Topic: An easy to understand Orthodox bible?

[forevervegan]

Hey, I'm in high school, and I recently converted to Orthodox Christianity. I have a young adult bible that my parents got for me like 4 years ago, and it's pretty easy to understand. Reading all the old language in other bibles kind of makes my head hurt. =P I've looked up some stuff, but the only one I can find in my local bookstore is the "Orthodox Study Bible" and I read reviews that say it really isn't very good... I don't know. My church has a bookstore too, so I'll probably look there before ceasing to look.

Anyway, is it okay if I just keep to my teen bible even if it's not specifically Orthodox? I know it misses out on the extra chapters, but IDK if I can spend like 50 dollars on a bible I'm not sure about.

Thanks for reading. =)

[forevervegan]

Also, if anyone can direct me to an easy to understand Orthodox bible like on amazon or something, I'd be really grateful. I forgot the topic name probably seems unrelated to my actual post. =P I'm mostly concerned about keeping the bible I have currently though.

[ialmisry]

Hey, I'm in high school, and I recently converted to Orthodox Christianity. I have a young adult bible that my parents got for me like 4 years ago, and it's pretty easy to understand. Reading all the old language in other bibles kind of makes my head hurt. =P I've looked up some stuff, but the only one I can find in my local bookstore is the "Orthodox Study Bible" and I read reviews that say it really isn't very good... I don't know. My church has a bookstore too, so I'll probably look there before ceasing to look.

Anyway, is it okay if I just keep to my teen bible even if it's not specifically Orthodox? I know it misses out on the extra chapters, but IDK if I can spend like 50 dollars on a bible I'm not sure about.

Thanks for reading. =)

Welcome home!

What Bible translation was it? In most cases it would be fine.

[forevervegan]

Are you talking about the Bible I own? If so, it's called "Truthquest", the New Living translation... I don't know about specifics.

[GabrieltheCelt]

Welcome home!  

For now, I agree with Isa.  But you'll want to start saving up for the OSB or some other Orthodox Bible at some point.  With what you have now, you not only may miss out on the Apocryphal books, you may get a very bad translation altogether.  Keep reading what you have, just check what you read with your priest.  

[forevervegan]

Thanks. I'll be sure to save up for an Orthodox one soon. =)

[Get_Behind_Me_Satan]

This looks like the easiest, but they only have the New testament.
You can download the whole thing from this sight to check it out.
Its very easy to read, and its very very accurate from looking at the page.
They only have the New Testament, but the old will be out soon.
I dont have a credit card, but im getting one, and I will buy this bible because its so accurate and easy to read.

http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/eob/purchase.asp

It looks very legitimate...

[Michał]

This looks like the easiest, but they only have the New testament.
You can download the whole thing from this sight to check it out.

A direct link: http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/eob/download/nt6x9.pdf

Peter Papoutsis, on the other hand, only has the Old Testament and still not the whole of it (samples of the available Books: here).

As far as OSB is concerned, I believe it's not that bad.

[ialmisry]

Are you talking about the Bible I own? If so, it's called "Truthquest", the New Living translation... I don't know about specifics.

If you can get the Oxford Revised Standard Study Bible (NOT the New Revised Standard), the language is not archaic, but not simplified.  You can also get the Good New Bible if you are going straight for language understanding (as opposed to theological).  The OSB has its faults (my biggest criticism is that it doesn't have Maccabees IV), but decent enough of a translation with features that offset its demerits.

[Michał]

The OSB has its faults (my biggest criticism is that it doesn't have Maccabees IV). . .

Well, this book is an appendix, so not obligatory for Orthodox Bible editions. But still, if someone wants to have it on their bookshelf, hopefully around the time of Pascha, The EOB Companion to the OSB will be released. This volume will contain 4 Macc (http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/eob/news.asp).

[HandmaidenofGod]

I have the Orthodox Study Bible and I like it. There are some things that I think could be improved upon, but I think it's a good place to start. It's a modified New King James Version of the Bible, so it's not too difficult to read.

[forevervegan]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I'll check out the links when I have some time later today.

