Oxford University Press is preparing a new English translation of the Holy Scriptures—a comprehensive study Bible—in a landmark academic project initiated and co-led by a Romanian Orthodox priest.
The Ancient Christian Study Bible (ACSB)
The coordinators of the project, titled The Ancient Christian Study Bible (ACSB), are Fr. Eugen Pentiuc, Dean of the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, and Paul M. Blowers, Professor at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Milligan University, Tennessee.
They will be joined by 53 internationally recognized scholars, contributing to a volume that will join Oxford’s prestigious line of published study Bibles.
“It is the brainchild of the Dean of our Theological School, Fr. Pentiuc, and there is nothing more gratifying than knowing one of our own conceived this project and will lead it to completion,” said Demetrios Katos, President of the Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline.
Two other Orthodox Romanian contributors are involved: Fr. Constantin Pogor, from the “Dumitru Stăniloae” Orthodox Center for Studies and Research in Paris, and Prof. Alex Mihăilă from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology “Patriarch Justinian” in Bucharest.
Patristic study bible characteristics
With a strong ecumenical dimension in both scope and contributors, ACSB is intended for a broad international readership seeking rigorous academic work rooted in ancient Christian biblical interpretation, particularly that of the Church Fathers and early ecclesiastical writers of the first millennium.
The ACSB will be based on the Septuagint (Codex Vaticanus) for the Old Testament and the Byzantine Text (Patriarchal Text, Constantinople 1904) for the New Testament.
What sets ACSB apart from other study Bibles is its inclusion of concise patristic annotations. These represent 80% of all notes and offer scholarly yet accessible summaries of dominant interpretative trends from early Christianity.
The project’s declared aim is to “connect the Greek text of the Bible with patristic annotations for a modern English-speaking educated public.”
The ACSB will be the first patristic study Bible explicitly designed for Orthodox clergy, scholars, students, lay believers, and all those interested in the ancient Christian understanding of Scripture.
The project is currently in Phase Two, involving the translation of the Greek Bible into English and the drafting of annotations. The final work is expected to be published by the end of 2027.
About Fr. Eugen Pentiuc
Originally from Suceava County, Romania, Fr. Eugen Pentiuc is the only Romanian cleric to have completed a doctoral thesis at Harvard University.
He holds degrees from multiple institutions, including a bachelor’s degree (1975–1979) and doctoral courses (1979–1983) at the University-Level Theological Institute in Bucharest.
Between 1984 and 1988, he studied at the École Biblique et Archéologique Française in Jerusalem, followed by a Master’s (1996) and a Doctorate in Theology (1997) at Harvard University. In 1998, he earned a doctoral degree from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest.
One year after graduating from Harvard, Fr. Pentiuc joined the faculty at Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, becoming a full professor in 2009.
Photo credit: Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline
