So you want a Greek LXX/GNT Bible?
So you want a Greek LXX/GNT Bible?
The quest to purchase a hardcopy Greek bible
Every couple of months, there will be a post in one of the Greek boards I follow where someone is trying to buy a Greek LXX/GNT bible. Something like this is an obvious buy for a Greek student, and when they begin to search, they find it’s not so easy finding it.
There are three options that I am aware of, and I happen to have one of each. So I thought this post could be a helpful resource for the next time this question is asked.
Biblia Graeca
Invariably, the first option commenters leave is for the United Bible Society’s Biblia Graeca — a book nearly impossible to find.
Originally printed in 2013, this is no longer in print, but can be found in the used book market for anywhere from $80-$600. To find it, head over to bookfinder.com and search the ISBN: 9783438051523.
This is literally (I know, it’s not technically literal because it’s physical, but it is a book, so I think I can get away with it!) the 2-vol Rahlfs LXX and the 1vol NA28 bound together. The page numbers reset with each volume and the font changes between LXX and GNT. Its listing over at Blackwell’s says it has 3,216 pages, so it’s not little. It comes with two of the UBS guaranteed-to-fray ribbons, and will lay open on page 1.
Because the LXX portion is Rahlfs, it includes a textual apparatus, the A/B texts for those books that have alternate traditions, and no Masoretic Text Psalm numbering key for those Psalms that are numbered differently than what is found in the Hebrew/English bible.
The cover is the same hardcover/leatherette that all UBS texts have, along with the same super-thin bible paper. The Smyth-sewn binding should hold up for a very long time. It’s a little unwieldly, but I’ve known people who had them rebound in leather and they turned into their daily bible. I can’t wait until I can read that cover to cover with no aids.
Η Αγια Γραφη
I had heard rumors that this edition existed on ancient B-Greek posts and some now-defunct forums, but I could never locate a copy. Even when I started my search for the perfect pocket-GNT, which included many websites based out of Athens, I still couldn’t locate it. Finally, someone on the Nerdy Biblical Language Majors Group on fb linked to an offer, and I immediately ordered a copy.
The website is in modern Greek, and so unless you know that language, you’ll want to install the Google Translate chrome extension. If you are in the US, a word about ordering books from Europe: Use PayPal! Yes, even if you are purchasing with a credit card. US companies will frequently tag any European purchase as fraud, and you may get your card instantly cancelled. That’s a pain. Purchasing through PayPal avoids all of this.
At just over 9in tall and about 2.25in thick, it’s not small, but firmly within the “study bible” size, so it won’t look weird if this becomes your go-to-church bible. Smyth-sewn with a nice hardcover, it should last a good long time. Purchasing it, with shipping, was about $65 delivered to the US, but obviously the exchange rate between the USD and the Euro will make that fluctuate. The shipping is quite fast for how far away it’s coming.
The text is the 1904 Patriarchal text, the official Greek text of the Greek Orthodox church. The NT is based on the TR, but with changes to make much of it fall in line with a ‘Byzantine’ text (still includes 1 John 5:5-7, but with a different font). Drop-caps adorn each new chapter, and many books begin with illuminated drop-caps. The Psalms have both numbers listed, the LXX first, then the MT, so you don’t need to memorize when the Psalms align and when they diverge. There are no footnotes nor alternate texts.
The Bible / Η Βιβλος
Finally, something you can buy on Amazon and get to your door within a couple of days.
This perfect-bound (glued) paperback book is no-frills, but exactly what you wanted—an all Greek bible. At only a touch over $12, it’s simply paying the price of printing; the publisher is making no money off it.
I only found this through researching Byzantine Psalm Notation. The same gentlemen has written a website with guides, and there he linked to this other publication. I have not found the right search string to find this organically within Amazon, so I saved it to a wishlist and link to it from there when asked.
This is the same text as the edition above, with a non-serif font and no drop-caps. It has nearly identical dimensions as well, coming in about .7in thinner. Like above, it has both numbering systems for the Psalms and no alternate texts.
Conclusion
While not easy to find, you can have a hardcopy LXX/GNT bible for as cheaply as a fast-food dinner. I would encourage you try using your copy each day. There’s few things as fun as reading in the LXX, in a chapter you’ve never looked at before, and finding out that you can read with understanding (much of the narrative in the LXX is as easy, or possibly easier than the GNT narratives).