Bible+ | GreatSite.com https://greatsite.com THE WORLD'S LARGEST DEALER OF RARE AND ANTIQUE BIBLES Tue, 07 Jan 2025 04:59:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.7 https://greatsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/cropped-favicon-32x32.png Bible+ | GreatSite.com https://greatsite.com 32 32 1611 King James Pulpit Folio First Edition First Printing “He” Bible https://greatsite.com/shop/size-range/huge-pulpit-folios-15-18-tall/12173/ Wed, 07 Feb 2024 22:43:53 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?post_type=product&p=12173 Newly Added To Our Inventory…

The 1611 King James Pulpit Folio First Edition First Printing “He” Bible

Details Coming Soon…

]]> Home https://greatsite.com/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 05:51:18 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?page_id=10496

World’s Largest Dealer of Rare & Antique Bibles

VIEW AVAILABLE ANCIENT BIBLES

Rare & Antique Holy Bibles

GREATSITE.COM is the premiere online showroom of rare and antique Bibles.  Since 1996 we have been the world’s largest dealer of rare & antique Bibles… over 29 years! Our investment-grade genuine original Biblical antiquities make great display items and family heirlooms. Discover wonderful treasures of Christian history from a few thousand dollars…to six figures. Click below to see more.

Explore Our Bibles

The world has turned to us for over 29 years for rare and antique Bibles and ancient theology books. Since 1996, we have been the world’s largest dealer of rare and antique Bibles … selling more rare Bibles in fact, than the combined total of all other rare book dealers in the world!  Indeed, we are the only rare book dealer specializing exclusively in Bibles and Biblical materials, who has moved a significant volume of material every year, for decades.

The website of Cambridge University has for many years cited GREATSITE.COM as the only example of an established professional antique Bible specialty dealer, among the countless “rare books dealers” of the world.  Our online ancient Bible showroom at GREATSITE.COM, is a website so popular that more than 375,000 (yes, three hundred seventy-five thousand!) other websites of churches, ministries, organizations, and individuals link to one or more of our webpages here at GREATSITE.COM

We offer genuine original investment-grade ancient Bibles and ancient books about the Bible.  You can browse and search categorically through much of our inventory by selecting the link for Ancient Rare Bibles & Books.   

A four-century-old English Family Bible makes the ideal family heirloom. Your children and family can gain a deeper appreciation for the Bible by holding one of the earliest English printings of God’s Word in their hands. Just gazing upon its ancient print style and thick pages brings a sense of reverence and awe, and reminds one of the sacrifices made by the early printers to bring us these treasured early copies of the Word of God in the English language, at a time when doing so meant risking death.

Truly, having such a precious rare early printing of The Word on display in your home is a “silent witness” to all your visitors demonstrating what your priorities are, and that yours is a Christian Home. What an amazing conversation piece and attention-commanding display item for your home! And what a magnificent gift for a very special occasion, or for the “person who has everything” or the “hard to shop for” individual.

Collecting rare and antique Bibles is a very rewarding hobby, and an excellent investment. Often however, people new to rare and antique Bibles are intimidated by their lack of knowledge in this area of specialty. They feel understandably overwhelmed, and are afraid that they do not know how to tell a $3,000 Bible from a $50,000 Bible… or they just do not know where to start. We can help you gain a firm foundation of knowledge very easily and quickly, and help you to become an educated consumer in the small but growing field of rare and antique Bible collecting.  Check out our wonderful inventory of Ancient Rare Bibles.

For those who want access to one or more of the oldest English translations of God’s Word from the 1300’s through the 1600’s, but cannot afford to purchase one of our costly original treasures, we recommend visiting our sister-site at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET where many ancient Bibles can be viewed freely in our Online Virtual Ancient Bible Archive. 

The Holy Bible contains and reveals “The Greatest Story Every Told”, but the “Second Greatest Story Ever Told” is actually the history of how we got the Bible.  Our popular and widely linked-to illustrated article on English Bible History has been read by well over one million people over the past 20 years. It offers the most concise way to get a quick overview of how we got God’s Word in the English language, and how the Reformers fought and died to preserve The Word against those who sought to imprison the scripture in a language few could understand, keeping the Bible for a thousand years of the Dark & Middle Ages as “The Forbidden Book”.

Learn more about the fascinating story of “The Morning Star of The Reformation”, John Wycliffe, who was the first person to translate the Bible into English in the form of primitive hand-written manuscripts in the late 1300’s, because Gutenberg had not yet invented the printing press (in 1455).  From there, read the story of “God’s Outlaw”, William Tyndale, the first person to translate the scripture from the original Biblical languages, and the first to print the scriptures on a printing press as a book in the early 1500’s. Tyndale was a close friend of Martin Luther, who was busy translating and printing the Bible in the German language.

After Tyndale was executed by King Henry VIII in 1536 for the crime of publishing God’s Word in English, just three years later in 1539, King Henry VIII turned around and started funding the printing of English Bibles, declaring himself the head of both the Church and the State.  When Queen “Bloody Mary” took the throne, Protestant fled England to Switzerland, where in 1560 they published the Geneva Bible.  It was the first English Bible with numbered verses, the first with commentary notes, the first in Roman typeface, the Bible of the Pilgrims & Puritans, and the Bible from which Shakespeare quotes 500 times in his plays.

Next came the 1568 Bishops’ Bible of Queen Elizabeth, followed by the 1611 King James Bible, which became the most printed book in history.  King James however was a profoundly controversial figure whose personal morality and iron fisted rule was the motivation for many English Protestants to flee England, cross the ocean, and found a new nation in America where religious freedom and separation of Church and State would allow for Christianity and liberty to flourish.

The story then continues with the Bibles of Colonial America, the dominance of the English King James Version Bible, and the eventual introduction of Bibles in a more modern form of English that was not centuries old.  All this and more awaits you when you read the full story of English Bible History.

Shop Our Bookshelves

Select a category below to browse our bookshelves and gift shop online.

Ancient Rare Bibles & Books

Printed in the 1500’s, 1600’s, & 1700's; these genuine originals are amazing display items, unforgettable gifts, and ideal family heirlooms for your children.
SHOP NOW

Online Digital Archive of Ancient Bibles

We offer FREE online access to many ancient Bibles. No purchase required. Flip through every page in high resolution and full color in our digital library of Bibles of the 1300's - 1800's at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET
VIEW ARCHIVE

English Bible History

Learn more about the fascinating timeline of how we got the Bible in English. Read the illustrated story of Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Erasmus, Calvin, Queen Mary, King James, and others.
LEARN MORE

Subscribe To Our
Email Newsletter

Subscribe to our popular email newsletter to receive special sale offers, discounts, and bonus gifts ONLY for subscribers.
SUBSCRIBE

Rare & Antique Bibles

Since the 1990’s, GREATSITE.COM has been the world’s largest dealer of rare and antique Bibles.  In 2023, we ended our 27 year association with “The Bible Museum”.  We also stopped dealing in lower-priced “lesser materials” such as Bible leaves and Bible facsimiles, to focus exclusively on complete, genuine original, investment-grade antiquarian Biblical printings. Today, GREATSITE.COM is an independent dealer of ancient Bibles and theology books… and still the largest in the world.

Acquiring an ancient original antique Bible printed in the 1500’s, 1600’s, or 1700’s, can be an enormously rewarding experience for any Christian who appreciates God’s Word and values having an authentic and rare piece of Christian history. In addition to our inventory of complete restored and beautifully bound original ancient Bibles, we also offer some great educational resources such as the English Bible History section of our website, and our helpful Antique Bible Buyer’s Guide.  Having an ancient printing of God’s Word in your home stands as a “silent witness” to any visitor, demonstrating your priorities, and confirming that yours is a Christian home that honors our Christian heritage.

Collecting and displaying what we love in our homes is a deeply rooted human trait. Many people proudly display their collections of sports memorabilia, high end audio-video equipment, music, coins, stamps, wine, artwork, books, antiques, and fine furnishings. The more affluent even collect exotic and classic automobiles. The unspoken message in all cases is: “this is what I am about… this is what is important to me… this is what I love”.  What do the contents of your home silently communicate to your visitors (and your own family) regarding your focus, interests, and priorities?  Many of our customers have told us their antique Bibles are the first things they show their visitors, and they are often a great conversation piece for sharing their faith. We discuss this further in our article on Family Bibles and their curious disappearance from most American homes since the 1980’s.

A Bible can be antique, but not rare. A Bible can be rare, but not antique. A Bible can be both antique and rare, but not valuable. However, what we offer are Bibles that check all three boxes: Bibles that are antique and rare and valuable.

How can you determine whether a Bible is antique or rare or valuable?  First and foremost, you should only purchase from a reputable dealer.  We here at GREATSITE.COM have been the premiere dealers of antiquarian Biblical materials since we launched our website in 1996, and there are no other full-time professional rare book dealers who move a significant volume of such material, making our organization a “near monopoly” in this niche market for over a quarter of a century.  We also strive to educate our customers to be independently discerning in their evaluations of ancient Bibles available for purchase anywhere.  The “bargain priced” antique Bible is often not investment grade, and not the bargain it may appear to be.  A basic understanding of the nature of antique Bibles and rare Bibles can provide a sense of empowerment for the buyer, which transcends being dependent upon trusting any dealer.

Our helpful article on Antique, Rare, & Valuable Bibles, explains why Bibles less than 200 years old are rarely of any historic or collector value.  Even more detail can be found on our Antique Bible Buyer’s Guide, which defines many terms used in the world of rare and antique Bibles, and discusses the key factors of antiquarian Bible evaluation including: rarity, historical significance, market demand, first edition status, age, condition, collation. binding, and provenance.  However, prerequisite to all that is having a good basic understanding of the history and timeline of English Bible translation, and our brief illustrated article on English Bible History is the most referenced work on that subject, having been read online by well over one million people over the past 25 years.  If you are more of a visual learner, we suggest watching our popular video, “The Forbidden Book”, which you can view freely on our website.

 It is no surprise that the beloved 1611 King James Version Bible, also known as the KJV Bible, or simply The Authorized Version, being the most printed book in history, is the star of the show in the minds of most people.  Many are however, surprised to learn that the 1611 King James Bible was not even among the first ten English translations of the Bible.  John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English in the late 1300’s, and William Tyndale (assisted by Myles Coverdale and John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers) printed English scriptures throughout the early to mid 1500’s.  Indeed, the 1611 KJV Bible was not even the first “Authorized” English Bible of the Church of England.  That was King Henry VIII’s “Great Bible” of 1539, followed by Queen Elizabeth’s “Bishops Bible” of 1568. The King James Bible came much later, as the third Bible to be officially authorized by the Anglican Church, in 1611.

Discovering that the King James Bible is actually not a Protestant Bible, but rather, it is an Anglican Bible, is a shock for many.  The much loved English Bible of the Protestant Reformation was in fact, the older 1560 Geneva Bible which continued to enjoy far more popularity than the KJV until well into the 1600’s.  But the greatest shock of all for those who treasure the 1611 King James Bible as their favorite, is learning that the 1611 KJV Bible was revised in 1615, and again in 1629, and again in 1638, and again in 1762 & 1769.  Nearly all King James Version Bibles printed in the past 250 years (since the late 1700’s) are the fifth generation revised version of the 1760’s, the Cambridge / Oxford Revisions, which contain 40,000 changes, and over 400 wording changes, … quite different than the 1611 First Edition King James Bible.  Yet modern printings of the King James Bible admit this unpopular truth nowhere, and misleadingly even say “1611” in the front.  Comparing your own King James Version Bible to photographic images of pages from a first edition 1611 KJV Bible will quickly show the extreme difference. You can make that comparison by visiting our sister site at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET and selecting to view images on the original 1611 KJV Bible offered there.

Finally, there was one last change made to the King James Version Bible in 1885: the removal of 14 Books of The Bible!  Prior to 1885, all English Bibles, including all King James Bibles, had 80 Books.  Since 1885, we only find 66 Books in our Bibles. The missing Books, which were called the Deuterocanonical or Apocryphal Books were so important to King James that he threatened anyone who printed his Bible without these books, with a year in jail and heavy fines. This is all shocking to people who do not know the full story of the King James Bible, and the mystery and intrigue does not end there. The actual printing of the 1611 King James Bible was an extremely complex and confusing endeavor, involving two dozen printers, resulting in thousands of copies that were actually printed in 1611 being given bewildering title pages dated 1613, 1617, 1634, and 1639.  If you would like to know the full story, just read our article on The 1611 King James Bible.

We know… it can be overwhelming at first. But learning about the history of the Bible is a fascinating journey.  Our website, and particularly the links provided above, provide you with a step-by-step guide to quickly gaining a fundamental understanding of English Bible history.  You can then read all about each Bible and decide which antique Bibles you would like to have in your home. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to contact us, and be sure to sign up for our Email Newsletter.

]]> Home october old https://greatsite.com/home-october-old/ Mon, 19 Sep 2022 11:33:56 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?page_id=10013

The world’s largest dealer of rare & antique Bibles, ancient Bible leaves, and antiquarian theology books.

SHOP NOW

Rare & Antique Holy Bibles

GREATSITE.COM is the online showroom of The Bible Museum, Inc.  Founded in 1987, and online since 1996; we have been the world’s largest dealer of rare & antique Bibles and ancient Bible leaves for over 35 years. In addition to investment-grade genuine original Biblical antiquities, we also publish an affordable line of high quality facsimile reproductions of ancient Bibles. Discover great treasures of Christian history from sixty dollars…to six figures. Click below to see more.

Explore Our Bibles

The world has turned to us for over 35 years for rare and antique Bibles and ancient theology books: both the ancient originals, as well as our privately published line of high quality facsimile reproductions. Since 1987, we have been the world’s largest dealer of rare and antique Bibles … selling more rare Bibles in fact, than the combined total of all other rare book dealers in the world!  Indeed, we are the only rare book dealers specializing exclusively in Bibles and Biblical materials, who have an actual storefront and showroom.

