Τάλαντον or talent is a unit of weight used for high value items such as precious metals i.e. gold and silver, ivory, and frankincense.

The talent was used by several cultures but size of the talent varied.

Attic Talent (Greek): Weighs approximately 25.8 to 26.2 kg (57 to 58 lbs), equivalent to 60 minae or 6,000 drachmae.

Hebrew Talent (Kikkar): Weighs roughly 34 kg (75 lbs) to upwards of 50 kg (114 lbs), depending on the historical standard used for the 3,000 shekels.

Roman / Babylonian Talents: Ranged anywhere from 30 to 40 kg (66 to 88 lbs) based on local commercial standards.

The New Testament of the Orthodox Study Bible is the New King James Version (NKJV). So when reading the New Testament you will often see footnotes at the bottom of the page comparing different historical Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. The most common abbreviations found in these notes include:

NU-Text (or NU): Stands for the Nestle-Aland / United Bible Societies Greek New Testament text. This represents the "Critical Text," which is primarily based on early Alexandrian (Egyptian) manuscripts.

M-Text (or M): Stands for the Majority Text. This represents readings supported by the vast majority of surviving Greek manuscripts (largely Byzantine in origin).

TR: Stands for the Textus Receptus (Received Text). This is the Greek text compiled during the Reformation era that served as the primary basis for the original 1611 King James Version New Testament.

MS / MSS: Stands for Manuscript (singular) or Manuscripts (plural).

Vulg / VG: Stands for the Latin Vulgate, an early Latin translation of the Bible.

The class will every Saturday at 3:15 pm in the undercroft of Sts. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church starting on Saturday, September 12th.

The class will study the lectionary readings for the following day, Sunday. Our first class will be studying two sets of readings:

The 15th Sunday after Pentecost

2 Corinthians 4:6-15

Matthew 22:35-46

The Synaxis of Serbian Saints

Hebrews 13:7-16

Matthew 5:14-19.

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Here is a link to the Sunday readings for the rest of the year.

The pocket Serbian Calendar has the same information.