Twenty-First Century Bibles and Biblical History From 2000-2007

Chronological History of the Bible - 21st Century

| home | chronology page | updated Jan 6 2022

2001 NIV Encouragement Bible, Zondervan Publishing House; edited by Joni Eareckson Tada, and Dave and Jan Dravecky; tips and notes of encouragement by the editors and others are along side the text, but other than that, it’s a standard NIV; promotional pages in front highlight Dave Dravecky’s Outreach of Hope Ministry, that seeks out victims of cancer and amputation (isbn 0310948093).

2002 The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, by Eugene H. Peterson; published by NavPress, Colorado Springs. This is a contemporary rendering of the Bible from the original languages, crafted to present its tone, rhythm , events, and ideas in everyday language; 2,265p.

2002 First Korean translation of the Catholic Bible completed; due out in 2005.

2002 Flaming Fire Illustrated Bible Project begins on the internet; the goal is to illustrate all 36,665 verses in the King James Bible; view at http://www.flamingfire.com/

2002 Zondervan releases Today’s New International Version (TNIV) New Testament, which updates the NIV.

2002 The Library of Congress three-volume Gutenberg Bible is on CD-ROM, digitally photographed by Octavo, a California company; project completed in 4 ½ months, and for $80, all 1,300 pages can now be viewed in PDF format. ISBN 1891788744.

2003 First discovery of a New Testament verse (Luke 2:25) carved onto an ancient Holy Land shrine in Jerusalem; said to be the tomb of, or a monument to Simon, and dating from about 400 AD. Attributed to Byzantine Christians.

2004 Complete Bible in Low German (Plautdietsch) published by the Canadian Bible Society and Kindred Productions of Winnipeg; project began in 1998 under the supervision of the United Bible Societies, an association of 137 national Bible Societies from around the world; the Holy Bible is now available- in whole or in part- in more than 2,285 languages. The Canadian Bible Society translates, publishes and distributes the Bible in 111 foreign languages as well as 23 Canadian Aboriginal languages.

2004 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) released by SBC Publisher Broadman & Holman, General Editor Ed Blum; considered the Southern Baptist alternative to the TNIV. Blum: “for the conservative constituency. I don’t expect the Episcopal Church to adopt it.” (see “A Feast of Good Books” by David Klinghoffer, Publishers Weekly, Oct 11, 2004)

2004 Billy Graham Training Center Bible, published by Thomas Nelson.

2004 The Sportsman’s Bible, (HCSB) published by Broadman & Holman; bound in camouflage, and includes the article “Giving Thanks Is Essential for the Turkey Hunter.”

2004 Metal Bible, released by Tyndale; bound in a metal box, embossed with a dog tag.

2004 NT: Sport released by Tyndale, turns the New Testament into a sports magazine for teens.

2004 English Standard Version (ESV) Battle Zone Bible published by Crossway. Brushed aluminum cover.

2004 The Soldier’s Bible, published by Holman; includes a Special Prayer and Devotional Section for Army personnel, and is bound in green bonded leather.

2005 After being initially refused, Zondervan Publishing successfully purchases for the first time, ad space in Rolling Stone Magazine; the low-key ad runs in several issues, and markets the publisher’s latest editions of the TNIV, with the slogan: "Timeless truth: Today's language." (USA Today, 1/24/05)

2005 Prove It: The Catholic Teen Bible; published by Our Sunday Visitor. Paperback; 1,600p.

2005 Today’s New International Version (TNIV) complete Holy Bible, released by Zondervan in February. A ten-year effort, aimed at 18-34 year-olds, updating the NIV. Widely criticized by conservative Christians, such as the Southern Baptist Convention.

2005 major revision of the New American Bible (NAB) Old Testament; Published by Paulist Press.

2005 A User’s Guide To Bible Translations by David Dewey; published by Intervarsity Press. ISBN 0830832734.

2005 NET Bible (New English Translation) released on bible.org ministries website. A complete and free downloadable (from the internet) version, with over 60,000 notes. Advertised as a ten-year effort, and a completely new translation from early Masoretic and Greek texts.

