The Newrome Orthodox Bible
A single-volume Orthodox Bible built on the Septuagint and the ecclesiastical Greek text.
Newrome Press is an Orthodox publishing house in Columbia, Missouri, best known for liturgical books and for its Orthodox Bible project — an English Bible produced for Orthodox use, with an Old Testament translated from the Septuagint and a New Testament following the Byzantine (ecclesiastical) Greek text used in the services of the Church.
Why an Orthodox edition at all
Most English Bibles translate the Old Testament from the Hebrew Masoretic Text. The Orthodox Church reads the Greek Septuagint, the translation the Apostles themselves quote, and receives a wider canon that includes Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, and the books of Maccabees, together with the longer Greek forms of Esther and Daniel.
An Orthodox Bible therefore differs from a standard Protestant Bible in three ways at once: the source text of the Old Testament, the list of books, and the numbering of the Psalms (the Septuagint numbering used in every Orthodox service book).
What the Newrome edition contains
- Old Testament rendered from the Septuagint, with Septuagint psalm numbering.
- New Testament following the Byzantine / ecclesiastical Greek text read liturgically.
- The full Orthodox Old Testament canon, including the anagignoskomena ('books to be read').
- Presentation designed for Orthodox readers: liturgical spelling of names, and editions produced in the same house style as Newrome's service books.
Newrome Bible vs the Orthodox Study Bible
The Orthodox Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2008) pairs the New King James New Testament with an Old Testament adapted toward the Septuagint, and its main draw is the study apparatus: introductions, patristic commentary in the margins, and articles on Orthodox doctrine.
The Newrome Orthodox Bible is a different project: the emphasis falls on the text itself — a fresh Septuagint-based translation with a Byzantine-text New Testament — rather than on commentary. Readers who want a study apparatus usually keep the Orthodox Study Bible; readers who want an Orthodox reading and liturgical text tend toward Newrome.
Neither replaces the other, and neither is a substitute for the lectionary: the appointed readings of each day are the way the Church herself reads Scripture.
Reading it with the calendar
Whichever edition you own, the Orthodox way of reading Scripture is through the daily cycle. Every day of the year has appointed epistle and gospel readings, and during Great Lent the Old Testament readings from Genesis, Proverbs and Isaiah are added. The daily readings on this site follow that cycle, in either the Gregorian (New) or Julian (Old) reckoning.
Where to buy
Newrome Press sells directly through its own website and through Orthodox bookstores and monastery shops; printings and bindings vary by edition, so check the current listing before ordering. This page is informational and not affiliated with the publisher.
Frequently asked
- What is the Newrome Orthodox Bible?
- An English Bible published by Newrome Press for Orthodox use, with a Septuagint-based Old Testament and a New Testament following the Byzantine ecclesiastical Greek text.
- Is the Newrome Bible the same as the Orthodox Study Bible?
- No. The Orthodox Study Bible is a study edition with patristic notes built on the New King James Version; the Newrome edition is a Septuagint and Byzantine-text Bible focused on the text rather than commentary.
- How many books are in the Orthodox Bible?
- The Orthodox Old Testament canon includes the deuterocanonical books, giving a total of about 76 books depending on the local tradition; the Ethiopian canon is larger still.
- Why do the Psalm numbers differ?
- Orthodox Bibles follow the Septuagint numbering used in the services, which is generally one lower than the Hebrew numbering from Psalm 10 onward.