The Bible is the most valuable book for every Christian and Jew. Her influence on culture, history, art and literature is invaluable. To this day it remains the best-selling book in the world. If your family library does not yet have this book, then it’s time to get it. Which edition should I choose? Which translation should you prefer? How Bible with commentary different from the regular edition? Are there publications for children? We'll answer these questions to make your choice easier. We'll talk about translations, commentaries, formats and supporting literature.
Which translation should you prefer?
Bookstores offer a large selection of publications with different translations. Among the most popular translations:
- Synodal;
- modern;
- Hebrew;
- Church Slavonic;
- English.
There are publications where the text is simultaneously written in 2 languages - for example, in Hebrew and Russian, in English and Russian. This makes it possible to compare both translations and better study the Holy Scriptures.
The most common translation today is the Synodal. It is recognized by the Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic churches. However, this translation was made 140 years ago and is a bit difficult to understand for many modern people. Many words are outdated, some have changed their meaning. Therefore, if you decide to get a book in the Synodal Translation, we recommend that you also buy an explanatory dictionary and a reference book of biblical terms.
If you are becoming acquainted with the Holy Scriptures for the first time, then we recommend purchasing the Bible in the new Russian translation. This is a modern translation that very accurately conveys the meaning of the Holy Scriptures. In addition, the book is written in a language that modern people can understand, and you do not have to constantly use supporting literature for better understanding.
Book size
Does the size of the book matter? Here, again, it all depends on who it is intended for and in what cases it will be used. The travel version should definitely be small and compact. The gift book should be medium or large in size. As for the family library, you can opt for the Synodal translation of the Bibleby purchasing a large book. This will be the most convenient option. In addition, you can always purchase an atlas, dictionary or reference book.
Bibles with commentaries
To understand everything that is written in the Holy Scriptures, it is often advised to buy auxiliary literature -
dictionaries, reference books and atlases. We recommend that you pay attention to the Bible with commentaries . The main advantage of this edition is that the comments follow immediately after the text. This is the best and easiest way to understand the meaning of what is written.
Another advantage of the Bible with interpretation and commentary is the ability not only to understand individual words or phrases, but also to understand the historical context and learn more about the events described in the Bible.
We can recommend various editions with commentaries: the Bible of John MacArthur , Getze, Scofield, and Jimmy Swaggert. These are the most famous commentators who managed to explain complex passages in the Holy Scriptures in the most detailed and accurate way.
Pre-revolutionary school
The Bible, presented for children, appeared only in the second half of the 19th century. Classic pre-revolutionary publications are now published either in reprints, with spelling preserved, or in translation into modern Russian - complete or abridged.
Sokolov Alexander. “Sacred history in simple stories for reading at school and at home. Old and New Testaments"
The Children's Bible by Archpriest Alexander Sokolov is an absolute classic of the genre. His work “Sacred History in Simple Stories for Reading at School and at Home. The Old and New Testaments” enjoyed great reader success back at the end of the 19th century. Written in lively, figurative language, it became one of the most popular and republished in Russia, with the exception of the Soviet years.
Now there are reprint editions of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries and a whole lot of publications “according to Sokolov” - in a new spelling, retold in modern Russian:
The classic versions are illustrated as in the original source - with engravings by G. Doré and Plockhorst. The narrative is primarily aimed at middle-aged and older children, but there are often reviews that even the adapted version is too heavy for a modern teenager. “Too marked by the style of the last century,” Fr. said about this book. Andrey Kuraev. However, many specialists and readers prefer this particular style, edification and form of everyday pedagogical conversation, considering this option the best of the best.
An interesting edition of 2011 is “The Bible for Children. Poems by Russian poets based on biblical motifs." Sokolov’s “signature” text is supplemented with poems by outstanding Russian poets: Polonsky, Yazykov, Zhukovsky, Maykov, Pushkin, Lermontov, Fet, Khomyakov, Balmont, Merezhkovsky, Chyumina, Krestovsky, etc. Classic illustrations by Gustave Dore:
Vozdvizhensky P. N. “My first sacred story in stories for children”
The best retelling of the Bible for children in pre-revolutionary Russia was recognized as “My First Sacred History” by priest P. N. Vozdvizhensky, published in 1899 and going through several reprints.
The preface says that the book “tells in a simple and entertaining way all the major events of the Old and New Testaments - so that children can understand what is written without the need for adult explanations.” “Simplicity” and “entertainment” do not lose relevance. In 1990, a reprint edition was published, which has now become a second-hand book rarity. The following options are available to us:
Sacred history. Bible stories for children 2007
The book is printed in large font, illustrated with ancient icons, historical paintings by the best Russian artists: Aivazovsky, Borovikovsky, Polenov, Nesterov, Vasnetsov, Ivanov... It is unlikely that infants will be able to appreciate them, especially if they are laid out several pieces per page, but adolescents will be interested.
"Sacred history. Bible stories for children" 2011
A bright edition with a cover in the “Disney” style, illustrated with paintings by Russian painters, and the characters Anya and Vanya, who go on a journey, are added. With their help, it is supposed to “reach out” to the youngest reader - you can try.
