Orthodox Bible

[feo]

I was Cruising Around in The "CF STORE" and saw an "orthodox bible"! What Exactly is This, And Where Can i Find More information About it? as Far as i Can Tell, Orthodoxy Resembles Catholicism... and From What i Remember, Catholics Use The KJV: Correct?

From an Orthodox Perspective, is There Any Damage Done by Reading Different Translations of The Bible? i Know For one, i LOVE my NIV Bible... as it isnt SUPER INTERPRETED, and it Doesnt Read Old-English. (those KJV guys really crack me up! :D)


You know, when you laugh at sacred things, your faith weakens. This book is sacrilegious.

I remain very concerned for our youth, as I have seen the damage which THE MESSAGE has done in my college summer class so far (3 out of 5 weeks and going).


i Like Reading "THE MESSAGE"! Give me More insight on The Destruction it Has Caused. While i Will Admit: i Almost Never 'study' and get Down and dirty into The word, as Far as "THE MESSAGE" Translation... it is Fun to Read from Time to Time.

What is Sacreligous About The Message, and What Harm has it Done to me?

[BjBarnett]

Catholics Use The KJV: Correct?

actually KJV is a Protestant bible. I think the NAB and Douay-Rheims versions are used most amongst Catholics.

[Eusebios]

Hi feo!
Orthodox typically have used the RSV in terms of English translations. A few years back however a group got together and created the The Orthodox Study Bible (http://conciliarpress.bizhosting.com/the_orthodox_study_bible.html) which is an NKJV translation with notes from the Early Church Fathers. Currently, a group of Orthodox scholars are working on The OSB-Old Testament Project (http://www.lxx.org) which is an NKJV translation of the the Septuigant (http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/) or Greek , or LXX OT, the most ancient text, which lines up very nicely with the dead sea scrolls and was the version quoted by Christ and the Apostles.
As to "The Message", I'll have to let Elizabeth explain her objections. I do own a copy but haven't cracked it for years. I will say that paraphrases are typically of dubious quality.
Under His Mercy,
Eusebios.
:bow:

[Reader Nilus]

Out of the major translations only the NRSV has been prohibited (http://www.holy-trinity.org/liturgics/tikhon.nrsv.html)for reading during the public services of the Orthodox Church in America.
Jeff the Finn

[ufonium2]

I don't really like the NIV. For one, pronouns referring to the Lord aren't always capitalized. This is disrespectful and confusing, especially in Paul's letters when he often referrs to himself in third person and you don't know if "him" is talking about Paul or Jesus.

Also, the NIV Bible that I own (Student Bible from around 1990) is heavily Protestant-leaning in its study guides and notes.

[feo]

I don't really like the NIV. For one, pronouns referring to the Lord aren't always capitalized. This is disrespectful and confusing, especially in Paul's letters when he often referrs to himself in third person and you don't know if "him" is talking about Paul or Jesus.

I Agree: it is Confusing When Certain Things Arnt Capitalized... but Quite Honestly, id Rather Have Random Capitalization... Than Old-English Words That do Not Make Sense to me. :scratch:

[Moros]

http://www.ecmarsh.com/lxx/

[feo]

Out of the major translations only the NRSV has been prohibited (http://www.holy-trinity.org/liturgics/tikhon.nrsv.html)for reading during the public services of the Orthodox Church in America.
Jeff the Finn

I read that letter, and how it quotes from the NRSV. one thing it Lists, as a Reason for Prohibition is: "(I Timothy II:5-6) For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all-- this was attested at the right time."

i Can See How this is Scary, but How Are The Other Quotes Scary, From an Orthodox Perspective?

[The Prokeimenon!]

Speaking as a former KJV-only guy, we Orthodox aren't threatened by new translations. Of course, there are many translations that are absurd and should never be considered, but since we aren't "Sola Scriptura", it doesn't matter if the wording is changed in the translation. Our Church Fathers mostly all spoke Greek as their native tongue, so they didn't have to worry about translations when they were passing down Holy Tradition.

The reason that fundamentalists get so upset about non-KJV translations is that their whole Theology is built on a very specific wording of a very few verses. If you change a few words, their Theological foundation crumbles.

Somebody once said "If the KJV was good enough for the Apostle Paul, it's good enough for me" :D :confused: :sigh: :help:

All that being said, there are translations that are superior to others, just as there are translations that are positively disgusting. I've never read "the Message" so I can't comment one way or the other. I like KJV, NAB, RSV, and if I don't understand the meaning of a passage, I don't look for a simpler translation, I ask my Priest :)

Moses

[Reader Nilus]

I read that letter, and how it quotes from the NRSV. one thing it Lists, as a Reason for Prohibition is: "(I Timothy II:5-6) For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all-- this was attested at the right time."

i Can See How this is Scary, but How Are The Other Quotes Scary, From an Orthodox Perspective?Psalm 1:1 in the NRSV: Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked.
Here is the same verse in the RSV: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked For us the change from singular to plural is huge. We as individuals are accountable for our own acts, the NRSV mutes that sense with the change from singular to plural.
It should be remembered we are not prohibitted from reading it privately. Only public teaching from it in the Church is prohibitted.
Jeff the Finn

[feo]

Hi feo!
Orthodox typically have used the RSV in terms of English translations. A few years back however a group got together and created the The Orthodox Study Bible (http://conciliarpress.bizhosting.com/the_orthodox_study_bible.html) which is an NKJV translation with notes from the Early Church Fathers. Currently, a group of Orthodox scholars are working on The OSB-Old Testament Project (http://www.lxx.org) which is an NKJV translation of the the Septuigant (http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/) or Greek , or LXX OT, the most ancient text, which lines up very nicely with the dead sea scrolls and was the version quoted by Christ and the Apostles.
As to "The Message", I'll have to let Elizabeth explain her objections. I do own a copy but haven't cracked it for years. I will say that paraphrases are typically of dubious quality.
Under His Mercy,
Eusebios.
:bow:

Hey Thanks For All The Good Information... i Checked out the "LXX OT" and Thought That Was Cool. How Does That Differ From The NIV OT Translation? And What Other Translations Are There? Will There be a "LXX NT"? or Does The NIV base its OT stuff From the LXX? :confused: im Sucha n00b About This Stuff

[Oblio]

The NIV (more a paraphrase than a translation) IIRC is based on the Masoretic texts. The LXX is the actual Greek text that was used by the Diaspora and Greek speaking Jews during the time of Christ. The common Jew did not speak Hebrew but relied on oral teaching using the LXX which is why we see it so often quoted in the NT.
There will be no LXX NT as it was only the OT Scriptures (written in the 3rd BC). The Greek NT is simply the NT, which is the original text from which most other Bibles get their NT text from.

[feo]

Does The RSV's OT Rely on The LXX or The IIRC Texts? :confused: :scratch:

[Rilian]

The lineage of the RSV is from the AV/KJV which uses the Masoretic texts (which are late) as the basis for the Old Testament. Some additional information is here. An Orthodox Critique of English Translations of the Bible (http://www.holy-trinity.org/liturgics/nrsv.html)

[Oblio]

Does The RSV's OT Rely on The LXX or The IIRC Texts? :confused: :scratch:


IIRC = If I Recall Correctly :)

Rilian gave a good answer to your question which shows the need for a true Orthodox OT that is available in late modern English.