Orthodox Bible

[Rick Wagar]

Hello all, just a few questions.

What do you (Orthodox people) use as your Bible?

What Bible do you recommend?

Also, I heard that Russians have extra books in the Old Testament. Is that true?

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

For the Russian part of your question:

In the Russian Bible I have, blessed by Patriarch Alexey (year 2000), the following added books are found in the Old Testament.

2nd Esdras
Tobit
Judith
Wisdom of Solomon
Sirach (actually called Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach)
Epistle of Jeremiah
Prophet Baruch
1,2, & 3 Maccabees
3 Esdras

Note that our Bibles have the LXX numbering for the Psalms which is different than the Hebrew based Bibles.

Also we also have the addition of the Canticle of the Three Young Men found in Daniel within Chap 3 vs. 24- 90.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Father Anthony]

The same would be true for those of other Orthodox jurisdictions. As far as what is recommended for use by the different jurisdictions for an English language translations, I know of only three that are presently recommended. The would be the King James (1611) with Apocrypha, the Revised Standard Version (New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha) and what also in use in the US currently, The New King James Bible (currently only available as the Orthodox Study Bible with the Psalms in the New Testament only). The Orthodox Study Bible as a complete book (both Old and New Testament) is slated for release in the near future, but has a number of detractors due to the numbering of the Psalms (it uses the Masoretic numbering) and some of the commentary articles currently in it.

If you plan on attending an Orthodox Church, it would probably be a good idea to ask as to what translation they use and recommend. I personally use the New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha since it was the biblical text we used in seminary.

I hope this helps you out a little.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

[Rick Wagar]

Thanks. Just a few more questions.

What books are unique to the Russian bible?

If I want to have access to all of the books accepted in the orthodox canon, what would be the best course of action? Would a copy of the septuagent and NT contain all the books considered canonical?

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

If I want to have access to all of the books accepted in the orthodox canon, what would be the best course of action? Would a copy of the septuagent and NT contain all the books considered canonical?

The best thing that I can think of right now is to wait a bit until the Orthodox Study Bible comes out that Fr Anthony refers to in his post above. Although there some differences between the OT deuterocanonical books found in the Russian & Greek versions, the Orthodox Study Bible will hopefully cover enough ground to be useful to all Orthodox. What is left out could then be well supplemented by the Annotated Oxford which has most of these books.

The fact is that we have never had available in Orthodoxy before now the complete text of the LXX in English; only the Psalter and then individual OT readings used at the services.

About what books are unique to the Russian edition- see my post #2 above for a list of the books found in the recent editions of the Russian OT. I have never been able to have a close look at a Greek version of the LXX however so I cannot compare the books found in it to the Russian. Perhaps someone Greek could take look through their OT Bible and compare it with what I posted above.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Kris]

About what books are unique to the Russian edition- see my post #2 above for a list of the books found in the recent editions of the Russian OT. I have never been able to have a close look at a Greek version of the LXX however so I cannot compare the books found in it to the Russian.

As far as I am aware, the only difference is that the fourth Book of Maccabees is included in an appendix to the Greek version.

[Anthony]

There is actually a 19th century English translation of the LXX, though it seems not to be widely known or used. It is in fact available - though incomplete - on-line (http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/). (Link provided without warranty, etc.)

[Kosta]

There is actually a 19th century English translation of the LXX, though it seems not to be widely known or used. It is in fact available - though incomplete - on-line (http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/). (Link provided without warranty, etc.)

I have this version, its pretty good but im not sure how accurate the english translation is, bit it does have the original greek side by side to reference.

[Robert Rager]

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the online Bible feature at crosswalk.com actually had the KJV & the RSV with the Deuterocanonical books... All searchable by book, chapter & verse.

[Kris]

There is actually a 19th century English translation of the LXX, though it seems not to be widely known or used. It is in fact available - though incomplete - on-line (http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/). (Link provided without warranty, etc.)

There's a complete online version of Brenton's translation here (http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/), although the numbering is Hebrew.

[Shawn Lazar]

It may be helpful to add to following comment from Michael Pomazansky regarding the respected (but non-canonical, non-inspired) status of these other books:

"The Church accepts these latter books also as useful and instructive and in antiquity assigned them for instructive reading not only in homes but also in churches, which is why they have been called "ecclesiastical." The Church includes these books in a single volume of the Bible together with the canonical books. As a source of the teaching of the faith, the Church puts them in a secondary place and looks on them as an appendix to the canonical books. Certain of them are so close in merit to the Divinely-inspired books that, for example, in the 85th Apostolic Canon the three books of Maccabees and the book of Joshua the son of Sirach are numbered together with the canonical books, and, concerning all of them together it is said tha they are "venerable and holy." However, this means only that they were respected in the ancient Church; but a distinction between the canonical and non-canonical books of the Old Testament has always been maintained in the Church."

Pomazansky, M. (1983), Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, pp. 27-28