All of us on staff at CSNTM love books. And we know that many of our friends do too. Here are a few recommendations if you’re still in need of ideas for gifts this Christmas season. The descriptions accompanying each book are taken directly from the publisher. Happy reading!
New Testament Papyri Facsimile Collection
from CSNTM
This New Testament Papyri facsimile collection brings three of the oldest manuscripts of the Bible to a modern audience. The partially preserved papyrus codices P45, P46, and P47 are dated from the third century and contain passages from all four Gospels, the book of Acts, the Pauline epistles, the book of Hebrews, and the book of Revelation, making them some of the most significant witnesses to early Christian Scripture that exist today. This collection bears heavily on our current understanding of the origins of the biblical text.
Here published in facsimile for the first time in over 80 years, this collection—created by the groundbreaking digitization work of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, under the direction of Dr. Daniel B. Wallace—updates the previously published edition, which was produced from 1933 to 1937.
Printed in duplicate against white and black backgrounds, the high-resolution images in this facsimile edition reproduce the fragmented papyri in stunning clarity at their actual size, offering scholars and students of New Testament manuscripts an unparalleled encounter with these crucial witnesses to the Bible’s textual history.
A great gift for scholars, students, pastors, or anyone interested in ancient manuscripts of the Bible.
Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife
By Ariel Sabar
From National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Ariel Sabar, the gripping true story of a sensational religious forgery and the scandal that shook Harvard.
In 2012, Dr. Karen King, a star professor at Harvard Divinity School, announced a blockbuster discovery at a scholarly conference just steps from the Vatican: She had found an ancient fragment of papyrus in which Jesus calls Mary Magdalene “my wife.” The tattered manuscript made international headlines. If early Christians believed Jesus was married, it would upend the 2,000-year history of the world’s predominant faith, threatening not just the celibate, all-male priesthood but sacred teachings on marriage, sex and women’s leadership. Biblical scholars were in an uproar, but King had impeccable credentials as a world-renowned authority on female figures in the lost Christian texts from Egypt known as the Gnostic gospels. “The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife”–as she provocatively titled her discovery–was both a crowning career achievement and powerful proof for her arguments that Christianity from its start embraced alternative, and far more inclusive, voices.
As debates over the manuscript’s authenticity raged, award-winning journalist Ariel Sabar set out to investigate a baffling mystery: where did this tiny scrap of papyrus come from?
VERITAS is a tale of fierce intellectual rivalries at the highest levels of academia, a piercing psychological portrait of a disillusioned college dropout whose life had reached a breaking point, and a tragedy about a brilliant scholar handed a piece of scripture that embodied her greatest hopes for Christianity–but forced a reckoning with fundamental questions about the nature of truth and the line between reason and faith.
A great gift for fans of true crime and stories of intrigue. Disclaimer: This book contains mature subject matter that may not be suitable for all readers.
You can learn more about Veritas by reading some reviews here.
Marguerite Makes a Book
Written by Bruce Robertson and Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt
Paris in the 1400s. A young girl named Marguerite delights in assisting her father, Jacques, in his craft: illuminating manuscripts for the nobility of France. His current commission is a splendid book of hours for his patron, Lady Isabelle, but will he be able to finish it in time for Lady Isabelle’s name day?
In this richly illustrated tale, Marguerite comes to her father’s aid. She journeys all over Paris buying goose feathers for quills, eggs for mixing paints, dried plants and ground minerals for pigments. Then she expertly finishes the illumination of Lady Isabelle’s book, to the delight of her father and his patron. This delightful book, brought to life by the finely detailed, evocative art of a renowned children’s artists, was inspired by an illuminated manuscript in the collection of the Getty Museum.
A great gift for children and parents.
New English Translation Bible, Full-notes Edition
Ever feel lost in translation? With the NET Full-notes Edition of the Holy Bible, you don’t need to be. Modern readers can find it challenging to connect with the ancient words and cultural contexts of the biblical writers. The NET offers a completely new solution: pairing a readable, everyday English translation with the largest set of translators’ notes ever created for a Bible. The NET’s 60,000 notes bring complete transparency to every major translation decision and invite you to look over the translators’ shoulders, allowing you to come to your own understanding of the Scriptures. It is an indispensable resource for every Bible reader.
Features include:
- The newest complete English translation based on the most up-to-date manuscript discoveries and scholarship
- A translation that explains itself—over 60,000 translators’ notes offer unprecedented transparency
- Full-color maps
- Durable Smyth-sewn binding lays flat in your hand or on your desk
- 8.75-point print size Scripture text in Thomas Nelson’s exclusive NET Comfort Print® typeface
A great gift for people desiring a new study Bible with detailed notes on translation, biblical theology, and textual criticism
You can read about the connection between the NET Bible’s formatting and New Testament manuscripts here.