The OSB: Returning to the Bible of the Early Church

The OSB: Returning to the Bible of the Early Church

The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), first published in its complete form in 2008, is the only major English-language study Bible produced with an explicitly Eastern Orthodox perspective. What distinguishes the OSB from nearly all other modern English Bibles is its use of the Septuagint (LXX) as the basis for the Old Testament, rather than the Hebrew Masoretic Text. This makes the OSB unique: it deliberately reflects the Bible as it was read and understood by the early church and the New Testament authors. While it has been warmly received in Orthodox circles and among those seeking a more ancient witness to Scripture, it also faces criticisms, especially regarding translation choices and commentary.

Historical Background

The project began in the 1990s, with an Orthodox New Testament published in 1993, using the New King James Version (NKJV) as its base text with Orthodox notes. The full Orthodox Study Bible was released in 2008, containing both Old and New Testaments.

For the Old Testament, the editors relied on the Septuagint (St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint edition), providing the first major attempt to offer a full LXX-based Old Testament to English-speaking Christians in a popular study Bible format. This was a conscious theological and historical choice, since the early church and the New Testament writers overwhelmingly quoted from the Septuagint, not the later Hebrew Masoretic tradition.

Translation Philosophy and Method

The New Testament in the OSB uses the New King James Version text, with Orthodox commentary and liturgical notes.

The Old Testament is a new English rendering of the Septuagint, primarily following the St. Athanasius Academy edition. While Protestant Bibles base their Old Testament on the Masoretic Text, the OSB restores the LXX tradition, including the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha (books like Tobit, Wisdom of Solomon, and 1–4 Maccabees).

The translation philosophy reflects a concern for continuity with the Orthodox liturgical tradition, sometimes preferring wording familiar in Orthodox worship over more technical modern renderings.

Reading Level and Style

The OSB is written at approximately a 9th–10th grade reading level, making it accessible but retaining a formal, reverent tone. Its reliance on the NKJV for the New Testament ensures continuity with traditional English Bible style, while the LXX Old Testament uses elevated but readable English.

The study notes and commentary emphasize Orthodox theology, the Church Fathers, and liturgical connections. This gives the OSB a devotional and ecclesial flavor not found in more academic study Bibles.

Strengths

The greatest strength of the OSB is its return to the Septuagint Old Testament, aligning with the text most used by the apostles, the early church, and the Fathers. This sets it apart from nearly all modern Protestant translations, which depend on the Masoretic Text.

Examples:

• Genesis 4:7 — OSB: “Have you not sinned if you have brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? Be still; his recourse shall be to you; and you shall rule over him.” This follows the Septuagint and differs dramatically from the Masoretic-based renderings familiar in Protestant Bibles.

• Isaiah 7:14 — OSB: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel.” Unlike the NABRE or NRSV, the OSB preserves the Septuagint’s parthenos (“virgin”), supporting the traditional Christian understanding.

• Psalm 22:16 (21:16 LXX) — OSB: “They pierced my hands and my feet.” This matches the Septuagint and early Christian interpretation, in contrast to the Masoretic Text’s “Like a lion are my hands and feet.”

• Hebrews quotations — The OSB highlights how the New Testament often quotes directly from the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew, reinforcing its central thesis that the LXX is the true Old Testament of the Church.

Another strength is its Orthodox commentary, which provides patristic insights and liturgical connections often missing from Western study Bibles. The OSB demonstrates how Scripture is read within the life of the Church, not merely as an academic text.

The inclusion of the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha also makes the OSB a more historically faithful Bible, reflecting the canon of the early church rather than later Protestant reductions.

Weaknesses

Critics note that the OSB’s Old Testament translation sometimes reads unevenly, as it was produced under time constraints and lacks the polish of larger translation committees. Scholars have pointed out inconsistencies in rendering certain Greek terms and phrases.

The study notes, while rich in Orthodox theology, are sometimes uneven in depth, offering devotional reflections rather than detailed exegesis. For academic study, readers often supplement the OSB with other critical editions of the Septuagint.

Additionally, because the New Testament uses the NKJV, the OSB inherits both the strengths and weaknesses of that translation—beautiful, familiar English, but occasionally based on later Byzantine textual traditions rather than the earliest manuscripts.

Conclusion

The Orthodox Study Bible is a landmark resource for English-speaking Christians, particularly those in or interested in the Orthodox tradition. Its Septuagint Old Testament, NKJV New Testament, and Orthodox commentary make it a unique and valuable witness to how the early church received and understood Scripture.

While it is not flawless—its Old Testament translation can be uneven and its notes sometimes lack academic depth—it fills an essential role by restoring the LXX to its rightful prominence. For Orthodox Christians, it is the standard English study Bible; for others, it is a vital window into the Bible of the early church.

The OSB demonstrates that Scripture cannot be divorced from the community that reads it. In preserving the Septuagint and the voice of the Fathers, it reminds us that the Bible is not simply a text but part of the living tradition of the Church.