I want to reconnect with my Christianity, as well as truly learn the historical context of the events of the bible. I want to know about the nations that rose and fell before and after the events of the New Testament, and build a basis for studying other ancient cultures and any connections they might share.I was initially pointed towards the Archaeology Study Bible, which seems to be filled with great context and resources, but it seems like the ESV translation is extremely Protestant. (I probably read a NIV bible as a kid since my parents were pretty non-practicing/denominational, so anything would be an improvement.)I was baptized Russian Orthodox and feel a strong connection to the culture I experienced in the short time I knew my grandfather and his community - he helped build the church in town along with the priest who baptized me.I would love to learn more about the theology, and was considering an Orthodox Study Bible and supplementing separate readings on the history/archaeology of the biblical world.Any recs? I would love to reconnect to the scripture while being able to understand the world around it.
