If you've ever attended a Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy and wondered which Bible they're reading from — why it sounds different, why there are books you've never heard of, why the priest carries a golden book in a procession rather than just opening to a page — this article is your answer. The question of what Bible Byzantine Catholics use is not a simple one. And the answer reveals something profound about how the Eastern Church understands Scripture itself.
Byzantine Catholics do not use a single standardized Bible edition. Their Old Testament is based on the Septuagint — the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Bible the Apostles themselves used. Their New Testament is the same 27 books shared by all Christians. In church, they use specialized liturgical volumes: the Evangelion (Gospel Book) and the Apostolos (Epistle Book), arranged by the liturgical calendar. For personal reading, the RSV Catholic Edition is most common in English-speaking parishes — but there is no single mandated translation.
The Real Question Behind "Which Bible?"
When people ask what Bible Byzantine Catholics use, they're usually assuming the answer will be a specific published edition — the way Roman Catholics in the United States commonly use the New American Bible Revised Edition, or many Protestants use the New International Version or the English Standard Version.
But that framing doesn't quite fit the Byzantine tradition. And understanding why it doesn't fit takes you right to the heart of what makes Eastern Christianity distinctively itself.
In the Western tradition, the Bible tends to be understood as a text you hold in your hands, read privately, and study at home. The institutional church produces authoritative translations — the Vulgate, the Douay-Rheims, the NAB — and instructs the faithful to use them. The canon and its translation are top-down, centrally managed.
In the Byzantine tradition, the Bible is something you first encounter through the liturgy. You hear it chanted. You watch the deacon carry the Evangelion in procession, kiss it, incense it. You stand as the Gospel is read aloud in a way that the whole body receives it. Scripture in the Byzantine rite is not primarily a private text — it is a communal, liturgical event. The physical book matters less than the living proclamation.
That said, Byzantine Catholics absolutely have a Bible. They have a canon, a translation tradition, and specific texts they use. Here is what you need to know.
The Old Testament: The Septuagint
The most important thing to know about the Byzantine Catholic Bible is that its Old Testament is rooted in the Septuagint (abbreviated LXX, from the Latin word for seventy).
What Is the Septuagint?
The Septuagint is an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, produced by Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, beginning around 280 BC. Legend (preserved in the Letter of Aristeas) says that seventy-two Jewish scholars — six from each of the twelve tribes — were commissioned by Ptolemy II of Egypt to translate the Torah into Greek for the great Library of Alexandria. The name "Septuagint" (the Seventy) comes from this tradition.
Whatever its precise origin, the Septuagint became the standard Bible of Greek-speaking Judaism across the ancient world. And because the Apostles and the first Christians were Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles, the Septuagint became the Bible of the early Church.
When the New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament — which they did more than 300 times — they quoted from the Septuagint. This was the Bible of the Apostles.
— The foundational reason Eastern Christianity maintains the Septuagint traditionThis is not a minor historical footnote. Open almost any New Testament passage that quotes the Old Testament, and you will find that the wording matches the Septuagint version — not the Hebrew Masoretic text that most modern Protestant Bibles are translated from. The most famous example is Isaiah 7:14: the Hebrew says "young woman" (almah), while the Septuagint says "virgin" (parthenos) — and Matthew 1:23 quotes the Septuagint version as prophecy fulfilled in Mary. Eastern Christianity has always regarded this Septuagint continuity as evidence of the Holy Spirit's guidance in the translation.
Why Byzantine Catholics Follow the Septuagint
Byzantine Catholics are part of the Eastern Christian tradition — a tradition that has maintained unbroken liturgical and theological continuity with the Greek-speaking Apostolic Church. The Church Fathers who shaped Byzantine theology — Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom — all used the Septuagint. The Byzantine liturgy is saturated with Septuagint texts. It would be incoherent for the Byzantine tradition to switch to a different Old Testament foundation.
The Roman Catholic tradition shifted somewhat toward the Hebrew text through Jerome's Latin Vulgate (late 4th century), though the Catholic canon still includes the deuterocanonical books that the Septuagint contains. Protestant traditions, following the Reformers' preference for the Hebrew canon (the Masoretic text), dropped those books entirely. The Byzantine tradition simply never left the Septuagint.
What Makes the Septuagint Old Testament Different
The Septuagint Old Testament that Byzantine Catholics use includes everything in the Hebrew Bible plus several additional books — the same deuterocanonical books that the Roman Catholic Bible includes, and a few texts beyond even those.
A beloved narrative of faith, healing, and angelic guidance in the Diaspora. Cited frequently in Eastern Christian devotion.
The story of a courageous widow who saves Israel. A model of bold faith and feminine heroism in the Eastern tradition.
A profound meditation on divine Wisdom that Eastern Christians see as prefiguring Christ as the Logos.
