When the editors set out to organize a conference at Drew University, they did not realize how much interest the topic would stir up. They ended up with an excellent set of contributions by participants, including some of the world's leading specialists on early orthodoxy (John McGuckin, Andrew Louth), as well as highly talented younger theologians. The reason is the topic. Thanks to the maturing of ecumenical theological conversation, deification ( or divinization, or theosis) is no longer seen as a quirky Eastern doctrine; it is recognized as a biblically rooted central theme in the Christian doctrine of salvation as understood by the leading articulators of Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant theology through the ages. But for most theology students it needs introducing and explaining.This volume fills that need. Originally published in hardcover by an obscure university press, it becomes available to a wider readership through Baker Academic's paperback reprint.