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Holman CSB’s full text goes to press for April 15 release

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The full text of the world’s newest major English-language Bible translation, the Holman Christian Standard Bible, began rolling off the presses in Ann Arbor, Mich., in late February.

The Holman CSB will be released to the public April 15 through Broadman & Holman Publishers, the trade book division of LifeWay Christian Resources. The Bible also will be available at 118 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation. Pre-sales are available through lifewaystores.com.

About 100 biblical scholars, linguists and editors collaborated on the Holman CSB, a translation into modern English from the original languages of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. The translators -– from across the United States, Europe and Asia -– represent 20 Protestant denominations and several evangelical, non-denominational churches. With a goal of achieving accuracy and readability, the Holman CSB translation is the culmination of a 20-year, $10 million project.

“Our knowledge keeps increasing,” Holman CSB general editor Ed Blum said of why a new translation was needed. “With computerization, discovery of ancient manuscripts and the change of the English language, it’s time for a new Bible. The Holman CSB is a modern, up-to-date translation that has been the work of a lot of research,” said Blum, who was on hand when the first full texts were printed in Ann Arbor Feb. 26.

The Holman CSB strikes a user-friendly balance between being too literal and too simple, Blum said.

“Some translations take a very literal approach, making them excellent for in-depth study, but difficult to read,” he said. “Other translations are more readable, but with a less literal approach.

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“The Holman CSB is in the middle,” he said, describing it as a translation from the original biblical languages but styled using modern grammar and vocabulary.

The Bible is being printed at Edward Brothers Inc., in Ann Arbor, in Seoul, South Korea, and Shenzhen, China. Peachtree Editorial and Proofreading Service, an Atlanta-area business that exists for the sole purpose of proofreading Bibles, recently completed a three-year project reading over the Holman CSB.

“Translations are always being redone, not because the original languages change, but because our cultural language changes,” said June Gunden, who owns Peachtree with her husband, Doug. “People do not say the same things in the same ways. For example, we can no longer say, ‘Paul was stoned,’ because of the way young people will interpret that.”
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For more information, visit www.broadmanholman.com where the list of translators and the full text of the Holman CSB is available for viewing. (BP) photos posted in the BP Photo Library at http://www.bpnews.net. Photo titles: HOT OFF THE PRESSES and FIRST LOOK.