Bible for children

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"The Wise Men"; illustration from A Child's Story of the Bible, 1899 The Wise Men.jpg
"The Wise Men"; illustration from A Child's Story of the Bible, 1899

Children's Bibles, or Bibles for children, are often collections of Bible stories rather than actual translations of the Bible and are aimed at children. [1] These adaptations of the Bible are written to be more understandable and entertaining for younger audiences. [2]

Contents

There is a range of simplicity across various children's Bible publications. More image focused variations, often made for children aged 3-6, rely less on words to convey a message and prominently feature drawings and artistic interpretations of the Bible. [3] While some publications quote directly from the Bible, others paraphrase the text. All of these different publications are created to appeal to audiences of different ages and levels of comprehension.

History of Christian Children's Bibles

As of 2024, the Bible has been translated into 756 languages. [4] Within the English language alone, there are many different translations of the Bible, including the New Living Translation, King James Version, New International Version, and many more. These texts appeal to an older audience, most commonly from the 7-12th grade reading level. [5] [ better source needed ] Some versions have been written in simpler language, such as the ICB (International Children's Bible) version. [6] [ better source needed ] Children's Bibles, however, are not direct translations of the Bible, but are rather simplistic and take more of a storytelling approach, often with images.

First printed in London in 1759, The Children's Bible was the earliest Bible for children printed in America. [7] While this may have been the first official text published in the US, the simple, narrative style seen in children's Bibles today dates back to the work of Peter Comestor in the late twelfth century: Historia Scholastica. [8] His work presents the Bible through stories and also includes non-Biblical material.

There have been many other publications of different Bibles for children since The Children's Bible was published in 1759. [7] In 1934 Lenore Cohen's work: Bible Tales for Very Young Children was published by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. [8] This novel became a staple in the curriculum for different religious institutions internationally at the time.

Another author of early children's Bibles is Sebastian Castellio. When he was the headmaster of the Collége de Rive in Calvinist, Geneva, he wrote Dialogorum Sacrorum Libri Quatuor as a way to introduce the schoolboys at his institution to Biblical texts. This work was published in the 1540s and was widely distributed in Europe. [9]

Illustration of Jesus talking with his disciples Gospel of Luke Chapter 22-13 (Bible Illustrations by Sweet Media).jpg
Illustration of Jesus talking with his disciples

In 1991, The Children's Bible Storybook was published, retelling around 300 Bible stories alongside different illustrations. It was written by Anne de Graaf and illustrated by José Pérez Montero. [10] Since its publication it has sold over 6 million copies and has been distributed in 93 languages. [11]

Another recent publication is the Adventure Bible Storybook written by Catherine DeVries and illustrated by Jim Madsen. [12] This work was published by Zonderkidz in 2009 and has sold over 9 million copies. [13]

One of the newer publications of children's Bibles is called The Action Bible and was first published in 2010. [14] This work features a retelling of hundreds of stories from the Bible, but in the form of a comic, with lots of graphics and Scripture retold in the form of thought bubbles for the different characters. The illustrator for this work is Sergio Cariello. [14] This children's Bible has been translated into 83 different languages, and over 3.5 million copies have been sold. [14]

Zonderkidz

Zonderkidz is the children’s section of the publishing company Zondervan. [15] Zondervan was established by two brothers, Pat and Bernard Zondervan, in 1931 in Michigan. Since its establishment, Zondervan has published over 300 books and Bibles a year in over 100 countries and 65 languages. [16] Zondervan was acquired by HarperCollins in 1988. [17] Here is a list of some of the works produced by this publishing company: [18]

Other Notable Christian Children's Bibles

Jewish Children's Bibles

Christian children’s Bibles were published long before Jewish children’s Bibles. One of the first Jewish children’s works was written by Moses Mordecai Budinger in 1823. [19] When introducing the Bible to children, Jewish authors departed from teaching directly from the full Bible text and chose stories that were digestible for children, but authors did not include additional stories. Rather than being retold in Hebrew, these stories were told in the vernacular. In comparison to the Christian children’s texts, these works historically did not have as many illustrations. [19]

The Children’s Illustrated Jewish Bible is written by Laaren Brown and Lenny Hort and illustrated by Eric Thomas. [20] Published in 2020 by DK Children, it details key characters and stories from the Hebrew Bible. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apocrypha</span> Works of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin

Apocrypha are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word apocryphal (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings that were to be read privately rather than in the public context of church services. Apocrypha were edifying Christian works that were not always initially included as canonical scripture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bible</span> Collection of religious texts

The Bible is a collection of religious texts and scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, and partly in Judaism, Samaritanism, Islam, the Baháʼí Faith, and other Abrahamic religions. The Bible is an anthology originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek. The texts include instructions, stories, poetry, prophecies, and other genres. The collection of materials that are accepted as part of the Bible by a particular religious tradition or community is called a biblical canon. Believers in the Bible generally consider it to be a product of divine inspiration, but the way they understand what that means and interpret the text varies.

<i>Midrash</i> Traditional Jewish exegesis of Biblical texts

Midrash is expansive Jewish Biblical exegesis using a rabbinic mode of interpretation prominent in the Talmud. The word itself means "textual interpretation", "study", or "exegesis", derived from the root verb darash (דָּרַשׁ‎), which means "resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New International Version</span> English translation of the Bible

The New International Version (NIV) is a translation of the Bible into contemporary English. Published by Biblica, the complete NIV was released on October 27, 1978 with a minor revision in 1984 and a major revision in 2011. The NIV relies on recently-published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashi</span> French rabbi and commentator (1040–1105)

Shlomo Yitzchaki, commonly known by the acronym Rashi, was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Septuagint</span> Greek translation of Hebrew scriptures

The Septuagint, sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy, and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek title derives from the story recorded in the Letter of Aristeas to Philocrates that "the laws of the Jews" were translated into the Greek language at the request of Ptolemy II Philadelphus by seventy-two Hebrew translators—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masoretic Text</span> Authoritative text of the Tanakh in Rabbinic Judaism

The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocalization and accentuation known as the mas'sora. Referring to the Masoretic Text, masorah specifically means the diacritic markings of the text of the Jewish scriptures and the concise marginal notes in manuscripts of the Tanakh which note textual details, usually about the precise spelling of words. It was primarily copied, edited, and distributed by a group of Jews known as the Masoretes between the 7th and 10th centuries of the Common Era (CE). The oldest known complete copy, the Leningrad Codex, dates to 1009 CE and is recognized as the most complete source of biblical books in the Ben Asher tradition. It has served as the base text for critical editions such as Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and Adi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New World Translation</span> Jehovahs Witnesses Bible translation

The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The New Testament portion was released first, in 1950, as the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete New World Translation of the Bible released in 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bible translations</span>

The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. As of November 2024 the whole Bible has been translated into 756 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,726 languages, and smaller portions of the Bible have been translated into 1,274 other languages according to Wycliffe Global Alliance. Thus, at least some portions of the Bible have been translated into 3,756 languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Revised Standard Version</span> English translation of the Bible

The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches, the NRSV was created by an ecumenical committee of scholars "comprising about thirty members". The NRSV relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. A major revision, the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue), was released in 2021.

More than 100 complete translations into English languages have been produced. Translations of Biblical books, especially passages read in the Liturgy can be traced back to the late 7th century, including translations into Old and Middle English.

<i>Tzenah Urenah</i> Yiddish-language devotional prose text for women

The Tz'enah Ur'enah, also spelt Tsene-rene and Tseno Ureno, sometimes called the Women's Bible, is a Yiddish-language prose work whose structure parallels the weekly Torah portions and Haftarahs used in Jewish prayer services. The book was written by Jacob ben Isaac Ashkenazi (1550–1625) of Janów Lubelski, and mixes Biblical passages with teachings from Judaism's Oral Torah such as the Talmud's Aggadah and Midrash, which are sometimes called "parables, allegories, short stories, anecdotes, legends, and admonitions" by secular writers.

Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It is a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. and has multiple imprints including Zondervan Academic, Zonderkidz, Blink, and Editorial Vida. Zondervan is the commercial rights holder for the New International Version (NIV) Bible in North America. According to the Zondervan website, it is the largest Christian publisher.

