The Scriptures2020-10-06T00:15:00+00:00

Scripture

“In the great Tradition of the Orthodox Church, the Bible is the central source of truth and the most creative factor behind the worship, doctrine and practice of the Church. The great Fathers and saints of the Church viewed the Bible as an ocean of divine mysteries, having inexhaustible breadth and astonishing depths.”

– FATHER THEODORE STYLIANOPOULOS

“The Bible is the book of the Church. It is the m ain written auithority within the Church — not over or apart from it. Everything in the Church must be biblical: for the Church, in order to be the Church, must be wholly expressive of the Bible. The Bible lives in the Church! Without the Church, there would be no Bible. The Church gives the Bible its life as a book. It makes the book come alive!”

– FATHER THOMAS HOPKO

The correct way is to read Scripture with simplicity and allow God to tell us what he wants to tell us. It’s one thing to read Scripture because you want to collect information and another to read it because you want to acquire its true content: that is, the Holy Spirit. We can judge whether or not our study of Scripture is authentic based on the number of tears we shed when we study. I can read Scripture…with the hope that God’s grace, through my reading of Scripture, will break open my hardened heart. The criterion for your study should be this: the way you read the Bible should bring peace to your heart, communion with God, love of neighbors, and the consciousness of your own sinfulness.”

– FATHER AIMILIANOS OF MOUNT ATHOS (1934-2019)

“The Holy Scriptures are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults and giving instruction for living rightly.”


2 TIMOTHY 3:15-16

2 TIMOTHY 3:15-16

“The best way to find what is fitting for one’s life is to meditate upon the divinely inspired Scriptures.”


St. Basil the Great (329-379 AD)

ST. BASIL THE GREAT (329-379 AD)
“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”


St. Jerome (347-420 AD)

ST. JEROME (347-420 AD)

“The words of the Scriptures are written for us not simply to understand them but also to do them”


St. Hesychios of Jerusalem (+450 AD)

ST. HESYCHIOS OF JERUSALEM (+450 AD)

ARTICLES

How to Read & Understand the Bible

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PODCASTS

Scripture Series with Father Thomas Hopko

VIDEO RESOURCES

How do Christ and the Church teach us to read the Bible? Here are three things you need to know!

There are a lot of different, even contradictory, interpretations of Scripture. So how do we understand what the Bible actually means?

Father Thomas Hopko discusses the Orthodox approach to and understanding of Scripture.

Most Christians take the Bible as a given. But where did the Bible come from? Answering this question is more difficult than you may think. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explains.

The Bible In The Orthodox Church: The Old Testament (Discovering Orthodox Christianity)

Can I trust the Bible? Is it accurate? Is it reliable? Is it still relevant?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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