Greek Orthodox Bible books: a clear guide to the canon

Are you comparing a Greek Orthodox Bible with a Protestant or Catholic edition and wondering why the table of contents looks different? The main reason is the Greek Orthodox Old Testament follows the Septuagint tradition, an ancient Greek translation and collection of Jewish Scriptures used widely by early Christians. It includes several books and passages that do not appear in most Protestant Bibles.

The New Testament contains the same 27 books found in most other major Christian traditions. The differences are concentrated in the Old Testament, where Greek Orthodox editions may include books such as Tobit, Judith, 1–3 Maccabees, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Sirach. The exact order, names, and treatment of a few texts can vary by publisher and church tradition.

How the Greek Orthodox Bible differs from other Christian Bibles

The Greek Orthodox Bible is shaped by the Septuagint, commonly abbreviated LXX. The Septuagint is a Greek rendering of Jewish Scriptures that developed over several centuries before and around the time of Christ. Early Christians frequently used Greek Scripture, and many Old Testament references in the New Testament reflect its wording or arrangement.

Most Protestant Bibles use a 39-book Old Testament based primarily on the Hebrew Bible’s traditional collection. Catholic Bibles generally include additional Old Testament books, often called the deuterocanonical books. Greek Orthodox Bibles share many of those books but may also include texts that are not normally found in Catholic editions, such as 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, Psalm 151, and the Prayer of Manasseh.

“Apocrypha” is another term you may see, especially in Protestant discussions. In a broad sense, it refers to Jewish or Christian writings outside the Protestant Old Testament. Orthodox Christians do not generally treat all these books as merely optional religious literature. Instead, many are read as part of the church’s inherited Scriptures, though their liturgical use and authority can be described differently from the four Gospels or the letters of Paul.

Book names can also cause confusion. For example, the Greek Orthodox Bible may call 1 and 2 Samuel 1 and 2 Kingdoms, while 1 and 2 Kings become 3 and 4 Kingdoms. “Esdras” is connected with Ezra, but editions may use different numbering systems for 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, and related texts.

Greek Orthodox Old Testament books and their traditional groupings

The following list presents the books and major scriptural texts commonly associated with the Greek Orthodox Old Testament. It follows the broad Septuagint tradition rather than forcing every book into the ordering used by Protestant or English-language Catholic editions.

The Law or Pentateuch

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy

These five books are traditionally called the Pentateuch, meaning “five books.” They describe creation, the ancestors of Israel, the exodus from Egypt, the covenant at Sinai, Israel’s laws, and the people’s preparation to enter the promised land. Their central themes include God’s holiness, human sin, worship, covenant, and the formation of a people.

Historical books

• Joshua
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1 Kingdoms, corresponding broadly to 1 Samuel
• 2 Kingdoms, corresponding broadly to 2 Samuel
• 3 Kingdoms, corresponding broadly to 1 Kings
• 4 Kingdoms, corresponding broadly to 2 Kings
• 1 Chronicles
• 2 Chronicles
• 1 Esdras
• 2 Esdras, commonly associated with Ezra and Nehemiah
• Tobit
• Judith
• Esther, including additions found in the Greek form
• 1 Maccabees
• 2 Maccabees
• 3 Maccabees

The historical books cover Israel’s settlement in Canaan, the period of the judges, the monarchy, the division of the kingdom, the exile, and the return to Jerusalem. They are not all history in the modern academic sense. Some combine historical memory with theological interpretation, showing how faithfulness, injustice, repentance, and divine judgment shape Israel’s story.

Tobit presents a family story involving prayer, charity, marriage, healing, and the guidance of the angel Raphael. Judith describes a courageous woman whose faith and wisdom help save her people. The Greek form of Esther contains additions that make prayer and divine deliverance more explicit than in the shorter Hebrew form.

The Maccabean books focus on persecution, resistance, martyrdom, Jewish identity, and the struggle to preserve worship during the Hellenistic period. 1 and 2 Maccabees tell related but distinct accounts of events in Judea. 3 Maccabees concerns a different crisis involving Jews in Egypt and emphasizes God’s protection.

