Your Perfect Bible

[ananda]

What unusual characteristics would be found in your perfect Bible?

Mine would include these:

• RSV base text,
• NT modified to match the Majority Text readings,
• with books placed in the traditional Jewish order (Law, Prophets, Writings),
• includes the Orthodox & Catholic Apocrypha & Enoch,
• with spacious, legible text and plenty of white space (like the RSV original 1952 edition I have)

 

[humanbn]

my perfect bible is in chronological order of when the letters were written. It is also without verses or chapters or paragraphs.
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[ananda]

Thanks humanbn! Why did you choose the NASB?

 

[mog144]

My perfect Canon will include what you have listed if it can all be squeezed into 77 books.

 

[hedrick]

NRSV without singulars changed to plurals for gender-neutral language.

 

[mog144]

NRSV without singulars changed to plurals for gender-neutral language.

Good observation... Yea, include this in mine, too!

 

[childofdust]

I'm creating it right now. Here's a sneak peak. When it's done, it will probably be three or four volumes (Old Testament alone). I want to get it bound in hardcover like they do it at Artscroll and other places with really nice, fancy covers and quality binding.

 

[ananda]

Cool deal, childofdust.

I wish I could customize my own Bible and have it printed, leather bound, sewn bindings, with thin Bible paper ... for a reasonable price.

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition as the base text.
All of the Septuagint writings/books, which would basically be the Orthodox OT canon; put in it's own Apocryphal section. Include Enoch.
Size 12 font
High quality genuine leather

 

[stevenfrancis]

I'm happy with my Douay-Rheims translation of the Vulgate. The order of books, and all that is included, even the Haydock commentary. My only change would be larger print, (especially for the commentary), and I am actually working on my own DR version, simply updating the thees thous and eths to their more commonly used English. The RSV-2CE has done this for the most part. It's a great working bible. My DR is a really nice hardcover 12 X 9. My RSV-2CE is what I carry around, write notes in, etc. I also love the RSV-2CE Ignatius Study Bible, which at this point, is just the NT. Eventually they'll have the NT and OT, and I can easily picture this becoming my favorite bible. I just have to be patient. Excellent commentary.

 

[ebedmelech]

my perfect bible is in chronological order of when the letters were written. It is also without verses or chapters or paragraphs.

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You must admit verses serve a good purpose when teaching. It's a way to ready reference in the congregation.

I would say my perfect bible would be in chronological order, have wide margins for personal notes, scripture references, and if it has notes, those notes would be in the back.

Too many times people tend to think notes are part of scripture....

I also prefer NASB...

 

[americanvet]

What unusual characteristics would be found in your perfect Bible?

Mine would include these:

• RSV base text,
• NT modified to match the Majority Text readings,
• with books placed in the traditional Jewish order (Law, Prophets, Writings),
• includes the Orthodox & Catholic Apocrypha & Enoch,
• with spacious, legible text and plenty of white space (like the RSV original 1952 edition I have)

NLT, with Orthodox and Catholic Apocrypha to include Enoch, thin line

 

[PaladinValer]

A RSV/NRSV-based Scripture but with a few tweaks:

1. Use better gender neutrality, avoiding plurals.
2. Acknowledge the importance of sonship despite gender neutrality by putting most gender neutrality as footnotes.
3. Put the recognized Deuterocanonicals in their proper Septuagint places.
4. Where the NT agrees with the Septuagint, use the Greek over the Hebrew in the OT (put the Hebrew or Aramaic in footnotes).
5. Continue to put "2nd Esdras" and 4th Maccabees in an appendix in between the OT and NT; NEVER include any pseudepigrapha like 1st Enoch or Jubiless. Potentially include a NT apocrypha of popular and orthodox books like the Protoevangelicum and the Didache.
6. Use traditional ecclesiastical language where appropriate
7. Slightly thicker paper; size 12 font
8. Available as a stand-alone volume, Anglican Study Bible, Lectionary, Apostol, and Evangeliary editions (the latter three with markers)
9. Optional gold leaf, red lettering for Jesus' words, illuminations, hard-, soft-, and leather [genuine or constructed]-binding)
10. Includes traditional family tree up to third-degree of kinship.

 

[ebia]

I don't think perfect is possible by a long way - too many mutual exclusive wants in tension.

But the next step would be Catholic edition of the CEB (ie, the CEB with deutocanonicals in their catholic placing, and both sets of psalm numbering)

 

[Unix]

Sounds pretty good to me, PaladinValer! Not paper-based, but You might want to know that the here is a modernization of the language of the RSV, done in 2012. It includes 4th Mc. It is a very light revision of the 1977 RSV Ecumenical Study Bible which has the same text as the 1973 RSV Common Bible but additional books from the widest canon.
I sort of avoid the NRSV, but the RSV is very good.
I also use the RSV-2CE for for example Isaiah along with JB and the Continental commentary:

A RSV/NRSV-based Scripture but with a few tweaks:

1. Use better gender neutrality, avoiding plurals.
2. Acknowledge the importance of sonship despite gender neutrality by putting most gender neutrality as footnotes.
3. Put the recognized Deuterocanonicals in their proper Septuagint places.
4. Where the NT agrees with the Septuagint, use the Greek over the Hebrew in the OT (put the Hebrew or Aramaic in footnotes).
5. Continue to put "2nd Esdras" and 4th Maccabees in an appendix in between the OT and NT; NEVER include any pseudepigrapha like 1st Enoch or Jubiless. Potentially include a NT apocrypha of popular and orthodox books like the Protoevangelicum and the Didache.

I would include The Teaching of Sylvanus.

REB is for much of the Bible somewhat close to my ideal Bible.

 

[REPHAIAHPEDAHEL]

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