The Bible & Orthodox Tradition

When Jesus answered this question in Matthew 19, he cited Scripture. To know God\'s commandments necessitates learning God\'s Word, i.e., Scripture.

At this point in my journey, I don\'t know some of the things you\'ve all talked about. I haven\'t been baptized into the church, so experiencing \"the uncreated Light\" is something way beyond me here and now. I haven\'t experienced things you say are there that are to be experienced, not just read about. Your prayers and well-wishes are appreciated, though.

@Scotland You still have the Bible. It\'s God\'s Word and the basis of everything else.

My point is bigger than this.....Scotland, I think maybe you are trying to make Orthodoxy too (my reading into your comments) logical. Try sitting back and experiencing the Faith for a while under the guidance of a Spiritual Father. There is a lot more to the Orthodox Faith than just understanding something.

Bible is not God\'s word ,it\'s word about God\'s Word (Logos).

That\'s an interesting point that I\'ve never heard before. It sounds counter-intuitive to me. With this understanding, Misha, how do you interpret what Jesus means when he says \"word\" in the following quote: \"...My mother and my brethren are these who hear the word of God and do it.\" Luke 8:21

our faith is based upon Jesus Christ Who is the God and the second Person of Holy Trinity....not based on a specific text or translation... more here:[url=http://www.oodegr.com/english/ag_grafi/ag_grafi.htm]HOLY BIBLE[/url] but he stills

Dear Orthodox friends, and seekers: I guess it\'s kind of open to discussion, if not serious debate here, which English version of the Bible is easiest to understand. The KJV (King James Version) is beautiful, but not always clearly understandable. Please keep us informed when the new Orthodox Study Bible Old Testament from the Old Greek Bible OT comes out, what you all think of this new English translation for Orthodox Christians. Also, please obtain a copy of The Orthodox New Testament: Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Colorado, Copyright 2000 by Holy Apostles Convent and Dormition Skete, and let us know what you think on this English Orthodox version produced by a ROCOR Greek Orthodox monastery. In Colorado. God save us. Always, Scott

Funny, I just found out yesterday.... www.conciliarpress.com DUE OUT FEBRUARY 2008 - YOU CAN PRE-ORDER FOR A DISCOUNT

I don\'t agree with this idea. First of all, WE TOO are icons of God since we were created in His image. But we don\'t go around interpreting Scripture haphazardly. That\'s Protestantism. \"First of all you must understand this, that no prophesy of scripture is a matter of one\'s own interpretation, because no prophesy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.\" II Peter 1: 20-21

FYI there is already a new translation of the Septuagint produced by experts in the Septuagint. It is published by Oxford. The Orthodox Study Bible is not a new translation. It starts with the New King James and corrects it when it differs, according to the website. The Greek text they are using was produced by German Protestants in the early 20th century. (The edition of the Greek text was edited by Alfred Rahlfs.)

Professor fr.John Romanides explains: ?From the Orthodox viewpoint, that which makes the text divinely inspired is not the original words themselves, but the interpretation of those words by those who have attained theosis; because, no matter how accurate the text may be to the original, in the hands of those without theosis and outside the Church, its interpretation will be worthless. Even if they were given the very manuscripts of the prophets and the apostles to read and to study, the grand mystery of piety will still remain concealed from them; this is because the text per se is not that which is divinely inspired. Only the author is divinely inspired, when having attained theosis; or, divinely inspired can be the writings pertaining to someone who attained theosis, provided these texts are interpreted by someone who has attained theosis.?

I don\'t agree with this statement. Perhaps it is presented here out of context, and Fr John would have worded it differently if he were a part of this discussion - keeping in mind the constituency of readers that we have here.

Hossios Peter of Damascus writes: “And every writing and every word of God or certain Saint that refers to a tangible or intelligible creation, has a purpose hidden within it. And not only this, but also every human word. And nobody knows the thought within the chance saying, except only through a revelation.” “….with humility and guidance by the experienced ones, learning though practice rather than through words, and not seeking those things that have been hushed by the Holy Scriptures at all…..And how can someone say that ‘I know the purpose of God that is hidden in the holy Scriptures, without the revelation of His Son? Saint John of the Ladder wrote: “There are certain unclean demons, which, as soon as someone begins to study the Bible, reveal its interpretation. They especially enjoy doing this to the hearts of vainglorious people and moreso, to those with a secular education. Their goal is to entice them into heresies and blasphemous ideas, deceiving them very very gradually….”

Interesting. So the demons themselves can reveal correct interpretation! I think the point of this quote, if I\'m understanding it correctly, is to say that interpretation of the Scriptures cannot edify without humility. I agree with this statement. I think that any time that one has an idea of what Scripture is saying, he or she must submit that interpretation to the rest of Scripture, to be sure the interpretation does not contradict Scripture (Old and New Testaments) elsewhere. Then one has to allow those who know more to vet the interpretation. In this way, pride does not spoil a correct interpretation because the interpretation is infused with humility.