Speaking of the NRSV, the latest gorgeous volume of the Saint John's Bible was released earlier this month. Prophets is the fourth of seven volumes to be published, coming after Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospels and Acts. The illuminations are darker than in the previous volumes, with what look to me like references to the Shoah (Holocaust), but these are balanced by frequently recurring rainbows, which recall God's covenant with the Earth (Genesis 9:13).
If you are particularly well-heeled, you can now sign up to buy one of the limited edition, full-size, high quality facsimiles of the original manuscripts. Only 360 copies of the "Heritage Edition" of the Saint John's Bible will be produced. I believe Canada's Museum of Civilization has ordered a copy, which makes me happy. Oh, the price? A mere $115,000 US. It's worth every penny I'm sure.
In other NRSV news, the third, augmented edition of the New Oxford Annotated Bible is being released next week. I didn't even know there had been a second edition so I am quite pleased about this. I've been reading my now ancient first edition NOAB and am amazed by what a thorough job both the NRSV translators and the Oxford editors have done at explaining these ancient texts in a concise and scholarly manner. If the third edition is even better then I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.
I've also been enjoying The Book: A History of the Bible by illuminated manuscript scholar Christopher de Hamel. The Book is about the history of the Bible as a book, or collection of books, and answers many questions (and puts to rest many suspicions) about how it has developed over time in various traditions and languages. De Hamel's book is published by Phaidon which means that it is drop-dead gorgeous, beautifully printed on heavy paper with colour illustrations on nearly every page. I think it's going to be one of those books I wish would never end.
