The Orthodox Study Bible, Hardcover: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today's World

As a Coptic Orthodox Christian, I really appreciate this edition of the Orthodox Study Bible. It stays true to the spirit of the early Church and includes helpful notes that reflect the teachings of the Church Fathers. It’s been a great resource for both personal reading and deeper study. The layout is clear, the notes are insightful without being overwhelming (but it's really difficult to write notes in it if that's your goal), and the overall quality of the book feels very nice and durable. It has helped me understand Scripture in a more complete and traditional context. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to read the Bible with the mind of the early Church.

Valuable but specialized resource designed primarily for readers who want Scripture interpreted through an Eastern Orthodox lens rather than a Protestant or Catholic framework. It uses the New King James Version for the New Testament and a Septuagint-based Old Testament, which aligns it more closely with the text historically used in the Orthodox Church and distinguishes it from most English study Bibles that rely on the Masoretic Text. Its main strength lies in its theological commentary, which reflects patristic interpretation, emphasizes themes like theosis and sacramental life, and connects Scripture to the liturgical tradition; however, the depth of notes is inconsistent and often devotional rather than academically rigorous, making it less suitable for readers seeking detailed historical-critical analysis or extensive textual scholarship. The NKJV New Testament, while readable, does not always match the precise wording used in English liturgical practice, and some editions are physically bulky, which can affect usability. Overall, it effectively fills a niche for Orthodox Christians who want study notes consistent with their tradition, but it should not be mistaken for a comprehensive academic study Bible.

If you want only one Study Bible to aid and inform your reading of the Bible, or want to have a real alternate to your currently favorite Study Bible, "The Orthodox Study Bible" is the one you need to buy -- not "want", you "need" it. Period. In my thirty years of preaching and teaching the Christian Bible, this is without condition the best, most useful and enlightening Study Bible I have ever used. I say this with such enthusiasm even though I am a life-long Lutheran, and at the same time because I am a committed Confessional, orthodox Lutheran. "The Orthodox Study Bible," though aimed at a target audience in the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the most thoroughly ecumenical Study Bible I know of. The reason for that is in the very nature of Eastern Orthodox theology and biblical interpretation. The Orthodox -- unlike Western Protestantism -- have not jettisoned from theology the wisdom and authority of the Fathers of the ancient church and the liturgical tradition of early Christianity, but rather turn to and look to them as the foundation of all Christian dogma and doctrine, and thus the foundation of the one source of dogma and doctrine, the Bible. In many ways the Orthodox Church is more biblical in its teaching and life than any Western Protestants, and a large part of the reason for this is that the Orthodox Church has an unbroken tradition of reading the Bible together with, in living dialogue with, those closest to its origins: the ancient Fathers of the Church and the ancient worship of the Church. THAT IS WHAT FORMS THE FOUNDATION AND METHOD OF "THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE," and thus makes it THE MOST "BIBLICAL" Study Bible in terms of its notes, commentaries, and invaluable longer articles on points of doctrine. What you will NOT encounter is the prejudice of "modern" Western "historical-critical method" exegesis, with its rules of implicit skepticism and methodological doubt regarding the text of the Bible, which in two centuries have reduced Western biblical exegesis to a tangle of subjective and politically-correct "readings" of the Bible with no unity to them and no authority to support them except the opinion of the individual authors and their pet agendas. "THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE" OFFERS FREEDOM FROM THE DEAD-END OF HISTORICAL-CRITICAL EXEGESIS, and restores how the Church in its first millennium unanimously interpreted and applied the Bible. The "OSB" is not a flat or rote reitteration of the Church Fathers, however. It is how Orthodox exegetes and theologians read the Bible in dialogue with the Fathers as the living voice of the Church throughout the ages, in conversation with the living voice of Scripture. The result cuts right to what the Bible means, how the Bible interprets itself as divine revelation, and the unity of Old Testament and New Testament as the one revelation of salvation in Jesus Christ. This brings with it striking parallels, allusions, typology and allegory -- the meat of Patristic exegesis -- that is far more fruitful for preaching and teaching the Bible than the obsession with socio-historical theories and minutiae that fill most Protestant Study Bibles. The proof is in the using of the OSB with an open mind to a whole new way of reading the Bible than Western Protestants have been trained (brainwashed?) to practice. If you have a long-time favorite Study Bible like the NIV Study Bible, the New Oxford Annotated Study Bible, or any of the many others on the market, certainly keep it and use it if it aids and helps you. But do not use it alone anymore; get The Orthodox Study Bible to compare with your favorite, and so expand deeper and further your reading and meditating on the Bible. The OSB is a "must have" not only for Eastern Orthodox Christians, but for all Christians. One oddity for Western readers that may require some adjustment is the text of the Old Testament used. The Eastern Orthodox Church has always used that version of the Old Testament called the "Septuagint" (abbreviated by the Roman numeral LXX). This is the ancient, pre-Christian (ca 200 BC) translation of the Jewish Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek, during the process of which a number of books written originally in Greek were judged to be inspired Scripture in unity with the witness of the Hewbrew/Israelite books. This is the version of the OT used in the OSB, as it is the official text of the OT in the Orthodox Church. Thus, it is translated from the Greek text of the LXX, not directly from the Hebrew texts, and contains sevral writings not found in Protestant versions of the OT. LXX names and order are retained in the canon as well. So there are the 4 Books of Kingdoms (= 1 & 2 Samuel/1 & 2 Kings); a book of 2nd Ezra (or Esdras); the books of Tobit, Judith, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Maccabees, the Wisdom of Solomon, the Wisdom of Sirach, the book of Baruch, and the Epistle of Jeremiah. There are 151 Psalms; and the books of Esther and Daniel are considerably longer than in modern Protestant Bibles. These are books of the OT and integrated into the canon of the OT. For a Protestant, that takes some getting used to. ON THE PLUS SIDE: all the writers of the NT read, used and quoted from the Septuagint (LXX), the OT version in the OSB, so it in fact provides an English translation of the "Scriptures" presupposed throughout the NT. "The Orthodox Study Bible" is written for interested laity, not specialized clergy; it is clear, easily understood, and full of helps. A final commendation: LUTHERANS IN PARTICULAR should get and used this as their main Study Bible -- laity and clergy alike. Classical Lutheran theology -- from Luther and Melanchthon to Chmenitz and Gerhard -- is founded on "Scripture Alone," but Scripture in living dialogue with the Fathers of the Church (whom the Lutheran writers often quote at great length to prove the point of their biblical exegesis). "The Orthodox Study Bible" -- as the so-called "Finnish School" of Luther research is increasingly demonstrating -- is equally as much the best "Lutheran Study Bible."

This is a great Bible with exposition from Saints in the Orthodox tradition. A Bible to read with understanding the correct meaning of each passage, and with daily readings and morning and evening prayers.

I am so happy with my purchase this bible has everything you need in it like icons maps etc 90000% reccomend if you are orthodox

As a Roman Catholic this is a lovely Bible. So firstly I have to say there is an obvious bias towards Catholicism in the Introduction. But the general information on the early Church, Introduction to the books of the Bible and Additional notes is really good. Seeing that we were one Church pre-schism, I can honestly say that this Bible benefits any Christian.

Le livre est très beau et sobre, avec une couverture rigide, protégée par une couverture papier. Quant au contenu, c'est une Bible très complète, avec commentaires et illustrations jointes. Très satisfait de l'achat. Même s'il y a eu un léger retard, la communication avec le vendeur a été excellente. Merci!

The greatest book you'll ever read. Study notes are brilliant - very informative, educational and enlightening.