A new, New Testament

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Carolla

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Interesting article in Toronto Star today - "For Millennials, a New New Testament - describing how two millennial designers have reworked the visual presentation of the New Testament! So fresh and appealing in design - and they ask why this hasn't been done before?? Indeed why not. Makes me think about how attached we might be to some elements.

I couldn't access the article online, as much of the Star's content is now by subscription. So here's a link to the publisher's site - Alabaster - The Bible Beautiful . Beautiful presentation IMO. What are your thoughts?
 
$100 for a set of just the gospels? When I can get a regular complete Bible at Indigo for a fraction of that? Sounds more coffee table art book than a usable Bible to me but I'd have to have one in hand to know for sure.
 
Also, I can't find what translation/version they used. That's important, at least for me.
 
Interesting article in Toronto Star today - "For Millennials, a New New Testament - describing how two millennial designers have reworked the visual presentation of the New Testament! So fresh and appealing in design - and they ask why this hasn't been done before?? Indeed why not. Makes me think about how attached we might be to some elements.

I couldn't access the article online, as much of the Star's content is now by subscription. So here's a link to the publisher's site - Alabaster - The Bible Beautiful . Beautiful presentation IMO. What are your thoughts?
Are the words edited and neutered? That's what it needs more than pretty pictures beside the words.
 
Also, I can't find what translation/version they used. That's important, at least for me.
Good point. Over on the Luke thread we have been discussing the Mary and Martha story. We have been asking what was Martha actually doing? Preparing a meal? Household chores? Something else?

The NRSV doesn't really say. I had a look at the NKJ which tells us she was "serving".

Sometimes the translation/ version makes a great deal of difference to our reading of the text.

But I digress. I, too, thought the price seemed steep.
 
Found it in their original Kickstarter. New Living Translation, about which I know squat. Anyone?
 
I think that it started as an update of the Living Bible from the 70's, (which is a paraphrase rather than translated) but became a bit more of a translation from the Hebrew and Greek, as the revision team worked through it.
 
If it is Nu's ... it can't be accepted by the conservatively fixed!

Alte rations are unacceptable ... we'll accept only the same old Manna ...
 
Found it in their original Kickstarter. New Living Translation, about which I know squat. Anyone?
Only know what I read about it on Wikipedia :) It is in the list on Bible Gateway if one wants to compare texts - eg as in the Luke bible study.
 
$100 for a set of just the gospels? When I can get a regular complete Bible at Indigo for a fraction of that? Sounds more coffee table art book than a usable Bible to me but I'd have to have one in hand to know for sure.
Definitely expensive - as good quality books printed in colour often are. (and I suspect that is US dollars too, not including shipping and the dreaded HST & handling fee you'll likely pay at the door!)

Possibly more of a gift item than something one might use daily for bible study. I think having the issue of Psalms would be lovely - as they poetry in and of themselves, I think the art work would enhance that a lot, and possibly encourage pause and reflection.

Price aside - I like the concept of revision to a format with design that is appealing in today's world.
 
Carolla said:
What are your thoughts?

Everything old is new again.

Has the text of the New Testament been changed? Apparently not. They are working with a translation of the text.

What is new? Visuals.

Why?

Presumably, this reflects a change to how things are done in our typical conversation. We are becoming more image-oriented than text oriented. That we have some folk lamenting the diminishing emphasis on cursive writing shows that we are a technologically changing people.

Black text on a white page fails to be compelling. So pictures are being added.

Not really a new development either.

Since Bibles have been commercially produced in vernacular it has been accompanied by an illustration. Earlier versions of our Bibles were beautifully illuminated by artisans and when the age of illumination disappeared the age of illustration replaced it. Bibles produced in that era had beautiful woodblock prints by some of the greatest artists of the age. Then Bible translations entered a puritan no-frills age and gone were the illuminated script and the illustrations of the text. Then Bible translations entered into an information only age where charts and maps were placed as appendices so as not to distract from the text. Then we eventually had the Good News for Modern Man translation in the '60s and '70s which included simple line drawn illustrations within the text. Study Bibles started adding notes and other apparatus to the text and technical drawings of various highlighted material. Charts and maps were still in the back of the Bible even though more illustrations were starting to happen up front.

More visual imagery is happening now because folk are experiencing more visuals in worship via projections.

Interestingly a lot of the projections and illustrations are happening in worship spaces which decided to not invest in stained glass which was how the Church communicated the good news for ages to folk who could not read at all.
 
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