Practical wisdom literature with wide liturgical use. Portions appear frequently in Byzantine Divine Liturgy propers.
Historical accounts of the Maccabean revolt and the theology of resurrection — central to early Jewish and Christian thought.
Prophetic texts associated with the circle of Jeremiah, included in the Septuagint and used in Eastern liturgy.
The Septuagint Daniel includes additions not in the Hebrew/Aramaic: the Prayer of Azariah, Song of the Three Holy Children, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon.
The Greek Esther includes additional chapters with prayers and letters that give the story a more explicitly theological character.
Some Eastern traditions, including Greek Orthodox churches, also include 3 Maccabees and Psalm 151 (a psalm attributed to David after his victory over Goliath, preserved in the Septuagint). Byzantine Catholics may encounter these in liturgical contexts even if they are not always printed in standard editions.
The New Testament: Shared Ground
Here the answer is simple. Byzantine Catholics use the same New Testament as every other Christian tradition in the world: the standard 27-book canon that has been universal since the fourth century.
The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), the Acts of the Apostles, the fourteen letters of Paul, the seven General Epistles (James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, Jude), and the Book of Revelation — these 27 books were recognized across the Church by the time of the Councils of Rome (382 AD) and Carthage (397 AD), and no serious Christian tradition has ever disputed this core list.
What differs in the Byzantine tradition is not which New Testament books are used, but how they are presented. In Western Bibles, the New Testament appears in a standard canonical order. In the Byzantine liturgical tradition, the texts are redistributed across specialized books arranged for worship.
The Liturgical Books: Evangelion & Apostolos
This is where the Byzantine tradition becomes most visibly distinct from Western Christianity. In the Byzantine rite, Scripture is not typically proclaimed from a standard printed Bible during the Divine Liturgy. Instead, the Church uses two specialized liturgical volumes that present the New Testament rearranged according to the rhythm of the Church year.
This liturgical arrangement is not unique to Byzantine Catholics — the Eastern Orthodox Churches use the same system. It reflects the ancient Christian understanding that Scripture belongs first to the assembled community of worshippers, proclaimed in the context of prayer, not to the individual scholar reading alone.
The Psalter (Psalms) also has its own liturgical book in the Byzantine tradition: the Psalterium, which organizes all 150 Psalms (plus Psalm 151 in some editions) into twenty kathismata (sections) read over the course of each week during the Liturgy of the Hours. In monasteries, the entire Psalter is completed once a week; during Great Lent, it is completed twice a week.
Eastern Christian Wisdom for Your Marriage
The Byzantine tradition has always understood the home — the domestic church — as a sacred space where the liturgy of daily life unfolds. We've gathered free Eastern Catholic and Orthodox marriage resources to help you bring that ancient wisdom into your own family.
Access Free Marriage Resources →What Translation Do Byzantine Catholics Actually Use Today?
When a Byzantine Catholic sits down to read Scripture privately, attend a Bible study, or choose a Bible to give as a gift, what does that look like in practice? The answer varies — but there are clear patterns.
The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE)
The RSV-CE is by far the most widely used Bible in English-speaking Byzantine Catholic parishes and households. It includes all 73 books of the Catholic canon (including the deuterocanonical books), uses dignified traditional language that feels at home in a liturgical context, and is approved for Catholic use. Many Byzantine Catholic prayer books and study materials reference the RSV-CE, and it is frequently recommended by Byzantine Catholic dioceses for personal reading.
Orthodox-Influenced Translations
Some Byzantine Catholics, particularly those with strong ties to the Eastern Orthodox tradition, use translations that more closely follow the Septuagint. The most notable is the Orthodox Study Bible (published by Thomas Nelson), which translates the Old Testament directly from the Septuagint into English and uses the NKJV as the base text for the New Testament. This edition is popular among Eastern Christians who want a Bible that reflects the Septuagint tradition more directly than most Catholic translations do.
The New American Bible (NAB/NABRE)
The New American Bible — the official translation of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) — is used in Roman Catholic parishes for liturgical readings. Byzantine Catholics may own it, but it tends to feel less "at home" in Byzantine contexts because its translation philosophy and language register are oriented toward Roman Catholic liturgical use and modern American English sensibilities. It is rarely seen as a primary choice in Byzantine Catholic settings.
The Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims, the classical English Catholic Bible translated from Jerome's Latin Vulgate in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, has admirers in both Roman and Byzantine Catholic communities who prefer its traditional, formal language. Its Vulgate basis makes it somewhat less aligned with the Septuagint tradition, but its reverent register appeals to many Byzantine Catholics who find modern translations too colloquial.
| Translation | OT Basis | Common in Byzantine Use? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSV Catholic Edition | Eclectic (Hebrew + LXX influence) | ✔ Very common | Most recommended for English-speaking Byzantine Catholics |
| Orthodox Study Bible | Septuagint directly | ✔ Common | Closest to the Eastern tradition; popular among those wanting LXX alignment |
| New American Bible (NABRE) | Hebrew Masoretic | Occasionally | The Roman Catholic standard in the US; less common in Byzantine contexts |
| Douay-Rheims | Latin Vulgate | Occasionally | Traditional register; admired but Vulgate-based |
| English Standard Version CE | Eclectic | Emerging | Growing in Catholic use; scholarly and readable |
Byzantine vs Roman Catholic Bible: What's Actually Different?
