In conclusion then, it is important that Orthodox assert the primacy of the Septuagint; that they recognise how intimately the Septuagint is bound up with the very life, theology and doctrine of the Orthodox Church; and that they recognise how important it is to know the Septuagint, to use it and to understand how it is used in the services of the Church and by the Church Fathers. What value does the Septuagint possess as a translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, and what can be learned from it? Any translation of the Bible is much more than a mirror copy: think of how English translations, made from the same Hebrew or Greek original, differ from each other. In many places in the Septuagint one is indeed reading word for word the same text found in the Hebrew. In other places, however, the Septuagint translation yields different theological emphases from those that are to be found in the Hebrew Bible. The translation has created new meanings. Who wrote the Bible and when? Why are certain books in the Bible and not others? Who decided what would be in the Bible? In this special 16-part series, Dr. Jeannie details the interesting answers to these questions and more... As I mentioned above, the Orthodox Study Bible is suitable not only for Orthodox Christians, but also for anyone interested in the history of the Early Church. I often consider study Bibles a good “first step” in research. A more succinct understanding can be gained from the notes in a study Bible before going on to more detailed resources. If you regularly consult the very popular Ancient Christian Commentary Series, the OSB could function as a first step for research before diving into the ACCS. Supple Leathersoft material that gives the appearance of a genuine leather look and feel and has the longevity needed for daily Bible engagement

Throughout the translation various aspects of the Orthodox faith are shown to the reader such as morning and evening prayers, icons (12 icons included under heading “Illustrations”), lectionary, history of the Orthodox Church and general Christian history. The OSB is for those who are unfamiliar to the faith and is used as an aid in worship to those who are members of this ancient faith. Bruce M Metzger, “ The RSV-Ecumenical Edition,” Theology Today, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct. 1977), p. 316, Sept. 1, 2006 < http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1977/v34-3-criticscorner4.htm> It is true that a Greek Orthodox representative was added to the translation committee, but the Jewish scholar was part of the translation when it was actually being done, and the Greek Orthodox representative was added after the real work of the translation was already completed.

There were some things I didn't like about it. For instance, the fact that it used the New King James Version for the New Testament, rather than a more accurate translation. Liturgical Resources. For those who desire more guidance to their devotion, morning and evening prayers are included as well as lectionary readings for those who follow the readings in the Church calendar. I've been using this study Bible as a Protestant to learn more about Orthodoxy and the Church Fathers. Very insightful in that regard, and I absolutely adore the iconography included--one of the main components that drew me to this one.

