In a world filled with so many versions and translations of the Bible, many often wonder which Bible Orthodox Christians use. The Orthodox Church has not officially endorsed any particular English translation of the Bible. But the most commonly used edition among English-speaking Orthodox Christians is the Orthodox Study Bible. The OSB uses the NKJV for the New Testament, and the St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint (SAAS) for the Old Testament. But why do we use the NKJV, rather than another English translation? And why the Septuagint? Read on to find out!
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The Orthodox Church uses the Septuagint
The Eastern Orthodox Church uses the Septuagint (LXX) as the basis for her Old Testament translations, an arguably more reliable translation than the Masoretic text. The Septuagint does not refer to the entirety of the Old Testament, though many people mistakenly use it in that way. Rather, the LXX is a Greek translation of the Torah, or Pentateuch, made by Jewish scholars in the 3rd century BC (before Christ’s birth).
The early Christians, many of whom were Jews that spoke Greek, translated their own Scriptures into Greek after the coming of Christ. These are the translations Eastern Orthodox churches use for the other books of the Old Testament canon. This is part of the reason why we have more books in our Old Testament canon than Roman Catholic or Protestant Bibles.
The Orthodox Church uses the Byzantine Text-Type for the New Testament
Eastern Orthodoxy uses the Byzantine Text-Type as the basis for the New Testament text. Byzantine Text-Type is the form found in the largest number of surviving manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. The particular variant that we consider most authoritative is the Patriarchal Text, an official text published by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1904 for ecclesiastical use.
The Byzantine Greek New Testament and the Textus Receptus (the “received” text) Greek New Testament have been the most often referred to texts for New Testament usage. Interestingly, the Byzantine Text-Type underlies the Textus Receptus Greek text, which was used for most Reformation-era (Protestant) translations of the New Testament into vernacular languages.
The Eastern Orthodox canon contains 76 books
The Eastern Orthodox Church adheres to the first official Biblical canon of 73 books, as reaffirmed at the Council of Carthage (AD 419). This is the same canon that the Roman Catholic church affirms. In addition to the 73, however, Orthodox Christians also include 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, and the Prayer of Manasseh. Protestant Bibles contain only 66 books, claiming that the extra books in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles are “apocrypha”.
Related: What Is the Apocrypha?
Therefore, an Orthodox Christian will typically use editions of the Bible that, at the very least, contain the 73 books found in the Roman Catholic biblical canon.
Bibles most commonly used by Orthodox Christians
While there is no standard Bible for Orthodox Christians, the most commonly used are as follows:
- Eastern Orthodox Bible – EOB (2008) by Laurent Cleenewerck. This version is only available for the New Testament, but the Old Testament version is reportedly in the works.
- Orthodox Study Bible – OSB (2008) by the St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology. This is the only print Bible with the full Orthodox canon and with an Old Testament translated from SAAS. The OSB uses the New King James Version of the New Testament, with some revision to correct for Orthodox theological positions.
Should the Orthodox Christian not have the EOB or OSB, he or she might be using another common version, like the RSV or KJV. The NKJV and KJV are more common for liturgical use, as they follow the majority text of the original Greek New Testament. Others prefer to use the RSV for personal devotion as the English is a bit more accessible.
Conclusion
The Orthodox Study Bible is undoubtedly the best option for English-speaking Orthodox Christians. It uses the oldest surviving manuscripts to translate the Pentateuch and other books of the Old Testament. Moreover, it uses the Byzantine Type-Text for the New Testament. It contains wonderful articles, maps, study notes, and comparisons to the Masoretic text. It truly is a treasure trove!
But should you not have access to the OSB, another version that contains the Roman Catholic canon will suffice. We recommend sticking with the NKJV, KJV, or RSV. Straying too far from these translations can lead to grievous mistranslations and misunderstands about important theological matters. But that is a post for another day!
Keep Reading: How To Read Apocalyptic Literature Properly
2 Responses
Hi,
I was curious about Eastern Orthodox; however, since MAGA has taken over most American churches I can’t step in any organized church in the US.
caveat: outside US maybe
They swapped John 3:16 banners and hats for MAGA /Trump.
For now…just read scripture on my own and look for churches that are online but oversees.
Anonymous,
Christ is in our midst! There are many Eastern Orthodox churches in the United States you could visit, brother. The Faith is about living the life of Christ, not about espousing one type of political agenda or another. God bless.