Since Byzantine Catholics are in full communion with Rome, they share the same 73-book canon as Roman Catholics. On paper, their Bible is the same. In practice and tradition, there are meaningful differences.
- Old Testament Translation Tradition Byzantine Catholics follow the Septuagint tradition; Roman Catholics traditionally follow the Latin Vulgate (Jerome's translation), which is based primarily on the Hebrew text with consultation of the Greek. This affects specific wording throughout the OT, particularly in the Psalms — the Septuagint Psalter's numbering differs from the Hebrew/Masoretic numbering that most Western Bibles use.
- Psalm Numbering Byzantine Catholics (like Eastern Orthodox) use the Septuagint psalm numbering, which is generally one number lower than the Hebrew numbering used in Protestant and most Catholic Bibles. What Protestants call Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd") is Psalm 22 in the Byzantine Psalter. This trips up many newcomers to Byzantine liturgy.
- No Mandated Single Translation The Roman Catholic Church in the United States has officially designated the NABRE for liturgical use. Byzantine Catholic churches have not standardized on a single English translation. Individual eparchies (Byzantine dioceses) may have preferences, but there is no universal mandate.
- Scripture Encountered Through Liturgy First In the Roman tradition, the Sunday Lectionary is arranged in a three-year cycle (A, B, C) designed to expose the faithful to large portions of Scripture. In the Byzantine tradition, the liturgical year organizes Scripture differently — the Epistle and Gospel readings are assigned to specific days and tones, and the entire Psalter is recited weekly in the Liturgy of the Hours. The total amount of Scripture heard in Byzantine worship is enormous.
- The Theotokion and the Old Testament Byzantine liturgy uses Old Testament imagery (particularly from the Psalms, Isaiah, and the Wisdom books) with extraordinary richness in its hymnography. The ancient Greek hymns — the Octoechos, Triodion, Pentecostarion, and Menaion — are saturated with Septuagint language. For a Byzantine Catholic, understanding the Old Testament is essential to understanding the liturgy.
Scripture as Living Liturgy: The Eastern Way
To truly understand the Byzantine relationship with the Bible, you have to understand what the Eastern Christian tradition means by "Tradition" (with a capital T). For Byzantine Catholics, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are not two separate things — Scripture is embedded in Tradition. It is read within the Tradition, interpreted within the Tradition, and has been preserved by the Tradition.
This is why Byzantine Catholics don't typically argue about Bible translations with the fervor you sometimes see in Protestant circles. The question "which translation is best?" — while not unimportant — is secondary to the question "how is this text being received in the life of the Church?" A Byzantine Catholic who attends Divine Liturgy regularly, who prays the Psalter, who keeps the liturgical fasts and feasts, is soaking in Scripture constantly — even without sitting down to read through a printed Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
St. John Chrysostom — the great Byzantine Father whose Divine Liturgy is still celebrated by Byzantine Catholics every Sunday — once described the goal of Christian life this way: "If you cannot go to church, read the Scriptures at home." But for Chrysostom, that reading was never meant to be isolated from the life of the assembled Body. Scripture and liturgy, in the Eastern understanding, are inseparable.
In the Eastern tradition, you don't bring your Bible to church. The Church brings the Bible to you — through the liturgy, the hymnography, and the rhythm of the sacred year.
— The Byzantine understanding of Scripture and worshipPractical Guide: What to Buy and Use
If you're a Byzantine Catholic — or someone exploring the tradition — and you're looking for practical guidance on which Bible to get, here is a straightforward recommendation:
For Everyday Reading and Study
Get the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE). It is the most widely used Bible in Byzantine Catholic contexts, includes all 73 deuterocanonical books, and is written in dignified English that harmonizes well with the elevated language of Byzantine liturgical texts. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (which uses the RSV-2CE) adds exceptional footnotes and cross-references that are valuable for any reader.
If You Want to Go Deeper into the Septuagint
The three editions below are the best options for serious engagement with the actual Septuagint — the Old Testament as the Byzantine tradition has always known it. Each serves a different level of engagement, from the accessible study edition to the academic translation.
For Byzantine Liturgical Prayer
Get a Byzantine Psalter — a standalone edition of the Psalms arranged according to the Septuagint numbering and often formatted for liturgical use. The Psalter is the beating heart of Byzantine daily prayer, and using one will transform your experience of the liturgy. Many Eastern Catholic bookstores carry these; some eparchies publish their own.
