Topic: Which are the English bible versions approved for Divine Liturgy?

[kx9]

May I inquire which all English Bibles versions are officially approved by the EOC for Divine Liturgy. Please provide the list.

Thanks.

[Iconodule]

I don't think there are any officially approved versions. My parish uses the KJV for the Gospel readings.

[Justin Kissel]

I asked a similar question of my catechist when I was becoming Orthodox. He looked at me like I'd just asked a strange question, and he didn't know. We did eventually find out what was used there, but to be honest it doesn't really matter as there is no agreed-upon version.

[age234]

I've heard of the KJV and Douay-Rheims bring used. For sure I the Antiochians use the KJV for the psalms (where the HTM psalter isn't used).

[Benjamin the Red]

My home parish uses the NKJV. My current parish (and many others) use KJV, and I've heard of the Douay-Rheims being used. A lot of Orthodox like the RSV, too, but I don't think I've heard it used.

Suffice it to say, there's not formal list of English translations, not that I know of anyway.

[kx9]

Thank you for all your answers. I feel surprised that the EOC even uses the KJV (a Protestant Bible) for Divine Liturgy.

On the other hand, I heard that the RCC approves only certain Bible versions for Holy Mass, and the others are not accepted.

[Cyrillic]

Thank you for all your answers. I feel surprised that the EOC even uses the KJV (a Protestant Bible) for Divine Liturgy.

On the other hand, I heard that the RCC approves only certain Bible versions for Holy Mass, and the others are not accepted.

There are not many EO translations and the KJV follows the Byzantine Text instead of the Alexandrian.

[kx9]

Thank you for all your answers. I feel surprised that the EOC even uses the KJV (a Protestant Bible) for Divine Liturgy.

On the other hand, I heard that the RCC approves only certain Bible versions for Holy Mass, and the others are not accepted.

There are not many EO translations and the KJV follows the Byzantine Text instead of the Alexandrian.

Thanks for this info. Could you explain a bit about the differences between the Byzantine Text and the Alexandrian Text? And why does the EOC prefer the Byzantine Text?

[Cyrillic]

Wiki knows.

[Basil 320]

Holy Cross Orthodox Press, the publishing arm of the Holy Cross School of Theology, an institution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, publishes the Gospel Book and the Apostolos (Book of Epistles) which use the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, if I'm not mistaken.   These publications were both endorsed by Archbishop Iakovos of America, of Blessed Memory.  "The Orthodox Study Bible," which is used in church too, uses the New King James Version and is endorsed by the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops of the Americas (SCOBA), the predecessor of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops on North and Central America (ACOB).

None of the commonly distributed English language bibles are officially accepted for worship services primarily, because their Old Testaments do not include all the books of the Septuagint, the Apocrypha.   Only the Greek language "Evangelion" ("Book of the Gospels") published by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1904 is officially authorized for use in the Divine Services of the churches, that are under the jurisdiction of the Church of Constantinople.

I am distinguishing herein with "officialy approved," vs. "endorsed" and "used."

The "Common Bible," which used the Revised Standard Version, published in the 1970's, included the Apocryphal books of the Septuagint and was endorsed by Archbishop Iakovos also, but for some reason was never commonly used in Orthodox Church worship.

[Iconodule]

Thank you for all your answers. I feel surprised that the EOC even uses the KJV (a Protestant Bible) for Divine Liturgy.

Whatever the translation's origins, I'm hard-pressed to find anything wrong with it for Orthodox use, aside from the Old Testament being based on the Masoretic text. It (along with the NKJV) has the advantage over other English Bibles of using a Byzantine text for its New Testament.

[Cyrillic]

Thank you for all your answers. I feel surprised that the EOC even uses the KJV (a Protestant Bible) for Divine Liturgy.

Whatever the translation's origins, I'm hard-pressed to find anything wrong with it for Orthodox use, aside from the Old Testament being based on the Masoretic text. It (along with the NKJV) has the advantage over other English Bibles of using a Byzantine text for its New Testament.

True, but to date there hasn't been a good English translation of the Septuagint.

[christian7777]

As far as I know, there isn't really an officially approved translation. On a side note, I look forward to the release of the EOB (Eastern/Greek Orthodox Bible, apparently to be released late 2012).

[Iconodule]

Thank you for all your answers. I feel surprised that the EOC even uses the KJV (a Protestant Bible) for Divine Liturgy.

Whatever the translation's origins, I'm hard-pressed to find anything wrong with it for Orthodox use, aside from the Old Testament being based on the Masoretic text. It (along with the NKJV) has the advantage over other English Bibles of using a Byzantine text for its New Testament.

