The Book Itself

[starlooker]

Hi all,

In the process of looking up potential readings from the Bible for our wedding ceremony, I got to thinking that I might need a new Bible. This idea seemed almost sacriligious to me, in a way, because of the personal value and history I place on the one I have now.

So, I was just wondering, are their sacred texts you have that you cherish not just for what's inside but for their personal history in your life? If so, what's their story?

Mine is bound in red, red-letter version, and was a gift from my paternal grandfather for my confirmation when I was fourteen. I went though a chapter in my life a couple of years thereafter in which I was very involved in various youth groups and so the underlining and margin notes are sometimes distracting, sometimes helpful, sometimes irritating, sometimes sweet. It's a New Revised Standard Version. My grandfather sent it to me with a note to please read Ecclesiastes, as this is his favorite book. Dutifully, I did so. I found it depressing. A few years later when I reread it, I appreciated it quite a bit more.

It also has in it a cross-bookmark, one of those that you clip to the binding and then the ribbons work as book marks. This was a first communion gift from my first communion sponsors.

Also, did anyone else as a child have "The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes?" It was kind of a favorite book to read to myself when I was supposed to be cleaning my room at about age 7-8.

[Rei]

I certainly have a few books that I cherish as the object and its story, not just a Bible.

As for a Bible, my grandfather has one that I stand to inherit eventually. It's a Dutch Bible from the late 1700s and in beautiful condition. That is one that is just a lovely work.

[Azarel]

My favourites are:

The Complete Jewish Bible : David Stern
Great additional information (prophecies and fulfilments, Glossary, maps) Jewish transliteration for names of people, places, books and titles such as:

Elohim, Adonai Tzvaot, Ruach HaKodesh(holy spirit).

Olam Hayamim (days to come), Messianic Jews (name for book of Hebrews), many more.

There is no dividing page between old and new testament and it has sabbath readings listed in the back.

This satisfies my interest in languages and the fact that I spent a long time without a denomination.

New Standard Revised Edition with Apocrypha
I have this one because I'd never read the apocrypha before and my wife is Catholic but she never had a Catholic bible in English.

My favourite book in this is Sirach (AKA Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus) which particularly makes the point of "Honor your physicians" and also the astonishing statement "Pride was not created for Human Beings". It has fantastic advice and in some ways I prefer it to proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

Of all the translations of Sirach, this one is my favourite.


I also have the Tanakh with Hebrew next to the english and you read the book from right page to left page as the english is secondary. It's more confusing than a Manga book!