The website of Cambridge University has for many years cited us as the only example of an established professional antique Bible specialty dealer, among the countless “rare books dealers” of the world.  Since 1996, we have maintained our online Bible Museum showroom at GREATSITE.COM, a website so popular that more than 300,000 (yes, three hundred thousand!) other websites of churches, ministries, organizations, and individuals link to one or more of our webpages here at GREATSITE.COM

More than just a Bible Museum; we actively buy and sell, and restore and preserve, ancient Bibles. Located in Goodyear, Arizona, we are open for private tours by appointment.  Because of name similarity, “The Bible Museum” is often confused with the much younger but far more well-funded “Museum of The Bible” in Washington, DC, which is a billion-dollar tourist destination displaying a world-class collection and well worth visiting, but they do not seek to sell any antique Biblical material.  In contrast, we are the world’s primary actual dealers (not just displayers) of antique and rare Bibles.

The Bible Museum itself is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Beyond paying our staff, vendors, and operational expenses; remaining cash flow gets re-invested into acquiring and restoring and preserving more ancient Bibles, and supporting the many Christian ministries we have sponsored since the 1980’s unto this day.

The Bible Museum, with its online showroom at GREATSITE.COM, features three types of materials for people interested in the history of God’s Word.

First, we offer genuine original investment-grade ancient Bibles and ancient books about the Bible.  You can browse and search categorically through much of our inventory by selecting the link for Ancient Rare Bibles & Books.  Second, we offer individual pages which we call “leaves” taken from incomplete fragments of rare antique Bibles. These can be seen by selecting the link for Ancient Bible Leaves.  Third, we publish our own line of extremely high quality and sturdily bound photographic facsimile replicas of selected ancient Bibles.  You can view these affordably priced options by selecting the link for Facsimile Reproductions.

A four-century-old English Family Bible makes the ideal family heirloom. Your children and family can gain a deeper appreciation for the Bible by holding one of the earliest English printings of God’s Word in their hands. Just gazing upon its ancient print style and thick pages brings a sense of reverence and awe, and reminds one of the sacrifices made by the early printers to bring us these treasured early copies of the Word of God in the English language, at a time when doing so meant risking death.

Truly, having such a precious rare early printing of The Word on display in your home is a “silent witness” to all your visitors demonstrating what your priorities are, and that yours is a Christian Home. What an amazing conversation piece and attention-commanding display item for your home! And what a magnificent gift for a very special occasion, or for the “person who has everything” or the “hard to shop for” individual.

Collecting rare and antique Bibles is a very rewarding hobby, and an excellent investment. Often however, people new to rare and antique Bibles are intimidated by their lack of knowledge in this area of specialty. They feel understandably overwhelmed, and are afraid that they do not know how to tell a $3,000 Bible from a $50,000 Bible… or they just do not know where to start. We can help you gain a firm foundation of knowledge very easily and quickly, and help you to become an educated consumer in the small but growing field of rare and antique Bible collecting.  Check out our wonderful inventory of Ancient Rare Bibles.

Among our several types of available ancient Bible leaves, (individual pages from fragments of antique Bibles) the most popular has always been the majestic pages of the 1611 King James Pulpit Folio First Edition Bible.  Imagine having an original page from the very first printing of the most printed book in history… perhaps even containing one of your favorite passage of scripture.  It is certainly one of the most impressive things you could frame and hang on your wall. Also available are pages from English Bibles much older than the 1611 King James Version, such as the English Protestant Geneva Bible of the 1500’s, or the earliest Bibles of William Tyndale, the first person to print the scriptures in English.  These options and many others are waiting for you among our offerings of Ancient Rare Bible Leaves.

For those who want access to one or more of the oldest English translations of God’s Word from the 1300’s through the 1600’s in the most affordable way possible, we also offer beautiful exact photographic replicas of the original ancient scriptures, faithful to the smallest detail.  Because these are photographic copies, and not re-typsettings in modern typeface, they look 100% identical to the originals.  The camera does not add, omit, edit, or alter in any way. The shape of the letters, the format, the layout, the marginal notes, are all captured precisely as they were in the costly and rare ancient original Bibles … and made readily available and affordable as an inexpensive copy for the student or collector.

Available Facsimile titles of ancient English Bibles include the beloved 1611 King James Bible, the 1560 Geneva Bible, the 1549 Tyndale Bible, the 1535 Coverdale Bible, and more.  You can build an entire library of all the ancient editions of the Holy Bible very affordably.  To see everything, just select the link for our Facsimile Reproductions.

The Holy Bible contains and reveals “The Greatest Story Every Told”, but the “Second Greatest Story Ever Told” is actually the history of how we got the Bible.  Our popular and widely linked-to illustrated article on English Bible History has been read by well over one million people over the past 20 years. It offers the most concise way to get a quick overview of how we got God’s Word in the English language, and how the Reformers fought and died to preserve The Word against those who sought to imprison the scripture in a language few could understand, keeping the Bible for a thousand years of the Dark & Middle Ages as “The Forbidden Book”.

Learn more about the fascinating story of “The Morning Star of The Reformation”, John Wycliffe, who was the first person to translate the Bible into English in the form of primitive hand-written manuscripts in the late 1300’s, because Gutenberg had not yet invented the printing press (in 1455).  From there, read the story of “God’s Outlaw”, William Tyndale, the first person to translate the scripture from the original Biblical languages, and the first to print the scriptures on a printing press as a book in the early 1500’s. Tyndale was a close friend of Martin Luther, who was busy translating and printing the Bible in the German language.

After Tyndale was executed by King Henry VIII in 1536 for the crime of publishing God’s Word in English, just three years later in 1539, King Henry VIII turned around and started funding the printing of English Bibles, declaring himself the head of both the Church and the State.  When Queen “Bloody Mary” took the throne, Protestant fled England to Switzerland, where in 1560 they published the Geneva Bible.  It was the first English Bible with numbered verses, the first with commentary notes, the first in Roman typeface, the Bible of the Pilgrims & Puritans, and the Bible from which Shakespeare quotes 500 times in his plays.

Next came the 1568 Bishops’ Bible of Queen Elizabeth, followed by the 1611 King James Bible, which became the most printed book in history.  King James however was a profoundly controversial figure whose personal morality and iron fisted rule was the motivation for many English Protestants to flee England, cross the ocean, and found a new nation in America where religious freedom and separation of Church and State would allow for Christianity and liberty to flourish.

The story then continues with the Bibles of Colonial America, the dominance of the English King James Version Bible, and the eventual introduction of Bibles in a more modern form of English that was not centuries old.  All this and more awaits you when you read the full story of English Bible History.

Shop Our Bookshelves

Select a category below to browse our bookshelves and gift shop online.

Ancient Rare Bibles & Books

Printed in the 1500’s & 1600’s make amazing display items. These genuine originals are unforgettable gifts, and the ideal family heirloom to pass down to your children. Prices start under $3,000.
SHOP NOW

Ancient Rare Bible Leaves

These are genuine original pages from ancient Bibles. Your favorite passage of scripture is ready to frame and hang on your wall… from the very first printing of the 1611 KJV Bible, or from older English Bibles of the 1500’s. Prices start under $60.
SHOP NOW

Facsimilie Reproductions

These are high quality replicas of history’s most important English Bibles. If rather than investing in costly originals, you want an affordable reading copy of these ancient texts, photographically identical to the original; prices start under $150.
SHOP NOW

Featured Items

SHOP NOW

English Bible History

Learn more about the fascinating timeline of how we got the Bible in English. Read the illustrated story of Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Erasmus, Calvin, Queen Mary, King James, and others.
LEARN MORE

The Bible Museum
Email Newsletter

Subscribe to our popular email newsletter to receive special sale offers, discounts, and bonus gifts ONLY for subscribers. You will also receive free access to our Online Digital Library of Ancient Bibles.
SUBSCRIBE

The Bible Museum

Our Rare & Antique Bible Showroom offers the world’s largest for-sale collection of ancient Bibles.  Located in the Grand Lobby of one of Phoenix (Goodyear) Arizona’s most beautiful hotels; the outer showroom, open 24-hours, features many antique Bibles in display cabinets. The adjacent inner room houses our amazing Book Vault, where in-person purchases and tours are available by appointment only during regular business hours.  Since 1987 we have been not just the largest, but in fact, the world’s only full-time professional dealers of rare and antique Bibles with a public showroom.

Acquiring an ancient original antique Bible printed in the 1500’s, 1600’s, or 1700’s, can be an enormously rewarding experience for any Christian who appreciates God’s Word and values having an authentic and rare piece of Christian history. In addition to our inventory of complete restored and beautifully bound original ancient Bibles, we also offer the opportunity to obtain a favorite passage of scripture in the form of an ancient Bible leaf (Bible page) suitable for framing and displaying in your home. Also, for those simply wanting an affordable reference or study copy of the ancient English translations of the Word, we publish a full line of high quality facsimile reproductions. Whichever of these three options you choose, an ancient printing of God’s Word in your home stands as a “silent witness” to any visitor, demonstrating your priorities, and confirming that yours is a Christian home that honors our Christian heritage.

Collecting and displaying what we love in our homes is a deeply rooted human trait. Many people proudly display their collections of sports memorabilia, high end audio-video equipment, music, coins, stamps, wine, artwork, books, antiques, and fine furnishings. The more affluent even collect exotic and classic automobiles. The unspoken message in all cases is: “this is what I am about… this is what is important to me… this is what I love”.  What do the contents of your home silently communicate to your visitors (and your own family) regarding your focus, interests, and priorities?  Many of our customers have told us their antique Bibles or Bible leaves are the first things they show their visitors, and they are often a great conversation piece for sharing their faith. We discuss this further in our article on Family Bibles and their curious disappearance from most American homes since the 1980’s.

A Bible can be antique, but not rare. A Bible can be rare, but not antique. A Bible can be both antique and rare, but not valuable. However, what we offer are Bibles that check all three boxes: Bibles that are antique and rare and valuable.

How can you determine whether a Bible is antique or rare or valuable?  First and foremost, you should only purchase from a reputable dealer.  We here at The Bible Museum have been the world’s largest dealers of rare and antique Bibles since 1987, (online at GREATSITE.COM since 1996), and there are no other full-time professional rare book dealers with a legitimate storefront location who focus exclusively on ancient Biblical printings, and move a significant volume of such material, making our organization a “near monopoly” in this niche market for over 35 years.  We also strive to educate our customers to be independently discerning in their evaluations of ancient Bibles available for purchase anywhere.  The “bargain priced” antique Bible is often not investment grade, and not the bargain it may appear to be.  A basic understanding of the nature of antique Bibles and rare Bibles can provide a sense of empowerment for the buyer, which transcends being dependent upon trusting any dealer.

Our helpful article on Antique, Rare, & Valuable Bibles, explains why Bibles less than 200 years old are rarely of any historic or collector value.  Even more detail can be found on our Antique Bible Buyer’s Guide, which defines many terms used in the world of rare and antique Bibles, and discusses the key factors of antiquarian Bible evaluation including: rarity, historical significance, market demand, first edition status, age, condition, collation. binding, and provenance.  However, prerequisite to all that is having a good basic understanding of the history and timeline of English Bible translation, and our brief illustrated article on English Bible History is the most referenced work on that subject, having been read online by well over one million people over the past 25 years.  If you are more of a visual learner, we suggest watching our popular video, “The Forbidden Book”, which you can view freely on our website.

When people visit our showroom, we often hear “Do you have an original first edition of the 1611 King James Bible”?  (We usually do have one).  It is no surprise that the beloved 1611 King James Version Bible, also known as the KJV Bible, or simply The Authorized Version, being the most printed book in history, is the star of the show.  Many are however, surprised to learn that the 1611 King James Bible was not even among the first ten English translations of the Bible.  John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English in the late 1300’s, and William Tyndale (assisted by Myles Coverdale and John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers) printed English scriptures throughout the early to mid 1500’s.  Indeed, the 1611 KJV Bible was not even the first “Authorized” English Bible of the Church of England.  That was King Henry VIII’s “Great Bible” of 1539, followed by Queen Elizabeth’s “Bishops Bible” of 1568. The King James Bible came much later, as the third Bible to be officially authorized by the Anglican Church, in 1611.

Discovering that the King James Bible is actually not a Protestant Bible, but rather, it is an Anglican Bible, is a shock for many.  The much loved English Bible of the Protestant Reformation was in fact, the older 1560 Geneva Bible which continued to enjoy far more popularity than the KJV until well into the 1600’s.  But the greatest shock of all for those who treasure the 1611 King James Bible as their favorite, is learning that the 1611 KJV Bible was revised in 1615, and again in 1629, and again in 1638, and again in 1762 & 1769.  Nearly all King James Version Bibles printed in the past 250 years (since the late 1700’s) are the fifth generation revised version of the 1760’s, the Cambridge / Oxford Revisions, which contain 40,000 changes, and over 400 wording changes, … quite different than the 1611 First Edition King James Bible.  Yet modern printings of the King James Bible admit this unpopular truth nowhere, and misleadingly even say “1611” in the front.  Comparing your own King James Version Bible to one of our photographic facsimile reproductions of the first edition 1611 KJV Bible will quickly show the extreme difference.

Finally, there was one last change made to the King James Version Bible in 1885: the removal of 14 Books of The Bible!  Prior to 1885, all English Bibles, including all King James Bibles, had 80 Books.  Since 1885, we only find 66 Books in our Bibles. The missing Books, which were called the Deuterocanonical or Apocryphal Books were so important to King James that he threatened anyone who printed his Bible without these books, with a year in jail and heavy fines. This is all shocking to people who do not know the full story of the King James Bible, and the mystery and intrigue does not end there. The actual printing of the 1611 King James Bible was an extremely complex and confusing endeavor, involving two dozen printers, resulting in thousands of copies that were actually printed in 1611 being given bewildering title pages dated 1613, 1617, 1634, and 1639.  If you would like to know the full story, just read our article on The 1611 King James Bible.

We know… it can be overwhelming at first. But learning about the history of the Bible is a fascinating journey.  Our website, and particularly the links provided above, provide you with a step-by-step guide to quickly gaining a fundamental understanding of English Bible history.  You can then read all about each Bible and decide which antique Bibles (originals or reproductions) you would like to have in your home. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to contact us, and be sure to sign up for our Email Newsletter.

]]> Home-old https://greatsite.com/home-old/ Mon, 22 Aug 2022 11:12:23 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?page_id=9824

The world’s largest dealer of rare & antique Bibles, ancient Bible leaves, and antiquarian theology books.

