I just received my pre-ordered hardcover copy of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) this afternoon! Here are a few photos and first impressions:
Size
My copy measures just a hair over 2.75 inches in thickness. It is a very large book, as expected. I stacked it up with some of the largest commentaries and bibles in my collection:
The hardcover ICSB is noticeably thicker than the single-volume Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible (2.5 inches thick). It is also larger in all dimensions (length, width, and height) compared to the Oxford Catholic Study Bible and the New Oxford Annotated Bible. Until now, the Eerdmans Commentary has been the thickest book on my shelf.
Binding and Paper
The binding feels sturdy but still compliant. It opens easily without feeling stiff, and it also doesn’t feel floppy or loose. My first impression is that it feels solid and well-made. The binding is sewn, as expected.
The paper is noticeably thicker than standard bible paper. Comparing the ICSB side-by-side with the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NOAB), the ICSB’s paper is much thicker and weightier. The Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible has thicker paper than the ICSB, but the New Jerome Biblical Commentary’s paper feels slightly thinner than the ICSB. There is some minor ghosting of text from subsequent pages, but so far, it looks minimal and doesn’t affect reading.
I flipped through every page of the ICSB after I received it last Wednesday because I wanted to unstick any stuck pages and hunt for any defects that may require a return and replacement. I agree that the binding is great and that it lays nice and flat no matter where you are in the Bible. The paper is also very nice; I love the silky smooth feel of the paper that Ignatius Press uses and think it’s very nice to touch. The only critique I have with the printing itself is that it’s sometimes a bit uneven, with pages of dark black text sometimes followed by pages of more grayish text, and the toner/ink issues sometimes slightly impact the gray on the maps or info boxes (e.g., word studies). However, for a 2,300-page book, you can’t expect a printer to be at peak performance the whole way through the print job, and any of the issues I found are tolerable.
In passing as I flipped every page, I found a few minor typographic issues with the notes, typically when it’d be inconsistent when quoting the biblical text at the beginning of the note, sometimes lowercasing what was capitalized in the actual biblical text. Finally, I’d like to draw attention to the change in the RSV-2CE text to Luke 1:34 that was identified by a poster here. The ICSB, indeed, has the updated reading, on pg. 1829.
Luke 1:34 (RSV-2CE [ICSB]): And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I do not know man?”
I would like to note that they failed to update the corresponding textual footnote here, so you still get this:
†1:34: How can this be: alternate reading is How will this be.
Of course, since “How will this be” is now in the text, the footnote should have been reversed to read instead “†1:34: How will this be: alternate reading is How can this be.” I’ve drawn attention before to how the RNJB has this sort of error too on several (in my opinion, far too many) occasions, though I only know of this one now in the RSV-2CE, stemming from this late change in the RSV-2CE text. Thankfully, the ICSB study note has been updated to account for the change in the biblical text reading, removing all the discussion about the RSV’s “I have no husband” reading and generally heavily revising this study note from the original ICSB NT.
I’m impressed that they’ve modified the rendering in Luke 11:34. Are there any other spots where they’ve changed/ improved the RSV-2CE? For example, did they fix any of the verses in Genesis where the RSV took the traditional rendering about all nations being blessed in Abraham’s Seed and made it say that all nations would bless themselves? The RSV has a lot of renderings like that, which caused a lot of controversy when it came out in the 50’s. For a long time, I’ve thought that we need an RSV-3CE that fixes all of these issues, although it didn’t seem like such an effort was ever on Ignatius Press’ radar.
My hunch is that enough high-profile Catholic authors (including the ICSB’s own Scott Hahn) kept complaining about the RSV-CE’s Luke 1:34 reading, one that the RSV-2CE didn’t originally touch, being non-literal (and outright wrong, since in the Jewish cultural context Joseph was legally Mary’s husband from the moment of their betrothal) in their own books and essays that Ignatius Press decided to quietly change it before the complete ICSB came out. I know that the Didache Bible still has the old reading, but I wonder if more recent things like the Divine Worship: Daily Office: Commonwealth Edition have the old or new Luke 1:34 RSV-2CE reading.
I don’t know about the Genesis verses. To my knowledge, Luke 1:34 is the only edit to the RSV-2CE text Ignatius Press has made in the last decade, since they never publicly disclosed that they changed even that. They’ve unfortunately never been the most transparent about their text changes.
I just received mine, as well. It’s impressive! With its size, it’s definitely a desk bible (or manageable in my lap in the recliner). What an amazing resource. The notes are comprehensive and accessible. It’s got fantastic sidebar commentaries and word studies. It will get a lot of use. It’s going to be great for catechesis and bible study. It’s worth the wait. It’ll be a great companion to the RSV2CE just profiled on your blog.