2005 NIV Faithgirlz Backpack Bible; published by Zonderkidz (Zondervan), for ages 8 and up.

2006 God’s Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh. Published by “Tommy Nelson” (a division of Thomas Nelson). Scripture selections are from the International Children’s Bible. This is the first “Bible” I’ve seen with a Choking Hazard warning on the rear cover. The front board is embellished by pink titling, and a tiara with inlaid plastic “jewels” that could be pulled off and swallowed by children. Blatantly commercial, it’s difficult to regard this as a devotional Bible.

2007 The Maxwell Leadership Bible, NKJV. 2^nd Ed.

2007 The International Bible Society (IBS) and Send The Light (STL), British Christian book distributors, announce a merger.

2007 Amazon.com begins to offer downloadable Kindle Editions of the Holy Bible, including the NIV, NASB, Amplified, and KJV. Reviews are mixed, mostly positive, some sophomoric and juvenile.

2007 The Holy Bible In Its Original Order: A New English Translation. York Publishing. Translated by Fred R. Coulter, this version purports to follow the original, canonical order.

2008 In February, Yisrayl (“Buffalo Bill”) Hawkins, the Founder of the House of Yahweh and publisher of his own 1987 translation of the Old Testament was arrested on four counts of Bigamy. In October 2008 news reports linked him to alleged child molestation, sexual assault and pornography. Numerous accounts of his deviant sexual predatory escapades as leader of the House of Yahweh can be found all over the internet. Some of his converts also face similar charges. Hawkins is currently jailed and facing bigamy charges that may end his quasi-religious career. (See our 1987 entry)

2008 The Sept 8^th Jerusalem Post reports that a New Testament allegedly signed by nineteen Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg trials of Post World War II had turned up for sale at an unidentified book shop in Los Angeles in 2007; the article concludes that the signatures are probably real and that it is probable the Bible came from U.S. Army Captain Henry F. Gerecke, the Lutheran Chaplain to the Protestant Nazi defendants. Gerecke, fluent in German, became close enough to them that he convinced nearly all of the Nazi chiefs to attend church services, counseled them in their final days and accompanied many of them to their gallows deaths over a period of eleven months. The New Testament in question may have belonged to Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, who Gerecke writes about in a Sept 1, 1951 Saturday Evening Post article entitled “I walked to the gallows with the Nazi Chiefs.”

2008 In October, The NRSV Green Bible is published by HarperOne; eco-friendly and printed on recycled paper, using soy-based ink, in a cotton/linen, tan “woven” binding; a “Green Trail Guide” directs the reader to passages highlighted in green ink that speak to the concept of “creation care” – being good stewards of the earth and the environment; eco-conscious Christians can feel good about a Holy Bible that is made from all-natural, recycled materials (that will presumably bio-degrade, however accidentally). This marketing approach is meant to show that God is “green” and by including essays from leading conservationists and theologians we can learn to read the Bible through a “green” lens. Not all Christians agree, so the future debate should be interesting. Time Magazine did an interesting, vaguely sarcastic piece on this Bible, but it’s worth reading.

2008 Flaming Fire Illustrated Bible update - 3097 illustrations complete; 33568 remaining as of Jan 4, 2010.

2008 a December issue of The Manchester Guardian reports that American film producer Max Mitchell will publish The Princess Diana Bible, a Gay revision of the Bible; Mitchell’s New Mexico-based Revision Studios will offer the “Bible” on-line by Spring 2009 at princessdianabible.com In Genesis, for example, God creates Aida and Eve, instead of Adam and Eve. There appears to be no legitimate, factual, or historical scholarship behind this project. It does make the point, however, that anyone can attempt a revision of the Bible, no matter how foolish it makes them look. Don’t look for this parody becoming a bridge between gay and straight Christians.

2009 Using an 1853 Oxford University Press edition of the Holy Bible that once belonged to Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama takes the Presidential Oath of Office - America’s first African-American President. The Bible was gifted to the Library of Congress in 1928 by Mrs. Robert Todd Lincoln. Barack Obama was the first President to use it in an official ceremony since the 1861 Lincoln inauguration. (see my 1861 entry)

2009 BIBLICA is formed from the merger of the International Bible Society and Send the Light. Headquarters is Colo. Springs, CO, USA.

2009 The American Patriots Bible: NKJV. The Word of God and the shaping of America. Thomas Nelson.

2009 May 29^th - A Library Assistant in Colmar, France accidentally discovers a book that a 16^th century bookbinder repaired with a vellum fragment from the Gutenberg Bible. Finding this “human treasure” gave the librarian the “fright of her life.”

