Study of the Bible - Questions & Answers - Orthodox Church in America 30/01/2022, 19:35

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Study of the Bible

Question
I am looking for information on the Orthodox’s beliefs on
Bible reading. Do you have a certain reader who reads
you Scripture or are you allowed to read on your own time
also?

Do you have Bibles in your homes?

Answer
Orthodox Christians place heavy emphasis on the use of
scripture, both in liturgical worship as well as private
devotion. The calendar used by the Orthodox Church
includes a variety of scripture readings for every day of
the year, which are used in the liturgical services of the
Church and, in many cases, read privately by individual
Orthodox Christians in their group or individual study of
scripture. Orthodox Christians make great use of the book
of Psalms in worship, sometimes sung in their entirety, at
other times sung as responsorials between the
congregation and a chanter. At every Eucharistic Liturgy
there is at least one reading from the Epistles and at least
one reading from the Gospels.

Most Orthodox parishes have Bible study groups, and

those who cannot attend such groups are strongly
encouraged to study scripture individually, often with the
assistance of guided resource materials.

Also, Orthodox Christians are encouraged to read and

study the commentaries on Scripture produced by the
early Fathers of the Church, such as Saint John
Chrysostom and others. There are also numerous

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contemporary commentaries and other aids available for

group or individual study. Several years ago a voluminous
edition of the New Testament and Psalms, titled “The
Orthodox Study Bible,” was published, offering a wealth
of footnotes, cross references, etc. offering uniquely
Orthodox Christian perspectives on the scriptures; a
similar edition of the Old Testament is currently being
prepared and is slated for publication in 2002 or 2003.

As far as the faithful possessing Bibles in their homes, I

have never been in an Orthodox home in which I have not
seen at least one copy of the Bible.

For contemporary Orthodox Biblical study and

commentary you may wish to read the following books
published by SVS Press and available from SVS
Bookstore:

Paul Nadim Tarazi, Old Testament: Introduction, in three

volumes (each about $12.00):

Volume 1: Historical Traditions (1991, ISBN 0-88141-

105-1)
Volume 2: Prophetic Traditions (1994, 0-88141-107-8)
Volume 3: Psalms and Wisdom (0-88141-106-X)

Paul Nadim Tarazi, New Testament: Introduction, in

four volumes:

Volume 1: Paul and Mark (1999)

Volume 2: Luke and Acts (still to be published)
Volume 3: John and Revelation (still to be published)
Volume 4: Matthew and the Canon (still to be published)

The same author—Fr Paul Nadim Tarazi, Professor of

Biblical Studies at St Vladimir’s Seminary—has detailed
commentaries on several books of the New Testament
with line-by-line exegesis of the text (including the Greek
text original). These commentaries are intended for the
scholar, the student of theology, and for the well-read
layman:

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Study of the Bible - Questions & Answers - Orthodox Church in America 30/01/2022, 19:35

Paul Nadim Tarazi, Galatians: A Commentary (0-88141-

083-7), 368 pp.
Paul Nadim Tarazi, I Thessalonians: A Commentary (0-
913836-97-4)

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