Here you will find some good (I think :-) book reviews.

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BOOK REVIEWS

TITLE: [0001]

Holy Bible: The Holy Scriptures in the Original Languages [New Testament and Old Testament

titles also in Greek and Hebrew scripts]

PUBLISHER:

The Trinitarian Bible Society

Tyndale House Dorset Road

London, SW19 3NN

ORDERING INFORMATION USA:

Trinitarian Bible Society

1600 Leonard Street NW

Grand Rapids, MI 49504

(616) 735-3695

website: www.trinitarianbiblesocietyusa.org

DATE REVIEWED: February 2006

 

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER INFO
Hard Cover, smyth sewn	2,288 total (1,808 OT: 480 NT)	6 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches	bright white, no ANSI info, no acidity statement. .00115 inches thick

Price: $31.15 (Dec. 2005). An amazing value for such a fine book! The volume fits well in the hand,

and lays flat (open) on any page. The paper is very thin, which results in a volume which is 1 9/16

inches thick. The thin paper exhibits some bleed, but is tolerable. The bright white is a bit glaring

as contrasted with the fine black print. The print and fonts are sharp and clean, the text is very

readable, the margins are adequate. The Hebrew pointing is very clear. All pages exhibited a nice

consistent gray-type-contrast (no excessively light or dark pages!).

See sample page images:

SAMPLE NT PAGE: 00500

SAMPLE OT PAGE: 00501

The Hebrew text is that of Ginsburg's edition of the Jacob ben Chayim version,

as printed by Bomberg in 1524-1525. It has the Masorah (at the foot of each page)

from these editions, with the references listed at the front of the OT text. The

text is taken from the plates of the multi-volume edition of Ginsburg's work in

1894. The book titles are all in Hebrew.

The New Testament Greek text is that of Beza's 1598 edition. Basically it is

the Textus Receptus. No notes or any foot notes. Book titles are all in Greek.

For the person who needs and likes having on-hand the complete Bible in

its original languages, this is a recommended volume. Even, with the Masorah

it is not recommended for critical textual evaluations, as it is just purely the

Second Rabbinic Bible and the TR. However, it is handy for use in church services

and reading. It is "cheap" when compared to the prices of other complete original

language Bibles. The only negative point is the somewhat fragile paper, it cannot

endure rough handling. But such a handsome work is usually treated with all

due respect. The smyth-sewn binding, and the hard covers make this a very

desirable book, it is a work of art!

TITLE: [0002]

New American Standard Bible: Reference Edition.

PUBLISHER:

Foundation Publications, Inc.

Anaheim, California 92816

ORDERING INFORMATION:

American Bible Sales

P.O. Box 5158

Fullerton, CA 92838

1-(800)-535-5131

DATE REVIEWED: March 2006

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER INFO
Genuine Leather, smyth sewn	1,842 total (1,344 OT: 404 NT)	6 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches	bright white, no ANSI info, no acidity statement. .00155 inches thick. Special French paper.

Price, as of March 2006, was listed as $52.49 - via American Bible Sales (above).

I rarely review personal editions of modern English Bibles, but this particular edition

is an exception. I have, over the years, examined dozens and dozens of personal

Bibles—those which most church-goers carry to service, use for personal Bible

reading and study. Most editions are very poor products. Their paper is too thin,

and often bleed-through makes reading a pain as type from the other side bleeds

through. Many have a cheap glue-injected binding, which means that backs will

break and pages fall out. In many the margins are too narrow for proper page pro-

portions, with little or no room for notes.

Not so this Bible. It is extremely finely bound! It has beautiful gold gilded edges. The

paper is a special French-produced paper. Thin, but with minimal bleed-through. The

maps are also on the same paper stock, which retains the strength of the binding.

The basic leather edition is very nice leather. They also have a calfskin leather bound

edition for about $112.00.

Here is a sample image from I Corinthians 00502

As you can see this full-sized image reveals generous margins for notes, the point size

is about 14 points, so reading is not a chore. This particular recommended edition, is

referred to as the "Side-Column Reference Bible", the "Updated Edition". The ISBN

number is: 0-910618-49-6. There is an indexed edition available as well. You will find

several other features which make this a GREAT personal reference Bible!