SHOP NOW

Rare & Antique Holy Bibles

GREATSITE.COM is the online showroom of The Bible Museum, Inc.  Since 1987, we have been the world’s largest dealer of rare & antique Bibles, ancient Bible leaves (Bible pages), and antiquarian theology books.

In addition to these investment-grade genuine original antiquities, we also publish an affordable line of high quality facsimile reproductions of ancient Bibles. Discover great treasures of Christian history from sixty dollars…to six figures.

Shop Our Bookshelves

Select a category below to browse our bookshelves and gift shop online.

Ancient Rare Bibles & Books

Printed in the 1500’s & 1600’s make amazing display items. These genuine originals are unforgettable gifts, and the ideal family heirloom to pass down to your children. Prices start under $3,000.
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Ancient Rare Bible Leaves

These are genuine original pages from ancient Bibles. Your favorite passage of scripture is ready to frame and hang on your wall… from the very first printing of the 1611 KJV Bible, or from older English Bibles of the 1500’s. Prices start under $60.
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Facsimilie Reproductions

These are high quality replicas of history’s most important English Bibles. If rather than investing in costly originals, you want an affordable reading copy of these ancient texts, photographically identical to the original; prices start under $150.
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English Bible History

Learn more about the fascinating timeline of how we got the Bible in English. Read the illustrated story of Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Erasmus, Calvin, Queen Mary, King James, and others.
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The Bible Museum
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The Bible Museum

Our Rare & Antique Bible Showroom offers the world’s largest for-sale collection of ancient Bibles.  Located in the Grand Lobby of one of Phoenix (Goodyear) Arizona’s most beautiful hotels; the outer showroom, open 24-hours, features many antique Bibles in display cabinets. The adjacent inner room houses our amazing Book Vault, where in-person purchases and tours are available by appointment only during regular business hours.  Since 1987 we have been not just the largest, but in fact, the world’s only full-time professional dealers of rare and antique Bibles with a public showroom.

Acquiring an ancient original antique Bible printed in the 1500’s, 1600’s, or 1700’s, can be an enormously rewarding experience for any Christian who appreciates God’s Word and values having an authentic and rare piece of Christian history. In addition to our inventory of complete restored and beautifully bound original ancient Bibles, we also offer the opportunity to obtain a favorite passage of scripture in the form of an ancient Bible leaf (Bible page) suitable for framing and displaying in your home. Also, for those simply wanting an affordable reference or study copy of the ancient English translations of the Word, we publish a full line of high quality facsimile reproductions. Whichever of these three options you choose, an ancient printing of God’s Word in your home stands as a “silent witness” to any visitor, demonstrating your priorities, and confirming that yours is a Christian home that honors our Christian heritage.

Collecting and displaying what we love in our homes is a deeply rooted human trait. Many people proudly display their collections of sports memorabilia, high end audio-video equipment, music, coins, stamps, wine, artwork, books, antiques, and fine furnishings. The more affluent even collect exotic and classic automobiles. The unspoken message in all cases is: “this is what I am about… this is what is important to me… this is what I love”.  What do the contents of your home silently communicate to your visitors (and your own family) regarding your focus, interests, and priorities?  Many of our customers have told us their antique Bibles or Bible leaves are the first things they show their visitors, and they are often a great conversation piece for sharing their faith. We discuss this further in our article on Family Bibles and their curious disappearance from most American homes since the 1980’s.

A Bible can be antique, but not rare. A Bible can be rare, but not antique. A Bible can be both antique and rare, but not valuable. However, what we offer are Bibles that check all three boxes: Bibles that are antique and rare and valuable.

How can you determine whether a Bible is antique or rare or valuable?  First and foremost, you should only purchase from a reputable dealer.  We here at The Bible Museum have been the world’s largest dealers of rare and antique Bibles since 1987, (online at GREATSITE.COM since 1996), and there are no other full-time professional rare book dealers with a legitimate storefront location who focus exclusively on ancient Biblical printings, and move a significant volume of such material, making our organization a “near monopoly” in this niche market for over 35 years.  We also strive to educate our customers to be independently discerning in their evaluations of ancient Bibles available for purchase anywhere.  The “bargain priced” antique Bible is often not investment grade, and not the bargain it may appear to be.  A basic understanding of the nature of antique Bibles and rare Bibles can provide a sense of empowerment for the buyer, which transcends being dependent upon trusting any dealer.

Our helpful article on Antique, Rare, & Valuable Bibles, explains why Bibles less than 200 years old are rarely of any historic or collector value.  Even more detail can be found on our Antique Bible Buyer’s Guide, which defines many terms used in the world of rare and antique Bibles, and discusses the key factors of antiquarian Bible evaluation including: rarity, historical significance, market demand, first edition status, age, condition, collation. binding, and provenance.  However, prerequisite to all that is having a good basic understanding of the history and timeline of English Bible translation, and our brief illustrated article on English Bible History is the most referenced work on that subject, having been read online by well over one million people over the past 25 years.  If you are more of a visual learner, we suggest watching our popular video, “The Forbidden Book”, which you can view freely on our website.

When people visit our showroom, we often hear “Do you have an original first edition of the 1611 King James Bible”?  (We usually do have one).  It is no surprise that the beloved 1611 King James Version Bible, also known as the KJV Bible, or simply The Authorized Version, being the most printed book in history, is the star of the show.  Many are however, surprised to learn that the 1611 King James Bible was not even among the first ten English translations of the Bible.  John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English in the late 1300’s, and William Tyndale (assisted by Myles Coverdale and John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers) printed English scriptures throughout the early to mid 1500’s.  Indeed, the 1611 KJV Bible was not even the first “Authorized” English Bible of the Church of England.  That was King Henry VIII’s “Great Bible” of 1539, followed by Queen Elizabeth’s “Bishops Bible” of 1568. The King James Bible came much later, as the third Bible to be officially authorized by the Anglican Church, in 1611.

Discovering that the King James Bible is actually not a Protestant Bible, but rather, it is an Anglican Bible, is a shock for many.  The much loved English Bible of the Protestant Reformation was in fact, the older 1560 Geneva Bible which continued to enjoy far more popularity than the KJV until well into the 1600’s.  But the greatest shock of all for those who treasure the 1611 King James Bible as their favorite, is learning that the 1611 KJV Bible was revised in 1615, and again in 1629, and again in 1638, and again in 1762 & 1769.  Nearly all King James Version Bibles printed in the past 250 years (since the late 1700’s) are the fifth generation revised version of the 1760’s, the Cambridge / Oxford Revisions, which contain 40,000 changes, and over 400 wording changes, … quite different than the 1611 First Edition King James Bible.  Yet modern printings of the King James Bible admit this unpopular truth nowhere, and misleadingly even say “1611” in the front.  Comparing your own King James Version Bible to one of our photographic facsimile reproductions of the first edition 1611 KJV Bible will quickly show the extreme difference.

Finally, there was one last change made to the King James Version Bible in 1885: the removal of 14 Books of The Bible!  Prior to 1885, all English Bibles, including all King James Bibles, had 80 Books.  Since 1885, we only find 66 Books in our Bibles. The missing Books, which were called the Deuterocanonical or Apocryphal Books were so important to King James that he threatened anyone who printed his Bible without these books, with a year in jail and heavy fines. This is all shocking to people who do not know the full story of the King James Bible, and the mystery and intrigue does not end there. The actual printing of the 1611 King James Bible was an extremely complex and confusing endeavor, involving two dozen printers, resulting in thousands of copies that were actually printed in 1611 being given bewildering title pages dated 1613, 1617, 1634, and 1639.  If you would like to know the full story, just read our article on The 1611 King James Bible.

We know… it can be overwhelming at first. But learning about the history of the Bible is a fascinating journey.  Our website, and particularly the links provided above, provide you with a step-by-step guide to quickly gaining a fundamental understanding of English Bible history.  You can then read all about each Bible and decide which antique Bibles (originals or reproductions) you would like to have in your home. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to contact us, and be sure to sign up for our Email Newsletter.

]]> 1522 Complutensian Polyglot Bible https://greatsite.com/shop/version/polyglots-parallels-other/1522-complutensian-polyglot-bible/ Sat, 06 Aug 2022 13:16:54 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?post_type=product&p=9680 NOTE: This 1522 Complutensian Polyglot 6 Volume facsimile set is no longer available, however… full color high resolution digital editions of many ancient Bibles of the 1300's through the 1800's are available for free online access at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET     ]]>

1522 Complutensian Polyglot Bible
Facsimile Reproduction

The six-volume Complutensian Polyglot Bible was printed between 1514 and 1522 but not bound and published until 1522. It is one of the three most important books ever printed in human history. Its 1514 printing of the New Testament in the original Greek predates the Erasmus 1516 edition by two years, making it the very first printing of a Greek New Testament, as well as the first printing of a complete Bible in the original languages. Most importantly, it gave the Protestant Reformers an accurate source text from which to translate and to make God’s Word available in many European languages throughout the 1500s.

NOTE: This 1522 Complutensian Polyglot 6 Volume facsimile set is no longer available, however… full color high resolution digital editions of many ancient Bibles of the 1300’s through the 1800’s are available for free online access at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET 

Each of the six volumes is bound in a very high grade of synthetic leather, individually slipcased, and stands 15.25 inches tall and 11.25 inches wide.  The complete set of all six slipcased volumes together takes up 12.75 inches of bookshelf length, as the average thickness of each slipcased volume is around 2 inches. The paper is acid-free, archival-grade, thick, opaque, cream-colored stock.
You could be one of only around 200 people in the world who own a copy of the very first printing of God’s Word in the original Biblical languages. That’s an elite club consisting of around 100 extant original 1522 printings valued at up to $350,000 each (plus a few incomplete fragments), plus the fewer than 70 facsimile sets we printed, plus a few dozen copies that were printed as a small project several decades ago.  That’s all the copies that exist… original or facsimile… on this planet.  Yes, it’s really that rare.

Are you familiar with the very first printing of God’s Word in the original Biblical languages?  It is one of the Top Three most important books ever printed, (the other two being the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, and the 1611 King James Bible), yet few have heard of it. I am speaking of the 1514-1522 Complutensian Polyglot Bible, which was issued as a six-volume set containing the complete Bible in the original Biblical languages of ancient Hebrew (& Aramaic) for the Old Testament and ancient Greek for the New Testament, as well as including the Latin because it was the standard academic reference language of that time.Our facsimile reproduction set of this milestone of printing history and Christian history is the only one published in modern times. We originally offered it to Seminaries and Christian University Libraries, and to the public on our website, in 2016 for $7,495. Years later, we began to liquidate the remaining sets at a lower price point.  Because we have only ever printed fewer than 70 copies of this set, and only around a hundred of the complete originals (worth $350,000 each) are extant today… this is the only example I know of where our facsimile is actually rarer than the original!

It is also curious to consider: if you don’t own a copy of the Bible in the original ancient Greek and ancient Hebrew… you don’t really own a copy of the Bible as God delivered it unto Man… you just own a “translation” of the Bible into a modern European language like English or German … languages that did not exist in any recognizable form 1,000 years ago.

Our founder, Dr. Craig Lampe, once said:
“Of all the Biblical facsimile editions we have published over the past 25 years, I am more proud to have a copy of the Complutensian Polyglot in my home than anything else we have done.”

To further that thought, Dr. Lampe has only ever published two books (other than our Biblical facsimiles), and they are: “The Forbidden Book” – A History of The English Bible, and “How The Spanish Saved Christianity” – A History of The Complutensian Polyglot Bible.  You will also receive a free copy of Dr. Lampe’s book on the history of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible.

More details on… the 1522 Complutensian Polyglot Bible:

The First Printing of God’s Word in the Original Biblical Languages

God’s Word is the ancient Hebrew Old Testament Era scriptures and the ancient Greek New Testament Era scriptures. For about a thousand years (circa 400 AD to 1,400 AD), the scriptures were primarily kept in Latin, which was originally a very accurate Latin translation, but it became corrupted over the centuries by the Church of Rome. The Protestant Reformation was all about replacing that corrupted Latin with accurate translations of God’s Word into languages people could read, such as English, German, Spanish, etc. The goal was to set people free from the heresies, deceptions, and financial extortion scams (selling admission to heaven, selling forgiveness ) which were being perpetrated on them by those seeking to prevent the public from reading God’s Word on their own, to see what it really said.

But before Gods’ Word could be translated into the commonly spoken European languages like English (by Tyndale) and German (by Luther), and Spanish (by De Renia)… an accurate source text of the original Biblical languages was needed. In one of the greatest ironies of history, it was actually a Spanish Cardinal of the Church of Rome that spearheaded the effort to collect and preserve God’s Word accurately in the original tongues. Cardinal Francisco Jimenez (or Ximenes) may have been associated with the Roman Catholic Church, but he was certainly acting like a Protestant as he spent the equivalent of $12.5 million in gold to acquire and typeset the very first printed Bible in the original languages of Hebrew (and Aramaic) and Greek, and as it was the standard reference of its day, he also included the Latin… all in side-by-side columns.

The result was the six-volume Complutensian Polyglot Bible, which was printed between 1514 and 1522, but not bound and published until 1522. It is one of the three most important books ever printed in human history. Its 1514 printing of the New Testament in the original Greek predates the Erasmus 1516 edition by two years, making it the very first printing of a Greek New Testament, as well as the first printing of a complete Bible in the original languages. Most importantly, it gave the Protestant Reformers an accurate source text from which to translate and to make God’s Word available in many European languages throughout the 1500’s.

The typesetting, with its several different blocks of languages grouped across the pages, makes the Complutensian Polyglot Bible one of the most beautiful printed books ever produced. In spite of how extremely important this book is, fewer than 200 people today personally own a copy of it (either original or facsimile), as so very few originals and so very few facsimile copies have ever been produced. It is indeed an elite club to be among those very few people in the world who possess a copy of the first printing of the Bible in the original languages.

