviet domination yields a warped impression. It is much more accurate to affirm, as he does, the crucial role of the Christian Byzantine Empire in the formation of Eastern European cultures.”

—Paul Mojzes, founding editor of Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe



“This meticulous study brings alive the unknown, mysterious, and still exotic elements of Eastern Europe that were forgotten by the West. In James Payton’s writing, Eastern Europe comes alive, and memories of long-gone ancestors help us make sense of and conceptualize solutions to the problems facing the region today. This book is an invaluable resource for all those who are ready and willing to take the journey to the other Europe.”

—Ines Angeli Murzaku, Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Seton Hall University

Editorial Reviews

This propitious and important publication is at once an invitation, passport, and contextualizing guided tour informing of the lands, peoples, and stories of the historically significant ‘other Europe.’”

—Joseph Loya, Director, Russian Area Studies Concentration Program, Villanova University



“After decades of slumber, many of us are being freshly reawakened to the urgency of political and religious developments in Russia and Eastern Europe. Yet even for the historically minded among us, few in the West know the stories of the peoples and cultures of what Payton rightly calls ‘the unknown Europe.’ Here, finally, is a beautiful, accessible, and trustworthy overview, proven through decades of study, travel, and relationships, from one of the West’s finest interpreters of Eastern Europe. You will not be disappointed.”

—Robert J. Joustra, Associate Professor of Politics and International Studies, Redeemer University



“As a native of Eastern Europe—the subject of this book—I am impressed by the fairness and accuracy by which James Payton presents the centuries-long history of this vast area, by focusing on the eleven most-important watershed events. Payton is writing from a general Western vantage point, specifically from a distinctly North American perspective. He insists that viewing Eastern Europe primarily by focusing on the period of its Soviet domination yields a warped impression. It is much more accurate to affirm, as he does, the crucial role of the Christian Byzantine Empire in the formation of Eastern European cultures.”

—Paul Mojzes, founding editor of Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe



“This meticulous study brings alive the unknown, mysterious, and still exotic elements of Eastern Europe that were forgotten by the West. In James Payton’s writing, Eastern Europe comes alive, and memories of long-gone ancestors help us make sense of and conceptualize solutions to the problems facing the region today. This book is an invaluable resource for all those who are ready and willing to take the journey to the other Europe.”

—Ines Angeli Murzaku, Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Seton Hall University

From the Publisher