(1) NO red letters!

(2) NO added religious commentary or notes

(3) NO poorly printed pages (none too light or too dark or fuzzy) all are SHARP.

The text is of course the updated version of the venerable NASB. It is a very literal

English translation. In this edition the most noticeable change is the THEE's

and the THOU's are rendered as YOU and YOUR, for the benefit of today's modern

readers. The overall changes effected in the updated version are actually

a major improvement, making numerous sentences easier to understand!

Some improvements are long over due corrections, such as the insertion of

"Jacob" in Genesis 30:5. However, as translations go, this is one of the best

commercial Bibles extant in English. I would like yet to see a correction as

concerns the participle and the word "after" changed in Acts 11:17 (they

seem to render the time sequence wrong)-- I would suggest instead of "after

believing"-- reading "when believing" or even "while believing", but certainly

not "after" which indicates SUBSEQUENT action!

Many Bibles have colored maps on thicker stock, which is okay, but this thicker

signature often stresses the binding over time. In this Bible the grayscale maps

(10 maps total) are on regular stock, hence no stress!. At the end of the NT text,

is a handy 82 page concordance, with room for additions.

There is a presentation page, and a 7 page introduction. Marginal cross references

(in the side margin) are very very full for a personal Bible. Translation notes are also

presented in the margin. All of which enhances the value of this translation.

In the sample page above, note verse 18:

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us

who are being saved.....

Note the two reference numbers, 1 and 2, next to the verbs "ARE". Now the printed

text is very accurate to the Greek here, a process is meant in the Greek. Thus ARE

BEING SAVED (and ARE PERISHING) are true to the underlying Greek. Paul is

not discussing salvation here, he is talking about the daily relationships believers

have with the written Word and in their daily experiences. Each day we believers are

BEING RESCUED, each day we are in the hands of God. Each day the perishing

sow and reap corruption. Such accuracy is a great assist to those who only use the

KJV. (The KJV translators often missed the real intent of numerous verb formations

in the original Greek).

Consequently, this NASB (updated edition) is highly recommended as THE

alternative and supplementary (or primary) translation to the venerable KJV.

Use BOTH, and greatly enhance your personal studies. For a paltry $60.00

you can own a GREAT translation, in a bound edition which will last the user

a lifetime! Get them while they last! Remember, well-made Bibles today are

becoming quite rare.

TITLE: [0003]

Mt. Sinai Arabic Codex 151

(in 4 volumes of 2 parts: part I - Pauline Epistles: part II - Acts and the Catholic Epistles)

PUBLISHER:

Peeters Publishers (Belgium)

ORDERING INFORMATION:

web site:

http://www.peeters-leuven.be

DATE REVIEWED: March 2006

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER INFO
soft cover , smyth sewn	768 total (all four volumes)	6 1/4 x 9 1/2 inches (trimmed)	no ANSI info, no acidity statement. .0038 inches thick.

Price as of March 2006 for all 4 volumes, 216 Euro. The price per volume - volume 1

Pauline Epistles (452) is Euro 75, Pauline Epistles part II (453), Euro 69. Acts and Catholic

epistles part I (462) is Euro 40 and Acts and the Catholic Epistles part II (463) is Euro 32.

All four volumes are a part of the prestigious CSCO series (Corpus Scriptorum

Christianorum Orientalium). The above numbers in parentheses are the CSCO

numbers. Including money transfers and postage, the two Pauline volumes cost

me a total of $190.00. Ahh, but the volumes are worth the price!

Dr. Harvey Staal (1922 - 1999) spent many years of his life producing this work upon this

Arabic manuscript, which now rests in Mt Sinai as Arabic MS 151. It is the oldest dated

Arabic NT (praxapostolos). It was written in Damascus in A.D. 867, by a scribe/scholar

named Bishr Ibn Al Sirri. The Arabic was translated from a Syriac exemplar.

