Gennady Bible

The Gennadius Bible, which takes its name from Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod, is the first complete compilation of the Bible in Church Slavonic, and it forms an important bridge to the first printed Slavonic Bible. Its scope is the complete Bible, assembled from Greek, Latin, and earlier Slavonic sources: the existing Slavonic books served as the base text, while the Latin Vulgate was used to fill the gaps, and Latin sources were likewise drawn upon for some books that were absent in Slavonic altogether. It is therefore best categorized not as a fresh rendering but as a compilation and completion of a translation, resting upon the Old Church Slavonic biblical tradition as its predecessor and base. Its translation philosophy is Church Slavonic and ecclesial in character, reflecting the liturgical language of the Slavic Orthodox churches. Among its distinctive features is that it circulated as a manuscript rather than a printed edition.