The Bible and the World is one of the most ambitious theological works of the nineteenth-century Greek Orthodox thinker Apostolos Makrakis (1831–1905). In this sweeping meditation on creation, history, and humanity’s ultimate destiny, Makrakis seeks to show that the story of the world cannot be understood apart from the revelation of God in Scripture.
Reading the opening chapters of Genesis not merely as a narrative of origins but as the blueprint of reality itself, Makrakis presents a profound vision of creation as the beginning of a divine process unfolding through history. The world, he argues, is not a finished structure but a living arena of moral formation in which humanity is called to grow from the image of God toward the likeness of God.
In Makrakis’ thought, creation, history, and redemption form a single divine economy. Human life, society, education, and even the struggles of history are interpreted as part of a greater pedagogical order through which humanity is instructed, corrected, and ultimately perfected. Death itself is not the end of the human story, but a philanthropic discipline within God’s providential plan, leading toward the restoration of the human person through resurrection and communion with God.
Written during a period of intense intellectual and social change in nineteenth-century Greece, The Bible and the World engages the challenges of modernity while remaining firmly rooted in the theological vision of the Orthodox Christian tradition. Makrakis offers a unified philosophy of history in which the biblical narrative illuminates the meaning of civilization, culture, and the destiny of the human race.
Long overshadowed by controversy during his lifetime, Makrakis is increasingly recognized as one of the most original Orthodox thinkers of modern Greece. This carefully prepared edition restores an important work to modern readers, preserving the historical translation while providing editorial materials that help situate the book within its theological and historical context.
For scholars, clergy, and thoughtful readers alike, The Bible and the World offers a compelling vision of the cosmos as the stage of God’s redemptive purpose—where creation begins the story, history unfolds it, and deification brings it to fulfillment.
Eastern Light Publishing, LLC. 