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Common English Bible Available in Print

July 13, 2011

Publishers announced that The Common English Bible has been made available in print in its entirety, ready for shipping to retailers. While the New Testament was released last August, and the digital version of the entire Bible just debuted on 20 platforms, this is the first time the complete Common English Bible is available in print. Originally expected this fall, the paperback edition is shipping to stores now. Six other editions, including one with the Apocrypha, will be available in August.

“The Common English Bible is the result of collaboration between opposites: scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals; teens working with retirees; men working with women; many denominations and many ethnicities coming together around the common goal of creating a translation that unites rather than divides, with the ultimate goal of mutually accomplishing God’s overall work in the world,” says Paul Franklyn, associate publisher.

Combining scholarly accuracy with vivid language, the Common English Bible is the work of 120 biblical scholars from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities, representing such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others. They translated the Bible into English directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation was sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general market, as well as the Disciples of Christ (Chalice Press), Presbyterian Church (Westminster John Knox Press), Episcopal Church (Church Publishing Inc.), United Church of Christ (Pilgrim Press), and United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press).

The USA Today reported that the new Bible gives Jesus a “human” touch, i.e., calling Him “the Human One” rather than “the Son of Man.” It also changes the first sentence of the Bible from “In the beginning…” to “When God began to create the heavens and the earth…” It is also the first Bible to use contractions. Associate publisher Paul Franklyn, associate publisher of the Common English Bible, told them, “There are a number of translations available for conservative churches. This is trying to make a bridge between conservatives, moderates and liberals.” Digital versions of the new Bible are available for Kindle, Nook and other electronic devices. Bible websites including YouVersion.com and BibleGateway.com also have the complete translation.