[GabrieltheCelt]

Here's another New Testament I think you and everyone else would find useful.  It's published by the Holy Apostles Convent/Dormition Skete and comes in two volumes.  I really love reading from mine, but I should say that these two volumes are both kind of pricey as well as not really easy to read.  I just wanted to make you aware of them because after each book, there are copious explanatory notes/quotes from the early Fathers.  This is what I have particularly found useful.  Here's the link to their website:

http://www.holyapostlesconvent.org/HacWebStore/product_info.php?products_id=8&osCsid=d391f82156955e16f08f647da1e09f40

[ialmisry]

Here's another New Testament I think you and everyone else would find useful.  It's published by the Holy Apostles Convent/Dormition Skete and comes in two volumes.  I really love reading from mine, but I should say that these two volumes are both kind of pricey as well as not really easy to read.  I just wanted to make you aware of them because after each book, there are copious explanatory notes/quotes from the early Fathers.  This is what I have particularly found useful.  Here's the link to their website:

http://www.holyapostlesconvent.org/HacWebStore/product_info.php?products_id=8&osCsid=d391f82156955e16f08f647da1e09f40

Yes, I like a lot of the notes, etc. Not so crazy about the translation.

[samkim]

Are you talking about the Bible I own? If so, it's called "Truthquest", the New Living translation... I don't know about specifics.

I would suggest not sticking with the New Living Translation. Keep in mind that it's more of a paraphrase and not a translation proper.

[Asteriktos]

Here's another New Testament I think you and everyone else would find useful.  It's published by the Holy Apostles Convent/Dormition Skete and comes in two volumes.  I really love reading from mine, but I should say that these two volumes are both kind of pricey as well as not really easy to read.  I just wanted to make you aware of them because after each book, there are copious explanatory notes/quotes from the early Fathers.  This is what I have particularly found useful.  Here's the link to their website:
http://www.holyapostlesconvent.org/HacWebStore/product_info.php?products_id=8&osCsid=d391f82156955e16f08f647da1e09f40

  But what you are recommending is not easy to understand, not Orthodox, and not a Bible.

[forevervegan]

My church bookstore didn't have any besides the OSB... so I'm going to order the New Testament from http://www.orthodox-church.info/eob and wait until they come out with an Old Testament. The translation looks good and simple to understand. Thanks for the help, everyone.

[Orthodox11]

Here's another New Testament I think you and everyone else would find useful.  It's published by the Holy Apostles Convent/Dormition Skete and comes in two volumes.  I really love reading from mine, but I should say that these two volumes are both kind of pricey as well as not really easy to read.  I just wanted to make you aware of them because after each book, there are copious explanatory notes/quotes from the early Fathers.  This is what I have particularly found useful.  Here's the link to their website:

http://www.holyapostlesconvent.org/HacWebStore/product_info.php?products_id=8&osCsid=d391f82156955e16f08f647da1e09f40

It's a wonderful publication, but pretty much the exact opposite of what the OP wanted.

[GabrieltheCelt]

Here's another New Testament I think you and everyone else would find useful.  It's published by the Holy Apostles Convent/Dormition Skete and comes in two volumes.  I really love reading from mine, but I should say that these two volumes are both kind of pricey as well as not really easy to read.  I just wanted to make you aware of them because after each book, there are copious explanatory notes/quotes from the early Fathers.  This is what I have particularly found useful.  Here's the link to their website:
http://www.holyapostlesconvent.org/HacWebStore/product_info.php?products_id=8&osCsid=d391f82156955e16f08f647da1e09f40

  But what you are recommending is not easy to understand, not Orthodox, and not a Bible.

 What do you mean by 'not Orthodox'?  And isn't the New Testament a part of the Bible?  And isn't the Eastern Orthodox Church the New Testament Church?

[GabrieltheCelt]

Here's another New Testament I think you and everyone else would find useful.  It's published by the Holy Apostles Convent/Dormition Skete and comes in two volumes.  I really love reading from mine, but I should say that these two volumes are both kind of pricey as well as not really easy to read.  I just wanted to make you aware of them because after each book, there are copious explanatory notes/quotes from the early Fathers.  This is what I have particularly found useful.  Here's the link to their website:

http://www.holyapostlesconvent.org/HacWebStore/product_info.php?products_id=8&osCsid=d391f82156955e16f08f647da1e09f40

It's a wonderful publication, but pretty much the exact opposite of what the OP wanted.