The Orthodox Christian Faith proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Apostles, and the tradition and life of the living Church worldwide through worship, communion, witness, and service. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with its headquarters located in the City of New York, is an Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, The mission of the Archdiocese is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, to teach and spread the Orthodox Christian faith, to energize, cultivate, and guide the life of the Church in the United States of America according to the Orthodox Christian faith and tradition. Prof. Dr. Carsten Peter Thiede. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish Origins of Christianity. Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. 256 pp. ISBN 9781403961433 ( See discussion of Septuagint) The Ancient Faith Edition (released 2019) contains the identical content you know and love from the previous, most current release of the Orthodox Study Bible, including the same commentaries, notes, supplemental articles, and full-color icons and maps. Prof. Dr. Karen Jobes and Dr. Moises Silva. Invitation to the Septuagint. 2nd ed. Baker Academic, 2000. 351 pp. ISBN 9780801022357Orthodox Christianity is the face of ancient Christianity to the modern world and embraces the second largest body of Christians in the world. In this first-of-its-kind study Bible, the Bible is presented with commentary from the ancient Christian perspective that speaks to those Christians who seek a deeper experience of the roots of their faith. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The HEXAPLA Institute. Its purpose is to publish a new critical edition of the fragments of Origen's Hexapla, focusing on the later development of Septuagint tradition. Priest Seraphim Johnson. "Review in The Orthodox Christian Witness, Vol. XXVII, No. 18(1273)". Orthodox Christian Information Center. Separate from the article on the “Seventy” (from Luke 10:1-17) included in the bulleted list earlier, another section lists all 70 “sent ones” according to Orthodox tradition, the date on the church calendar in which each is commemorated, and references in the New Testament which refer to these early missionary-apostles. Some of the notes overstated the obvious. Others demonstrated an unfortunate but understandable mistrust of the theology of other branches of Christianity. Most of the time this was expressed in a diplomatic way; however, it came out more strongly in the commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Be that as it may, many of the notes and study aids were helpful and interesting, particularly those which contained quotations of the Church Fathers or indications of how a certain passage is used in the context of worship.The Orthodox Study Bible, Ancient Faith Edition, Leathersoft: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today’s WorldUnique features (in addition to those of previous edition of the Complete Orthodox Study Bible, Old and New Testament): The Orthodox (and Catholic) Bible also has an extra section of Daniel including the story of Susanna and the Elders. This didn't hit me as hard, but it was fine. It was commissioned at the behest of the Egyptian King, Ptolemy, who wished to expand the celebrated library of Alexandria to include the wisdom of all the ancient religions of the world. Because Greek was the language of Alexandria, the Scriptures therefore had to be translated into that language. What authority then does the Septuagint possess? After all, the Jewish people who made it abandoned it quite early. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which were found in 1947 in a cave in Qumran on the west bank of the river Jordan, date from just before or during the time of our Lord Jesus Christ. They provide indisputable evidence that at the turn of the era, before the birth of Christianity, the texts of at least some books of the Hebrew Bible were circulating in more than one form. Many of the scriptural texts found in the Scrolls are very similar to the text of the Septuagint that we have today. From the first century AD Christians and Jews both used the Greek Bible, but they understood it differently, and as a result tension arose, and much polemical disagreement. The use made of the Septuagint by Christians was the primary reason that Judaism abandoned the Septuagint to the Church and produced new Greek translations of the then Hebrew text. In the second century A.D. the Septuagint began to be supplanted among the Jewish people by the successive recensions of the scholars Aquila, Theodotion and Symmachus, all of which were designed to assimilate the Greek text more closely than the older Septuagint to the then-current Hebrew. Only fragments of these three versions survive. Of them, Aquila’s version seems to have been so extremely literal that it could hardly have been understood without a very good knowledge of Hebrew. It remained in use in the synagogue until the sixth century A.D. When reading the proscribed daily passages, which I do mainly during Lent, it's good to be able to refer to the explanatory notes. Although this version of the Bible is in plain English it can still be difficult to understand some passages and the notes are especially useful for this purpose.

However, in this case, it might have been better to just keep the New Testament. The Old Testament translation was supposed to be a more accurate translation of the original Septuagint. What it ended up being was a different story. The translators basically took the New King James Version (NKJV) and tried to make it match up to the Septuagint. I have been told, since I don't read Greek (sadly) that they didn't even do this well. The differences with Rome are fairly small and have never been a subject of much contention between the Orthodox and that communion. The canonical lists are essentially the same in content (some of the names are different) but for the following items: The Latin canon does not include I Esdras (though it uses that name for what the Orthodox call II Esdras); there are only 150 Psalms in the Latin canon, while the LXX has 151 (and the Psalms are numbered and divided differently between the two canons, because the modern Latin canon is based on the Hebrew Masoretic Text, though the Vulgate used the Septuagintal Psalm numbering); the Epistle of Jeremiah is a separate book in the LXX, while it is included as part of Baruch for the Latins; and the Latins do not include either III or IV Maccabees. Traditionally, Roman Catholics used the numbering of the Latin Vulgate, which follows the Septuagint. However, since the Second Vatican Council, Roman Catholic publications, including Catholic Bibles and liturgical texts, have used the numbering found in the Masoretic Text. An “Overview of the Books of the Bible” presents introductory material about the various sections and kinds of biblical literature. “Introducing the Orthodox Church” will be especially helpful to non-Orthodox readers of the OSB. “How to Read the Bible” presents an Orthodox understanding of reading and interpreting the Bible. First let me say that I'm writing this review to encourage Protestants to read the (deuterocanonical) books of the Bible which are typically only found in Catholic or Orthodox Bibles. I review the books for my reactions to them, which is irreverent in a sense, but I do hope my recommendations have a cumulative effect of drawing people to these wonderful narratives.The St. Athanasius Academy has made the valiant first attempt at an Old Testament translation, but it does not speak for all of English speaking Orthodoxy.