Conciliar Press catalog came today...

[MrJim]

...and I have two questions.

1. Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms-has anyone seen or used this? I have been taking the Catholic Study Bible to church for the past few weeks (an anabaptist taking a catholic study bible to a baptist church:doh: ) just to check against study notes to see a different perspective. The entire Orthodox study bible is supposed to be ready at end of summer. ALSO-since a "version" isn't listed I assume there is only one version the Orthodox use?

2. I noticed in looking at the icons that in many the picture of Jesus has him with a right hand up and the thumb touching the ring finger. Now I know there has to be some meaning behind this?

Thanks TAW

[choirfiend]

...and I have two questions.

1. Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms-has anyone seen or used this? I have been taking the Catholic Study Bible to church for the past few weeks (an anabaptist taking a catholic study bible to a baptist church:doh: ) just to check against study notes to see a different perspective. The entire Orthodox study bible is supposed to be ready at end of summer. ALSO-since a "version" isn't listed I assume there is only one version the Orthodox use?

2. I noticed in looking at the icons that in many the picture of Jesus has him with a right hand up and the thumb touching the ring finger. Now I know there has to be some meaning behind this?

Thanks TAW
Well, as it stands, there's no official Bible for the whole Orthodox Church the world over in English. The Orthodox Study Bible is just about as good a translation of the NT and Psalms in English as you can get, and it has footnotes that explain the passages, as well as a few pages of general info and daily prayers. It's what a lot of Orthodox Christians use.

In icons of Christ, Jesus is holding His hand up in blessing. That pose is how Christ is shown blessing and how our clergy bless the congregation or anything else with the sign of the Cross.

[MrJim]

1. So is it a new translation by Orthodox scholars are an existing one?

2. Is there a meaning behind it? Is that how you would hold your hand when making a sign of the cross? It's just an odd, sort of unnatural finger placement and I know there are always meanings behind these sort of things....

[choirfiend]

1. So is it a new translation by Orthodox scholars are an existing one?

2. Is there a meaning behind it? Is that how you would hold your hand when making a sign of the cross? It's just an odd, sort of unnatural finger placement and I know there are always meanings behind these sort of things....

It's a NKJV, but there are some updates/changes in translation. They SAID the OT was due out this summer, but it looks like it will be at least another year...

Here's the little statement from wiki that I think sums it up..

The Orthodox Study Bible is a translation of the Christian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian) Bible (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible) currently in production by the Orthodox Church (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Church). The translation is based on the New King James Version (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_King_James_Version), but the Old Testament is being translated from the Septuagint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint).

As far as I know, that postition in blessing is only for clergy. When Orthodox bless themselves or others, we have a whole different position. Now, I have ideas about the icon, but does anyone have a clear and actual answer about it?

[Dust and Ashes]

1. So is it a new translation by Orthodox scholars are an existing one?

It's the New King James version so it is easy to read. The OT will be NKJV but corrected where it differs from the Septuagint.

[MrJim]

Cool, a NKJV + septuagint in one package-has that ever been done?

And about that finger thing...

[Dust and Ashes]

Cool, a NKJV + septuagint in one package-has that ever been done?

And about that finger thing...

The fingers are held in that position to make the Greek letters ICXC which are the first and last letters of Jesus Christ in Greek.

[MrJim]

The fingers are held in that position to make the Greek letters ICXC which are the first and last letters of Jesus Christ in Greek.

Thank You--I knew there was some more to it than met the eye:clap:

[Yiannis550]

forgivensinner001 is right. And also the way we hold our fingers when we make the cross is different. We join our thumb-index-middle finger together symbolizing the trinity and the ring and little fingers are folded back symbolizing the 2 concurrent natures of Jesus

[choirfiend]

which are pressed down to the palm as Christ came down to earth in the Incarnation.

[Yiannis550]

which are pressed down to the palm as Christ came down to earth in the Incarnation.

yeap I forgot that part! Thanks :)

[MrJim]

Fascinating. Everything action has a meaning.

[Kolya]

Fascinating. Everything action has a meaning.

There is NOTHING in Orthodoxy that is meaningless. Our whole life and worship are aligned toward Majestic Worship of our Triune God.