GPD Bible

Introduction: Our Reason for Being

The Greater Palisades of Denmark (GPD), a global affiliate of the Mount Harvard Publishing House proudly presents a Bible version with a vision linked to a commitment of a not-for-profit distribution of Holy Scripture, a part (the four Gospels) of which we believe is now free of error. As we will further explain below, we are simply passing along knowledge acquired through substantial academic achievements, in the best of the Greek universities, by people who not only know the languages firsthand but have also taken part in the rigorous ascesis associated with the Orthodox Church. Our team of experts on the subject at hand have painstakingly reviewed and corrected earlier mistakes in translation but to their credit have humbly attributed any success to acclaimed Greek Theologians feeling that they are the true experts without whose wisdom this work could not have been undertaken. God’s humility must govern a mind if anything good should be achieved together with prayer and a feeling of meekness and modesty.

The GPD group does not wish to compete with anyone. We are an entity which has set as a goal, among our other initiatives, to translate the Bible correctly and at some point to present it to religious, learning, detention and health institutions free of charge or, at worst, of what it costs. Any personal whims, reformed ideas and just about any denominational preferences are excluded and cannot affect the outcome of this endeavor. This is the year 2025 of our Lord, and we feel that no one, until now, can claim to have produced an English text to reflect its ancient counterpart. One of the many reasons for this delay is that the Greek language in which the Bible is written is very complex, especially to a westerner who cannot relate with essential Bible definitions, the lifestyle of the people portrayed therein, and does not speak Greek besides. Also our vision needed time to mature after many years of careful study combined with prayer. And yet another reason is a mistaken adherence, if not a bondage, to traditional protestant thought. Some of our relatives, friends and colleagues were incredulously suspicious at first and we feel that many others will have reservations as they go through our translation and maybe even strong objections because of this adherence to old outdated ideas. But we have explained as we do even now in this page and we insist that Biblical Translation must break free “to see the daylight”. It is enough already.

Though it is not only erroneous predisposition that prevents translation to come of age but also the old language itself. Greek has millions of word-thoughts that change within different contexts producing many and various meanings and ideas. This process is accentuated by one’s ability to combine words without much effort so to keep creating newer words endlessly! So we see that Dictionaries, Thesauruses and sleepless nights do not suffice in translating the Holy Scriptures along with, of course, an old copy of the King James Version at hand for reference. Are new English texts, therefore, which appear every so often claiming to be the True translation or even a so-called Orthodox translation really exact? We think not. Because of the reason we stated that in order to make a good start in such an endeavor as the GPD has set out to bring to fruition, one must first re-evaluate: that the KJV and all other publications who hold it as reference, which we grew up reading, are certainly NOT THE AUTHORITY; and that a person must be a Greek Biblical Scholar to be able to define Scripture. It is a must to have Greek as one’s mother tongue to start, for even a native Greek with not much schooling has a considerable advantage over a foreigner with much higher credentials and better yet if he or she is an Orthodox Christian.

The key that unlocks the mysteries of the Bible is the Holy Spirit which the Orthodox Church and its members possess as a given, since they are baptized and may partake of the awesome Gifts of the Body and Blood of our Lord. Also the correlating ethics attached to an Orthodox way of living plays a big factor. Such things as prayer, fasting, vigils and simply carrying one’s cross of self-denial daily. These essentials plus the command of the language are what translates the Holy Bible. Otherwise there is confusion. How many translations are out there, and understandably, the convictions of the many hundreds of confessions, denominations, and sects, must agree with the text they are reading in their gatherings, so change is inevitable; they change words and omit others at will to fit a certain model and then they will present this amalgamation as genuine, since the people do not know better and thus they cannot object. But again, the keys are the grace afforded by the Holy Spirit and a careful God-fearing lifestyle to be illumined by and start the process of translation. Christianity cannot be calculated worldly or reasoned comfortably by “easy” Bible reading and pretty but erroneous phrasing, but it is quoted precisely and lived blamelessly.

Yet there is also another factor to help in the process mentioned above and that is the love of the Theotokos without which God’s grace cannot be activated. Those who scorn this statement will stay bare in the winds of uncertainty and deception. As we all have a mom who cared for us and loved us wholeheartedly so did Jesus have a mom who loved Him with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength. To forget this is to be ungrateful to her and Him who loves her so much that He obeys her intercessions on our behalf regardless of the many sins we have accumulated and all the wrongdoings. How can men acquire grace for instance when they hear with indifference the mother of God being ascribed the title of “wife”? But was she? Can anyone prove this to be true? What do we chant in the Akathist? “Rejoice O unwedded bride”. And do we not call Joseph the “Betrothed”? How then is he called the “husband” of Mary? And they want to be illumined to translate the Bible? With what boldness can they pick up a pen to write? The “husband” and “wife” must go. These words are misleading and doing harm even though they are disguised by a tinge of innocense. They are not accounted literally in and of themselves either in the ancient text as their equivalents denote gender and could mean betrothed/engaged as well.