Poetry and wisdom books

• Psalms
• Psalm 151
• Job
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Song of Songs
• Wisdom of Solomon
• Wisdom of Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus

The Psalms are central to Orthodox worship and personal prayer. Greek Orthodox editions may include Psalm 151, a short poetic text associated with David that is not included in most Protestant Bibles. It is usually treated as an additional psalm rather than as a separate book.

Wisdom of Solomon reflects on righteousness, immortality, divine wisdom, and the contrast between the faithful and the ungodly. Wisdom of Sirach offers practical instruction about family life, speech, friendship, humility, worship, and moral discipline. Both books strongly influenced early Christian reflection, even though they are not part of the standard Protestant Old Testament.

Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs appear in many Christian Bibles, but the Septuagint can differ from the Hebrew tradition in wording, order, and length. These books address suffering, wise conduct, the limits of human understanding, love, death, and the search for meaning before God.

Prophetic books

• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Baruch
• Lamentations
• Epistle, or Letter, of Jeremiah
• Ezekiel
• Daniel, including Greek additions
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah
• Jonah
• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi

The twelve shorter prophetic books are often grouped together as the Twelve rather than treated as twelve entirely separate scrolls in ancient arrangements. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel are commonly called the major prophets because of the size and scope of their books, not because they are more important than the others.

Baruch is associated with Jeremiah’s circle and includes confession, encouragement, and reflections on wisdom. Some Greek Orthodox editions print the Letter of Jeremiah as a separate work, while others treat it as part of Baruch. Greek Daniel includes additions such as the Prayer of Azariah, the Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon.

These additions matter because they appear in the Greek scriptural tradition used by the Orthodox Church. They expand themes already present in Daniel, including faith under pressure, God’s deliverance, the exposure of false accusations, and the triumph of truth over idolatry.

Additional texts found in some Orthodox editions

• Prayer of Manasseh
• 4 Maccabees
• Additional material associated with Psalms or other books

The Prayer of Manasseh is a short penitential prayer linked to King Manasseh. It may appear among the biblical books, in an appendix, or within an expanded collection of liturgical texts. 4 Maccabees reflects philosophically on reason, faith, suffering, and martyrdom; some Greek Orthodox Bibles print it after 1–3 Maccabees, while others place it in an appendix.

The 27 Greek Orthodox New Testament books

The Greek Orthodox New Testament contains the same 27 books recognized by Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. These books tell the story of Jesus Christ, describe the growth of the early church, and preserve apostolic teaching for Christian faith and worship.

• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John
• Acts of the Apostles
• Romans
• 1 Corinthians
• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude
• Revelation

The four Gospels are the heart of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each present Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection from a distinct perspective. Acts continues Luke’s narrative by describing the apostles’ witness and the spread of the church.

The Pauline letters address churches and individuals facing questions about Christian belief, worship, ethics, community life, and perseverance. Hebrews is traditionally placed near Paul’s letters in many editions, although its authorship is not identified within the book itself. The general letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude address wider Christian audiences.

Revelation is included in the Greek Orthodox canon, but it has historically held a different practical position in Orthodox worship than the Gospels or the Psalms. It is read as a highly symbolic vision of judgment, endurance, worship, and God’s ultimate victory. Its complex imagery should be interpreted with care rather than reduced to a timetable of modern events.

Why Greek Orthodox Bible book names and order can look unfamiliar

Readers often think they have found a different book when the content is actually the same text under another title. The most common example is the use of Kingdoms instead of Samuel and Kings. The Greek tradition treats the four books as a continuous historical sequence: 1 Kingdoms and 2 Kingdoms cover Saul and David, while 3 Kingdoms and 4 Kingdoms cover Solomon and the later kings.

Other naming differences include:

• Ecclesiasticus for the Wisdom of Sirach.
• Esdras for books connected with Ezra and related postexilic material.
• Bel and the Dragon as a Greek addition to Daniel.
• Letter of Jeremiah as a separate text or part of Baruch.
• Song of Songs or Song of Solomon for the same poetic book.