Dr. Staal meticulously transcribes the Arabic text AND marginal Arabic notes of the entire

manuscript into easy to read text:

00504

In the above sample, from the Arabic volume, we are viewing I Corinthians chapter 1

verse 1. In the image below we see the same text, but translated into English, in the

English volume of I Corinthians 1:1...

00505

In each sample image one sees the quality of the printing. No, pages are too dark or too

light. The volumes ship uncut, and I trimmed about 1/8" off top, bottom and side. Though

there is no acidity statement as concerns the paper, it feels supple and feels acid free. The

smyth sewn signatures insure long lasting durability. The volumes do not easily lie flat

when opened, but when pressed will lay flat. In the Arabic text volumes, Dr. Staal presents

us with 5 or 6 good grayscale images of the actual manuscript and its cover. Each volume

has an index of peoples and places in English.

The Arabic text is very sharp and quite readable. No one is sure yet as to the text-type

(Egyptian, Byzantine or Western, or..(?)) which MS Arabic 151 reflects. Staal tested a few

chapters and suspected an Egyptian alignment. I am using it in my work on I Corinthians,

and I shall thoroughly test it in I Corinthians.

Staal used the film of the manuscript, which is a challenge to read as the Arabic is unpointed.

However he spent 5 days in the Sinai monastery validating his finished work. As a result we

today have the finished product. A beautiful labor of love, giving us the text of this Arabic

translation of a Syriac MS in Damascus in the year 867. Dr. Staal has done us a great service,

we can now study this important Arabic manuscript at leisure.

TITLE: [0004]

The Luther Bible of 1534 [Biblia]

(in 3 volumes, 2 hardcovers form the Biblia, and a softcover is the introductory text)

PUBLISHER:

Taschen, GmbH; Cologne

ORDERING INFORMATION:

web site:

http://www.taschen.com

DATE REVIEWED: August 2006

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER INFO
hard covers, smyth sewn. Soft cover also smyth sewn.	the 2 hardcovers - circa 1860 pages total. 64 pages for the softcover	7 3/4 x 12 inches (trimmed)	no ANSI info, no acidity statement. .00365 inches thick. Softcover uses coated paper.

Price as of 2006, ranges from $75.00 to $150.00. Christian Book Distributors has/had the 3

volumes for $75.00. The three volumes appear thusly:

One of the hardcover volumes, appears as such:

These are sizable volumes reflecting the original size of Luther's 1534 Bible. They are

durably bound, and beautifully printed and executed. The facsimiles are printed via

an offset lithography, a four-color process. The digitizing was done by the Göttinger

DigitalisierungsZentrum der Staats-und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen.

Even at $125.00 these fine volumes are a bargain! The printing is exquisite! Each

page is carefully reproduced, even the foxing marks and light water stains! The

bleeds are also visible in these incredible reproductions! Consequently these volumes

give to each owner a great copy of Luther's 1534 German Bible! In fact, these copies

may even be better than the original, as the original was in a fire shortly after this

facsimile was created - however the original was not burned, it suffered some light

water damage [at the Herzogin Anna Amelia Library].

Volume one contains Genesis through the Song of Solomon, volume two begins with

Isaiah and finishes with Revelation. The apocrypha follows Malachi. Throughout the two

hardcover volumes, Luther's introductions are faithfully preserved. In these volumes,

the wood-block illuminations are hand-colored, thus this facsimile was made from a deluxe

copy! In fact many believe this is Luther's personal copy! The colored illuminations and

initials may have been colored by the master Lucas Cranach (the younger). The woodcuts

were commissioned by Döring himself.

Stephen Füssel provides the wonderful softcover introductory edition. It is a beautiful

work illustrating the history of the early German Bibles! It handsomely (with its gorgeous

illustrations) supplements these two hardcover volumes of Martin Luther's Biblia. This work

is highly recommended. What amazes me, it the low cost! The facsimile editon of Codex

Vaticanus costs $5,000 - $6,000 and it may not even equal the quality of this facsimile edition

of Luther's Bible! (Perhaps the Vatican's edition of Codex Vaticanus [only 450 copies were

printed] helps pay their attorney fees!). :-)