NOTE: This 1522 Complutensian Polyglot 6 Volume facsimile set is no longer available, however… full color high resolution digital editions of many ancient Bibles of the 1300’s through the 1800’s are available for free online access at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET 

 

A Brief History of the Complutensian Polyglot (C-P)

Printed in 1514 to 1517 and published in 1522, The C-P was the first of the three great polyglots. Later in the 16c, 1568-72, the Antwerp Polyglot would be printed, and in 1653-57 Brian Walton would print his Magnus opus in seven giant volumes, the Walton Polyglot.

The oversight behind the C-P project was granted to Cardinal Jimenez. To accomplish the project’s magnitude, one would compare the insurmountable difficulties of such an undertaking to the construction in the 20th century of the Panama Canal.

The project would require a series of undesigned coincidences to overcome the mental and religious prejudices we associate with the Middle Ages. Technology and science would be in their infancy. Galileo and Copernicus would make discoveries, and men like DaVinci would challenge man’s minds with fantastical concepts that brought great accomplishments.

Concurrent with an emerging brave new world that was in process, men were casting off the yoke of bondage that was stifling the very spirit of mankind. The God of creation was going to be made known to the European minds by virtue of His Word going free in the uncorrupted language of the Bible.

It was in Alcala, Spain, that Cardinal Jimenez undertook to challenge the corrupted text of the Latin Vulgate by assembling extremely learned men of trilingual learning in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. These peculiar men who were proficient in the languages of the ancient Scriptures were Jewish by birth but converted to Christianity when their race was expelled from Spain in 1492 during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. They were called “conversos.”

While Columbus was discovering America, the Jews of Spain sought asylum in Italy and Greece from the Spanish Inquisition. During the expulsion, many learned Spanish Jews converted to Christianity, which gave them license to remain in Spain. They were skilled in Hebrew, Aramaic, and other middle eastern languages, which permitted Cardinal Jimenez to have a reservoir of learning at his disposal that would be essential to the C-P.

The C-P Bible would be produced in an environment made possible by extremely high academic standards and freedom of thought that Alcala, with its 7000 students, would afford. Cardinal Jimenez was an integral and essential person to the atmosphere created by such academic freedom. The ingredients for such a recipe to complete such an ambitious project were great financial resources, brilliant Greek and Hebrew scholars who were uncorrupted by High Church influence and wholly committed and devoted to God.

Cardinal Jimenez was that person chosen by God to lead, assemble, encourage and energize his team of devoted men who would by the end product, a six-volume work, that would become the foundation for the Renaissance throughout Europe and England. The minds of men were being set free from man’s bondage to serve Jesus Christ through His faith.

The resistance to correcting the Vulgate was overwhelming. Ignorant men refused to even think of the Vulgate as a corrupted text. Their resistance to correction was the impetus to create an Inquisition that rained terror on anyone who challenged the “sacred Vulgate”; nevertheless, Jimenez stood with great faith against the ignorant and corrupt.

Opponents of the C-P were unrelenting in their desires to defeat the project. Their religious fervor determined to crush Jimenez’s efforts. Despite the enormous quantity of errors, the Vulgate was defended by its ignorant adherents with unrelenting passion. In a desperate attempt to end the project, the Inquisition was called to stop the printing. Using intimidation and threatening the editors’ lives, Jimenez protected his committed scholars. The Inquisition threat was forever neutralized in 1507 when Jimenez became the Inquisitor General. God works in mysterious ways!

The “conversos” (converted Jews) labored tirelessly to bring the project to completion. The “conversos” of Alcala contributed to the establishment of the text of the Hebrew Old Testament since the Polyglot of Antwerp followed mainly their version, and since that of London, in turn, followed mainly the Antwerp Polyglot.

The C-P Polyglot resulted in the first Greek translation of the Old Testament in print that we commonly refer to as the Septuagint.

Tomes I-IV contains the Old Testament and Hebrew text in the outer columns. The Greek of the Septuagint in the inner column and the Latin Vulgate in the center. There are no verse divisions. There are chapter divisions with subdivisions marked by capitals A, B, C, and D.

Tome V contains the New Testament in Greek and Latin in two columns. The Acts of the Apostles are positioned after the Epistle to the Hebrews following the Pauline Epistles.

Tome VI contains aids for students of the Hebrew and Greek texts; furthermore, the editors provided a dictionary of Hebrew and Aramaic words with Latin equivalents. Of essential assistance to the students, who were only learned in Latin, were explanations of the meaning of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek names in the Bible.

In 1453 Constantinople fell to the Turks. In 1455 John Gutenberg invented the printing press with a moveable type. The first book printed was the Vulgate Bible, with all of its errors and corruptions of New Testament doctrine. As the Greek-speaking immigrants fled into Europe in the wake of the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the proliferation of 1200 years of Greek studies and history with God’s Word at its heart was poised to destroy the Latin-speaking world’s monopoly on education.

The Renaissance was being birthed by this series of undesigned coincidences. The stranglehold on religion and knowledge by power brokers in the Catholic Church was going to be broken. But, what price is freedom?

Six hundred copies were authorized by Pope Leo X. A large number (450) of that quantity were destroyed when the ship transporting them to Italy sank to the bottom of the sea. Perhaps, 150 sets survive in complete sets of fragments. In U. S. dollars, the cost of the project was more than $12,000,000!

Some important and interesting facts about the Complutensian Polyglot:

  1. The Polyglot marks a significant period in the history of the Church as well as new developments in the European mind that helped the Reformation era immensely.
  2. Converted Jewish scholars made the task an intellectual masterpiece.
  3. The Polyglot was historically important because it exposed the Vulgate errors, which were regarded as the fundamental text of the Bible.
  4. The “academics” of that day were challenged without exception because of the Polyglot – including Erasmus.
  5. Volume 6 contains several aids for students of Hebrew and Greek texts. The largest contribution is a dictionary of Hebrew and Aramaic words with Latin equivalents, described by the editors as “most useful and correct.”
  6. The Polyglot set a bold standard in that there were very few printing errors.
  7. The original Prologue in Volume One offers this explanation: “We are impelled by many reasons to print the original text of Holy Scripture, since no version can translate all the force and naturalness of the original faithfully, especially when it treats the language in which God Himself has spoken, which words were, to speak thus taken from the senses and fountains of mysteries which only can be glimpsed of known from the original in which the Holy Scriptures were written.”

NOTE: This 1522 Complutensian Polyglot 6 Volume facsimile set is no longer available, however… full color high resolution digital editions of many ancient Bibles of the 1300’s through the 1800’s are available for free online access at BIBLES-ONLINE.NET 

]]> The 1611 King James Bible https://greatsite.com/the-1611-king-james-bible/ Wed, 03 Aug 2022 06:23:41 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?p=9505
The 1611 King James Bible
The English King James Bible is the best selling book in history, by an extremely wide margin. With multiple billions of copies in print, no other book can claim even one billion copies in print. Even more impressive, the King James Bible remains one of the most popular translations of the Bible today, in spite of being in an archaic dialect of English that is well over four centuries old. There is simply no more beloved, influential, or widely read book in the world.

King James Bible, KJV Bible, AV Bible: Many Names

Also known as the King James Version Bible, the KJV Bible, the Authorized Version, The AV Bible, etc; the King James Bible is often associated with the year 1611 in which it was originally published. The original 1611 Version of the King James Bible however, ceased publication in the early 1600’s (with the exception of some modern era facsimiles of the 1611 KJV Bible). All of the billions of mass-produced King James Version Bibles printed in the past two centuries are in fact highly revised editions differing substantially from the four century old 1611 original version, as we will explore further…

The KJV Bible: The Greatest, But Not Among The First

The first English translations of the Bible were the hand-written manuscripts of John Wycliffe and his followers in the late 1300’s, well before Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in 1455. The lineage of Protestant-produced printed English Bibles begins in the early 1500’s. The first printed English New Testaments were produced by William Tyndale in the 1520’s & 1530’s. The first complete English Bible was published by Myles Coverdale in 1535. The first English Bible translated directly from the original Hebrew & Greek was the Matthew-Tyndale Bible of 1537 and 1549. The most popular of all Protestant translations of the Bible into English was the Geneva Bible of 1560.

The Church of England, also known as The Anglican Church, originally took the same position as the Roman Catholic Church, which was to keep God’s Word trapped in the old ecclesiastical language of Latin, and to kill any Protestants who dared to print the Bible in English. However, that position changed with the advent of King Henry VIII’s “Great Bible” of 1539, as the first officially authorized English Bible of the Anglican Church.  This was followed by the 1568 Bishops Bible, under the reign of Queen Elizabeth, as the second officially authorized English Bible of the Anglican Church. And finally, this was followed by the 1611 King James Bible, under the reign of King James, as the third officially authorized English Bible of the Anglican Church.  More details are provided on the English Bible History Page.

It may come as a shock to those who assume the King James Bible was either the first English Bible, or at least among the first, to learn that the 1611 KJV Bible in fact came nearly a century after the several English Bible translations of the 1500’s which preceded it.  Indeed the King James Bible was not even one of the first translations to be authorized by the Church that ultimately produced it, as it was in fact the third in the lineage of Anglican Church Authorized Bibles of 1539, 1568, and 1611.

The KJV Bible: Not Protestant or Catholic; Actually Anglican

Many are also surprised to learn that the 1611 King James Bible was not a Protestant Bible, but rather, it was an Anglican / Church of England Bible, though the KJV Bible is of course embraced by Protestants everywhere today. Curiously, the greatest Protestant Bible, the 1560 Geneva Bible, is not well known today, and no longer printed except in small quantity by niche market publishers. The Geneva Bible remained the most popular English Bible until the mid-1600’s.  King James was so aggravated by the competition, that by 1616, he had effectually made it illegal to print the Geneva Bible in England, (having actually threatened to enforce such a ban since 1611), ensuring that his own King James Version would reign supreme without rival.

King James: Hero or Tyrant?

King James was a highly educated and very intelligent man, but his personal life made him the most controversial person to rule over England since his relative King Henry VIII.  King James publicly proclaimed in 1622 that English Kings are “rightly called gods” and as such, Kings could kill whomever they wished, marry whomever they wished, and engage in sexual relations with anyone they wished, male or female.  He even declared it a crime to question King’s personal morality. More details are provided in this linked biographical sketch on King James

It was in fact, King James who motivated the founding of what became the United States of America.  A group of Protestant Separatists in the early 1600’s rejected the practices of the King’s Anglican Church, and the morality of King James.  They tried to establish their own Protestant churches, but King James refused to allow them religious freedom, fining and imprisoning them.  Eventually these Protestant Separatists fled England on a ship called The Mayflower, becoming known as Pilgrims.  In 1620 they landed on the shore of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and began to establish a community with separation of Church and State in order to avoid the tyranny from which they had fled, under King James. They brought with them their beloved English Protestant Geneva Bible, as they were obviously not fans of King James or his Bible.  Curiously, as the years went by, the early American colonists drifted away from their Geneva Bible, and began to embrace the King James Bible almost exclusively.

It should be noted that the personal morality of King James should in no way reflect poorly upon the King James Version of The Bible. Indeed, King James had almost nothing to do with the actual translation of the Bible that bears his name.  He merely funded it with taxpayer money, and commanded that it be printed (without illustrations or commentary) and distributed. The translation was done by 50 of the world’s top Biblical scholars and translation experts, from 1607 to 1610, and published in 1611. The resulting 1611 King James Bible translation was extremely accurate and trustworthy, as well as being majestic in its rendering of the English scriptures.  No other English Bible has ever come near the popularity and influence of the King James Version.

The King James Bible Today vs The 1611 King James Bible

Think you are using the 1611 King James Bible?  Think again.

You may already have one or more “King James Version” Bibles in your home, and they probably all say “1611” in the front… however the shocking truth is, that is not even close to being an accurate claim.  In spite of your King James Bible having the Dedication to King James preface, and the To The Christian Reader preface, and the Title Page that grandiosely proclaims it to be “Translated Out Of The Original Tongues: And With The Former Translations Diligently Compared And Revised By His Majesty’s Special Command and Appointed To Be Read In Churches” with the date “1611” boldly displayed; that is not actually what you have.  Indeed, all of that prefatory content is unfortunately just a deceptive marketing ploy maintained by modern Bible publishers in what is essentially a conspiracy to maintain their profitable myth that the King James Version they publish today is essentially the same as the King James Bible of 1611… just re-typeset into a modern typeface.  That is not even close to being true.

First and foremost, almost 100% of King James Bibles (and all other English Bibles) printed throughout the 1600’s, 1700’s, and most of the 1800’s, up until around 1885, contained 80 Books, not 66 Books.  The 14 Books that were removed from English Bibles (including all the King James Bibles) around 1885 are called the Apocrypha, or Deuterocanonical, or Inter-Testamental Books. These Books were written mostly around 400 B.C. to 200 B.C., so they are Old Testament Era Jewish material.  The Apocrypha Books are absolutely not “Roman Catholic” as is often believed in error, (because the Roman Catholics did not remove most of these ancient Jewish Books from their Bibles). In fact, King James set forth a decree in 1611, that if anyone printed his Bible without The Apocrypha Books, he would fine them one year of their wages and imprison them for one year.  The Apocrypha was, by law and royal decree, part of every King James Version Bible printed from 1611 until close to three centuries after 1611.

The Apocrypha includes important history about what happened during the “Inter-Testamental Period”, after the Old Testament, and before the coming of Christ in the New Testament. We also find uniquely specific prophecy.  As an example, in the Apocryphal Book of Second Esdras, Chapter 7, Verses 28+29, we find in the 1611 King James Bible, “For my son Jesus shall be revealed with those that be with him, and they that remain shall rejoice within 400 years.  After these years shall my son Christ die, and all men that have life.” Bear in mind that the names “Jesus” and “Christ” appear nowhere in any Old Testament Book, (though The Messiah is spoken of, with many prophecies concerning His coming, but not providing a time estimate). Also, no prediction of exactly when Jesus Christ would appear are found anywhere in the Old Testament, but this Apocrypha reference states “within 400 years”.  That’s impressive, isn’t it?  Most of the Great Protestant Reformers and Preachers from the 1500’s through the 1800’s, including the great and beloved Baptist preacher of the late 1800’s, Charles Spurgeon, preached from The Apocrypha.