I think it might be useful to have a quantitative measure of paper thickness. For example, if you measure with a ruler, how thick is 1000 pages (500 sheets) of the new Bible compared to the Oxfords?
Great idea! Here are the measurements I get for 500 sheets in each Bible:
New Oxford Annotated Bible 5th Ed: 1.95 cm
Oxford Catholic Study Bible 3rd Ed: 2.1 cm
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: 2.9 cm
Thanks for the measurements! This is useful for comparing.
It appears Ignatius is using bible paper, but they are using THEIR bible paper. Based on your measurements (2.9cm or 1 9/64 in), the ICSB’s paper is thicker than my Great Adventure Bible’s, but it does match the thickness of the paper of my Ignatius Bible RSV2CE (red hardcover).
I’m very much looking forward to receiving my big, chonky Study Bible. The latest delivery update from Amazon is December 23rd.
And it currently tells me they’ll deliver it to me (in Europe) on that same day. I have my doubts, but it would be perfect to get it for Christmas.
Old wine, new win skins.
Wonderful study resources wrapped around a 78-year-old translation someone ran a “find and replace” on.
I can’t even.
Isn’t it better to have a widely respected traditional text that everyone knows than to follow whatever is hip or trendy at the moment? We are after all talking about a Church that still uses the Vulgate nearly 1600 years after it was first published and still uses essentially the same liturgy that was described by Justin Martyr in the year AD 150. Antiquity is not a vice, complaining about the age of a translation is literally the least compelling complaint.
Does anyone know if there’s plans to publish a ebook version of the Ignatius study Bible? I just don’t have the space for a Bible this size. With the ebook, I could transfer some of the notes to my ESV-CE Bible 🙂
I got mine on Friday and plan on sending it back because it didn’t come with a ribbon. Haha. Just kidding. It’s pleasant on the eyes and I like the smell. Font is good. My first reading from it has started with the Book of Job.
How readable is the print size ? I start having trouble below about a 9.5 point type.
Can someone verify the text block was printed in India.
I’m about half way through the ICST New Testament and these Hahn/Mitch notes are so good I’ve lost interest in looking at other study bibles. I do include the Didache notes in my reading routine, but find myself referring less and less to the NABRE notes. Monsignor Knox’s notes, on the other hand, are an always-read.
I can verify that my copy was indeed printed in India.
I’m not at my desk to make a comparison at the moment, but I was struck by how large the font was for the biblical text. The footnotes use a significantly smaller font.
I received my leather version today. It’s gigantic but it seems really well put together and not too big in the hands when you’re actually using/reading it. Gilded pages and ribbons would have been nice but a small part of me kind of appreciates how it has a plain look to it and doesn’t give me the “ too nice to damage “ feeling while using it. I think they did a great job.
How is the ghosting on the paper?
A few months back they published sample shots of the completed work and it looked like there was noticeable ghosting. However, I am not sure if that was just due to the studio lights that professional photographers use which always make ghosting look worse than it is.
From what I’ve seen so far, the ghosting doesn’t impede reading. There certainly is some ghosting, and I can often see ghosted text from both the back of the page and the next page. But I find it minor and not a hindrance to reading. The only thing I’ve found distracting is when the solid line borders (which separate the biblical text from the cross references and footnotes) are visible through the paper. But I haven’t had any trouble reading because of that. I just found it slightly distracting.
I have been using the Study Bible for family prayer and devotions. I did get the leather and I am not disappointed! It sits comfortably on my lap and feels like it will last a long time. It is such a blessing for deep dives into the scripture, unearthing treasures in the Word by having the complete Bible notes handy in one volume. For my personal study this is a great companion to the Haydock, but the Ignatius notes are more accessible for a wider audience. My kids range from 6-17 and they all connect to the notes… The younger are usually curious to “what does this verse mean?” and the older ask more about theology and the OT connections. The articles and word studies throughout put it over the top!
Ignatius should consider making the Study Bible in a Family Heirloom edition, deluxe padded hardback with art from the masters and family records section. It would need to be a bit bigger, 8.5 x 11” I think to make that work well. I pre-ordered a hardback from Amazon when they popped up super cheap, I think I will keep that order and it will go in the living room as a family Bible.
I’d love to see the content of the ICSB in the “Family Heirloom Bible” format, like the ones made for the Douay-Confraternity Bible and Jerusalem Bible in the middle of the last century, or the ones made for the KJV and the Haydock Douay in the late 1800s.