The Preacher’s Bible is unlike any other Bible in the world. It is designed to outlast the lifetime of its owner – something that no Bible currently will do. Also unique to the Preacher’s Bible is the fact that it was designed and built by preachers. Who knows what a preacher needs in a Bible better than a preacher?
The text is designed to facilitate many notes and outlines that can be preached directly from the text. With as much or more space than any wide margin Bible, any preacher or studier will have ample room to write. The Preacher’s Bible doesn’t use margins – it provides space both at the bottom (where C.I. Scofield’s notes used to be) and in the center of the page. This design eliminates the right-handed/left-handed difficulty in writing on an outside margin as well as eliminates the problem of losing much of the margin in the binding of the Bible. All the writing space is usable. And if the user prefers to write between the lines of the text, there is room for that as well!
The Preacher’s Bible is built to be tough. Fashioned with the moving preacher in mind, it can stand up to the great amounts of physical wear required by the preacher that preaches up and down the aisles. Bound with the best goatskin in the world (Nigerian Sokoto Goatskin) and printed on the best Bible paper in the world (Primabible 45gsm), this Bible is unmatched in quality. Set your R.L. Allan, Cambridge, Schuyler, LCBP, and CBP Bibles aside while you read through the features of this 22k gold gilded Bible below.
Leather
We have chosen to use a top/full grain Sokoto Goatskin from Nigeria for the Preacher’s Bible. This leather is superior to all other Bible leathers in many ways. The beauty of this natural grain is authentic – most all other leathers that show this grain (and most other grains as well) are artificially stamped. This embossing will weaken the leather. And it’s not completely genuine.
This Sokoto goatskin has been vegetable tanned rather than chromium tanned. What this means is that vegetables were used in the tanning process rather than chemicals. Chrome tanning greatly reduces the life of the leather but is much cheaper to produce because of industrialized processes.
Finally, as mentioned above, this is a genuine top grain goatskin. Many other popular Bibles claim to be calfskin or even goatskin (and they are… kind of). However, what they do to keep costs down is to take the scraps of the calfskin and grind them up; they then compress these pieces together with an adhesive and emboss a grain on the top (similar to OSB boards or plywood).
The Preacher’s Bible does come with a full yapp to protect the page edging.
Glue
There are thousands upon thousands of bookbinding adhesives in the world. Many Bibles are produced with an adhesive compound known as polyvinyl acetate (PVA). This was a great compound of glue that was used for years in places such as Thomas Nelson Bibles; however, technology has improved over the years. What we have chosen to use is a compound known as Ethelene Vinyl Acetate copolymer (EVA) which provides a bit more flexibility to prevent cracking and splitting while still giving a strong adhesion. It is internally plasticized and non-migratory – this simply means that external heat will not cause a softening of the glue. Believe it or not, some Bibles, depending on their adhesive, can sit on the dashboard of your car in the sun, and the heat will begin to soften the glue in the binding causing the signatures of pages to shift. This is a step toward your binding breaking. The Preacher’s Bible has taken great care to get the greatest bookbinding chemists involved in the selection of our adhesive.
Paper
We have the best message, and we’re putting it on the best paper. Everyone knows that Bible paper must be thin and soft. However, if it is too thin, it will tear easily, and any markings will bleed through. If it’s too thick, your Bible will be too thick and heavy to carry.
Our paper comes from France. It is PrimaBible paper – the best brand of Bible paper in the world. Normal Bibles are anywhere from 22-28 gsm (thickness/heaviness of paper). This paper is 45 gsm – much heavier than most any Bibles. However, there is no sacrifice on the thickness of the Bible itself. Because of the superior quality of how this paper is made, there is no resulting bulk in the book block. The Bible itself will still only be around 1.5 inches thick.
Cheaper Bibles with cheaper Bible paper are generally printed and bound in a “grain short” direction – meaning that the grain of the paper is perpendicular to the spine. We have had this Bible printed in the “grain long” direction – meaning the paper grain is parallel to the spine. Why does this matter? For one, the Bible will lay flatter with the grain long binding. Also, when bound grain short, the paper has a much higher risk or cracking or tearing out at the binding.
OT/NT Red Letter
There are many Bibles that have the words of Christ in red. This does not mean that those words are any more the words of God than the others, because we know that the whole Bible is the Word of God. However, it does help in some ways for one desiring to preach through the direct teachings of Christ while He was on this earth. The Preacher’s Bible includes these helps.
However, the Preacher’s Bible also includes helps that (to our knowledge) haven’t been included in any Bible since before 1913. What we have done is to include red lettering in any Old Testament verse that Jesus quoted. In this way, one can easily see what Old Testament Scriptures Jesus taught from and used.
Prophecy Marks
Every student of the Word of God understands that the entire Bible is centered around the Person of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament directs us to the One that the New Testament reveals to us. In the Preacher’s Bible you will find that every single prophecy about Jesus Christ has been identified by a red blood droplet at the end of the verse. With this aided benefit, a preacher, teacher, or student may easily note and study or preach each prophecy concerning the Son of God.
Scofield Layout
The Scofield Reference Bible is one of the leading King James reference Bibles. Known for its dispensationalist notes, the Scofield Bible is arguably one of the most popular Bibles in fundamentalism. For the sake of space, we have removed all the notes from C.I. Scofield at the bottom of the pages and have left it blank for writing. We have also removed all the cross references in the center column; we have expanded that center column to a width of two inches to provide further writing space. Despite these changes, however, we have kept the exact layout, page for page, of the original Scofield Bible. In this way, those that have grown accustomed to seeing specific verses in specific areas of the page can still have what they are familiar with. While the Scofield generally has an 8pt font, we have increased it to a 9.75pt font. In addition, we have increased the amount of space between the lines to increase readability.
22k Gold Gilding
All modern, new Bibles have gilding on the page edges. Generally, this is either a red or blue color under gold or silver. Sometimes, the gold is simply a sprayed-on color also, but usually, it is a thin colored tin foil. This foil is heated and melted onto the book block. The purpose of the Preacher’s Bible is pure quality. With that in mind, we have chosen to go back to the way mid-century Bibles were made – using real gold for the gilding. The Preacher’s Bible comes with 22 karat gold leaf melted onto the edges of the pages. The gilding also helps to protect edges of the pages from damage.
Cambridge text
When Bible text is spoken about, people are generally discussing Bible versions. However, most people don’t realize that there are multiple King James Bible texts as well. For instance, the original Scofield Bible is built on the Oxford text. The Oxford KJV text is different than the Cambridge KJV text. In fact, there are six different Cambridge KJV texts. After much study and research, we have built our Bible from the text of the Cambridge Concord text as we believe it to be the most accurate. Note: This Bible is not endorsed by nor is it officially a Cambridge Bible. We have simply compared our text to and conformed our text with the Cambridge Concord KJV text.
Bible Treatment
Included with each purchase of the Preacher’s Bible are the necessary ingredients to ensure that it will last its full lifetime. Inside the box is a sheet containing information on how to prepare your Bible for use. BEFORE beginning to use your Bible, follow all the steps outlined on that page. Failure to do so will drastically affect the longevity of your Bible.
App
One of the most amazing and defining features of the Preacher’s Bible is its digital companion app. The exact layout, page-for-page, is available on any device or browser and can be printed exactly to size or filled in with digital notes. Unlike the physical Bible, the space for notes here is limitless. In addition, you will have access to any notes or outlines that others choose to make publicly available. A six-month subscription is included with each purchase of the Preacher’s Bible which will renew for a monthly investment of $4.99. More information about the app can be found here.
