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Layman's Bible Review: Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition

 

The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition

Physical Description and Production Review

 

Bibliographic Information

 

Title: The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition

Publisher / Copyright Holder: Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, Pennsylvania

Year of Publication: 1981

This Copy: 1986, Second Printing

ISBN: None listed

Revision Notes: None listed

Dimensions: 9.5” x 6.5” x 2”, 987 pp.

 

This edition provides no formal revision history, ISBN, or statement of textual changes between printings.

 

 

Cover, Binding, and Construction

 


This copy is a hardcover edition with a matte, textured blue-gray cover, distinct from the more common glossy brown hardcover. Other known formats include a black bonded leather edition and a black vinyl-covered edition.

 

The front cover is stamped with the Hebrew characters for “Yahweh” and “Y’hoshua” (rendered as “Yahshua” by the Assemblies of Yahweh). This particular copy is a special anniversary edition, bearing an additional gold stamping reading:

 

“Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel PA — 20 Years of Service 1966–1986.”

 

The spine reads “The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition” and is oriented for easy reading when shelved upright.

 

This edition features a sewn binding, and the Bible opens flat easily without resistance. (Later printings are reported to use glued bindings but I haven’t seen one.) The endpapers are noticeably thicker than the text paper, contributing to overall durability.

 


Paper and Print Quality

 

One of the strongest features of the Bethel Edition is its paper.

 

·       Paper type: Book paper (not Bible paper)

·       Color: Off-white (possibly aged; likely white when new)

·       Texture: Slightly rough, easy to turn pages

·       Opacity: Excellent — no bleed-through or ghosting

·       Ink: Clean and fairly consistent, no feathering observed.  Occasional misprints but they’re rare and I’ve found no problems with spelling, etc.

 

The paper is comparable to what one would expect in a quality hardcover novel rather than a typical Bible. Combined with a relatively thin font, this results in practically no ghosting and high legibility despite the smaller type size.

 

For comparison, this edition was examined alongside an ESV Large Print Value Thinline (10 pt) and a Holman NKJV Large Print Personal Size (12 pt). The SSBE’s font is smaller as you can see.

 


 

 Typography and Layout

·       Font: Palatino, approximately 9 pt

·       Line spacing: Single-spaced

·       Columns: Double-column throughout

·       Margins:

o   Inner and outer margins: just over 1 cm

o   Header and footer margins: approx. 1.5 cm (partially occupied by references and page numbers)

·       Verse numbers: Superscript

·       Paragraphing: Standard paragraph format

·       Poetry: Properly formatted (Psalms, prophets, songs, and poetic NT sections)

 


There are no quotation marks for speech, consistent with the ASV tradition. Italics are used sparingly, though their application appears somewhat inconsistent.

 

While margins are not generous enough for extensive note-taking, the text is not cramped, and overall readability is surprisingly good given the compact layout.

 

Navigation and Features

 

The Bethel Edition is intentionally minimalistic. It contains no:

·       Subject headings

·       Running page headers

·       Book introductions

·       Cross references

·       Footnotes

·       Maps

·       Concordance

·       Ribbon markers (I’ve added these on my pictures)

 This places it firmly in the category of a plain-text Bible, with all interpretive influence residing in translation choices rather than marginal apparatus.


Front Matter

The front matter consists of approximately seven pages, comprising:

·       Title page

·       Publication / copyright page

·       Dedication page: “To the Glory of the Great YAHWEH and His Son YAHSHUA the Messiah”

·       Preface by Jacob O. Meyer, explaining:

o   The background of the translation

o   The rationale for using the names Yahweh and Yahshua

·       Table of Contents for the entire Bible

·       Following this, the text proceeds directly to Genesis.

 


 



The Old Testament follows the Hebrew/Protestant canon. A single page titled “The New Covenant and New Testament” separates Malachi and Matthew, after which the standard New Testament canon is presented.

 



Back Matter

The sole substantive back matter is the “Pure Religious Vocabulary” section, which explains words the Assemblies of Yahweh refuse to use and provides their stated reasons—most often grounded in perceived etymological or pagan associations.

 


A few blank pages follow, and the volume concludes.

 

Usability and Overall Impression

Physically, the Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition is a well-made Bible.

It is on the larger end of portable Bibles but remains manageable for assembly use.

Its dimensions and weight place it closer to a medium-sized dictionary than a personal pocket Bible.

The print size may be small for older readers, though this is mitigated by the excellent paper quality.

As a library or desk Bible, it is well suited and durable.

As a physical artifact, the Bethel Edition is thoughtfully produced and pleasant to use. Its strengths lie in paper quality, binding (in this printing), and restrained layout. Whatever one may conclude about its theology or translation philosophy, the volume itself reflects careful craftsmanship.

 



However, the translation itself gives cause for concern to the Christian and to anyone who finds fidelity to the Biblical languages important.  The SSBE is a product of sacred name theology, which is often at odds with historic Christian orthodoxy.  I am working on a new Substack, Sacred Name Examined, where I will occasionally post about this theology and examining it from history, from languages, and most importantly in the light of Scripture.  I hope you’ll check it out!

PDF Copy

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