Searching the Scriptures Bible Study

Our parish Bible Study--geared toward adults and older teens--meets on Thursday evenings, 7:00 p.m., September through May (check weekly bulletins for details--we do not meet on the evening of great feasts).  Our study typically emphasizes the mystical and sacramental life of the Church, but our discussions extend over a wide varitety of topics brought up by questions from our participants.  We hope you will join us!  Bring a Bible (we have one for you if you do not) and a friend!

Thinking of purchasing a bible? 

Our preference in Bible Study is the use of The Orthodox Study Bible, now available for both the New and Old Testaments.  This version uses the New King James Version (NKJV) for the New Testament, and a new translation of the Greek Septuagint by Saint Athanasius Academy (SAAS) for the Old Testament.

Translations from the original biblical languages always have their positives and negatives.  Other excellent translations include the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New Revised Standard Versions (NRSV), both common resources among biblical scholars.

Many Christians today still prefer the King Jame's Version (KJV), otherwise known as the Authorized Version.  On a technical level, it is generally an excellent translation--the problem is that the archaic English is often difficult (all those "thee's" and "thou's) and subject to misunderstanding (the meaning of some English words have actualy changed over time).  The New King James Version (as in The Orthodox Study Bible) retains most features of the KJV while making minor and appropriate changes due to the changes of time in order to remain consistent in meaning.

What's The Difference Between the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek Old Testament (called the Septuagint)?

The Holy Scriptures of Israel were initially written in Hebrew (and some later books include some Aramaic, a Semitic language related to Hebrew).  Copies were created by hand (manuscripts).  Over time, variants would creep into the text.  Of course, we do not have the actual originals and rely on ancient manuscripts.  For the most part, these ancient copies are rather consistent, but some of the variant readings are significant.

Before the time of Christ, many Jews who had emigrated from Israel found reading the original Hebrew/Aramaic texts difficult (much as second or third generation of Greek-Americans may find Greek difficult).  To access the Holy Scriptures, some Jewish scholars--probably centered in Alexandria, Egypt--translated their scriptures into the common Greek language of the time.  Basically, this is what we call the "Septuagint" (meaning seventy in Latin), based on the tradition that this version was miraculously created by seventy (or seventy-two) Jewish translators who, when they compared their work, found it to be identical (it was likely more complicated).

Shortly after the time of Christ and the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 AD, Jewish rabbis began to consolidate and "close" the Hebrew canon of Holy Scripture for numerous reasons.  The "standard" Hebrew/Aramaic texts they selected came to be known as the :"Masoretic" text, and is the basis for most modern English versions.  This "fixed" the text and the reading (from among variants) for the Jewish people ever since.  However, this version ended up being somewhat different than other, previous versions up until that time, including the Septuagint.

In the New Testament, several of the authors, when quoting the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament), refer to the reading of the Greek Septuagint.  This was natural, since the New Testament was written in Greek.  However, sometimes New Testament authors seemingly quote the Hebrew and make the translation themselves into Greek, apparently not consulting the Septuagint.  Others, such as Saint Paul, seem to quote the Hebrew version at some times, and the Septuagint at others, or just paraphrase.

Later Christian writers often used the Septuagint since Hebrew was inaccessible to them or because of its use in the New Testament.  Yet many also appear to have preferred the reading as we find it in the "Masoretic" text today.  So it is rather simplistic to state that the Septuagint is the "official" Old Testament text of the Church.  It is actually not, though certainly the liturgical use of the Old Testament (such as Psalms or Prophecy readings) are taken from this version and not the "Masoretic" text.  Thus, the Septuagint is, essentially, the liturgical text of the Old Testament for the Orthodox Church.