It's not exactly what the OP wants, but I was thinking they would benefit from the Patristic notes. 

[Asteriktos]

What do you mean by 'not Orthodox'?

I mean that they aren't Orthodox in theology/practice. Also, they aren't in communion with other bodies claiming to be Orthodox, and no one who claims to be Orthodox will touch them with a ten foot long pole.

And isn't the New Testament a part of the Bible?

Sure. But the OP didn't say: "Hey, I'm fine if you wanna just give me 1/3rd of the Bible".

And isn't the Eastern Orthodox Church the New Testament Church?

It's fairly close. Leastwise, it's closer than anyone else, IMO.

[Iconodule]

However one might assess the Orthodoxy or lack thereof of the Dormition Skete/ Holy Apostles Convent folks, I don't think there's anything heterodox contained in their New Testament, which is full of quotes from Fathers we all recognize. All of the Holy Apostles Convent publications I've seen have been solidly Orthodox in content.

[GabrieltheCelt]

All of the Holy Apostles Convent publications I've seen have been solidly Orthodox in content.

 At least not any less so than this forum. 

[Tikhon.of.Colorado]

as alwayse, I highly recomend the Orthodox study bible.  it's New and Old Testement's have study notes from the church fathers.  it also contains full-color icons and pages that explain the traditions of the Orthodox church.  there is one such page that helped me prove a Jehovah's witness wrong.  I wasn't trying to be mean or anything (we had been having talkes about scripture at school).  he gave me a magazine about why I shouldn't believe in the holy trinity.  I pulled out my trusty bible and opened it to the information page on the trinity.  it cited several points in scripture.  he turned to those in his bible (in an effort to prove me wrong) and fould them himself. 

this bible is truly, in my opinion, a gift from God himself. 

In Christ, Trevor


I recomend you check out these links:

http://www.oca.org/news/1789


http://www.amazon.com/Orthodox-Study-Bible-Ancient-Christianity/dp/0718003594/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264881838&sr=8-1



ps.  if you do decide to perchase this, you should see if your parish sells it.  I went to Barnes and Noble and the soft back version was $75.00.  I bought the hard back version at my church for $50.00.

[That person]

Are you talking about the Bible I own? If so, it's called "Truthquest", the New Living translation... I don't know about specifics.

I would suggest not sticking with the New Living Translation. Keep in mind that it's more of a paraphrase and not a translation proper.

IMO, that's not neccessarily a bad thing as a study tool when accompanied by more Formal Equivalence. Obviously, its translators have heavy Protestant biases, but often paraphrases can be useful for understanding more unusual idioms. In terms of what you're looking for, your best bet would be an NRSV common Bible. There is the issue of gender neutrality, but I find it's conspicuous enough that you can find it. If you have any doubt about the way something is translated, you can always check the notes. As a final note, remember that I've only attended two Orthodox liturgies in my entire life, so take all of this with a grain of salt.

[John Larocque]

The EOB NT is ... free! The OT will take time...

http://www.orthodox-church.info/eob/download.asp

The NKJV base text (Textus Receptus) - used in the Orthodox Study bible is much closer to the 1904 Patriarchal Text than the critical versions out there.

I tend to prefer more formally equivalent bibles - the NRSV takes a few liberties but is O K. Most of the time, when I'm squaring off TR vs Nestle-Aland/WH, and want to get a strong sense of the nderlying text, probably the best examples are the old ASV and KJV. NASB is a more readable and slightly less equivalent ASV. NKJV is a more readable KJV. The entire NKJV and NASB text are online at biblegateway... for free!

As looser translations go, I'd stay away from nearly all of them, but I was quite pleasantly surprised with the Revised English Bible. The Pauline corpus sounded fresh and sunk in with me in ways that the other translations did not. It also did not suffer from some of the confessional biases of translations like the New International Bible. It's probably the best of that bunch. Also, the Revised English Bible is really good English.

[GammaRay]

I have been using the 'Good News Bible' on-line because of including all the books (unlike the rest Protestant versions). Easy language, often punctuation, everything is nice. I've heard that some have criticized it, but I yet have to see an error in it.