Monday
Sep212009
HCSB Minister's Bible to Receive Updated Text in Early 2010
Monday, September 21, 2009 at 6:57AM
This post has been transferred from the original This Lamp website. The original publication date was September 21, 2009.
A little over two years ago, I posted my review of the HCSB Minister's Bible. At the time, while impressed with the idea of the Bible, I was somewhat disappointed in the thinness of its pages which tended to curl after heavy amounts of writing in the margins. Nevertheless, I've found myself coming back to this Bible over and over, using it for teaching as well as its specific purposes such as weddings and funerals. Currently, I'm using the HCSB Minister's Bible for our study on the Psalms I'm teaching in our Sunday morning Bible study at church.
I like the HCSB Minister's Bible because the text is not rushed. There is plenty of room for notes such as can be seen from the page spread from the book of Hebrews above. In texts such as this one, there's a nice amount of space for writing notes in the margins. Poetic passages, such as in the Psalms where I am currently teaching, offer ample space for notes. Another thing I've learned after using this Bible off and on for three years is that although the pages often do initially curl after writing on them, they flatten out in a short of amount of time. So my initial criticism turns out to not be that big of a deal in the long run. Nevertheless, I would certainly not object to slightly thicker paper in the next edition.
Speaking of next editions, a couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about upcoming editions of HCSB Bibles that will receive the updated (2009 copyright) text (see "'Revised' HCSB Printed Texts Slated for 2010"). Missing from the list of upcoming 2009 text Bibles was theHCSB Minister's Bible. Well, I'm very excited to report that this Bible is currently being updated to the new 2009 text. In fact, the newHCSB Minister's Bible should appear shortly after the release of the Apologetics Study Bible for Students which is set to be released in February, 2010. So, we can probably start looking for an updated HCSB Minister's Bible in Spring, 2010.
Moreover, I've been told than unlike the previous edition which only came in one genuine leather binding, the new HCSB Minister's Bible will arrive in two different bindings. At the ETS meetings last year, Lifeway showed off a "Limited Edition" of the HCSB Minister's Bible with a handcrafted cowhide cover prepared by the nonprofit Biblias Abba ministry of the Generation 3:16 church in Mexico City. I've been told that the high end genuine leather edition of the new HCSB Minister's Bible will be "much the same or possibly identical" to the Limited Edition shown last year.
On the less expensive end, an edition with a "leather-like" cover made of polyurethane will be offered. This will be good news to those who didn't want to buy the current edition at $75 as this imitation leather edition will presumably be at a lower price. No pricing has been announced for either edition, although the "Limited Edition" shown last year had a price of $149.99. Of course, the Limited Edition was never actually sold in stores.
Regardless, the HCSB Minister's Bible is my primary HCSB, and I look forward to obtaining the new edition with the 2009 copyright text next year.
BONUS TO THIS POST: UNBOXING PHOTOS OF THE "LIMITED EDITION" HCSB MINISTER'S BIBLE
As mentioned above, the Limited Edition HCSB Minister's Bible was never sold in stores although a price of $149.99 was placed on the side of the box. A very limited number were created primarily as a "marketing piece" and given to authors and a few other folks. There is not a separate ISBN designated to this Bible, but according to the copyright page, it shares its ISBN with the regular edition selling currently.
I was very fortunate a few days ago to receive one of the very last of these Bibles that had not yet been distributed. This is such a beautiful Bible, with a gorgeous, handcrafted cowhide cover that so far I've been afraid to take it from the house, and I certainly haven't written in it (yet). It may very well be the nicest Bibles I've ever held (and I've held LOTS of Bibles).
The front of the box.
The back of the box.
A very nice note from the person who sent me the Bible.
A note about the Biblias Abba ministry and the women who prepared the cover of the Bible. Also note that the Bible itself was wrapped in two separate sheets of black paper.
The above picture does not do the cover of the Bible justice. It is so incredible soft, and dare I say--it smells good, too!
Like the regular edition, the sewn binding allows this Bible to lay open flat.
The spine of this edition simply says "Holy Bible." Note the wheat symbol, presumably representing John 4:35b as quoted on the back of the box: "Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest."
The picture above is a bit out of focus, but shows the regulard edition next to the Limited Edition. The Limited Edition is slightly taller due to a greater overlap of the leather at the edges.
The four pictures above show how very flexible this cover is. It feels good in the hand and holds a solid balance which is important for public proclamation.
The Limited Edition HCSB Minister's Bible stands as a monument to high end quality Bibles characterized by master craftsmanship. Since the forthcoming new editon of the Bible has been said to be like this Bible or very similar, I look forward to obtaining one next Spring. In the meantime, I have this one for use, or if I can't bring myself to take it with me, I can continue to use my copy of the regular edition.
