The magazine, published since 1901, is dedicated to the Christian East in the narrower sense; this means it excludes Greek and Slavic Christianity. Geographically, its area extends from Ethiopia to Georgia and from the Near East to India and China. In accordance with the program of its founder Anton Baumstark, not only contributions on religious topics are published, but also on the entire spiritual and material culture of the Oriental Christians. Oriens Christianus thus covers a subfield of Oriental studies, as well as the study of Eastern Christianity. In addition to essays and book reviews, sources in various languages and writings of the Christian East are published. The journal, which appears with international participation, is the only one of its kind in the German-speaking world.

From the content:

• R. Baumstark/H. Kaufhold, Anton Baumstark's scientific testament. On the occasion of his 50th death anniversary on May 31, 1998
• R. F. Taft, Quaestiones disputatae: The Skeuophylakion of Hagia Sophia and the Entrances of the Liturgy Revisited (Part II: Liturgy)
• R. Grierson, 'Without Note or Comment': British Library Or. 11360 and the Text of the Peshitta New Testament
• C.-M. Walbiner, The Bishop and Metropolitan Seats of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch from 1594 to 1664 according to some contemporary sources
• M. van Esbroeck, The Life of Saint John the Poor or the Calybite in Georgian version
• S. Verhelst, The deposition of the oblates on the altar in Syria-Palestine. Contribution to the history of the prosthesis
• E. Balicka-Witakowska, The Crucified Thieves in Ethiopian Art: literary and iconographical sources.