Customer Reviews

The Orthodox New Testament (Acts, Epistles, and Revelation)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
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In many ways I think that this is an excellent study Bible - it is not, however, one I would recommend to those who are simply looking for a Bible to read casually.

The text from which this Bible is translated is the 1912 text authorized by the Ecumenical Patriarch. Similar in many ways to Textus Receptus, there are minor differences. The authors have deliberately chosen to use archaic English, in part because of the usage of "thee" and "thou" as the second person singular and "ye" and "you" for the second person plural -- this is an advantage for those who want to be able to distinguish which "you" the writer is referring to, but makes it somewhat awkward for modern readers. The translators are to be commended for accurately translating the Greek words in the same tenses used by the authors, but this does sacrifice some of the beauty which is found in the Authorized - King James versions.

The notes utilizing quotations from the Early Church Fathers is interesting and unique, but I wish that they had been included on the bottom of the page to which the referance appears instead of at the back of that particular book of the Bible. Also, this book is aimed at those already familiar with the teachings of the Orthodox Church -- it would be nice to have some commentary reflecting the teachings and understanding of particular texts by the Church in order to serve as a better evangelistic and catechetical work.

This Bible is attractively bound, and the type is large enough for these old eyes of mine to read.

I have to say that this translation and quotation notes is by far one of the best combinations out there. The only thing that compares to the use of writings of the Church fathers is maybe the Ancient faith commentary, but those are all done book by book while this encompasses all the epistles

Just like the match Gospels, book, not only is the translation clear to read and faithful to the original Kione Greek, but the Patristic quotes used for the footnotes, makes it far superior to other "Study Bible" or translations. No Christian should be without theis Bible!

I am a protestant theologian very interested in Orthodoxy, so I bought this translation hoping for a fresh, readable, Orthodox version of the Bible which made clear how the Orthodox interpreted various passages.

What I got was basically the King James Version. The text is unreadably archaic. The translation differs only in minor ways from any protestant translation.

I had hoped that the excepts from the Fathers would allow me to really come to grips with Patristic exegesis and give me fresh insights into their thinking. I had hoped for a new translation of their writings a change from the archaic and outdated translationn of the Nicene Fathers series. Unfortunately the translators have often just copy-pasted from the Nicene Fathers volumes! The patristic quotations they have choosen do not usually add much to the passages, and do not usually address the questions that are in my mind as I read those passages.

On the positive side, the book is impressive for its beauty, it is nicely printed, with amazingly large text.

The whole thing was an excellent idea in theory - an Orthdox translation with Patristic quotations. But in practice the translators have failed to acheive any degree of excellence. On the whole buying this was a waste of money, and I don't expect to use the volume much in the future. Anyone who wants a Bible should buy the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) instead.