Benedict wanted the Greek Orthodox canon and books to be considered scripture - Zosimas Bible source

Steven Avery

Steven Avery

Administrator
did the zosimas moscow bible of 1820 contain 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, 1 & 4 Maccabees, Wisdom and Sirach -

Yes, the Moscow Greek Bibles published by the Zosimas brothers (with initial editions in 1820/1821) were based on the Septuagint and included these texts. They contained \(2\) Esdras (often labeled as \(1\) Esdras), Tobit, Judith, \(1\) Maccabees, Wisdom, and Sirach. However, \(4\) Maccabees was only included as an appendix. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The Zosimas Moscow Bible followed the Eastern Orthodox canon. A closer look at how these specific books were categorized illustrates this: [1, 2]
  • Included in the Main Old Testament: Tobit, Judith, \(1\) Maccabees, Wisdom, and Sirach.
  • Included as \(2\) Esdras: The Zosimas Bible followed the Septuagint naming, where the biblical text primarily referred to as "\(1\) Esdras" in the Protestant Apocrypha is classified as "\(2\) Esdras" (or \(3\) Ezra in some scholarly conventions).
  • 4 Maccabees: This text was included at the back of the Bible as an uncanonical appendix or parartema. [1 , 2, 3, 4, 5]
These Greek-language editions were widely utilized within the Orthodox Church and served as foundational source texts for subsequent biblical transcriptions. [1, 2, 3]
If you would like to know more about the specific Old Testament canon of the Eastern Orthodox Church or the difference between the Slavonic and Greek Septuagint versions, please let me know.

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Steven Avery

Steven Avery

Administrator
difference between the Slavonic and Greek Septuagint versions,












The Church Slavonic Bible is essentially a direct translation of the Greek Septuagint (LXX), meaning the structural and text-type differences are very minor. However, key operational differences emerged over centuries due to unique canonical expansions, textual hybridization, and language shifts. [1, 2, 3 , 4, 5 ]

Quick Comparison

Feature [1, 2 , 3, 4, 5 , 6]Greek Septuagint (LXX)Church Slavonic Bible
Primary LanguageKoine GreekChurch Slavonic
Origin Point3rd–2nd Century BCE (Egypt)9th Century CE onwards (Moravia/Bulgaria/Russia)
Textual BaseVaried Old Greek manuscriptsByzantine Greek text type + later Latin/Hebrew corrections
Extra Books3 & 4 Maccabees, Psalm 1513 Ezra (4 Ezra), Prayer of Manasseh


Key Differences

1. Canon and Unique Books
While both traditions share the core books, they diverge slightly on peripheral texts:
  • 3 Ezra (4 Ezra / 2 Esdras): The Slavonic text includes 3 Ezra within its Old Testament canon. Standard Greek Septuagint printings traditionally omit this book entirely, as it only survived fully in Latin, Slavonic, and other Eastern versions. [1, 2]
  • 4 Maccabees: The Greek tradition frequently includes 4 Maccabees as an appendix. It was entirely absent from early Slavonic codices, only appearing later in specific academic prints. [1 ]

2. Textual Sources and Western Influence
  • The Greek Septuagint evolved directly from ancient Jewish-Greek manuscripts.
  • The Slavonic Bible is structurally eclectic. Major compilations, such as the Gennady Bible (1499) and the Elizabeth Bible (1751), used the Greek text as a core but filled missing sections using the Latin Vulgate or adjusted phrasing to align with the Hebrew Masoretic Text. [1 , 3, 4 , 5]

3. Double-Translation Nuances
Because the Slavonic Bible is a "translation of a translation" (Hebrew → Greek → Church Slavonic), certain vocabulary nuances changed: [1, 2 , 3]
  • Linguistic shifts: Translators like Saints Cyril and Methodius had to invent new Slavic compound words to precisely mirror Greek theological vocabulary. [1, 2]
  • Idioms: Phrasing that worked cleanly in Koine Greek sometimes translated into a highly rigid, literal "word-for-word" syntax in Slavonic, making the liturgical language distinct from spoken Slavic dialects. [1 , 2]

If you wish, we can dive deeper into how the Gennady Bible used the Latin Vulgate, or examine how modern Orthodox Study Bibles handle these translation differences.
 
Steven Avery

Steven Avery

Administrator

Phippy Locke
Amazing! Especially that it contains 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, 1 & 4 Maccabees, Wisdom and Sirach - and not relegated to secondary status or placed at the end of the Old Testament. Fascinating!

Steven Avery
Phippy Locke - Good catch.
No real surprise for a manuscript created at Mt. Athos c. 1840 in the Greek Orthodox environment.
Similar canon books to the Zosimias Moscow Bible of 1820 which was one of the OT-Apoc source texts, as carefully pointed out by Constantine Simonides (Zosimas put 4 Maccabees as an appendix.)
 
Steven Avery

Steven Avery

Administrator
Jacob Curren
That parchment looks awfully white for 1700 years old

Steven Avery
Jacob Curren - true, the ink was placed less that 300 years ago at Mt. Athos, the parchment is likely a few hundred years more. However, deterioration really begins with the ink-acid reaction (excluding insects, mold, etc.).
The top Russian scientist Nikolai Alexandrovich Morozov (1854-1946) said the maximum would be about 600 years so it that explains the willingness of the Ruskis to dump the clump!
The English don't want to be recognized as marks so they refused the BAM (German) testing proposal this year.
Caveat emptor.

John Litteral
Sinaiticus is an obvious forgery in my opinion. And no, I am not a KJV onlyists whatsoever. Its just that I have eyeballs that can see and a pretty good sense for scams.

Steven Avery
John Littera - hi John, yep. You do some interesting studies. Some of the textual evidence that is very strong for Sinaiticus being 1800s is in Revelation. I will send a DM. Perhaps you can assist a bit.
 
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Steven Avery

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David Yuen
Daniel Figueroa, John 20:1 - 21:25

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