But the unwarranted and illegal removal of The 14 Apocrypha Books in 1885 was only the most recent change to the 1611 King James Bible.  There were also a multitude of changes to the Old Testament and New Testament scriptures.  Between the first revision of around 1615 and the last revision of 1769, (notwithstanding the aforementioned 1885 removal of 14 Books), more than 400 wording changes, and close to 40,000 changes in spelling, italics, and punctuation were made to the Old & New Testament scripture of the King James Version.  Here are just 3 of the more than 400 examples of wording changes:

Numbers 6: 14

KJV Bibles of 1611 unto the 1770’s:  one lamb without blemish

KJV Bibles of the 1770’s unto Today:  one ram without blemish

Ezekiel 24: 7

KJV Bibles of 1611 unto the 1770’s:  poured it upon the ground

KJV Bibles of the 1770’s unto Today: poured it not upon the ground

John 15: 20

KJV Bibles of 1611 unto the 1770’s:  The servant is not greater than the Lord.

KJV Bibles of the 1770’s unto Today:  The servant is not greater than his lord.

It is shocking to realize this, but the “King James Version” Bible you may have been using all your life… if it was printed within the past 250 years… is NOT the 1611 King James Bible.  It has in fact been subjected to a multitude of revisions. If you do not own a photographic reproduction of the original 1611 then you have no point of reference to see these changes.

Timeline of 1611 King James Bible Revisions

1611 – The original King James Bible is printed in London.

1615 – The first revisions are seen in London KJV printings. 

1629 – Cambridge University begins printing the KJV, with sweeping revisions.

1638 – Cambridge University prints the “Corrected” KJV with widespread changes, and this highly updated version becomes the universally accepted and universally printed KJV Bible for 124 years.  There are no noteworthy protests regarding the revisions.

1675 – Oxford University begins printing the KJV Bible: essentially still the 1638 edition.

1762 – Cambridge University, guided by Dr. F.S. Paris, issues a massively changed KJV text with hundreds of wording changes, and tens of thousands of spelling changes to reflect the new modern English word spelling uniformity mandated by the widely accepted 1755 Johnson’s English Dictionary.  A group of “1611 Loyalists” burns the Cambridge Warehouse down in protest, destroying all but several copies.

1769 – Oxford University, guided by Dr. Benjamin Blayney, takes a surviving copy of Cambridge’s 1762 revised and modernized KJV text, and adds more changes, resulting now in a total of 400 wording changes, and tens of thousands of changes to spelling, punctuation, and italics. A group of “1611 Loyalists” (Proto-Ruckmanites?) burns the Oxford Warehouse down in protest, destroying all but several copies.

Every King James Version Bible printed from the late 1770’s until today… for the past more than 250 years… is the 1769 revision, of the 1762 revision, of the 1638 revision, of the 1629 revision, of the 1615 revision, of the 1611.

With just one other caveat…

1885 – The 14 Apocrypha Books were removed from all King James Bibles.

So, as you can see, even though your King James Bible may say “1611” in the front, and have lots of prefatory historical references to King James, all of that is for show.  The fallacy keeps the masses happy, keeps the major publishers selling lots of so-called “1611” King James Bibles … perhaps it even prevents warehouses from being burned down.  But it is not true.  

The Complex Printing Of The First Edition 1611 King James Bible

All of the First Edition King James Bibles that were printed in the year 1611 were printed under the license of King James, in London, supervised by Robert Barker.  All were huge pulpit folio size (around 17 inches tall), with no smaller size printings done in 1611.  All had 59 lines of text to their two-column pages.  All had the exact same layout of verse-to-page parameters: for example, in every 1611 printing, the fourth leaf (the fourth two-sided page) of Romans contains precisely Romans 6: 1 through Romans 8: 8.

However, the 1611 King James Bible was printed on an estimated 25 different printing presses in London in 1611.  Some were royal presses, but most were independently owned presses used under exercise of royal imminent domain by decree of the King, in order to get the printing done as soon as possible.  No one press printed more than just a few Books of the Bible, as assigned by the supervisors (such as Barker and his staff).  It is extremely important to also understand that no one press had an exclusive on the Books they were assigned, so multiple print shops were tasking with printing Genesis, for example.  You may have had 5 or more different printing shops all assigned to do only Genesis through Deuteronomy, and the next 5 different printing shops may have been assigned to do Matthew through Acts, etc. (Note: these are hypothetical examples of assignment for illustration purposes… we do not know exactly which presses printed which Books of the Bible, because those records were all lost in the Great Fire that nearly destroyed London in 1666).

When all the pieced-out assignments were gathered back at the Royal Print Shop, they were assembled in almost countless variations of provenance… so the different types of printing errors were extremely numerous, and more importantly they were dissimilar.  Dr. Francis Fry, the greatest Bible collector of the 1800’s, notes in his 1865 Book on the history of the 1611 KJV Bible printing, “I have personally examined more than 100 copies of the 1611 first printing of the King James Bible, and I have not been able to find any two copies that are exactly identical in their wording.”  This is because the estimated two dozen different print shops, doing only assigned portions for subsequent collation, (no one of them having an exclusive on their assigned portions), results mathematically in several hundred different possible variations of textual idiosyncrasies and variations… different combinations and permutations of collations of complete Bible text blocks to bind.

It is perhaps easiest to visualize the complexity this way… let’s assign each of the approximately two dozen London print shops contracted in 1611 to print assigned portions of the King James Bible with a letter of the alphabet to identify their shop: A to Z.  Now, let’s imagine all those various portions printed and gathered back at the royal warehouse for collation (ordering and assembling of the pages) and binding in complete 1611 King James Bibles.  One of the finished and bound Bibles might be a gathering of page portions in the following order, Genesis to Revelation, from the following print shops responsible for that particular example’s pages:  C-M-L-A-R-H-M-Z-P-F-C-T  And the next one might be identified as: A-R-Z-A-Q-J-E-O-W-X-G-Y.  It is easier to understand now why, when Dr. Fry examined over 100 copies of the 1611 KJV First Edition, all printed in exactly 1611, he could not find any two that were identical.

Each complete Bible had different collections of typographical discrepancies with very minor errors and deviations.  Little word alterations like “He” vs. “She” or “of” vs “if” or “heals” vs. “healeth”.  None of those errors were substantive wording issues that appreciably changed the meaning of anything theologically. Printing a 750-page Bible in 1611, with dozens of contracted printers, made it practically impossible to produce complete Bibles with zero minor typographical errors.

For reasons that seem to be wrapped up in tradition more than logic or reason, many collectors focus on whether a given copy of the 1611 King James Bible says “he went into the citie”, or “she went into the citie”  at Ruth 3: 15, going as far as to label such Bibles “He Variant” or “She Variant”.  Ultimately, this is a meaningless distinction, and one among countless distinctions anyway.  However, because it has been noted that the so-called “He Variants” tend to have two dated “1611” title pages, and the “She Variants” tend to have one dated 1611 Title Page, (more details about this are below), the “He Variants” are more highly prized among collectors. Some even think, in error, that the “He Variants” were printed earlier, as “He” is an error, and “She” is correct, so they reason that the error must precede the correction.  That is of course a fallacy of logic, as both were printed simultaneously in different print shops. In fact, this is not even true 100% of the time, as there are known examples of “She Variants” with two dated “1611” title pages, including one of the 1611 King James Bibles in the Gene Scott Rare Bible Collection in Los Angeles, California.

It should also be noted that the beginning of each chapter of each Book of the Bible had its own decorative “drop-letter” (a larger letter, typically with a floral or otherwise ornate design). These were random, left up to the individual print shop director to select whatever design they wished (mostly within a large set of pre-approved designs). So one copy of the First Edition 1611 King James Bible might have a rose growing out of the first letter of Chapter 24 of Matthew, while another might have a tulip growing out of that letter, and another might have a bird sitting by the letter, and another might just have some fancy scrolling lines accenting the letter. Sometimes a printer even went a bit rouge and selected ornamented drop letters that were not approved.  For example, some original 1611 First Edition King James Bibles show on the first page of Ephesians, which starts at Ephesians 1: 1 with a large “P” for Paul… a bare-breasted woman swinging from the top of the large “P”!

Any 1600’s Era printing of the King James Version Bible that is about 17 inches tall, with 59 lines of two-column text, is one that was printed in exactly 1611. Period.  Whatever textual distinctions it may have do not effect this in any way.  However, not all the copies that were printed in 1611, were bound and issued in 1611, and so not all the copies printed in 1611 bear “1611” dated title pages… much to the chagrin and irritation of rare book dealers and collectors for the past four centuries.

The Confusing Issuance of The 1611 King James Bible

In the end it was realized that all these printers had in fact printed far more copies of the 1611 King James Bible than were needed to fulfill the King’s decree that one be placed on every church pulpit and every college or seminary lectern in England with several extras to present as royal gifts. There were actually thousands of extra copies printed… way more than were needed in 1611. So, they took the number of text blocks (unbound complete Bibles) they needed… which as we have already established were not exactly identical to each other… and bound them and issued them out the door of the Royal Warehouse in 1611.

However, many of the text blocks remained unbound for several years, and were later bound with subsequently dated title pages indicating their actual year of BINDING and ISSUANCE … and NOT their year of printing, which was of course “1611” in all cases.  Oh, the confusion this has caused among dealers and collectors over the proceeding centuries!  This happened in five recognized stages of issuance, (as additional copies were requested over the coming decades), which we will now list.

The First Edition, First Issue, of the 1611 King James Bible

  • Was printed in 1611
  • Was bound and issued out the door in 1611
  • The Old Testament Title Page is dated 1611
  • The New Testament Title Page is dated 1611

The First Edition, Second Issue, of the 1611 King James Bible

  • Was printed in 1611
  • Was bound and issued out the door in 1613
  • The Old Testament Title Page is dated 1613
  • The New Testament Title Page is dated 1611

Note: they attempted to confirm the 1611 printing date by dating one Title Page 1611, while acknowledging the 1613 binding date by dating the other Title Page 1613.

Note also: there was a separate unrelated printing of the King James Pulpit Folio Bible done in 1613, but that printing, often called the “True Second Edition Folio”, has 72 lines of text to the page, not 59 lines as all 1611 printings show, so they are easy to tell apart.

The First Edition, Third Issue, of the 1611 King James Bible

  • Was printed in 1611
  • Was bound and issued out the door in 1617
  • The Old Testament Title Page is dated 1617
  • The New Testament Title Page is dated 1617

Note: from the third issue forward, they just gave up trying to communicate the 1611 printing date on either Title Page.  The idea that this would cause confusion among antique Bible collectors centuries latter was surely not among their concerns.

The First Edition, Fourth Issue, of the 1611 King James Bible

  • Was printed in 1611
  • Was bound and issued out the door in 1634
  • The Old Testament Title Page is dated 1634
  • The New Testament Title Page is dated 1634

The First Edition, Fourth Issue, of the 1611 King James Bible

  • Was printed in 1611
  • Was bound and issued out the door in 1639-1640
  • The Old Testament Title Page is dated 1640
  • The New Testament Title Page is dated 1639

Note: the odd dating of the later year first, just as the Second Issue of 1613-1611

The Burden of Proof & The Great Fire

The explanation provided here is the one accepted by the vast majority of King James Bible collectors today.  It is logical, and despite its complexity, it is far more reasonable than the seemingly absurd counter-theory that the royal printers re-set the printing presses five times from 1611 to 1640, bizarrely holding themselves to the excruciatingly exacting standard of maintaining identical verse-to-page layout parameters, for no apparent reason, (and did so flawlessly every time), and with no historical documentation of such a decree to do such a thing, … again executing all this repeatedly on five separate occasions across three decades of printing.

In 2021, we confirmed this commonly accepted belief that all five issues were printed in 1611, with the more than 3,500 antique Bible collectors and enthusiasts on our email newsletter list.  Not one person responded indicating they believed otherwise.  Many responded confirming their acceptance of this common sense understanding of the 1611 printing of all five issues.

Ultimately, definitive proof of any ancient printing protocols may be impossible because the detailed records documenting exactly how all books were printed in London were mostly lost in the Great Fire which swept through London in 1666. The fire was so widespread, history records that it destroyed 13,200 homes, (the majority of all residences in London), and 87 churches, including Saint Paul’s Cathedral, which had stood since the Middle Ages.  Some historians have observed that the fire may have been a blessing in disguise, as relatively few people actually died despite the fire’s massive devastation, and the fire consumed all of the rat-infested slum areas which were thought to have caused the Great Bubonic Plague of London which killed close to 100,000 people, just a year earlier in 1665.  It was, perhaps, a cleansing fire.

Why The Ancient King James Version Remains Popular

There are three primary reasons why the Authorized King James Bible remains so highly favored among Christians, even into the 21st century.

First, is the simple fact that many born in or prior to the 1970’s grew up reading exclusively the KJV Bible.  This is because the wave of popular modern English Bibles (such as the NIV & NASB) were not published until the early 1970’s, and so the KJV had few rivals in American culture before that time.  For these older individuals, there remains a strong sentimental attachment to the King James Bible’s regal and poetic rendering of the scriptures.  This may remind the reader of childhood, simpler times, church, family values, and other associated treasured memories. Admittedly this is not a theological reason, but it nevertheless carries a tremendous amount of emotional weight for those who “grew up KJV”.

Second, is the legacy effect stemming from the fact that a vast number of people have memorized many Bible passages in their younger years using the King James Version, and so all the scripture they committed to memory only “sounds right” when rendered in the King James Version.  Take for example, John 3: 16, which in the King James Version tells us that God “gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish”.  When that is rendered in modern English such as, “gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish”, it just does not hit the ear as familiarly and comfortably for those who memorized it differently.  The majority of those who feel this way will personally prefer the King James Version for their own use, but most do not take offense at all other translations, nor do most of them advocate that other people should also use the KJV exclusively.

Third, is a deeply held belief among many English speaking Christians, (especially those located in the more rural “Bible Belt” areas of the central United States), that all the modern English translations of the Bible are somehow apostate, heretical, inaccurate, and liberal… with many going as far as to believe that all English Bibles produced after the KJV Bible are conspiratorial works of Satan, without exception.  These individuals do insist that others should only use the KJV Bible.