A little over two years ago, I posted my review of the HCSB Minister's Bible. At the time, while impressed with the idea of the Bible, I was somewhat disappointed in the thinness of its pages which tended to curl after heavy amounts of writing in the margins. Nevertheless, I've found myself coming back to this Bible over and over, using it for teaching as well as its specific purposes such as weddings and funerals. Currently, I'm using the HCSB Minister's Bible for our study on the Psalms I'm teaching in our Sunday morning Bible study at church.
I like the HCSB Minister's Bible because the text is not rushed. There is plenty of room for notes such as can be seen from the page spread from the book of Hebrews above. In texts such as this one, there's a nice amount of space for writing notes in the margins. Poetic passages, such as in the Psalms where I am currently teaching, offer ample space for notes. Another thing I've learned after using this Bible off and on for three years is that although the pages often do initially curl after writing on them, they flatten out in a short of amount of time. So my initial criticism turns out to not be that big of a deal in the long run. Nevertheless, I would certainly not object to slightly thicker paper in the next edition.
Speaking of next editions, a couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about upcoming editions of HCSB Bibles that will receive the updated (2009 copyright) text (see "'Revised' HCSB Printed Texts Slated for 2010"). Missing from the list of upcoming 2009 text Bibles was theHCSB Minister's Bible. Well, I'm very excited to report that this Bible is currently being updated to the new 2009 text. In fact, the newHCSB Minister's Bible should appear shortly after the release of the Apologetics Study Bible for Students which is set to be released in February, 2010. So, we can probably start looking for an updated HCSB Minister's Bible in Spring, 2010.
Moreover, I've been told than unlike the previous edition which only came in one genuine leather binding, the new HCSB Minister's Bible will arrive in two different bindings. At the ETS meetings last year, Lifeway showed off a "Limited Edition" of the HCSB Minister's Bible with a handcrafted cowhide cover prepared by the nonprofit Biblias Abba ministry of the Generation 3:16 church in Mexico City. I've been told that the high end genuine leather edition of the new HCSB Minister's Bible will be "much the same or possibly identical" to the Limited Edition shown last year.
On the less expensive end, an edition with a "leather-like" cover made of polyurethane will be offered. This will be good news to those who didn't want to buy the current edition at $75 as this imitation leather edition will presumably be at a lower price. No pricing has been announced for either edition, although the "Limited Edition" shown last year had a price of $149.99. Of course, the Limited Edition was never actually sold in stores.
Regardless, the HCSB Minister's Bible is my primary HCSB, and I look forward to obtaining the new edition with the 2009 copyright text next year.
BONUS TO THIS POST: UNBOXING PHOTOS OF THE "LIMITED EDITION" HCSB MINISTER'S BIBLE
As mentioned above, the Limited Edition HCSB Minister's Bible was never sold in stores although a price of $149.99 was placed on the side of the box. A very limited number were created primarily as a "marketing piece" and given to authors and a few other folks. There is not a separate ISBN designated to this Bible, but according to the copyright page, it shares its ISBN with the regular edition selling currently.
I was very fortunate a few days ago to receive one of the very last of these Bibles that had not yet been distributed. This is such a beautiful Bible, with a gorgeous, handcrafted cowhide cover that so far I've been afraid to take it from the house, and I certainly haven't written in it (yet). It may very well be the nicest Bibles I've ever held (and I've held LOTS of Bibles).
The front of the box.
The back of the box.
A very nice note from the person who sent me the Bible.
A note about the Biblias Abba ministry and the women who prepared the cover of the Bible. Also note that the Bible itself was wrapped in two separate sheets of black paper.
The above picture does not do the cover of the Bible justice. It is so incredible soft, and dare I say--it smells good, too!
Like the regular edition, the sewn binding allows this Bible to lay open flat.
The spine of this edition simply says "Holy Bible." Note the wheat symbol, presumably representing John 4:35b as quoted on the back of the box: "Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest."
The picture above is a bit out of focus, but shows the regulard edition next to the Limited Edition. The Limited Edition is slightly taller due to a greater overlap of the leather at the edges.
The four pictures above show how very flexible this cover is. It feels good in the hand and holds a solid balance which is important for public proclamation.
The Limited Edition HCSB Minister's Bible stands as a monument to high end quality Bibles characterized by master craftsmanship. Since the forthcoming new editon of the Bible has been said to be like this Bible or very similar, I look forward to obtaining one next Spring. In the meantime, I have this one for use, or if I can't bring myself to take it with me, I can continue to use my copy of the regular edition.
Reader Comments (1)
This is a copy/paste of the original comments for this post. Please continue any discussion here.
