The Heavenly Banquet is more than a liturgical commentary. With an abundance of copiously documented biblical citations and rich patristic references, the Divine Liturgy is explained line by line, word by word. This book unhesitatingly answers all kinds of complex liturgical, social, and theological questions. In depth, yet easy to follow, written in simple, understandable language, this book will aid Catechists and instructors who can draw from its abundant material for presentation and discussion. This book will be of great benefit to any Orthodox Christian who wants to obtain a better understanding of the Divine Liturgy. The richness and the depth of the subjects treated herein make The Heavenly Banquet a treasure.

Fr. Emmanuel was born in Greece on the island of Crete and is a priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Fr. Emmanuel studied in Greece, Rome, and the United States. His undergraduate degree from Oberlin College is in Classics, and he has done additional graduate coursework in this field at the University of Chicago. Fr. Emmanuel has a Masters of Divinity degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA. In 2001 Fr. Emmanuel founded Orthodox Witness, a not-for-profit group dedicated to Orthodox Christian evangelism. Fr. Emmanuel is the priest at St. Luke the Evangelist Greek Orthodox Church in Columbia, Missouri, a parish serving the multi-ethnic Orthodox Christian community of central Missouri.