The “KJV Only” Movement

Those who hold the surprisingly common position of rejecting all Bible translations except the Authorized King James Version are called “KJV Only” or “KJVO” or “KJV Loyalists”… or in the most extreme cases, they may rise to the level of being “Ruckmanites”.  They will not read any translation except the KJV, and they will not attend any church or Bible study or fellowship that quotes scripture from any translation but the KJV.  While there are more KJV-Only practitioners in the USA who identify as “Baptist” than any other denomination; the majority of Baptists are not KJV-Only, and the largest Baptists denomination, the Southern Baptist Churches, rejects the stance of hard-core KJV-Only groups.

To help differentiate themselves as KJV-Only and avoid confusion (and often to avoid unwanted confrontation with unwitting church visitors who are not comfortable with a KJV-Only stance); many KJV-Only churches will boldly state on their church’s roadside sign, directly under the name of their church, “KJV ONLY”, and also disclaim this prominently in all their church’s printed literature, social media, and website.  This is a stern warning to all “Non-KJV-Only” people to think carefully and be advised of this before visiting.  However this practice is also helpful to those who are already KJV-Only, assisting them in finding a congregation of like-minded believers.

The technical reasons typically given for this most extreme position tend to involve arguments about the original source texts of Hebrew and Greek used by translators.  The King James Only faction favors the Byzantine tradition’s so-called “textus receptus” (“received text”), and distrusts the Alexandrian texts (on which most 20th & 21st centuries English Bibles rely).

“Ruckmanites” are the most extreme KJV-only faction, but we want to emphasize up front that the vast majority of “KJV-Only” people do NOT go as far as to identify as Ruckmanites, before we take a closer look at this faction’s beliefs and founder.

The Ruckmanites take their KJV-Only stance much further than simply rejecting all English translations except the KJV.  They actually believing that the King James Version is superior to the original Greek and Hebrew from which it was primarily originally translated.  While that may seem impossible on the surface, it should be understood that they believe the 1611 King James Bible represents a “new revelation” or “advanced revelation” from God, improving and perfectly codifying His Word for eternity in the Divinely chosen superior English language at a finite point in time in 1611 AD.  Ironically, the underlying source text argument (Byzantine vs. Alexandrian) is rendered effectually irrelevant for them, because the KJV translation itself is considered to be directly Divinely inspired word-for-word, with God’s Word settled for eternity only in the ancient English of the original KJV.

They even believe that translations of the Bible into other languages for non-English speakers (such as Spanish, French, German, Russian, Chinese, etc) must be made from the King James English as the original source translation text, and not from the original Greek and Hebrew!  The founder of this extreme minority faction within the KJVO movement, Peter Ruckman, went as far as to warn that every person who does not speak or read English, is headed to eternal damnation if they do not either learn English and read the KJV Bible, or get a Bible in their own language that was translated directly from the English KJV.  This makes it nearly impossible for anyone who is not an English speaker to be saved from eternal damnation, because their are no widely published Bibles in other languages that were oddly translated from the English King James translation as their source text, rather than being translated from the original Biblical languages as common sense would seem to dictate.  This merciless stance is less unexpected when one considers that Peter Ruckman also publicly stated in a video interview in 1993 that the only thing keeping him from joining the Ku Klux Klan was their hatred of Jews, commenting that he “agreed with everything else they say” regarding the Divinely ordained supremacy of the White race, etc.

While many Christians, including most KJV-Only Christians, recoil from such beliefs as being racist or illogical or absurd; it should again be emphasized and understood that only a very small fraction of people who exclusively use the King James Version go as far as to adhere to such an extreme stance of elevating the English KJV above the original and far more ancient Biblical languages or Greek and Hebrew from which the KJV was translated. That being said, it is also important to understand that there are millions of American Christians whose membership is in KJV-Only churches of one variety or another, so the broader movement itself is not an obscure or small faction.  KJV-Only represents a substantial percentage of Christianity in America. Hard-core Ruckmanism does not.

The KJV Bible & Antiquarian Stylized Prayer Language

The ongoing influence of the English King James Version Bible on Christian Culture today in the 21st Century is so deep and profound, even among those who do not exclusively use the KJV, it truly places the KJV Bible in a class by itself, far above all other works in the English language.  As undeniable proof of this, we need look no further than the modern day prevalence of Antiquarian Stylized Prayer Language (ASPL).  You almost certainly know what that is, even if you do not immediately recognize the term.

Many people have developed a powerful correlation in their minds between the style and sound of the older “Shakespearean” or “Elizabethan” English of the 1600’s, and the sense and feeling this conveys of divinity, authority, originality, holiness, righteousness, and sacredness.  This perceived relationship which presumes an archaic form of English is the ideal method of communicating religious matters, is so embedded in many traditionalist churches, and in many older Christians, that it actually transcends the scriptures and overflows into spoken prayer.

It is not uncommon in some churches to hear pastors pray in a very highly stylized manner that imitates 1600’s era English, (often inaccurately and excessively), rather than the normal English they otherwise use.  For example: “Lord doth we beseech Thee in Thy mercy. Lookest Thou upon us in our iniquity for Thou knowest our very souls. We implore Thy forgiveness to aswage our guilt, and condemn us not, that we mayest approach thine glorious countenance.”   That is not a scripture reference.  That is an example of ASPL – Antiquarian Stylized Prayer Language, which is heard in thousands of English speaking churches today… even many who use Bibles other the King James Version.  And it is not just pastors and worship leaders who do this.  Many American Christians, when they pray over a meal at home, begin with something like, “We thank Thee oh Lord for Thy bountiful blessings…” or something similar to that.  Indeed, in our increasingly liberal and apostate world, where it has become common to hear people asked “what are your preferred pronouns?”… for many, the answer may not be “He / His” or “She Hers” or ‘They / Them”… but rather, “Thou / Thine”.

Seriously though… can you name one other book that has so deeply influenced people, that well over 400 years after its publication, its linguistic style inspires people to want to imitate its sound, even when they are not quoting from it, and not talking directly about it?  Only the English King James Bible can make this claim.  The KJV Bible’s style is so adored and revered that millions of people today aspire to “sound like it” in prayer.  It is difficult to overstate how deeply rooted the 1611 King James Bible continues to be in our culture, over 410 years later.

The 1611 King James Version Bible: Summary of 9 Key Points

– 1.) The King James Bible, in its many forms, is the best-selling, most beloved, most influential book ever produced.

– 2.) The King James Version is not among the earliest of English Bible translations, but it is certainly the greatest English Bible of antiquity.

– 3.) Despite being an Anglican Bible, the KJV is widely embraced by Protestants for centuries.

– 4.) While King James was a very immoral man, he was not a translator of the Bible which bears his name. The KJV Bible was translated by the world’s top scholars and remains a highly accurate and beautiful translation of the scriptures, into the English of the early 1600’s.

– 5.) The King James Bible has been through many textual revisions since 1611, including 1615, 1629, 1638, 1762, 1769, and the removal of 14 Books in 1885.

– 6.)The printing of the King James Bible in 1611 was complex, involving many print shops, each assigned to print only a portion of the Bible, and with no shop having an exclusive on printing its assigned portion, resulting in enumerable discrepancies from copy to copy.

-7.) The binding and issuance of the King James Bible was also complex and confusing, with thousands of copies that were printed in 1611 not being released until 1613, 1617, 1634, and 1640, and bearing dated title pages counterintuitively reflecting their year of binding and issuance rather than the original year of 1611 in which the pages were physically printed.

-8.) The King James Version remains enormously popular today because many people grew up reading the KJV exclusively, and many memorized scripture from the KJV, and there remains a large group of “KJV Only” practitioners whose stances range widely from strongly preferring the KJV to vehemently condemning all who use anything other than the KJV.

-9.) The ongoing prevalence of “antiquarian stylized prayer language”, inspired by the King James Version of the Bible, is clear evidence of the profound and lasting cultural impact of the KJV throughout the world today.

]]> Antique Bibles vs. Rare Bibles vs. Valuable Bibles https://greatsite.com/antique-rare-valuable-bibles/ https://greatsite.com/antique-rare-valuable-bibles/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2022 07:53:30 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?p=9263
Antique Bibles vs. Rare Bible vs. Valuable Bibles: What is the difference?

A Bible can be antique, but not rare.
A Bible can be rare, but not antique.
A Bible can be both antique and rare, but not valuable.

However, what most collectors want, and what we almost exclusively deal in, are Bibles that check all three boxes: Bibles that are antique and rare and valuable.

So, how can you determine whether a Bible is antique or rare or valuable?  First and foremost, you should only purchase from a reputable dealer.  We here at GREATSITE.COM have been the world’s largest dealers of rare and antique Bibles since 1996, and there are no other full-time professional rare book dealers who focus exclusively on ancient Biblical printings, and move a significant volume of such material, making our organization a “near monopoly” in this niche market for three decades.

That being said, we also strive to educate our customers so that they can be independently discerning in their evaluations of ancient Bibles available for purchase anywhere.  A basic understanding of the nature of antique Bibles and rare Bibles can provide a sense of empowerment for the buyer, which transcends being dependent upon trusting any dealer.  As Sy Syms used to say, “an educated consumer is our best customer”.

Antique Bibles

Antique Bibles are also known as ancient Bibles, or old Bibles, or antiquarian Bibles.  Sometimes we also see antique Bibles referred to by the more idiosyncratic term “vintage Bibles”, though that is inappropriate as “vintage” refers exclusively to wine. The age of a Bible is a major factor in determining not only its value, but whether it is legitimately an antique, or merely an out-of-print old edition.

An often asked question is, “How old does a Bible have to be, in order for it to be considered truly antique?” It is not surprising that people are confused by this because the standard of being “antique” varies greatly according to the type of material in question. Consider automobiles: if a car is as little as 25 years old, it is considered an antique. The standard is even lower for consumer electronics, such as computers, cell phones, audio equipment, or televisions, where items as little as 10 to 15 years old are antique, and items that are 25 to 40 years old are considered to be truly ancient.

Different Bibliophile Levels of Antique

Regarding Bibles, there are really different levels of “antique”. Let’s take a closer look at how a Bible’s age effects its defined antiquarian status in the world of dealers and collectors.  We will see that while some kinds of rare and collectible books, such as “Modern Firsts” of classic works, may be considered antique even if they are just a few decades old, the standard for a Bible to be antique is much higher than that.

Bibles Up To 100 Years Old

We should clearly establish from the start that any Bible printed within the past 100 years is not an antique by any recognized professional use of the term. It is important to bear in mind that the Bible is the most printed book in the world, and by a very wide margin.  For this reason, English language Bibles printed between the 1920’s and today, were generally mass-produced in such enormous quantity that they will never be particularly rare or valuable, and therefore the trade does not consider them to be antique in any meaningful sense.

In fact, within the rare book industry, Bibles that are less than a century old are often referred to as “Junk Bibles”. At first glance, this term can be highly offensive to Christians who mistakenly think the reference is a slanderous derogatory insult aimed at the Bible itself… but this is not at all what is meant. Rather, this is simply a reference to the fact that modern era Bibles of the past century as “as common as road gravel” due to the extremely high volumes at which they were produced.

Dealers are also frequently approached by people wanting to sell their great-grandparents’ Bible of the early to mid 1900’s, and it can be exhausting having to constantly tell these people that their cherished (though apparently not cherished enough if they want to sell it) old Family Bible which they think should be worth thousands of dollars, is in fact worth less than one hundred dollars… and often worth less than twenty dollars.

Bibles Between 100 and 200 Years Old

Bibles of the 1800’s to very early 1900’s are, as difficult as this is for many people to comprehend, still not old enough to be considered truly “antique” by most dealers.  While not as common as their ubiquitous less than centenarian counterparts discussed above; they were still generally speaking, produced in fairly high quantities to fill the popular demand for Family Bibles in America throughout the days of Westward Expansion during the 1800’s and into the Industrial Revolution of the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. 

There are of course some exceptions, such as special editions and first editions of historically important Bibles of the 1800’s… but these are few and far between.  Rather than focus upon these rare exceptions to the rule, the general rule itself remains, that Bibles less than 200 years old are in most cases not of interest to dealers or collectors.

Antique Bibles of the 1700’s - Well Over 200 Years Old

We now begin in earnest, our discussion of truly antique Bibles. One distinguishing feature of most Bibles printed in the 1700’s (in contrast to older Bibles of the 1600’s and back) is that they were printed on wood pulp based paper, just as nearly all books today are still printed on wood pulp based paper. The advent of affordable books was due primarily to the ability to make paper cheaply from wood pulp, rather than from expensive cotton. This is why, prior to the 1700’s, it was generally only the wealthy who owned books.  Once cheap paper production was possible, the “common man” could afford to have at least a modest library of books at home.

Another distinguishing characteristic of the antique Bibles of the 1700’s is the technological manner is which they were printed. Prior to the 1700’s, books were made using the tedious and laborious and expensive process of the movable type press, invented by Gutenberg in 1455.  Each letter had to be laid into a tray like a jigsaw puzzle. During the 1700’s however, the leap forward to “stereotyping” was made.  Whole pages were etched into a single sheet of metal.  This was not only quicker and cheaper, but it also allowed printers to keep the etched metal plates and run off more copies of a book later, if desired.

These two advances: cheap paper and more efficient production, made books and Bibles an attainable part of everyday life for literate people living in the 1700’s or later, as opposed to being very costly luxury items and status symbols of the affluent owners of estate homes, as books and Bibles had been in the 1600’s and earlier.

From the standpoint of the rare Bible and antique Bible collector, there are two types of English language Bibles of the 1700’s.  The first is Bibles printed in England in the 1700’s.  These range from standard “quarto” size editions owned by individuals and families, to larger “folio” size editions, used by churches and seminaries on their pulpits and lecterns.  The next, is the far more rare and potentially valuable, Bibles printed in America in the mid to late 1700’s.  Put simply, Bibles printed in England in the 1700’s can be somewhat desirable to collectors, but Bibles printed in America in the 1700’s are extremely desirable treasures.  This is mostly due to the fact that American Colonists of the 1700’s imported most of their Bibles from England, and the print shops of early America had more modest equipment, and less access to quality paper. As a result, American antique Bible printings of the 1700’s are rare and highly sought after.

