Reader's Bible
A "reader's bible" removes chapter and verse numbers, allowing scriptures to be read in a format similar to a novel
Published in 2023, the Oecumenicum is a trilogy of books which pioneer features never combined in any other Holy Bible in history. Sometime around the 16th century, clergy and theologians began cluttering the Holy Bible with chapters, verse numbers, and footnotes, destroying the natural flow of venerable scriptures and stories. Five centuries later, a few visionary scholars began removing these annotations, returning the Holy Bible to a format of traditional, legible prose. Known as a “reader’s bible” this unencumbered layout allows testaments to be enjoyed as they were originally inscribed. Representing years of diligent formatting and compiling from a lone author, the Oecumenicum trilogy is the world’s first ecumenical reader’s bible, restoring ancient doctrines excluded from medieval editions, organizing them in a multiple volume set, printed in the United States of America. The text of this meticulously renewed tome, a rendition called the United States Christian Bible, is founded upon the highly respected American Standard Version, originally translated in 1901.
A "reader's bible" removes chapter and verse numbers, allowing scriptures to be read in a format similar to a novel
USA orders are printed and bound in the United States of America
Oecumenicum is Latin for "ecumencial" which means something sacred to all Christian faiths
Integrates Orthodox books known as the "Apocrypha" which were removed from Protestant and Catholic translations
The entire Oecumenicum consists of three separate volumes
All layout and formatting for the 2100 pages of the Oecumenicum was created by a lone author, Eric Muss-Barnes
Based upon the "American Standard Version (ASV)" translation, the text of the Oecumenicum is known as the "United States Christian Bible (USCB)" translation
The text of the USCB is in the public domain, falling under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license
Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy • Job • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Songs • Wisdom • Sirach
Joshua • Judges • Ruth • Samuel • Kings • Chronicles • Manasses • Esdras • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther • Tobit • Judith • Maccabees • Enoch
Isaiah • Jeremiah • Lamentations • Baruch • Ezekiel • Daniel • Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi • Matthew • Mark • Luke • John • Acts • Romans • Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • Thessalonians • Timothy • Titus • Philemon • Hebrews • James • Peter • Johannine • Jude • Revelation
Detailed explanation of how/why the Oecumenicum trilogy was crafted and designed in the manner it was created
The Oecumenicum compared to other popular reader's bibles
Name Of Bible | Hardcover Price | Paperback Price | Number of Volumes | Translation | Printed In |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oecumenicum | $180 ($60 per volume) |
$135 ($45 per volume) |
3 | United States Christian Bible (USCB) | USA |
Bibliotheca | $170 | $170 | 5 | American Literary Version (ALV) | Germany |
CSB Reader’s Bible | $150 | n/a | 5 | Christian Standard Bible (CSB) | China |
ESV Reader's Bible | $115 | $150 | 6 | English Standard Version (ESV) | China |
Sola Scriptura Bible | $40 | n/a | 4 | New International Version (NIV) | China |
NKJV Deluxe Reader's Bible | n/a | $23 | 1 | New King James Version (NKJV) | China |
LSV Reader's Bible | $95 ($19 per volume) |
n/a | 5 | Literary Standard Version (LSV) | USA |