The definitions given here are intended to give novices a quick idea of the works in question, not to be the final reference source on the topic. As such, they are of course very brief and oversimplified. Scholars are encouraged to peruse the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium for more fleshed-out explanations. Most of the definitions listed here are adapted from the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium (ODB), and the Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (BDEC). 1