In March 2004, a group of 30 historians who have been fascinated by the work of the British and Foreign Bible Society met in London to share their researches, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Society (now part of the United Bible Societies). A common thread to their papers was the indelible effect the Society's work has had around the world, not only in bringing the Bible to people of many countries in their own language but also in helping to create many national identities and cultures. The Bible was often the first printed book in a language, and so the primer for those learning to read. It had an enormous influence on education, the development of written languages, and the outlook of leaders and ordinary people alike throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. In the 19 papers of this volume, focussing on Britain, West Africa, East Asia, Russia, Europe and North America, readers will find a wealth of absorbing detail. There are the stories of those who translated the Bible into the languages of China and Russia, into the native languages of nineteenth-century Canada, and into many other languages of the world. There are the intriguing tales of those who distributed Bibles, including the many women such as the Bible Women, who found a freedom they otherwise lacked in organizing networks for circulating the Scriptures. Not forgotten either are those colourful characters, like the maverick George Borrow in Spain, who took enormous risks for the Society in selling Bibles in countries where a vernacular Bible was not welcomed by the authorities.

From the reopening of the churches to the expressions of religious charity to the revival of monasticism, signs of recovery of Eastern Orthodox religious culture are evident throughout the former Soviet lands. While occasioned in part by the death of communism, the new religious consciousness is rooted in living traditions that antedate by centuries the relatively brief period of Soviet rule. Addressing these living traditions, this volume's essays highlight both historical and contemporary sources of religious identity. Seeking God examines the roots and recovery of Orthodox religious culture in Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. The authors of the essays are leading international authorities on Orthodoxy, and their contributions reflect the growing scholarly interest in Orthodox popular culture, as well as the linkage of confessional identity with nationalism in the Eastern Orthodox world. Following an introduction by Stephen K. Batalden and an opening essay on the life and work of Father Aleksandr Men', the essays deal with such topics as Old Believers, women's religious communities, schism and cultural conflict, architecture, contemporary politics of the Russian Bible, and sources for studying Eastern Christianity.