What can we say to those who disagree that Joseph and Mariam were never married? Well, we see in Luke 2:5 that when they went to Bethlehem for the census they were still not married, nearly nine months after the Annunciation and Mariam was about to deliver. The text says: Joseph went there “to be registered with the betrothed to him woman”. They were still engaged! Our Orthodox children are misinformed and they even hear about these Non-Orthodox ideas in Church during the Christmas Season when a Sunday School teacher will inappropriately comment on the Holy family. But when someone points out their mistake, that Joseph’s role was not that of a “husband”, they will answer back: “Is not that what the Bible says”? Not exactly. We must defend the All-Holy one’s Ever-virginity and we have to start there, at the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew so Orthodox concepts remain in the hearts and minds of the people, and by her prayers, on paper also. Mariam was the very blessed young maiden who was destined to become the Mother of God and nothing can touch her person. Not the cunning prose of poets or the “wisdom” of Scholars. She was dedicated to God since the age of three and lived in the Temple for twelve years until she was fifteen when she was received into the home of an older man from her family circle who would care, safeguard, and speak for her as was the rule of that day.

Our group has set as its goal to correct the mistakes which refer to the Theotokos but beside these, there are also many other verses subjugated to reformed ideas that we have corrected. All other confessions must be respected. Everyone can voice their opinions and read whichever Bible they choose, but since we read in our Orthodox Churches slightly revised Authorized versions we cannot stand there apathetically taking it all in like there is no problem. Every so often the people stir as they hear about a new Orthodox translation only to be disappointed. New versions circulate having beautiful wording with a hopeful twist in the background but affiliated to the same spirit and having some of the same connotations as the KJV, the grand daddy of them all. Therefore we are highly motivated in presenting a version freed from “established” sectarian influence without the denominational jargon, and based on true unadulterated interpretations. Then someone can ask: “where are your sources, where do you get your information, your unadulterated interpretations”? “Maybe from an elder, or from the writtings of a saint, or from Bible notes what have you”? There are plenty of notes. “Who is guiding you”? “Your knowledge, reasoning…”? “A cleric”? “An Ivy League Scholar perhaps”? Well, being aware of the fact that translation is extremely difficult and the results can be meager, or outstanding and quite significant, if not monumental, GPD took refuge on the experience and writtings of Greek Biblical Scholars of the recent past, to complete this work.

We had to bend the neck, so to speak, to be humbled even though as Americans we’ve thought at times that we have to know it all. Oh yes, get the dictionary, a strong espresso, and sit down to write the Bible - go on. Without realizing that the task at hand is so quite immense. Does this description ring a bell? Can anyone fathom the complexity of this ancient language? Where the definition of a phrase (not solely a word) can be altered by the addition of a single iota? Greek will have one’s head spinning like a top; it is quite difficult to say the least. But not for a professor of Linguistics at the University of Athens, who is a Theologian besides. We have had the pleasure of meeting several of these men. They could ascribe simple epithets to otherwise complicated words quickly without much thought. One of them had the Bible opened in his hands and turned the ancient text, as he read aloud, into everyday Greek, a common dialect, amazing! The Greek Theological Schools have been the keepers of our faith for centuries as the old guard is passed down to them by the monasteries of Mt Athos who also by the way keep them in check so as not to deviate from Orthodox Tradition. In fact many of the more well known and older of the monks of Athos are themselves men of letters, former teachers and even faculty members in the more prominent of the Greek institutions of Learning. From them we’ve borrowed wisdom.

Greek interpretors are the cream in any branch of Theological study because Greek was the universal language in those days. Holy Tradition and the wisdom of the Fathers are written in Greek, the Rudder, the Philokalia, St. John of the ladder… So by our unworthiness and lack of knowledge but with interpretations of knowledgable Scholars namely Professor Panagiotis Trempelas of blessed memory, the most renowned of all the theologians of the 20th century, we have put out what we think is the most accurate translation of the four Holy Gospels up to date. But again, what resulted is not solely our own. Greek Biblical Scholars are not only adept in Greek but also have knowledge of the Hebrew nation and the language and customs of these people and even their way of life and idiosyncrasies being themselves easterners. With their help we have restored the Holy image of the Theotokos, a score of maltreated verses, and many a grammatical error. In short, we cannot be boastful, all honor and praise belong to our Lord. We only pray that the Orthodox faithful or anyone else interested will study carefully the labor of our work to come to his or her own conclusions as to its quality or lack thereof.

This publication is a Recall of the “established” mindset that has kept English translations of the Bible in the same mode of existence for over four hundred years. We have done what has never been done but although our effort should pass through the test of time, we will continue regardless; to produce and distribute the word of God to everyone. This endeavor is not attached, as it was previously mentioned, to any motive for gain; in fact, we are losing money. We are only doing this for Him who governs all, even as He knows our hearts and motives. We pray that the Lord affords us with the strength to keep going. The new standard GPD has set should be a guiding light to those aspiring to render a truer meaning to Bible passages in a way that surpasses narrow-mindedness. We would say to them: “try our approach for size, and let those who know better lead the way, the more knowledgable, they are out there; seek and you will find”. Trying to accomplish something so grand as Bible translation is like trying to make a hole in the water; it is not so easy. And we do likewise ask ourselves to be reminded of this truth: “where are your qualifications or the Orthodox lifestyle to compliment your effort”? “Are you praying and do you fast, do you repent for your shortcomings, do you keep an eye on your thoughts, are you doing this with a blessing”?

We sincerely hope that the prerequisites stated above should be most seriously considered not only for the sake of translation but for someone’s own enlightenment as he or she tries to personally define Holy Scripture so to gain access, by God’s grace, to an understanding of a higher order and a better one-on-One connection with the Lord.