The Orthodox Study Bible: The Bible and the Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Study Bible: The Bible and the Orthodox Church

Preface

October 6 2018 article revised for an entry on academia.edu on January 14 2024.

The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy,Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.

Purchased from my former employer, the Canadian Bible Society @ the former Cafe Logos, Vancouver.

This text review continues...

Most citations paraphrased, in my own words, using British thesis academic standards. A British tutor of mine taught me that it was more academic to cite sources in my words and I have stayed with that approach. An American academic that unofficially reviewed my PhD thesis, opined that my thesis lacked word for word citations. But my work was reviewed in Wales...

The Bible and the Orthodox Church 

Section I: The Bible and the Orthodox Church (i)

This Orthodox Study Bible explains that outwardly the Holy Scriptures occupy a position of great prominence (i). It is then noted that the 'Gospel Book' rests on the Holy Alter throughout the week. (i).

Immediately, the ceremonial nature of Orthodox worship (as with the Roman Catholic Church) is differentiated from less formal evangelical (movement not a church) and evangelical/Reformed churches. Mainline Christianity perhaps can generally be considered less formal than Orthodox or Roman Catholic and more formal than evangelical or evangelical/Reformed? There is variance within these church movements. I am not being exhaustive here in evaluation, but for example, typically in an evangelical church there is no 'Holy Alter' as part of a church service.

Within Orthodoxy the Gospel Book and icons may be venerated. This is spiritual, reverence and respect shown toward the saint depicted on an icon. The Gospel Book can also be venerated showing reverence and respect for those within the biblical text, based on the same theology. As an academic, seeking a significant level of objectivity, I can grant the Orthodox premise that veneration is not worship.

From the Orthodox Study Bible

Do the icons of Orthodoxy border on idolatry? (xvi).

I can accept the Orthodox claim the icons are never worshipped, only venerated, as in historical characters depicted, shown respect. (xvi). The text explains its view that Orthodoxy is very serious in regards to obeying the second commandment from the Hebrew Bible that (paraphrased) prohibits forms of idolatry, such as the worship of a craved image. (xvi). In regards to reverence, related to prayer, it is my theological, biblical view that Jesus Christ, as God-man, via the Trinity, within the Christian Church, is our source of applied atonement and resurrection for those in Jesus Christ, and this eliminates the need for any human, finite mode of veneration. Granted, the incarnate Christ is humanly finite, but is also the fullness of deity in bodily form. Paraphrased from Colossians 2:9-10 (NASB).

New American Standard Bible (NASB) 

Hebrews 9: 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. 

Hebrews 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. 

My deduction is veneration to the Saints is also a supposed form of mediation in some cases, within Orthodoxy, at least. But mediation is presented in the book of Hebrews, and theologically I view it as taking place through Jesus Christ that is both infinite, eternal, holy, God and incarnated perfect man. Mediation should be directed toward God. Further, as well as God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are also worthy of prayer, veneration and for mediation, this also eliminates the need for Saints in this process. 

My examples from Hebrews and New Testament Greek

Bible Hub: μεσίτης, ου, ὁ 

Cited 

Strong's Concordance

'mesités: an arbitrator, a mediator 

Original Word: μεσίτης, ου, ὁ 

Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: mesités 

Phonetic Spelling: (mes-ee'-tace) 

Definition: an arbitrator, a mediator 

Usage: (a) a mediator, intermediary, (b) a go-between, arbiter, agent of something good.' 

Cited 

Englishman's Concordance

My Hebrews references

'Hebrews 9:15 (Noun, nominative, masculine, singular)

GRK: διαθήκης καινῆς μεσίτης ἐστίν ὅπως 

NAS: reason He is the mediator of a new 

KJV: he is the mediator of the new 

INT: of a covenant new mediator he is so that 

Hebrews 12:24 (Noun, dative, masculine, singular)

GRK: διαθήκης νέας μεσίτῃ Ἰησοῦ καὶ 

NAS: and to Jesus, the mediator of a new 

KJV: to Jesus the mediator of the new 

INT: of a covenant new mediator to Jesus and'

End citations

God the Holy Spirit also mediates in a sense...

New American Standard Bible (NASB) 

Romans 8:26-27

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the [a]saints according to the will of God. Footnotes: Romans 8:27 Or holy ones 

Within the Orthodox Study Bible, Bishop Kallistos Ware states (paraphrased) that the Christian Church is a scriptural church and that Orthodoxy believes this as firmly if not more firmly than the Protestantism. (i). Interesting how this text uses this quote from Bishop Ware to contrast Orthodoxy with Protestantism as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church. 

My non-exhaustive take?

In contrast to some on the more fundamentalist wing of evangelicalism, that would often reason that the Orthodox Church is false Christianity, I, within the Reformed tradition, deduce with my limited (and now increasing) understanding of Orthodoxy, that indeed even with the importance of tradition, that scripture is taken as key and central within the Orthodox, Christian faith. Theological issues, between biblical evangelical, evangelical/Reformed and Protestant and Orthodoxy often have much to do with different interpretations of biblical scripture. This leads some to believe that one side is trusting in the scripture, more than the other. I will admit the extreme liberal wing of Protestantism has in many cases abandoned scripture in context as the final authority in spiritual matters; this can often be a sell-out of the gospel for modern secular worldviews, social causes, political causes, and being politically correct. There are those that call themselves Christians, within Protestantism and all Christian movements, that love the world and the world system, and attempt to mould the biblical God into a false reality.

Parked for work in Vancouver in October 2018

Bible Intro (2018), Canadian Bible Society, Toronto. 

BROWNING, W.R.F. (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House. 

GRENZ, STANLEY J., DAVID GURETZKI and CHERITH FEE NORDLING (1999) Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, Downers Grove, Ill., InterVarsity Press. 

GUNDRY, ROBERT (1981) A Survey of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Zondervan. 

HAMILTON, VICTOR P. (1988) Handbook on the Pentateuch, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

KLEIN, WILLIAM W., CRAIG, C. BLOMBERG, AND ROBERT L. HUBBARD, JR. (1993) Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, London, Word Publishing. 

LA SOR, WILLIAM SANFORD, DAVID ALLAN HUBBARD, AND FREDERIC WILLIAM BUSH. (1987) Old Testament Survey, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

SCHRECK, ALAN (1984) Catholic and Christian, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Servant Books.

STRONG, J. (1890)(1986) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Burlington, Welch Publishing Company.

The Orthodox Study Bible, New Testament and Psalms, (1993) Saint Athanasius Orthodox Academy,Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.

WHALE, J.S. (1958) Christian Doctrine, Glasgow, Fontana Books.