The order can differ as well. In many English Protestant Bibles, the historical books move from Joshua through Esther, followed by Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and the other wisdom books. Greek Orthodox editions may place the books according to the Septuagint sequence, which reflects ancient Greek manuscript traditions rather than the later standard Protestant arrangement.

Even the term “book” can be flexible. A publisher may count Psalm 151 as part of Psalms, print 4 Maccabees in an appendix, or combine texts that another publisher lists separately. For that reason, comparing the contents and tradition behind a text is more useful than comparing a total number alone.

How to choose and read a Greek Orthodox Bible

Start by deciding what you want from the Bible. If you need the complete Orthodox collection for personal study, worship, or comparison, choose an edition that includes the Septuagint Old Testament along with all 27 New Testament books. If you mainly want the text used in Orthodox services, a church-approved edition or a translation recommended by your parish may be the most practical choice.

Pay attention to translation style. Some versions use traditional English vocabulary, while others use contemporary language. A formal translation may preserve sentence structure and religious terminology more closely; a dynamic translation may make the meaning easier to follow but interpret the wording more freely.

1. Read the publisher’s description to confirm that the Old Testament follows the Septuagint tradition.
2. Check whether Tobit, Judith, 1–3 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and the Greek additions are included.
3. See how the edition labels Samuel, Kings, Esdras, and the additional passages in Daniel and Esther.
4. Confirm whether the translation has introductions, notes, cross-references, and a useful contents page.
5. Ask an Orthodox priest or parish bookstore for a recommendation if you want a text suited to liturgical reading.

For a first reading plan, begin with one Gospel, then read Acts, selected Psalms, Genesis, Exodus, and a wisdom book such as Proverbs or Sirach. After that, explore the books that are less familiar in other Christian Bibles, including Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, and the Maccabean histories.

Reading the additional books in context helps clarify their purpose. Tobit is not simply a story about an angel; it also examines family faithfulness, generosity, marriage, and healing. Wisdom of Solomon is not merely a collection of sayings; it develops a sustained reflection on justice, death, and divine wisdom. Maccabees connects religious commitment with historical persecution and martyrdom.

Use cross-references carefully when comparing a Greek Orthodox Bible with another edition. A quotation may be numbered differently because the Greek and Hebrew traditions divide Psalms or verses in different ways. The wording may also vary because translators work from different source texts and follow different translation philosophies.

The most reliable way to understand the Greek Orthodox canon is to see it as a received collection shaped by Scripture, worship, manuscripts, and church tradition. It is not simply a Protestant Bible with a few extra pages. Its Old Testament reflects the Greek Scriptures that played a major role in early Christianity, while its New Testament shares the same apostolic collection recognized throughout historic Christianity.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Greek Orthodox Bible?

The New Testament has 27 books. The Old Testament is often described as having more books than the Protestant 39-book collection, but the exact total varies because editions count Psalm 151, the Prayer of Manasseh, 4 Maccabees, and related texts differently. Some books are also grouped under different titles, so the table of contents is more dependable than a single number.

Does the Greek Orthodox Bible include the Apocrypha?

It includes many writings that Protestants commonly call the Apocrypha, including Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom of Sirach, Baruch, and 1–3 Maccabees. Orthodox Christians generally receive these texts through the Septuagint and church tradition. Their exact status and liturgical use are not always described in the same way for every book.

Are 1 and 2 Kingdoms the same as Samuel and Kings?

Yes, in the common Greek Orthodox naming system. First and 2 Kingdoms correspond broadly to 1 and 2 Samuel, while 3 and 4 Kingdoms correspond broadly to 1 and 2 Kings. The titles reflect the Septuagint arrangement. A particular English edition may use both names in its headings or explain the equivalence in footnotes.

Which Greek Orthodox Bible translation should I buy?

Choose an edition that clearly states it is based on the Septuagint and includes the Orthodox Old Testament collection. Compare the language style, notes, introductions, and treatment of books such as 4 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh. If the Bible is mainly for church use, ask your parish priest or bookstore which translation is customary in your community.