True, but to date there hasn't been a good English translation of the Septuagint.

If you like the style of the KJV, there is now a KJV Septuagint available online, revised by Michael Asser. He recently announced that there are plans to publish it in book form by September 2013.

[Basil 320]

As far as I know, there isn't really an officially approved translation. On a side note, I look forward to the release of the EOB (Eastern/Greek Orthodox Bible, apparently to be released late 2012).

What entity is working on this, do you know?  Who will be the publisher?

[Shiny]

As far as I know, there isn't really an officially approved translation. On a side note, I look forward to the release of the EOB (Eastern/Greek Orthodox Bible, apparently to be released late 2012).

What entity is working on this, do you know?  Who will be the publisher?

Check out the website here:
http://www.orthodox-church.info/eob/osb.asp

[mabsoota]

cyrillic, there is the orthodox study Bible:

http://www.thomasnelson.com/the-orthodox-study-bible.html

it has a good english septuagint translation and the new testament is the new king james version with orthodox study notes.
everyone i know who has it is impressed.

i strongly recommend it to all people considering / investigating orthodox Christianity.
 

[Iconodule]

As far as I know, there isn't really an officially approved translation. On a side note, I look forward to the release of the EOB (Eastern/Greek Orthodox Bible, apparently to be released late 2012).

What entity is working on this, do you know?  Who will be the publisher?

All the info is here: http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/eob/

They use a print-on-demand publisher (lulu.com).
Their New Testament has been out for a while. It has some annoying aspects, like translating "episkopos" as "overseer. It looks like Fr. Laurent Cleenewerck is the one most responsible for the project and some of his pet theories about apostolic succession are pushed in the appendix. They seem to be chronically behind schedule- their Psalter was supposed to be released a long time ago. I'd be very surprised if their Old Testament were finished by the end of the year.

[age234]

I'm looking forward to both the KJV LXX and the EOB. The OSB doesn't do it for me, for some reason. I've never cared for study bibles though.

For now I use the RSV and the New English Translation of the Septuagint for reference.

[Basil 320]

As far as I know, there isn't really an officially approved translation. On a side note, I look forward to the release of the EOB (Eastern/Greek Orthodox Bible, apparently to be released late 2012).

What entity is working on this, do you know?  Who will be the publisher?

All the info is here: http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/eob/

They use a print-on-demand publisher (lulu.com).
Their New Testament has been out for a while. It has some annoying aspects, like translating "episkopos" as "overseer. It looks like Fr. Laurent Cleenewerck is the one most responsible for the project and some of his pet theories about apostolic succession are pushed in the appendix. They seem to be chronically behind schedule- their Psalter was supposed to be released a long time ago. I'd be very surprised if their Old Testament were finished by the end of the year.

I read their home page. I haven't heard of anyone associated with this project.  There is no indication, from what I read, as to how this group got put together.  Are the priests canonical, in churches under ACOB?  Is there an episcopal overseer?

[Cyrillic]

I heard that the OSB Septuagint translation is far from perfect with as example psalm 23, which uses the Masoretic instead of the LXX.

[Iconodule]

As far as I know, there isn't really an officially approved translation. On a side note, I look forward to the release of the EOB (Eastern/Greek Orthodox Bible, apparently to be released late 2012).

What entity is working on this, do you know?  Who will be the publisher?

All the info is here: http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/eob/

They use a print-on-demand publisher (lulu.com).
Their New Testament has been out for a while. It has some annoying aspects, like translating "episkopos" as "overseer. It looks like Fr. Laurent Cleenewerck is the one most responsible for the project and some of his pet theories about apostolic succession are pushed in the appendix. They seem to be chronically behind schedule- their Psalter was supposed to be released a long time ago. I'd be very surprised if their Old Testament were finished by the end of the year.

I read their home page. I haven't heard of anyone associated with this project.  There is no indication, from what I read, as to how this group got put together.  Are the priests canonical, in churches under ACOB?  Is there an episcopal overseer?

Fr. Laurent is an OCA priest. I don't know if there is any episcopal oversight.

[Basil 320]

Ok, good, glad to hear this.  Thanks. I don't know why they don't publish it through the church, have it issued by the OCA.

[Randa]

Thank you for all your answers. I feel surprised that the EOC even uses the KJV (a Protestant Bible) for Divine Liturgy.

On the other hand, I heard that the RCC approves only certain Bible versions for Holy Mass, and the others are not accepted.

That's because they actually have their own translations of the Bible (i.e. Bibles translated by Catholics for Catholics and approved by Catholic authorities), the Orthodox Church does not, at least not in English.