Hebrew Bible English translations are English translations of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) according to the Masoretic Text, in the traditional division and order of Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. Most Jewish translations appear in bilingual editions (Hebrew–English).

Jewish commentaries on the Bible are biblical commentaries of the Hebrew Bible from a Jewish perspective. Translations into Aramaic and English, and some universally accepted Jewish commentaries with notes on their method of approach and also some modern translations into English with notes are listed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jago (illustrator)</span> British illustrator (born 1979)

Jago is a British children's book illustrator. He attended Falmouth College of Art from 2000 to 2003. He has produced digital illustrations for a variety of publishers: Barefoot Books, Oxford University Press, Mantra Lingua and Zondervan.

Messianic Bible translations are translations, or editions of translations, in English of the Christian Bible, some of which are widely used in the Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots communities.

Ruth B. Bottigheimer is a literary scholar, folklorist, and author. Currently Research Professor in the Department of English at Stony Brook University, State University of New York she specializes in European fairy tales and British children’s literature. She has also rersearched and published on the history of illustration, the religious socialization of children through edited Bible narratives, and stories told by Hannā Diyāb to Antoine Galland and included in his French edition of the Arabian Nights. She “has been hailed as one of America’s foremost Grimm scholars”.

<i>The Jesus Storybook Bible</i> 2007 childrens Bible written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago

The Jesus Storybook Bible is a children's Bible written by New York Times bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago from Cornwall. The first edition was published in 2007 by Zonderkidz, the children's arm of American Christian media and publishing company Zondervan.

Sally Lloyd-Jones is a British children's book writer.

References

  1. ↑ Ruth B. Bottigheimer The Bible for Children: from the age of Gutenberg to the present - 1996 Yale; p. 39
  2. ↑ Aadland, Ingunn (2023-01-02). "Casting Biblical narratives: Gendered power hierarchies and cultural imagination in scandinavian children's bibles". Studia Theologica - Nordic Journal of Theology. 77 (1): 40–61. doi: 10.1080/0039338X.2022.2075461 . ISSN   0039-338X.
  3. ↑ Kreider, Glenn. "Dallas Theological Seminary". Encyclopedia of the Bible Online. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  4. ↑ "2024 Global Scripture Access". Wycliffe Global Alliance. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
  5. ↑ "Bible Translation Reading Levels". Bible Gateway Blog. 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  6. ↑ "International Children's Bible (ICB) - Version Information - BibleGateway.com". www.biblegateway.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
  7. 1 2 The Pictus Orbis Sambo Phyllis Settecase Barton, Pictus Orbus Press - 1998; p. 8 "In 1763, THE CHILDREN'S BIBLE, OR AN HISTORY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, was printed and sold in Philadelphia by Andrew Steuart. First printed in London in 1759, this is the earliest Bible for children printed in America "
  8. 1 2 Gold, Penny Schine (2003-01-01). Making the Bible Modern: Children's Bibles and Jewish Education in Twentieth-Century America. Cornell University Press. doi:10.7591/9781501724985. ISBN   978-1-5017-2498-5.
  9. ↑ Bottigheimer, Ruth B. "Sebastian Castellio and His Children's Bible Dialogi Sacri". Sebastian Castellio and His Children's Bible Dialogi Sacri.
  10. ↑ "The Children's Bible". Goodreads. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  11. ↑ "The Children's Bible". Sph.as. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  12. ↑ "Adventure Bible Storybook". Adventure Bible. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  13. ↑ "Adventure Bible Storybook". ChurchSource. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  14. 1 2 3 "The Action Bible". www.theactionbible.com. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
  15. ↑ "About". Zonderkidz. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  16. ↑ "Company Profile". Zondervan. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  17. ↑ "Zondervan". HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  18. ↑ "Storybook Bibles Archives". Zonderkidz. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  19. 1 2 Gold, Penny Schine (2003-01-01). Making the Bible Modern. Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-1-5017-2498-5.
  20. 1 2 "The Children's Illustrated Jewish Bible". dkbooks. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
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