Two Become One: An Orthodox Christian Guide to Engagement and Marriage

by Antonios Kaldas, Ireni Attia

Whether you are a young person embarking on the grand adventure of finding a life partner, or a member of a courting or engaged couple, Two Become One will help you be sure your partner is right for you and help the two of you together lay a firm foundation for the lifelong adventure of marriage. Married couples will also find much of benefit for strengthening their relationship. Weaving ancient wisdom and modern psychology into a single approach, the authors address difficult contemporary issues related to sexuality and marriage and help couples reach a sound and profound understanding of what marriage is all about.

Genres: Christianity, Marriage, Christian

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2017

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most comprehensive guide to Orthodox courtship and marriage that I have found! I highly recommend this book.

[jes olga alspach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible pre-marital counseling book to go over with our priest. The authors are Coptic, but that doesn’t really show through until the last chapter when comparing the Coptic and Greek rites in the marriage ceremony. This chapter, too, would be my only ‘complaint’, though mild: I loved learning about the Coptic wedding tradition, it’s beautiful, but I felt that the Greeks (who represent the Eastern Orthodox Church) was not fully portrayed in all of its beauty and richness. It almost felt as if I were reading “look at the symbolism and beauty of the Coptic/Oriental tradition! And the Greek tradition does some of the things we do too…” Now maybe that’s just because it was Coptics who wrote the book and they’re very familiar with their own traditions and not very familiar with the eastern traditions ? But with all that said, it was still interesting to read about all of the beautiful traditions in the orthodox churches around the sacrament of marriage. There are even a few minor things that my fiancé and I are considering adopting for our own marriage ceremony!

The rest of the book was just a beautiful work, and really helped me and my fiancé address our own communication difficulties, our expectations, understanding anger and a cover for hurt, and gave us a lot of great questions to go over together. We have agreed that maybe in a year or two after being married for a little bit (and maybe even having kids) we want to go through this book together again because it was so poignant and convicting in every helpful way. I highly recommend this book to any Christian - even not orthodox (it mentions orthodoxy, but it’s not so explicit that the average western Christian couldn’t read it and gain from it), but especially for Orthodox Christians who intend to marry or are married as this book exercises our understandings of humanity and all the Church teaches on unity with God and with one another. It’s unlike any teaching I ever received from my Protestant background.

[Gwyneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for Orthodox Christian couples preparing for marriage. The book includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter and the last chapter examines the Orthodox wedding ceremony, comparing the Coptic rite to the Greek rite, which may be helpful for couples with different church backgrounds. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the concept of marriage in the Orthodox Church. The information is indeed helpful. That being said, much of the advice is simply that - advice - and should not be taken as fact. It is up to the couple/readers to interpret as they see fit. The best way to read this book is to start when newly engaged and to read it in parts each week leading up to the marriage of the couple. A priest or spiritual guide can help to lead discussion in the right direction.

[Ela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very rational book, I loved it!

[Raphael Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start and end are a tiny bit dry, but overall a nice informative read. Loads and loads of invaluable advice in the middle too.

[Zina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read yet when it comes to Orthodox Christian marriages