2009 Nov 10^th -A 16th century two-volume Bomberg/Pratensis Rabbinic Bible was returned to its rightful owners 71 years after it was stolen by the Nazis. At the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NY, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) and the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York returned the Bible to Vienna's Jewish community, known as Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien ( IKG ). The Rabbinic Bible, published between 1516 and1517, is a manuscript that includes an Aramaic summary and a series of commentaries by key medieval rabbinic figures including 11th century French scholar Rashi, late 12th/early 13th century Provencal scholar David Kimche, 13th century Spanish scholar Nachmanides and 14th century French scholar Gersonides. Link http://media-newswire.com/release_1105647.html

2010 Wilson County, Tennessee schools have agreed to ban the Gideons from distributing Bibles on school grounds during school hours. The decision, announced Tuesday, 1/06/10 came after the ACLU of Tennessee threatened to sue on behalf of a fifth-grade student at Carroll-Oakland Elementary School in Lebanon. The dispute began when the school allowed the Gideons to distribute Bibles in the Carroll-Oakland gym last fall. The school's principal also told fifth-graders a story about the time she got her first Bible. Students then were called up by row to get the Bibles, but were not required to take one. A student, aka “Joanne Doe”, said she took a Bible out of fear of being ostracized, and her parents believed their daughter's rights were violated. They contacted the ACLU, which threatened to sue the school district. As part of the settlement, the school board admitted that the Bible distribution violated the First Amendment restriction on government-sponsored religion.

2010 The C.S. Lewis Bible (NRSV). HarperOne publication. Combined with the New Revised Standard Version, this edition features over 600 selections from Lewis’ works, including Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Problem of Pain.

2010 Released in the fall of this year, The Action Bible: God’s Redemptive Story, is published by David C. Cooke of Colorado Springs, Colorado. This is the new version of The Picture Bible, first published by Cooke in 1973, and consists of 215 comic-book style Bible stories in chronological order. The “balloon” text, written in street talk and modern English by Doug Mauss, is complemented by Sergio Cariello’s color illustrations. His biblical “super heroes” such as Jesus Christ and Moses are depicted as tough, fit and ready for action - perfect for the 8 to 12 year-old Bible student and fan of Captain America. Cariello’s previous projects include illustrating super heroes for Marvel Comics and DC Comics. Isbn-13: 9780781444996. 750p

2011 The Saint John’s Bible is complete. In September 2011, the seventh and final volume (Letters and Revelation) is introduced to the press. The is the first completely hand written and hand illuminated Bible in 500 years.

2011 Passages, a traveling exhibit of 400 rare Bibles, biblical antiquities, artifacts, and early biblical fragments from The Green Collection, opens in Oklahoma City, and is now in Atlanta, Georgia (as of mid 2012). The Green Collection was conceived and founded in 2009 by Steve Green, president of the arts-and-crafts retailer Hobby Lobby. The exhibit features interactive displays, early Bibles in English and other languages, a Gutenberg Bible fragment and other incunables, early printing presses, Dead Sea scroll fragments, and palimpsests. Of interest is the Roseberry Rolle manuscript, which the Passages website claims is the first translation of scripture into Middle English, and further asserts that it predates the Wycliffe translation by about 40 years. The director of The Green Collection is Dr. Scott Carroll, a noted scholar of ancient and medieval manuscripts. Dr. Carroll also collaborates with an Oxford University working group developing innovations in multispectral imaging and digital effects to analyze ancient manuscripts. Admission to the Atlanta Passages exhibit is $12.95 for adults, $8.95 for kids, age six and up, with military, group, family and seniors discounts as well. Hobby Lobby also offers a coupon for discounted admission.

2011 The Jewish Annotated New Testament, NRSV translation; edited by Amy Jill-Levine and Marc Ziv Brettler; Oxford University Press, 637p.

2021 From an article published by Fine Books & Collections Magazine, dated Dec 22, 2021: Magician Harry Houdini’s Bible, a Red Letter Edition published by World Syndicate Company, NY, sells at a Potter & Potter auction for $102,000. A large-type KJV, Octavo, inscribed and signed by Houdini to magician Joseph Dunninger on November 30, 1925, and subsequently inscribed and signed by Dunninger on December 16, 1967 to Houdini collector Ray Ellenbogen.