ESV Apocrypha

Two or three bloggers drew my attention to changes on the ESV FAQ Page making reference to an ESV apocrypha. There will be an ESV edition that includes the apocrypha though it will not be published by Crossway (the publisher behind the ESV). It isn't clear if it will be some other version of the apocrypha added in or a new translation matching the ESV.

Picture "Bibles" Listing

I've started a listing of picture "Bibles" at my website. You'll find it under Bibliography, Pict. Bibles. I'm not sure these should really be called Bibles (but there's a whole debate for another time). After running across the "Manga Bibles" recently, I decided to list them on my site for the curious.

HCSB second edition in 2009

In an interview Dr. Ed Blum (general editor, HCSB) stated that a new edition of the Holman Christian Standard Bible will be released in 2009.

Gentile Bible

This is a translation of the Gospels (plus other portions?) done by Joel L. Meredith. Released in 2001. The translator believes that Christians do not need the "Jewish" parts of the Bible. He removes the Old Testament and parts of the New Testament that are addressed to the Jewish people. The four Gospels are combined. This is "paraphrased KJV in modern English."

Meredith, Joel L, The Gentile Bible: God's Great Gift. Authors Choice Press, 2001. ISBN 0595135153. Available on Amazon among others.

King James Easy to Read Version

This was released in 2001 (but I just "discovered" it in a local Christian book store). This is a modernized King James version. Words are updated to reflect modern usages. "Knoweth" becomes "knows," "shouldst" is replaced by "should," etc. About 1,200 words have been updated in this manner. The revisers also use a superscript "^p" to indicate plural second person pronouns. Thus "ye" in the Authorised Version becomes "you^p" in this revision. Red lettering is used for the words of Jesus in the New Testament and for the words of God in the Old Testament. The website of this publisher is swordbible.org.

Manga Bible

I lost track of which blog had this item listed. Along the lines of The Picture Bible there is now a Manga Bible. Manga is the Japanese word for comics. This rendering covers stories from Genesis to Revelation.

There are at least two different versions. One, The Manga Bible - Extreme, combines the "manga" with TNIV text. The other, The Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation, appears to be a revision, condensed, and uses slang language. The website for this book is here.

After cruising around Amazon.com for a bit, I discovered there are several different authors and publishers producing manga "Bibles." Both Zondervan and Tyndale House have published one. Not as uncommon as I initially thought.

• Tyndale House's version on Amazon


• ZonderKidz's version on Amazon

Phat News of Mark

This one calls itself "The Hippie Bible." It is titled the "Phat News of Mark" and is an adaptation of the King James Version. It can be found here.

LOLCat "Bible"

Here's an entry in the ridiculous (or worse) category: The LOLCat "Bible." LOLCat is a form of abbreviated chatroom style speech. It began when people started posting pictures of cats with quotations in LOLCat. Martin Grondin made a page of the Bible in it and then started a wiki-style website to build up the whole Bible. WARNING: some of the material is offensive and many will find this to be a mockery of the Scriptures. The website is here.

Mature New Testament

Not a new one. This discovery comes from another excellent website, The Internet Bible Catalog. The Mature New Testament (existing only as a typewritten manuscript) dates from the 60s or 70s. This gets filed under the category of bad versions. It removes elements the translator (reviser) disagrees with such as Christ's virgin birth, resurrection and divinity.

Visit The Internet Bible Catalog for an excellent reference that even includes covers and/or title page scans for many versions.

English Standard Version 2007 Update

The English Standard Version was updated in 2007. There is a list of changes over at Michael Marlowe's excellent Bible Research website.

The Voice

This one isn't really new - it was announced in 2006 (I'm not fast). It is being published by Nelson Bibles who described it as "a series of books, songs, and images that will eventually retell the entire biblical story—from Genesis to Revelation." The Gospels and some other New Testament portions have been finished. As an example, read about Matthew here. A press release from 2006 is still readable here.

Jerusalem Bible Updating Again

The Jerusalem Bible is being updated again. I heard about it over at Better Bible Blog (it seems right and the accepted practice to give credit for "discoveries"). An announcement about the update (new version?) can be found at Ecole Biblique.

γραφή, "Our New Bible"

Several bloggers were quick to point out a new Bible version that is getting under way. The website is titled γραφή graphe so that'll be the way I refer to it till a better title is given (or that one sticks). The website announcing it is here. I read about it first at MetaCatholic, A Friend of Christ, Better Bibles Blog and several others. Thanks for the heads up, bloggers!

Bible Reader's Museum Blog

Why a Bible Reader's Museum blog?

I've been reluctant to start a blog because I'm not a "daily diary" type person. But I've discovered lately that blogs are turning out to be an excellent way to get new news about Bible versions and translation issues. There is a lot of discussion going on about translation especially.

My intention with this blog is to simply provide news about Bible versions, translations and new Bibles. Listing something here does not indicate that I approve of it nor that I recommend it.

While my website Bible Reader's Museum does list this information as "news," it doesn't have the capacity for comments from users. This format should allow expansion of topics listed here by others.