Antique Bibles of the 1600’s & 1500’s

We must go all the way back to the 1600’s, and even to the 1500’s, to encounter the “First Editions” and the subsequent but still “Early Editions” of all the ancient Bibles in the English language.  Whether it is the 1611 First Edition of the beloved King James Bible, or the 1568 Bishops Bible, or 1560 Geneva Bible, or 1539 Great Bible, or 1537 Matthew-Tyndale Bible, or 1535 Coverdale Bible… the era of the truly ancient Bibles is the 1500’s and 1600’s. This is where most rare and antique Bible collectors focus most of their attention, and resultantly, this is the type of material an antique Bible dealer will want to acquire as well.

The antique Bibles of the 1500’s and 1600’s were printed on expensive cotton paper, and made using the ancient movable type printing press equipment. These printings are therefore works of art.  Typically printed in small quantities of not more than a few thousand copies, and with only a tiny percentage of those originals surviving the ravages of time; these Bibles are quite rare, as well as being ancient. An excellent overview of the history of each of these ancient translations of the Bible can be found by reading our brief illustrated English Bible History.

Rare Bibles

Having examined the definition of “antique Bible” in detail, we now turn our attention to what qualifies as being a “rare Bible”.  This is a far more simple, straightforward concept.  While age alone can eventually make something antique, in order for something to be rare, it needs to truly be scarce.  There is often considerable overlap between antiquity and rarity, but the two are not the same. Likewise, age and rarity are components of value, but they do not necessarily equate to value.

Consider for example, a Bible that was a limited press run of just a few hundred copies, published by a ministry or Bible publisher, just a few years ago, or a few decades ago.  That would be rare today… but it certainly would not be antique by even the most liberal of definitions. In all likelihood, it would also not be very valuable.  Similarly, some secular publishers have produced “limited edition” Bibles within the past few decades.  Clearly, a Bible can be rare without necessarily being antique.

This is why most collectors looking for historically important and valuable Bibles focus their search on the far more appropriate and accurate term “antique Bibles” rather than the relevant and related but not nearly as accurate term “rare Bibles”.

Valuable Bibles

Can a Bible be both antique and rare … and yet still not be very valuable?  Yes, absolutely. That may seem counter-intuitive at first, but let’s consider this more carefully.  Antiquity is attained simply through age.  Rarity is attainted simply through scarcity.  But for something to also be truly valuable, there has to be market demand for it. That demand generally implies particular historical relevance.

For example, there are antique Bibles of the late 1700’s, printed in England, that are not historically significant editions.  They are merely generic King James Version printings of standard quarto size or smaller, with no special features, no illustrations, no commentary notes, typeset in a rather plain manner. They are unquestionably antique, and also fairly rare… but… who cares?  They do not represent an important edition, or even a particularly aesthetically desirable edition.  If they are in good shape, by virtue of the fact that they are late 1700’s Bibles, they will be worth at least a few hundred dollars… but not thousands of dollars. These type of Bibles are often picked up by the person on tight budget who just wants to own a very old Bible, and that’s great, but it is not really of interest to the serious collector.

Even among Bibles that are ancient and rare and valuable, we still see that market demand, which we might also refer to as general popularity, can dictate price in a way that is unexpected to many.  An example of this would be the current market value of a 1611 King James Pulpit Folio First Edition Bible, which is generally $150,000 to $450,000, even though there are close to 200 of these extant today, making them only moderately rare.  In contrast, a 1560 Geneva Bible First Edition would have a market value of closer to just $75,000 to $125,000, in spite of the fact that there are not more than a dozen of them extant today!  Ironically, the far less rare Bible is worth far more. This is for one simple reason: the market demand for the beloved and immensely popular 1611 KJV Bible far outstrips the market demand for the less well known 1560 Geneva Bible… even though the 1560 Geneva Bible very historically important, and about twenty times as rare, and 51 years older than the 1611 KJV.

Another aspect that could potentially disqualify an antique and rare Bible from being valuable is condition. No matter how old or rare a Bible is, if it is not complete, or not in good condition, its market value will be severely negatively impacted. Given two antique Bibles of the same edition, if one is missing several pages and has cropped headlines and heavy oxidization, that less desirable copy might fetch only one-tenth the price of the one in more pristine condition. More details on this can be found by reading our helpful Antique Bible Buyer’s Guide.

]]> https://greatsite.com/antique-rare-valuable-bibles/feed/ 2 Pastor Anniversary Gifts https://greatsite.com/pastor-anniversary-gifts/ Thu, 23 Jun 2022 05:56:31 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?p=7834
Pastor Anniversary Gifts
Selecting an anniversary gift for your pastor or minister at your church can be a challenging task. It is hard enough to pick out an anniversary gift for a spouse, family member, or friend. When it comes to choosing an appropriate present as a gift for a clergy member, to commemorate the anniversary of their service to your congregation, there are a few key things to consider. Let’s consider this further, as we explore gifts you should not give your pastor, and great ideas for what is in many cases the ideal pastor anniversary gift.

Common Mistakes Made In Selecting a Pastor Anniversary Gift

As much as we would like to think “it’s the thought that counts”, and we can be sure our pastor will be gracious and appreciative in accepting any gift; we ideally want to present a pastor with an anniversary gift (or gift marking another occasion, such as a pastor’s retirement) that shows some thought and care went into the process. To that extent, let’s briefly look at the most common mistakes made in selecting a pastor anniversary gift.

Gifts That Are Too Generic, Common, Trite, or Impersonal

These include all the classic “I don’t know what to get Dad for Father’s Day” type of gifts such as: neck ties, belts, wallets, shaving accessories, cologne, toaster ovens, coffee makers, etc.

Gifts That Are Kitschy or Tacky or of No Practical Use

Basically anything from a mall store like “Things Remembered”, or any engraved plaque, engraved clock, etc., is just cliche. Also anything that is essentially a “figurine” or “knick-knack” to be placed upon a mantel and be dusted periodically, should be considered clutter, and not a good choice for a meaningful pastor anniversary gift. Yes, even if you are “Magnolia Baptist Church” and it’s an adorable little ceramic magnolia which seems so appropriate in the moment… really, it’s not… be honest, you can do better than that.

Gifts That Are “Work” Connected

You would not give your spouse a vacuum cleaner, or cleaning supplies for your wedding anniversary, for obvious reasons, right? Why then would you give your pastor a smart phone (a leash), or lapel microphone, as his anniversary gift? You are not trying to send a message of “we love you, as long as you keep working for us”.

The Zero-Thought Gift

Cash and gift cards are the “I Give Up Gift”. We fall back to this as a last resort when we just cannot think of anything else. When given by themselves, cash or gift cards as stand-alone gifts represent no effort or thought on the part of the givers.

However, it should be noted that it is certainly appropriate and appreciated when cash or gift cards are given in addition to a more specifically thoughtful gift that is not necessarily expensive. Such a combination of “inexpensive gift… but also cash” is a great way of showing that some thought was put into the selection of a modest personal gift, and the addition of cash is provided to demonstrate that the intent was not to be cheap, but to provide thoughtfulness together with appreciative generosity.

Gifts That Seem Too Cheap or Seem Too Expensive

Having your congregation corporately give your pastor a very cheap anniversary gift such as a coffee mug, or pocket knife, or house plant, (or other generic, or kick-knack gifts, such as those listed above) sends a message that you do not greatly value your pastor’s work… or worse… that your pastor is easily replaceable. That is certainly not your intent, so it is not worth risking the implied insult that a cheap gift coveys. It is truly better to give no gift at all, than to give such a gift.

On the other hand, spending a very large amount on an extremely expensive gift, such as a multi-thousand dollar high-end wristwatch, or a new car, is only appropriate in two situations. One, is if your church has at least a few hundred congregation members going in together and splitting cost of your pastor anniversary gift, such that no one member or family felt obliged to contribute more than perhaps fifty to a hundred dollars at the most toward the congregation’s collectively generous gift. The other, is if there is one, or a few, very affluent members of your congregation, for whom spending a few thousand dollars on a gift for their beloved pastor is not really a sacrifice at all for them, and it brings them joy to do so.

Indeed, the primary budgetary expenses (including pastoral salaries, and building maintenance) of many small to midsize churches are often quietly and discretely funded entirely by one or two or three very affluent members who gratefully tithe from the huge incomes their businesses bring in, making up for the very modest collective balance of donations that come in each week from the remainder of the congregation. Many people would be shocked to learn how very common this is in thousands of churches in the United States, and around the world.

Great Pastor Anniversary Gifts

  1.  If a more expensive gift is appropriate for your situation, consider giving your pastor an anniversary gift that will be treasured forever and passed down to the next generation… the gift of a genuine original complete ancient Bible.

  2. These gifts show that you put a great deal of thought into selecting your pastor anniversary gift. These are gifts that will truly make your pastor stop and say, “Wow! I cannot believe you did this for me. Where did you get this? This is amazing!” And after all, isn’t that exactly what you want to do for your pastor?

    It is really not a difficult task at all. Just ask yourself, what message you are looking to send with your pastor’s anniversary gift. Then consider the gift you have in mind and think, “What message does this send?” A neck tie? A nick-knack? Or perhaps instead … an ancient printing of God’s Word?

]]> Genuine Leather Bibles https://greatsite.com/genuine-leather-bibles/ Tue, 31 May 2022 10:40:09 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?p=7743
LEATHER BIBLES
The variety of available bindings for Bibles is greater today than at any point in history. Genuine animal hide bound leather Bibles continue to be the most popular choice among premium priced Bibles. Moderately priced synthetic leather Bibles however, have greatly improved in binding quality over just the past two decades. Economy priced Bibles, generally paperback or otherwise soft bound, remain the choice for mass distribution and missionary work.

THE LEATHER BIBLE vs THE MASS MARKET BIBLE

Mass market Bibles, produced economically for distribution, are generally in paperback bindings, or cheap flexible synthetic bindings, and can be priced under ten dollars for the flexible cover Bibles, and even under five dollars for the cheapest paperback Bibles. The next step up is higher quality synthetic leather Bibles, which offer far greater durability, a better aesthetic look, and a more pleasing tactile feel which very convincingly simulates real leather. The most premium option has long been the genuine leather Bible, bound in a variety of available animal hides, full grain, top grain, split grain, and hardback or limp bound.

Before we consider the many types of genuine leather Bibles, let’s take a closer look at the recent surge in popularity of synthetic leather Bibles.

THE FOUR E’s Of SYNTHETIC LEATHER BIBLES

There are four reasons why people sometimes choose synthetic leather, also known as imitation leather, vegan leather, or “leatherette”, rather than choosing genuine leather, when buying a leather Bible. These reasons are the “Four E’s” promoted by those who advocate or sell synthetic leathers: Ethics, Environment, Economy, Extended Durability.

The ethical reasons pertain to individuals who are not personally comfortable with the use of animal hides to make book or Bible bindings, furniture, clothing, shoes, purses, wallets, belts, or other accessories. Such people are often also vegetarian or vegan in their diets. These convictions can range from simply being a personal preference, to being a committed animal rights activist.

As it pertains specifically to leather Bible bindings, the ethical argument is today a minority view among buyers in the Christian marketplace (those who purchase Bibles). This is because the dominant view among the demographic group of Bible buyers typically favors the Biblical mandate of Mankind having a responsible dominion of stewardship over the animals, and feeling free to use animals for food, for certain types of testing without which human lives would be put at risk, and to use animal derived products to enhance our lives. Of course, this is not a license to tolerate needless animal cruelty in any form, however it often comes down to one’s own conviction regarding what exactly constitutes appropriate and acceptable use of animals. Most Christians do believe that it is possible to have ethically sourced animal derived products, though some disagree, and sensitivity toward how we treat animals and our responsible stewardship of our world’s resources continues to be an increasing source of concern and debate today.

The environment related reasons overlap with the ethical concerns. Some people believe raising animals for their hides, (which is almost always a byproduct of raising animals for food), contributes to environmental harm. This includes the legitimate concerns about chemicals used to treat leathers getting into the water supply, as well as the more controversial modern theories regarding alleged outsized anthropogenic influences on the climate, (though most Christians remain skeptical of the underlying motives behind such theories).

The economy related reasons are obvious, and are the primary factor pushing many people to choose synthetic leather. It simply costs less to buy a synthetic leather Bible than to buy most genuine leather Bibles.

The extended durability of high end synthetic leathers is a more recent argument, because 21st century technological advances have greatly improved the durability of certain high-end synthetic leather products. We also see synthetic leathers that much more accurately imitate the appearance and feel of genuine leather… though none yet that attempt to replicate the distinctive scent of a genuine leather product.

MODERN HIGH END SYNTHETIC LEATHER BIBLES

The current generation of synthetic “leathers” is nothing like the imitation leather products of years gone by. Those who think of synthetic leather as being cheap vinyl, with an obviously fake grain pattern stamped in, and a disappointing plastic feel, are remembering the imitation leather products of long ago. While such low-end and cheap synthetic leather productions still exist today, going by such names as “PU leather” (polyurethane leather); today’s high-end synthetic leathers so accurately mimic the look and feel of genuine leather, that few people are able to tell the difference.

This revolution in high end synthetic leathers has been led by Italian manufacturers who produce smooth grained synthetic leather under such brand names as “Fiscagomma”, and fuzzy nap suede-like reverse calf synthetic leather under such brand names as “Alcantara”. The use of Alcantara synthetic suede leather has become ubiquitous in high end automobile interiors, starting with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, etc… and in more recent years finding its way into more affordably priced cars. Because these synthetic materials do not crack and degrade as quickly as genuine leather when exposed to heat and sunlight, they are a natural choice (well, technically an un-natural choice) for the punishing environment of car interiors.

Touted by their manufacturers as “better than leather”, (one of which actually sought to trademark that phrase), this new generation of extremely impressive synthetic leathers has taken by storm not only the automotive interior industry, but also the clothing and accessories industries. This is because for all their acclaimed durability, most consumers still cannot tell them apart from genuine leather. And ultimately, if it’s good enough for Ferrari, it’s probably good enough for your Bible’s binding, right?

WHY GENUINE LEATHER BIBLES?

With all this high praise for modern synthetic leather options, the question becomes: why is it that genuine leather remains the most popular choice for premium priced leather Bibles? There are actually valid reasons why most buyers of higher priced Bibles continue to seek genuine leather. We have identified five such reasons.

