04-11-2011, 11:20 PM
Dear brother Rafa in Yashua,Berek Alaha! I saw your post in regards to the OSB-the Orthodox Study Bible and that you were going to get a copy.I have had a copy of the OSB New Testament and the Psalms when it first came out many many years ago and aquired several copies of the complete Orthodox Study Bible containing both the Old and New Testament with the Old containing all of the books of the Apocrypha held as canonical by the Orthodox churches therefore having 11 more books than the Protestant.I have given away 3 or 4 copies to non-Orthodox Christians who are interested in the faith. I study and read primarilly from the many good Peshitta English translations daily as I own and study them all and have learned and continue to learn from all.I pray Deacon Younan will complete his wonderful translation and have it published.As far as the Old Testament is concerned,we only have Lamsa's translation thus far although Victor Alexander has published and released Genesis and Exodus so far and is almost done with the Old testament which can be read on his website.Of course we also have the Old Testament Aramaic Targumns from Deacon Paul Younan also.I really only use the OSB for the commentary and articles which most of are quite good.In the introduction to Matthew we even have the editors pointing to the ancient tradition from Papias and several other Fathers the fact that Matthew was originally written in Aramaic.There headed in the right direction with this and must realise the entire New Testament was originally written in Aramaic as the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic.The Old Testament is a fresh translation of the Greek Septuagint from the St.Athanatius academy who used multiple sources.The New Testament is from the NKJV.Overall it is very good but the Peshitta,exspecially in the better translation,being the true original Holy Gospels and New Testament,is so far superior as it is as it came straight from our Mari's Holy lips and the quills of the Evangelists penning the Gospels and the venerable epistle writers.A great source of the ancient Fathers and Saints commentary of the scriptures is the recently released Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture that is amazing.Every verse and chapter is given commentary following a whos who of the greatest of the Fathers and saints.St.John Crystostom,Theodore of Mopsuestia,Diodore,Oriegen,Cyrill of alexandria,ect,ect. I highly recommend this multi-volume work.I have all of the Gospels books of commentary which numbers 6 volumes as Matthew and Luke both require 2 volumes a piece.In Yashua,D.Michael.