November 20, 2017

An Heirloom for the Future: the ESV Illuminated Bible

Non-Fiction Review / Reviews / The Way, The Truth, The Life

Not too long ago, I was given the opportunity to receive a free copy of the new ESV Illuminated Bible, in exchange for a review. The FTC wants me to make sure you know this, but believe me, reading this post is well worth your time if you’re any sort of historical book nerd, or you’re a Christian who has been looking for a nice Bible with a traditional feel to it (like I have been!)

The ESV Illuminated Bible, Art Journaling Edition places the full ESV text alongside over 500 elegantly hand-lettered gold ink illustrations by renowned artist Dana Tanamachi. Printed on thick, cream-colored paper, the Bible’s single-column text setting and wide margins provide generous space for additional notes, prayers, and designs—inviting readers to creatively engage with and reflect on the beauty of God’s Word.

When I opened this Bible up for the first time, after ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the beautiful slipcase and cloth-over-board cover on the book itself, the only thing that came to mind was how stunning this Bible is.

ESV Illuminated Bible review

I’ve been fascinated with illuminated manuscripts for a long time, though I’ve never formally studied them. As a person of Irish ancestry, the Book of Kells in particular has always been a draw to me. Recently, too, I’ve been drawn toward learning more about the ancient traditions of Christianity, and illuminated Bibles are part of that. I’ve been wanting a Bible that was beautiful, more than utilitarian, something that would help draw me into each day.

The ESV Illuminated Bible (Art Journaling Edition) is exactly that, for me. Each time I open it, I have to resist the urge to simply flip through every page – slowly, so as not to miss any! – and find all the artwork hidden in it.

Presentation page
Title page
Each book has a full title illustration, and a drop cap for the first chapter.
Many notable verses have full-page illustrations as well.
I would love a print of this one to hang on my wall!

Now, I have a confession to make – I am not artistic in the slightest. I can write legibly, and sometimes semi-prettily, but drawing? Nope. Ain’t happening. But I do take a copious amount of notes when I am studying and praying, and so I put the pages of this (well, a page) to a test with my favorite pens – a Pilot Metropolitan fountain pen with a fine nib (currently filled with cheap black ink you can find at an office supply store), and a uniball Signo 0.4mm pen.

Verdict: the pages of this Bible may be moderately thick for Bible pages, but they are not THICK. If I was doing actual artwork on these pages, I would not use anything other than soft-lead colored pencils, and for notations I will not use anything heavier than the uniball I used in this test. I have another journaling Bible that has thicker pages than this one, but only by a bit.

These pages are translucent and delicate! Beautiful, but not thick.
Starting a fountain pen test.
Some feathering of the ink, but it’s not too bad.
The date is written with a uniball Signo, 0.4mm.
The ink for both ghosts (shows through the back side) a fair bit, and the fountain pen ink bleeds profusely. There is only a little bleeding where I had to go over a spot twice with the uniball Signo.
Pilot Metropolitan Retro Pop with fine nib; Parker Quink fountain pen ink; uniball Signo 0.4mm

My overall impressions of the ESV Illuminated Bible are:

This is a S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G. book.

I was kind of disappointed, with how finely crafted and nostalgic this was, that there wasn’t a spot for a family tree!

This is definitely an heirloom that I want to pass on to someone – whether that is a child of mine, a dear friend’s child, or someone who simply needs a Bible when I don’t anymore.

The ESV Illuminated Bible is a modern treasure for generations of Christians to come.

Front of slipcase, with mood lighting. 😉
Front of slipcase, back cover of Bible
Back of slipcase, front of Bible.
Presentation page
Title page
These pages are translucent and delicate! Beautiful, but not thick.
Each book has a full title illustration, and a drop cap for the first chapter.
Single-column scripture layout. (Job 19)
Many notable verses have full-page illustrations as well.
I would love a print of this one to hang on my wall!
This Bible does not have a concordance or topical index, but it does have an index for all the title pages!
First page of the title page index.
A perfect Christmas gift.

If you’ve fallen in love with this Bible as much as I have (just through this post), then guess what?! There’s a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner of the giveaway will be chosen on November 28, 2017.

Now, I’ve only made it necessary for you to leave a comment on this blog post to enter the giveaway. But if you’d LIKE to subscribe to my newsletter, and/or share this post with your friends, I’d greatly appreciate it! You don’t get any extra entries for doing so, though.

If you don’t want to wait for the giveaway to end, and just want to go ahead an order a copy (or several, for gifts!) of the ESV Illuminated Bible, you can do so on Amazon (affiliate link) or find another retailer at the ESV Illuminated Bible website.

And, if you’re interested in learning more about how the ESV Illuminated Bible was made, here’s a short video you can watch:

How We Made the ESV Illuminated Bible from Crossway on Vimeo.

Thank you for visiting today! Have you used a journaling Bible before? If you’re a history/book nerd, do you have a favorite illustrated manuscript?

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About Rebekah

Rebekah Loper writes character-driven epic fantasy featuring resilient women in trying and impossible circumstances who just want to save themselves but usually end up saving the world, often while falling in love.
She lives in Tulsa, OK with her husband, dog, two formerly feral cats, a small flock of feathered dragons (...chickens. They're chickens), and an extensive tea collection. When she's not writing, she battles the Oklahoma elements in an effort to create a productive, permaculture urban homestead.

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