A Cloud of Witnesses: Saints and Martyrs from the Holy Land

Bishop Demetri's book, "Saints and Martyrs from the Holy Land," is a great contribution to our Orthodox religious library and all those who are interested in the lives of the saints. Bishop Demetri was fortunate to be born not far from the gates of the holy city of Jerusalem. He walked where Jesus walked and breathed the same air which Jesus breathed. He spent his childhood in the shadow of Bethlehem, Nazareth, Mount Tabor, Calvary and the empty tomb. Palestine is a land of prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs and church fathers. We commend Bishop Demetri for writing this volume and we recommend it to all readers, Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike. Metropolitan PHILIP Primate, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America This huge volume is arranged chronologically, with lives of prophets, martyrs, apostles, monastic - many with small icons, Dismissal Hymns and Kontakia - and includes the service to All Saints in Palestine for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost. Presented in a modern narrative way, the hundreds of lives range from a paragraph to 5 pages in length. It is a handy source for information about the prophets and apostles (the 12 and the 70), about whom it is sometimes difficult to find quick information. There is an extensive glossary and listing of the Synaxarion of the Church of Jerusalem.