For the Divine Liturgy itself, many parishes provide service books that include the Epistle and Gospel readings. If you want to follow along or prepare beforehand, a Byzantine Catholic Liturgicon (service book) will have the pericopes arranged by the liturgical calendar, often with both the original Greek or Slavonic and the English translation side by side.
Build a Home Rooted in the Eastern Tradition
The ancient Christian East didn't separate spiritual life from married life. The home was a little church. Marriage was a vocation of mutual sanctification. We've gathered free resources on Eastern Catholic and Orthodox approaches to Christian marriage — available to anyone who wants to bring this wisdom into their family.
Free Marriage Resources →Why This Matters for Every Christian
The question of what Bible Byzantine Catholics use is ultimately a question about the history of Christianity itself — about where the Church came from, how it has always read its Scriptures, and what was lost when the Western and Eastern traditions diverged.
The Septuagint was the Bible of the Apostles. It was quoted by Paul, by Peter, by Matthew, by Luke. The early Church's first theological controversies were argued with Septuagint texts. The great councils that defined Christian doctrine — Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon — appealed to Septuagint readings. The theology embedded in the Septuagint translation (such as the Greek concept of "virgin" in Isaiah 7:14, or the Septuagint's rendering of Psalm 22[23] with its explicitly messianic overtones) shaped the entire edifice of Christian thought.
When you attend a Byzantine Divine Liturgy and hear the deacon chant the Gospel, or when you pray Vespers and hear the ancient Hebrew Psalms in their Greek dress, you are receiving Scripture the way the Church has always received it — not as a private text to be analyzed, but as a sacred word to be heard, embodied, and lived.
That is what the Byzantine Catholic Bible ultimately is: not a book in your hands, but a voice in your ear, a word in your heart, and a rhythm in your days.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common questions about the Byzantine Catholic Bible, answered directly.
Byzantine Catholics do not use a single standardized Bible edition. Their Old Testament is based on the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures), and their New Testament is the standard 27-book canon. In liturgy, they use the Evangelion (Gospel Book) and Apostolos (Epistle Book) arranged by the liturgical calendar. For personal reading in English, the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) is the most common choice. There is no single mandated translation for Byzantine Catholics the way the NABRE is mandated for Roman Catholics in the US.
Yes. Byzantine Catholics follow the Eastern Christian tradition, which roots its Old Testament in the Septuagint (LXX) — the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures produced beginning around 280 BC. This is the same Old Testament the Apostles used (the New Testament quotes it over 300 times), and it includes the deuterocanonical books as well as expanded versions of Daniel and Esther not found in Protestant Bibles.
The Evangelion is the Byzantine liturgical Gospel Book — a richly decorated volume containing the four Gospels arranged not in biblical order but according to the Byzantine liturgical calendar. Specific passages are assigned to every Sunday, feast day, and weekday throughout the year so that the entire Gospel cycle is heard over time. The Evangelion is treated with profound reverence: it is enthroned on the altar, processed at the Little Entrance, incensed, and kissed by the faithful.
Both traditions share the same 73-book canon. The key differences are in translation tradition (Byzantine follows the Septuagint; Roman Catholic traditionally follows the Latin Vulgate derived from Hebrew), Psalm numbering (Byzantine uses Septuagint numbering, generally one number lower than Protestant/Western numbering), the lack of a single mandated English translation for Byzantines, and the fundamentally liturgical way in which Scripture is encountered in the Byzantine rite — heard, chanted, and lived through the Divine Liturgy and the Liturgy of the Hours.
The Septuagint was the Bible of the Apostolic Church. The New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament hundreds of times, and in the vast majority of cases they quoted the Septuagint. Eastern Christianity maintained this continuity with the Apostolic tradition. The Roman Catholic tradition shifted somewhat toward the Hebrew text through Jerome's 4th-century Latin Vulgate, and Protestant traditions followed the Hebrew canon at the Reformation. Byzantine Catholics simply never departed from the Septuagint foundation.
The Septuagint-based Old Testament includes the deuterocanonical books: Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch (including the Letter of Jeremiah). It also includes expanded versions of Daniel (the Prayer of Azariah, the Song of the Three Holy Children, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon) and Esther. Some Eastern traditions additionally include 3 Maccabees and Psalm 151.
No. There is no single official Byzantine Catholic Bible mandated for all English-speaking Byzantine Catholics. In practice, the RSV Catholic Edition is most commonly recommended. Some Byzantine Catholics also use the Orthodox Study Bible for its direct Septuagint-based Old Testament. Individual eparchies (Byzantine Catholic dioceses) may have preferences, but there is no universal mandate comparable to the USCCB's designation of the NABRE for Roman Catholics in the United States.
