First Look: Word on Fire Bible Volume V – Exile and Return

Volume V of the Word on Fire Bible is now available for purchase. I received an advance copy of the leather edition in return for a donation toward the production costs for volume V. This volume contains the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, and 1 and 2 Maccabees.

The design and layout of this volume is consistent with the others. Each book begins with an introduction written by a Catholic theologian, commentator, or scholar. Excerpts from Bishop Barron’s homilies, as well as quotes from other authors, are interspersed with the biblical text. Artwork relevant to the biblical text is also interspersed at appropriate places, along with explanations and interpretations of the art.

The biblical text is formatted in a single-column layout, which works very well for poetry. The photo below shows the single-column formatting of Tobit’s poem of thanksgiving to God on the right-hand page. The left-hand page, with a gray background, is an excerpted commentary on Tobit’s thanksgiving.

The cover design is meant to evoke the restoration of three key elements of Israel after their return from the Babylonian exile: the Law, the temple, and the walls of Jerusalem (depicted in the center of the illustration from top to bottom). On either side of this depiction, open gates with vertical bars symbolize the return to freedom in the land which God promised. Interestingly, the doorway in the wall of Jerusalem (depicted at bottom-center of the illustration) lacks a keystone at the top of its arch, suggesting that the return from exile was not the climax of God’s relationship with Israel. The true keystone — Christ — was yet to come.

As expected, this volume uses the original text of the NRSV-CE, just like all previous volumes of the Word on Fire Bible. I have been communicating with Friendship Press regarding their phase-out of the original NRSV-CE, and I’ll be publishing a post with further information on that in a few days. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that the recent announcement from Logos Bible Software regarding a license expiration on May 31st for sales of the NRSV-CE does not apply to the Word on Fire Bible.

Finally, I noticed that the grain of the leather differs somewhat between the various volumes that have been printed so far. Here is a photo of volumes IV and V which shows a difference. This is to be expected for genuine leather (as opposed to imitation leather, which can be manufactured with consistent texture and appearance).