Draft:Ancient Christian Study Bible
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|  |
 |
| Ancient Christian Study Bible | |
|---|---|
| Full name | The Ancient Christian Study Bible: The Bible of the First Millennium AD |
| Abbreviation | ACSB |
| Complete Bible published | Expected end of 2027 |
| Textual basis |
|
| Translation type | Formal Equivalence |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Religious affiliation | Ecumenical |
To be determined
To be determined | |
The Ancient Christian Study Bible (ACSB) is a study Bible expected to publish by Oxford University Press (OUP) in 2027. It will use an English translation of the Septuagint from the Codex Vaticanus for the Old Testament and the 1904 revision of the Patriarchal Text for the New Testament. The ACSB will feature "synthetic patristic" notes that align with pericopes rather than verse-by-verse commentary, as well as borrowing various study materials from the New Oxford Annotated Bible.
History
[edit]In summer 2024, Oxford University Press (OUP) commissioned the ACSB. OUP established an editorial board, led by editors-in-chief Eugen J. Pentiuc, who served as an Old Testament general editor for the Orthodox Study Bible, and Paul M. Blowers, Dean E. Walker Professor of Church History at Emmanuel Christian Seminary.
It was first announced to the public on 8 July 2025 through the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America's press arm, the Orthodox Observer. Despite close relation to the Scriptural traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, particularly the use of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Patriarchal Text as basis for the New Testament, the project carries an ecumenical focus, with plans to include annotations from the Oriental Orthodox traditions and from scholars outside Orthodox traditions.
It is currently unknown whether it will receive any sort of formal approval from Orthodox jurisdictions or their bishops.
The ACSB is currently in "phase two" of development, translating the Greek texts and developing the study notes. It is expected to release in one volume (complete with Old and New Testaments) by the end of 2027.[1][2]
Study materials
[edit]The majority of ACSB annotations will be what it describes as "synthetic patristic notes", which follow the structure of pericope readings as opposed to verse-by-verse or line-by-line commentary, including:
- Textual notes detailing variant OT readings from the Hebrew Bible, Peshitta, Vulgate, Greek variants of the Old Testament found in later Hellenistic Jewish translations, variants among codices that include the Septuagint, and various other manuscript fragments. The textual notes of the New Testament will also include variants from other Greek lectionaries.
- Exegetical notes, namely to aid in establishing the various contexts of the respective pericope.
- Patristic notes, to show interpretations from Church Fathers and other writers from the first millennium. The ACSB's announcement claims that patristic interpretations are selected through "hermeneutical creativity" and "Nachleben," the use of ancient perspectives to support "the Church's" (presumably the Church pre-schism) teachings.
The ACSB will also include materials from the New Oxford Annotated Bible, including essays, maps, diagrams, tables, and a "substantive selection of new essays."
It will feature the following essays:
- Greek Patristic Interpretation of the Bible by Paul M. Blowers
- Ancient Greek Philosophy's Impact on Ancient Christian Biblical Interpretation by Athanasios Despotis
- Biblical Interpretation in Oriental Churches (Coptic, Ethiopic, Syriac, and Armenian) by Mary Farag
- The Biblical Canon in Eastern Byzantine Church by Eugen J. Pentiuc
- Christian Reading, Studying, and Praying the Greek Psalter and Latin Church Fathers and Biblical Interpretation by Samuel Pomeroy
- Hermeneutics and Methods of Patristic Biblical Interpretation by Agnethe Siquans
- Reading Scripture through the Tradition in the Twenty-First Century by J. David Stark
Translators and editorial personnel
[edit]The editorial board consists of 2 editors-in-chief and 5 associate editors:
- Eugen J. Pentiuc, Archbishop Demetrios Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins, Dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA
- Paul M. Blowers, Dean E. Walker Professor of Church History at Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan University, TN
- Athanasios Despotis, Supernumerary Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Bonn's Faculty of Protestant Theology, Bonn, DE[3]
- Mary Farag, Associate Professor of Early Christian Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ
- J. David Stark, Professor of Biblical Studies and Winnie and Cecil May Jr. Biblical Research Fellow at Faulkner University's Kearley Graduate School of Theology, Montgomery, AL, Senior Research Fellow at Tyndale House's Kirby Lange Center for Public Theology, Cambridge, UK
- Agnethe Siquans, Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Catholic Theology, Vienna, AT
- Samuel Pomeroy, Asst. Teaching Professor of Patristics at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
The ACSB is translated/annotated by the following contributors:
| Books[C 1] | Contributor(s) |
|---|---|
| Genesis | Paul M. Blowers (ch. 1–12) Laura Locke Estes (ch. 12–37) Samuel Pomeroy (ch. 38–50) |
| Exodus | Michael Graves |
| Leviticus | Sara Contini |
| Numbers | Matthew Kraus |
| Deuteronomy | So Miyagawa |
| Joshua | Alex Mihaila |
| Judges | Constantin Pogor |
| Ruth | Agnethe Siquans |
| 1 and 2 Samuel | David Kiger |
| 1 and 2 Kings | Christos Karagiannis |
| 1 and 2 Chronicles | Anthony Bibawy |
| Ezra | David Kiger |
| Nehemiah | David Kiger |
| 1 Esdras | Brian Matz |
| Esther (including Additions to Esther) | John Anthony Dunne |
| Tobit | Jeff Childers |
| Judith | Agnethe Siquans |
| 1 Maccabees | Najeeb T. Haddad |
| 2 Maccabees | Nenad Božovič |
| 3 Maccabees | Maria Pazarski |
| 4 Maccabees | Jordan Henderson |
| Job | Michael Legaspi |
| Psalms (including Psalm 151) | Justin Gohl |
| Psalms of Solomon | Justin Gohl |
| Proverbs | Michael Legaspi |
| Ecclesiastes | Adam Bean |
| Song of Songs | Justin Gohl |
| Wisdom | Michael Legaspi |
| Sirach | Evangelia Dafni |
| Isaiah | Clifton Ward |
| Jeremiah | Athanasios Paparnakis |
| Letter of Jeremiah | Athanasios Paparnakis |
| Baruch | Athanasios Paparnakis |
| Lamentations | Athanasios Paparnakis |
| Ezekiel | Laurence Vianès |
| Daniel (including Additions to Daniel) | Daniel Olariu |
| Hosea | Eugen J. Pentiuc |
| Joel | Oliver Dyma |
| Amos | Porfyrios Ntalianis |
| Obadiah | Oliver Dyma |
| Jonah | Bruce Beck |
| Micah | Hauna Ondrey |
| Nahum | Oliver Dyma |
| Habakkuk | Oliver Dyma |
| Zephaniah | Oliver Dyma |
| Haggai | Hauna Ondrey |
| Zechariah | Hauna Ondrey |
| Malachi | Oliver Dyma |
| Matthew | Samuel Johnson Mary Farag (Coptic, Arabic annotations) |
| Mark | Jeremiah Coogan |
| Luke | Daniel Ayuch Mary Farag (Coptic, Arabic annotations) |
| John | Athanasios Despotis |
| Acts | Athanasios Antonopoulos |
| Romans | Mark Reasoner |
| 1 Corinthians | Chris L. de Wett |
| 2 Corinthians | James Wallace Buchanan |
| Galatians | Martin Meiser |
| Ephesians | Aashu Alexander Mattackal |
| Philippians | Mark Reasoner |
| Colossians | Najeeb T. Haddad |
| 1 Thessalonians | Christos Karakolis |
| 2 Thessalonians | Christos Karakolis |
| 1 Timothy | Sotirios Despotis |
| 2 Timothy | Sotirios Despotis |
| Titus | Sotirios Despotis |
| Philemon | J. David Stark |
| Hebrews | Michael Azar |
| James | Miriam DeCock |
| 1 Peter | Dan Batovici |
| 2 Peter | Dan Batovici |
| 1 John | Valentin Andronache |
| 2 John | Michael Dormandy |
| 3 John | Michael Dormandy |
| Jude | Laura Locke Estes |
| Revelation | Leslie Baynes Mary Farag (Coptic, Arabic annotations) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Holy Cross Dean Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc Co-Editing "The Ancient Christian Study Bible" - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Orthodox Church". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ Iftimiu, Aurelian (2025-07-10). "Oxford University Press to publish Patristic Study Bible led by Romanian Orthodox priest and international scholars". Basilica.ro. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ "Projekte". Evangelisch-Theologische Fakultät (in German). Retrieved 2025-07-10.
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