Alexandra Bakhmeteva. Stories for children about the earthly life of Jesus Christ
The book of the famous writer “for children and the people” was published in 1857 and had no equal in popularity, like the rest of Bakhmeteva’s works: “Selected Lives of Saints, Briefly Set Out According to the Guide of the Chetiyh-Mineas”; “Stories from the history of the Christian Church. From the 1st century until the half of the 11th century,” “The beginning of Christianity in Russia and the Baptism of Rus' under Prince Vladimir,” “Stories from Russian church history.” Reviewers praised her writings for their fidelity to the spirit of Holy Scripture, simplicity and accuracy of presentation. Alexandra Bakhmeteva was an honorary member of the Society of Lovers of Russian Literature, had extensive knowledge of church and civil history, the ability to work with sources, communicated with N.V. Gogol, S.T. Aksakov, N.V. Stankevich, I.S. Turgenev...
“Stories for children about the earthly life of the Savior” in an accessible form - in simple and poetic language, tell about the earthly life of Jesus Christ, about the miraculous deeds and exploits of the Savior and his first disciples - the apostles. There are many wise parables of the Lord, texts of troparia in Slavic and Russian, interpretations and connections with worship. The book went through 12 editions, in 2010 a new one appeared - with paintings by the famous Russian painter Vasily Polenov from his Gospel cycle “From the Life of Christ”, allowing you to feel the spirit of those places and that time about which the text narrates.
The great artist himself, in his youth, more than once walked through the holy places where in ancient times the Savior of the world lived and preached his teachings.
Other publications by Alexandra Bakhmeteva are undoubtedly worthy of attention: Stories about Russian saints, History of the Church for children, Complete history of the Christian Church and others:
Gorbova S.N. “The main events of the New Testament in pictures with a brief explanatory text for the youngest children”
A book with this title, compiled by S. N. Gorbova, was published in 1900. The author’s preface says: “The purpose of the proposed book is to give the youngest children a visual representation of the main events of the New Testament in a whole series of pictures. In a short explanatory text, the author tried, if possible, to connect individual facts, as far as this was necessary to understand their sequence. If he manages to make it easier for parents to compile the initial story, if a five- or six-year-old child can use text to explain the content of each picture, if he can clearly read the prayer to the Mother of God and the Lord’s Prayer, if, finally, during mass he will understand the words of the institution of the Sacrament “, - the author will consider himself satisfied, his book will be sufficient preparation for the first conscious step of a Christian ahead in the life of a child: his first confession.”
Modern parents are eager to “make their work easier,” and most will enjoy this book. Today it has been edited, republished under the title “The Gospel for the Little Ones” and... simply created for them, even those under five years old. The chapters are not long, the text is large and light, not overloaded with words unfamiliar to a child, bright illustrations by the artist Vyacheslav Volynets:
Bible formats and their features
Nowadays publishers offer different formats of Bibles - large, medium and small. Large books have large print and are great for home reading. They are easy to read for absolutely everyone, including older people.
As for medium format publications, it is also well suited for home reading. It can also be a personal book. But the small format is often taken with you on the road and used as a book for personal reading. Small format books have small fonts, so they are not very convenient to read with your family.
Russian Bible Society
The Russian Bible Society (RBS) is 200 years old. Created in 1813 at the direction of Emperor Alexander I, the society set itself the goal of translating the Holy Scriptures into various languages of the empire, as well as distributing it among the poor. The publication was published in forty languages. Today RBO is the largest publishing house of biblical literature in Russia, publishing over a million books annually. Children's publications are given special, professional importance:
Bible for children in the ancient Russian tradition
Orthodox art and composition of the book by artist Andrei Markelov-Bistryakov.
The life story of our Lord Jesus Christ in short stories and illustrations
Created in the commonwealth of Russians and Serbs, this colorfully illustrated publication in the iconographic Orthodox tradition: the skill and childishly spontaneous manner of execution of the Serbian artist will appeal to young readers.
Modern authors
Davydova Natalya Vladimirovna. The Gospel retold for children
This children's Gospel was written by a teacher of literary creativity, a member of the Union of Writers of Russia, laureate of the Prize named after. K. D. Ushinsky. The book combines all four Gospels in one narrative, simpler and more accessible - for school age. Very beautiful illustrations!
Natalya Vladimirovna is also the author of a number of other worthy children's publications: “The Gospel and Old Russian Literature”, “Orthodox Primer”, “Biblical Dictionary for Schoolchildren”.
Kucherskaya Maya Alexandrovna. Gospel Stories for Children
Maya Kucherskaya is a candidate of philological sciences, literary critic, famous writer, author of the books “God of Rain” and “Modern Patericon. Reading for the discouraged" - an ironic and controversial collection of stories and anecdotes dedicated to the modern life of the Church. “Gospel Stories for Children” are written in simple, understandable language - Maya wrote them for her young children, so the book is easy to read even for three-year-olds.
