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The entire Church Slavonic Bible has not been officially translated into English in a faithful, complete, and ecclesiastically sanctioned form. There are some partial efforts and unofficial translations, but these are either incomplete, privately undertaken, or unendorsed by any canonical Orthodox synod—especially among the Old Rite.

Attempts that exist are typically fragmentary (e.g. Psalter or Gospels only), privately produced (by individuals, not Church bodies), or not true translations from Church Slavonic, but instead adaptations from the Synodal or King James versions.

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In Orthodoxy, a catechumen is someone who has formally entered the process of being instructed in the Christian faith in preparation for baptism and entrance into the Holy Church. This is not a casual inquirer, but one who has undergone the service of the making of a catechumen, where exorcisms are read, the Creed is proclaimed, and the individual is received under the spiritual care of the Church. Catechumens are not yet baptised, chrismated, or permitted to receive the Holy Mysteries.

The Orthodox Church distinguishes between the faithful and the catechumens liturgically and spiritually. During the Divine Liturgy, catechumens are present during the first part, the Liturgy of the Word, and are then dismissed before the Liturgy of the Faithful. This practice preserves the understanding that the Mysteries of the Church are reserved for the baptised faithful.

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The Russian Synodal Version of the Bible (Синодальный перевод) is the most widely used Bible translation among Russian-speaking Orthodox Christians today. It was commissioned by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church during the time of the Tsarist Empire. The work was carried out between 1813 and 1876, with the final complete Bible being published in 1876.

Here are the essential points you must know:

Historical Context
The translation began under Tsar Alexander I, encouraged by the Russian Bible Society. The aim was to provide an accessible, full Bible in the Russian vernacular. Before this, most Russians only heard Scripture in Church Slavonic, which many ordinary people struggled to understand.

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