Why does the Church recommend the NKJV?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

The Coptic Orthodox Church, particularly in the Diaspora and within the Diocese of Los Angeles, often utilizes the New King James Version (NKJV) for English liturgical and educational purposes for very specific, practical reasons. However, it is essential to distinguish between the textual base of the NKJV and the liturgical requirements of the Church.

1. The Textual Base: The "Textus Receptus"

Unlike most modern Protestant translations (such as the NIV, ESV, or NASB), which rely on the "Critical Text" (Westcott-Hort), the NKJV is based on the Textus Receptus (Received Text). The Textus Receptus is a tradition of Greek manuscripts that is much closer to the Byzantine Text-type, which the Coptic Orthodox Church recognizes as being more faithful to the liturgical and ecclesiastical tradition of the Church.

Modern Protestant Bibles often remove or cast doubt upon verses like the "Johannine Comma" (1 John 5:7 regarding the Trinity) or the ending of the Gospel of Mark. The NKJV retains these, maintaining the integrity of the Scriptures as they have been read in the Liturgy for centuries.

2. Traditional Language and Reverence

The NKJV maintains a level of formal equivalence and "liturgical dignity." The Coptic Church values the beauty and reverence of language in worship. The NKJV strikes a balance by updating the archaic "thees" and "thous" of the 1611 King James while preserving the poetic structure that fits well with Coptic melodies and the prose of our prayers.

3. The Septuagint Problem and the "Orthodox Study Bible"

It is critical to note that the Coptic Church does not accept the NKJV's Old Testament as the final authority, because the NKJV Old Testament is translated from the Masoretic (Hebrew) text.

To solve this, the Church heavily utilizes the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB). The OSB uses the NKJV for the New Testament, but for the Old Testament, it uses a specialized translation called the New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS) or a modified NKJV text that has been corrected to align with the Septuagint (LXX). This ensures that:

• Prophecies reflect the Greek text (e.g., "Virgin" in Isaiah 7:14).
• The "Deuterocanonical" books (which Protestants wrongly call "Apocrypha") are included, such as Tobit, Judith, and Wisdom of Solomon.

4. Accessibility for the Youth

Under the guidance of bishops such as His Grace Bishop Kyrillos, the Church encourages the use of a standard English translation so that the youth can study and memorize the Word of God in a language they understand. The NKJV provides a clear, reliable English rendering that does not suffer from the extreme liberal biases or the "dynamic equivalence" (paraphrasing) found in many modern translations.

Summary

The Church recommends the NKJV (specifically within the context of the Orthodox Study Bible) because:

1. Its New Testament aligns with the ecclesiastical Greek tradition.
2. It maintains a respectful, formal tone suitable for the Liturgy.
3. It serves as a stable base that can be easily corrected by our clergy to match the Septuagint during sermons and studies.

While we use the NKJV as a tool, the ultimate authority for the Coptic Orthodox Christian remains the Septuagint for the Old Testament and the Coptic/Greek manuscript tradition for the New Testament, as preserved by the Holy Fathers.