Percentage of Bibles with "Holy Bible" on spine or front cover

Unfortunately, due to some members recently flooding the forum with multiple topics in a single day, some other folks' topics have been pushed off the first page, and thus they become neglected.

I have well over 100 English Bibles and/or NT translations (not sure exactly, and adding all the time). Most NTs do not have "Holy" on the spine or cover. I think this is mostly a publisher's decision.

But I have to ask: What is the point? Are they any less holy on the inside because they don't have "Holy" on the outside?

 

That's a good question.

The Bible I use when preaching does not have "holy Bible" on the spine. The front cover is blank.

 

When I worked at a bookstore, occasionally Bible purchasers would insist on only looking at ones with "Holy Bible" on the cover.

—So, what kind of Bible are you looking for?

—A Holy Bible!

 

They have writing on the cover? Gracious, what have I missed all these years?

Cheers,

Jim

 

It makes me wonder, since they were so concerned with what was on the outside, if they ever read beyond the cover.

 

Just looking on the shelves I would guess about 2/3 of mine, in varying translations, use the words 'Holy Bible' on the spine. I would guess it is just the publisher's choice.

After all, the name 'Holy Bible' is hardly inspired.

 

I don't want mine saying a thing on the front. It does say Holy Bible on the spine, I had to go look.

And it says Allan on the spine. It's pretty nice this Bible my wife got me. :love2:

 

Maybe its a personal thing, But I would not want a bible that doesn't say Holy Bible.

 

I just took a guess at 51%, since I've got Bibles in boxes stored away. I figure my English Bibles that are complete all have "Holy Bible" on the spine, if not the cover. But here are some interesting facts.

(1) All of my Greek NTs have "Greek New Testament" and not "Holy Bible" in some form. Sometimes they have it in Greek, but usually Engllish. My Nestle's 25 ed. has it in Latin! (Go figure.) My Latin NT has "Nouum Testamentum Latine" on the spine.

(2) English NTs always have "New Testament," not "Holy NT" or the like. I have a 1st ed. of the NASV NT which has "New American Standard Bible New Testament" on the cover.

(3) My Chinese NTs (one Taiwan, one mainland) both have
新約全書, "New Testament All Books" on the spine. My Chinese Bible is packed away, but they usually read "Holy Book" on the spine.

(4) The Japanese Bible is 聖書, Seisho, literally "Holy Book." NTs all have (literally) "New Testament Holy Book." The exception is the Moto Yaku ("Original Translation," the first Japanese Bible) which used the Chinese term.

Where did the term come from? Don't know, but it's a very old term. Googling the 1611 KJV 1st edition, you can see that it was called a "Holy Bible." I looked for a cover photo of a Tyndale Bible but couldn't find one. However, here is a 1543 commentary by Jean de Gagny for sale that has "Holy Bible" in its title: http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/B...url=fe=on&sortby=2&tn=bible&yrh=1610&yrl=1450

 

Title pages:

KJB1611 "THE HOLY BIBLE"

Coverdale1535 "BIBLIA The Bible, that is, the holy Scripture"

Geneva1560 "THE BIBLE AND HOLY SCRIPTVRES"

Bishops1568 "The.holie.Bible."

Douay1609 "THE HOLIE BIBLE"

 

Oh, goodness gracious!! :laugh:

 

After a brief and unfruitful internet search for the origins of the term 'Holy Bible' and the reason for the lack of those words appearing on certain copies of what is commonly and generically called the Bible, I have decided that I am going to not let it bother me that I don't know the answer and go to bed.

If you all figure it out, please don't wake me.:sleep:

:laugh:

 

Here on my desk two of the five have Holy Bible on the spline. But, non do on the cover. One does have my name on the bottom right of the cover. My pulpit Bible has nothing on it's cover. It's leather with a stamped cross.

 

I voted for the top answer. But I would be equally happy to use a bible that just said "Bible" on its cover, or even better, "The Word of God", or some other name that the bible has for itself.

As others have said or implied, things like the words on the covers of our printed bibles, the "Epistle Dedicatory" in the AV/KJV, and an index telling us which page to turn to to find a particular bible book, are not part of the inspired Word of God.

Of course, if a publisher chose to print something on the cover of a bible that mocked its contents, ("Book of Nonsense" for instance), that would be a different matter entirely.

 

All but one of my text only bibles have Holy Bible on the spine - none have it on the front cover that I can recall. My study bibles do not have Holy Bible on them.

 

My preference is to buy Bibles without 'Holy Bible' on the front. I think it makes a beautifully coloured or leather binding look tacky.