J. Adam Byrd
This looks very nice. I am currently evaluating the idea of moving from the ESV to the CSB for preaching. One of the drawbacks has been having to move from my Allan and Cambridge ESV's to an inferior binding. I'd like to have a CSB in a better binding so we'll see how this goes.
September 23, 2009, 1:23:36 PM EDT – Like – Reply
Robert Jimenez
I don't have this bible, and sadly I was not even offered one so envious I have to repent. However, I do own the HCSB Legacy bible, and I am confident that it is the same leather. It is very, very nice, soft, and supple. The leather on the HCSB Legacy bible does fee a bit thicker, and not as flimsy as the TNIV Renaissance Fine Leather Reference Bible.
September 22, 2009, 1:45:40 PM EDT – Like – Reply
tommyg
Hi Rick, I hope this comment does not break any sort of blog conventions as it is not really regarding this post. I am VERY new to Bible STUDY. I have been reading it for 10 years but have never dug deep. Now I am starting that digging deep process. Reading your blog has been very influential regarding what Bible translation(s) I have picked for my study. So I thought I would ask you a question that I haven't really found an answer to: Does one need a Bible commentary when doing individual study? And if so, which one is "best", and what might be the best way to use it? Again I apologize if this question is not in keeping with blog etiquette. Thanks, Tom G
September 22, 2009, 12:08:03 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Liked byGuest
Nick Mackison
I too have this limited edition, courtesy of the good folks at Lifeway. It's an absolute peach; the best bible I've ever owned/held.
September 21, 2009, 5:34:52 PM EDT – Like – Reply
R. Mansfield
No. I probably won't write anything in the one I showed in this post. I may save it for special occasions and services. I kind of keep a master set of notes in my NASB, but I don't get so hung up on it as I used to. I transferred notes from my 77 NASB to my 1995 NASB--quite a project, but I doubt I'd ever do it again. A "clean" Bible gives me a chance to start over and keep things fresh.
September 21, 2009, 4:22:46 PM EDT – Like – Reply
Larry
Isn't this bad news for you? After investing all that time writing those notes in your current volume, you get a gift volume into which you need to transfer your notes? And then next year, you will buy another volume for the latest text? Are you going to transfer all your notes -- again???
September 21, 2009, 4:11:36 PM EDT – Like – Reply
Ted
Thanks, Rick. I finally graduated with the D.Min. in Dec. '08 and my children gave me the HCSB Classic size in this same leather, then 6 months later the SBTC gave all of on staff the Minister's Bible in the good leather. Both are personalized and I am enjoying using them. We will have to see what the 2011 NIV does, but it will be interesting.
September 21, 2009, 2:40:45 PM EDT – Like – Reply
exegete77
Thanks for the info and the pics. Rich
September 21, 2009, 11:18:50 AM EDT – Like – Reply
R. Mansfield
Ted, not necessarily. Ephesians 2:2 has been changed to something slightly better. "Deluge" has been replaced by "flood" in the Noah story. The use of "Yahweh" instead of "LORD" has been increased, but it's still in minority usage. I began a post for the blog about some of the changes a few days ago, but haven't finished it yet. From the publisher's perspective, the changes aren't enough to warrant calling it a second edition or even "revised," although for sake of distinction, "HCSB2" has been used in some of the emails I've received. I have the 2009 text in WordSearch, but it won't be easy to do comparisons until I get an updated text in Accordance and can put the old text side by side with the new text and let the software show me the differences.
September 21, 2009, 11:15:37 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Kevin Grady
Very nice Rick, thanks for posting. I like the open spaces to put all those notes there.
September 21, 2009, 10:56:06 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Ted
Rick, are the 2009 text updates significant enough to warrant replacing an existing HCSB?
September 21, 2009, 10:48:28 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Ken Steele
I want one of those. Of course wedding and funeral services in the middle would make it even more useful
September 21, 2009, 10:17:10 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Brian
This Bible has the look an feel of the TNIV Rennisance Fine Leather Reference Bible - it is very nice to have and to hold! Too bad there will never be TNIV Minister's Bible - or else I would get one. Maybe there will be a Ministers Bible edition of the upcoming 2011 NIV.
September 21, 2009, 10:16:00 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Ron Jones
Rick, thanks for the update. What a beautiful Bible! I look forward to seeing this edition next spring. I really fell in love with the HCSB and have been anxious to see the updated text.
September 21, 2009, 7:48:56 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Nick Norelli
Nice! I'm not one for genuine leather Bibles (I prefer bonded leather believe it or not) but this looks like the type of product that could possibly make me change my mind.
September 21, 2009, 2:31:08 AM EDT – Like – Reply