25 - The Bible in the Orthodox Churchfrom the seventeenth century to the present day

Summary

This chapter traces the reception of the Bible in the Greek-speaking world, Slavic region, Romania, Georgia, and the Arab-speaking world from the seventeenth century. From the time of the fall of Constantinople in 1453 Greek-speaking Orthodox lived within the Ottoman empire. The church continued to fulfil its educational role, with Scripture at its heart. Methodius translated the Bible into Slavonic and laid the foundations for the development of a literary culture among all the different Slavic peoples. The Orthodox Church of Romania traces its roots back to the first century CE, when Christianity was first brought to the land of the ancient Dacians. The translation of the Gospels into Georgian in the fifth century was based on early Syro-Armenian versions. Of the various translations of the Bible made in the Arab Orthodox context, the efforts of the monks of the Monastery of Balamand stand out as significant.