Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu’s legacy as Bible translator and Orthodox scholar

Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu was responsible for almost the entire translation of the Romanian Bible published in 1944, in addition to producing dozens of translations and original theological works.

Working directly from the Greek text of the Septuagint, Patriarch Nicodim translated fifty-one books of Holy Scripture into Romanian—twenty-four Old Testament books and the entire New Testament. He also published five editions of the New Testament and four editions of the Psalter, all translated by himself.

The second Patriarch of Romania also translated numerous works from Russian theological literature. Alongside these translations, he produced original writings inspired by Holy Scripture and by the pastoral needs of his time, ranging from substantial volumes to accessible booklets intended for a broad readership.

“This combination of the text of Holy Scripture with its social and pastoral context showed that Patriarch Nicodim was a realistic theologian and a shepherd who brought the word of life—the saving word that unites us with God the Word and with the Holy Trinity—into the realities of his own age,” Patriarch Daniel has observed.

The Romanian novelist Cezar Petrescu…