First is simply tradition and sentiment. Especially among older buyers, the value of tradition carries a strong pull toward genuine leather. They think of their father’s Bible, or their Family Bible, or the Bible they grew up with, and invariably these were genuine leather Bibles. The sentiment of this association strikes a deep emotional chord. As any marketer will tell you, people buy based upon emotion more frequently than they buy based upon logic.

Second, is the perception of quality. We can talk all day about the superior strength and durability of synthetic leathers introduced within the past twenty years, but genuine animal hide leather has a centuries long association with high quality, and that will not be shaken from our collective cultural consciousness any time soon. It should also be noted that genuine leather Bible bindings, if properly cared for by not leaving them in the sun, and treating them with a good leather preservative moisturizing lotion once every few years, can last much longer than a human life span. Indeed, many antique Bibles that are multiple centuries old, and were properly cared for, are still in their original leather bindings. For most people, if they can get more than fifty years out of a genuine leather binding, there is no meaningful advantage to a synthetic binding offering greater longevity than that. It is past the point of diminishing returns.

Third, is the feeling of situational appropriateness of a natural leather binding specifically as it relates to the binding on a Bible, as opposed to a synthetic material binding on a Bible. Let us remember that the Bible is filled with accounts of animals being sacrificed unto The Lord. Beyond that observation however, in a broader sense; the message of the Bible encompasses that which God has made, and how nature itself is glorifying unto God. In contrast, so much of what Man has made and done is referenced within the context of sin and imperfection, and being a mere imitation of that which the Lord has made. This argument is certainly just an analogy, and should not be taken to a literal extreme, or we would end up living in a technologically primitive world. Nevertheless, the general feeling of situational appropriateness of natural genuine leather protecting the pages of God’s Word, rather than using a material attempting to imitate natural leather, is something that carries emotional impact that can transcend reason.

Fourth, is the ability to stamp and tool genuine leather. Many people like to have their name stamped in gold onto the cover of their Bible. This is easily done with most types of genuine leather. However imitation leather products must be stamped at the factory during the manufacturing process with any desired impressions or customizations, because the finished product is too durable to accept any after-market stamping.

Fifth, is the scent of genuine leather. The smell of animal hide is not something than any artificially manufactured material can accurately replicate… at least, not yet. It is curious to note that the musky scent produced by real leather is actually due to the extremely slow decomposition of the hide, releasing that scent into the air. That means the scent is an indication of the natural break down of leather, which is why synthetic products cannot replicate it well. It may seem somewhat counterintuitive that decomposition of animal hide would be perceived as a desirable smell. However, in much the same way that the scent of cooking meat produces a positive reaction for most people, the scent of animal hide likewise has positive associations.

WHAT IS BONDED LEATHER?

Bonded leather, (also called “leather match” on furniture), is a lower quality product consisting of a thin layer of real leather, glued or otherwise bonded to a synthetic material underlayment. When used for rarely touched applications which receive very little wear or handling, which require only the look of genuine leather but do not require much durability, (like the back side of a couch, or a picture frame), and especially when used on products for which the expected useful life span is not more than several years, bonded leather can often work quite well as an affordable alternative. However, when used in areas that experience significant handling and wear, such as seat cushions or regularly used books or Bibles, bonded leather can begin to wear thin in a short period of time. For leather Bibles, or any often handled product, the use of either 100% genuine leather, or a high quality 100% synthetic leather, is a better choice than combining the two to produce a hybrid layered genuine-and-synthetic bonded leather product.

TYPES OF GENUINE LEATHER BIBLE BINDINGS

The world of genuine leather products is filled with many industry specific terms, and most people outside of that industry do not have an accurate understanding of them. First let us establish that our own use of the term “genuine leather” is meant generically to communicate simply “real leather” or “natural leather” as opposed to synthetic or bonded leather products. Genuine means real. We are not using the term “genuine leather” as it is sometimes confusingly used, to reference the middle section of an animal hide with the outer layers stripped away (and we would like to see such confusing use of that term discontinued).

Full Grain Leather is the full thickness of the animal’s hide. While that may sound like the ideal choice; full grain leather is almost never used in binding books or Bibles, because it is too thick, it shows every imperfection in the hide, and it is typically produced in such a way that the surface scratches easily.

Top Grain Leather is only slightly thinner than full grain leather because the outer surface is sanded off to remove imperfections, resulting in a flawless texture. It can then be stamped or imprinted with any design, or with a natural leather grain pattern. It is easier to work with, and also receptive to protective finishes and colored dyes, unlike full grain leather. Most of the high quality leather products you have seen are typically made of top grain leather. Most fine bindings on books and Bibles are made from top grain leather.

Suede, also known as reverse calf, is the fuzzy underside of leather. It cannot easily be stamped with a pattern, and does not hold up well to moisture. Rarely used in book binding, suede is used where a fuzzy nap texture is desired, rather than a smooth texture.

There are many other industry terms, such as aniline leather and semi-aniline leather, which refer partly to how a leather has been treated. These terms can be confusing and counter intuitive, for example semi-aniline sounds like a step down from aniline, but in fact it is more durable than aniline. A detailed explanation of all the industry terms related to the production and treatment of leather products is well beyond the limited scope of this article on Bible bindings.

ANIMAL LEATHER VARIETIES

The vast majority of real leather Bibles, and indeed the vast majority of all leather goods, are cow hide, often in the specific form of calf leather or calfskin. This type of leather is easily worked, dyed, stamped, finished, and is quite durable.

Goatskin, often presented as Morocco leather, is a durable fine grained hide. Sheepskin or lambskin is among the softest of leathers in the animal kingdom. Leathers derived from buffalo, deer, pig, camel, or other more exotic mammals can also be found. Ostrich skin is the most popular of bird leathers. Alligator and crocodile are the most popular of lizard leathers. Eel and shark are the most popular of sea creature leathers. Obtaining leathers from endangered species and/or transporting such materials across international lines can be illegal in many jurisdictions.

One rarely seen variety of leather is called vellum. It is a smooth, hard, grainless, milky white material derived from animal skins, usually calf. Vellum goes through a labor intensive multi-step process to achieve its flawlessly smooth white look. Seen primarily in books bound in the 1500’s or earlier, (though still occasionally used in specialty projects today), vellum is perhaps the most durable of leathers, able to last for several centuries, but it is more sensitive to humidity and can warp more easily than other types of leather. Vellum is also used as paper in some ancient books and manuscripts.

ANCIENT BIBLES WERE ALWAYS LEATHER BIBLES

When it comes to ancient books and Bibles, printed and bound more than two centuries ago, these were almost always originally bound in a genuine leather of some variety. Obviously synthetic leathers were not technologically possible back then, and cloth bound books did not become popular until the 1800’s. Paperback bindings were usually limited to very short pamphlets or tracts or magazines, unlike today where paperback books are quite common.

One nearly universal difference we see between ancient genuine leather Bibles, when compared to genuine leather Bibles of the past century, is the advent of the modern limp leather binding. Many leather Bibles today feature flexible covers made of real leather, but not wrapped around stiff hardback boards. This is what we call limp bound Bibles. They are almost always printed on ultra thin onion skin paper or India rice paper, which is another modern convention, used to make it possible to have a 750 page Bible that is amazingly only an inch thick.

In contrast, ancient Bibles were never limp bound. Their leather binding was wrapped around stiff wooden hardcover boards. The pages were also thick, being made of cotton prior to the 1700’s, and made of wood pulp from the 1700’s unto today. This is why ancient Bibles are usually at least around 3 inches thick, and often up to 5 inches thick.

RESTORED LEATHER BIBLE BINDINGS

Because genuine leather is a natural animal product, it starts the extremely slow and typically centuries-long process of decomposing from the moment it is put into use. Bibles that were loved and used regularly by families would typically need to be rebound after two or three generations. Because rebinding an ancient Bible is expected and necessary in nearly all cases; the act of rebinding an ancient Bible does not devalue it, but rather, can increase its value by making it useable again, and helping to further preserve it for generations to come.

Sometimes the original ancient covers, if they are ornate and worth preserving, can be salvaged and reused in a process called rebacking or respining. More frequently though, the old binding must be completely discarded, and a fresh, strong, new leather Bible, fully restored, is the result.

If a Bible is completely covered in leather, it will typically be described as full leather, and usually more specifically as full calf. Bibles with just the spine covered in leather, and cloth or marbleized cover boards are called half-calf. If the corners of the cover boards are also covered in leather, the result is called three-quarter calf. These leather-plus-cloth hybrid bindings of half-calf and three-quarter calf were at one time produced in an effort to keep the cost of the binding down by minimizing the use of the prized leather. Today, because the highly in demand labor to skillfully rebind a book is a primary factor in its cost, such partial leather bindings are usually the result of personal preference rather than significant cost savings.

Learn More About Leather Bibles & Purchase High Quality Leather Bibles

Additional information about rare and antique leather Bibles can be found on the Antique Bible Buyer’s Guide page.
An impressive inventory of original ancient leather Bibles available for sale is offered in the Ancient Rare Bibles & Books section, which is also searchable by Version, Age, Size, & Price.

]]> Family Bibles https://greatsite.com/family-bibles/ Thu, 26 May 2022 09:36:14 +0000 https://greatsite.com/?p=7708
Family Bibles - A Treasured Tradition
For at least a century, from the late 1880’s until the 1980’s, the time-honored American tradition of having a large “Family Bible” on prominent display in most Christian households was part of our culture as Americans and our heritage as Christians. That big “Family Bible” stood as a silent witness to all that home’s visitors, demonstrating without speaking a word that this home was a Christian Home. Often family records of births, deaths, and marriages were penned into the blank pages at the front or back.

Decline of The Family Bible

Then, in the 1980’s… the economically booming “Reagan Years”, the “Me Decade”… something happened.  That rich tradition of proudly displaying a very large Bible in the Christian Home just fell out of favor.  Sure, we still had the hand-sized Bible that we take to church and back home, which we kept on the nightstand, or on a shelf.  But the unapologetically huge display Bible… the beloved Family Bible… the one that was the centerpiece of the living room or den… disappeared from the American Home. Why did Family Bibles disappear?

Do You Remember Family Bibles?

Do you remember it? It was a very large format Bible with big print and beautiful typeface. The family gathered around to read it, if not daily, then at least on special occasions, like Easter and Christmas. Family Bibles held a place of honor in the Christian Home, and they were displayed with pride. All who entered the home saw this family heirloom, this treasured Family Bible, and knew instantly that this was a home with Christian values.

Do you have such a Family Bible displayed visibly in your home, signifying the Christ-centered focus of your home, and functioning as a silent witness that “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”? Or do you just have the conveniently hand-sized Bible that you take the church and rest on the shelf through the week?

Bringing Back The Family Bible

We believe that we should recapture that tradition, but it needs to be a special Bible that holds such a place of honor. It needs to be a statement piece: huge in format, elegant in typeface, and with a sense of history, heritage, and birthright about it… not just some mass-produced modern-looking printing.

Choosing The Best Family Bible

For the person seeking an affordable large format Family Bible in the King James Version, we advise doing some research first.  Few realize it, but the First Edition King James Bible of 1611 has not been in print since the early 1600’s. That original KJV of 1611 contained several typographical errors, and spellings that are extremely antiquated by modern standards. Its punctuation likewise does not follow modern use. The 1611 KJV Bible was revised in 1615, and again in 1629, and again in 1638, and again in 1762, and again in 1769. The King James Bible you have known all your life is actually the 1769 Oxford Standardized Version… even though it may not actually say that anywhere in your Bible

Family Bibles as Family Heirlooms

For the person seeking an investment-grade original ancient Bible as a display piece for their home, the inventory of GREATSITE.COM provides many options from which to choose, all of which can be seen by searching the current online inventory of ancient Bibles.

History’s First Family Bible

The first “Family Bible” in the English language actually dates back to half a century before the 1611 King James Bible. It was the 1560 Geneva Bible While the Geneva Bible was not the very first English language Bible ever printed (that would be the 1535 Coverdale Bible), the 1560 Geneva Bible was nevertheless the first English Bible to be produced specifically for the primary purpose of personal home use. English Bibles before the Geneva Bible were either illegal productions made covertly by brave reformers, or they were officially sanctioned Anglican Church productions intended for public use on the church pulpit.

The Geneva Bible was produced by English Protestant refugees, fleeing the rule of Catholic Queen “Bloody Mary”, and living in Geneva (Switzerland). They produced a special English language Bible translation which was the first to use numbered verses, and the first to use plain Roman typeface, and the first to add commentary notes to the scriptures. It was intended to be a “Home Schooler’s Bible”, making it the quintessential Family Bible that was the progenitor of all Family Bibles in the English language which came after it.

Illustrated Family Bibles

One feature that many people seek in their Family Bibles is illustrations. The greatest of all illustrated Bibles of antiquity is undoubtedly the spectacularly beautiful 1568 Bishops Bible. However, the Bishops Bible is not really a Family Bible. It was more of an official church Bible.

A better example of an illustrated Family Bible of centuries gone by would be the 1846 Illuminated Bible. Featuring more than 1,600 woodcut illustrations, it was the most elaborately illustrated Bible ever printed up until that time. Like nearly all the Family Bibles of its day, the Illuminated Bible was a King James Version. The illustrations helped to keep the interest of children who were learning to read the Bible, and adults also appreciated the finely detailed images which complimented the scriptural readings on each page.

The Family Bible As An Archive

Another function of Family Bibles for centuries has been as a place to document family records of birth, marriage, and death. These records were typically written on the inside blank leaves in the front or back of Family Bibles. In fact, unto this day, when personal identification records are lost or stolen, bringing family genealogical records written inside a Family Bible to the courthouse is often acceptable as proof to reissue birth certificates and similar records. Those researching their genealogy find these records kept in Family Bibles to be of paramount importance in confirming their family lineage.

The Family Bible As a Gathering Point

For many families, the Family Bible is an iconic heirloom which serves as a focal point for holiday gatherings. Reading the scriptural passages about the birth of Christ at Christmas, or the resurrection of Christ at Easter, can be meaningful and memorable traditions to maintain. Some families take this even further, and practice daily devotional readings together, as they gather around their Family Bibles.
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