Question about :The Holy Bible: Illuminated Family Edition

[Wee D'Arcy's Mum]

I asked a Couple of people in Chat but no one has seen this book.
http://www.hampsteadhousebooks.com/prod ... s_id=14928
Hampstead house books sent me their new booklet the other day. They get a very limited amount of books in from half price to 80% off and they can disappear in days or a week or two. This is their Autumn sale. I see several books on crochet, art and sewing I would also like to get
I love art and this one was described as
Illuminated Family Edition.
Now you can own a Bible of true beauty. This gorgeous family heirloom contains over 875 Renaissance art illustrations in colour. Sublime craftsmanship of this King James version features leather binding, gilt edged pages and gold foil stamping, plus 12 pages to record your family history. 875 pp. 9x11x2".
Orig. $51.95 Import Value
Our Price Only $29.99

I am also concerned about the type of art that may be in there. While I could order the book and have 30 days to return it and may be visiting a friend for a week in Toronto soon I could take it back to the outlet store there. I made the mistake once of taking too long waiting for the book to come to be sent to my library then waiting until I was in Toronto 3 weeks later to buy it and it was gone. It was a very good book on drawing perspective.

So I am asking you all for opinions since I am limited in funds and if anyone can recommend if I should get it or not, if not there are a few other books I would like such as crochet lace and sewing with natural fabrics.

Thanks.

[HappyChristian]

Renaissance art very often borders on the pornographic! Some of the pictures that I have seen of that era are very nice, but others.... :ooops !

If you wanted to try it out, you would have the option to return it if the pictures were a little much.

[Jerry]

I agree with the previous comment. While most on these boards would agree on where we stand on nakedness, yet too often it is tolerated in a Bible picture - whether a woman dressed immodestly, a man without a shirt, some naked angel, etc. Plus, I am firmly convinced that pictures of Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit depicted as a dove is idolatry, which we are forbidden to do:

Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

Godhead means Trinity, so it is not just referring to the Son. As far as having pictures of the Son goes, consider Deuteronomy 4:

Deuteronomy 4:12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

Deuteronomy 4:15-19 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

The Bible does not give us a physical description of Jesus - and all those artists are making up some god in their own mind - 1500 or more years later - artists showing us what Jesus "looked like", when none of them have ever seen Him. And I dare say, I have only ever seen one picture that even showed what He might look like today, as described in Revelation 1.

We are forbidden from making any images of God or false gods - that includes pictures, statues, carvings, etc.

[Wee D'Arcy's Mum]

Concerns you both have written about were mine as well. My first reaction when I saw it because I am visual and an artist was oh wow, I want that. then a while later doubts started entering my mind that it may not be what I would want. I am sure the decorative edgings will be wonderful but its the art they are depicting and of course will there be nudity. Thanks so much for your input.

Jerry one of the reasons I threw out a ceramic in a sand tone texture/colour of Jesus praying in the garden with dryed flowers attached was for the reason you posted, At the same time some people I know, none go to an IFB church, were saying no you have got it wrong its only if you worship it. But I wonder if they take graven to mean worship? the word simply means carved, to draw or mold into an image, to my knowledge it does not include that you must be worshiping?? I have a woven tapestry with Jesus sitting on a hill looking down at Jerusalem and wonder if that would be considered a no no. but then one of those scriptures I think is directed towards worship because its also saying its wrong to paint animals therefore it would be wrong to do a painting of my dog but I think its pertaining to making art then worshiping it and not God????Deuteronomy 4:15-19

I have some pictures in my home of pre raphilite artists and they are very modestly dressed. I like waterhouse, Edmond blair leighton and also some of the oh what type of artists are they everything done in dots? and the eyes blend the colours at a distance? And having taken one year in Graphic design I am well aware of the art world thinking nude pictures can be art if tasteful and having to draw nudes in part of the semester. I was not a Christian then and I zoned out to only see shadow, light and lines and one reason I am not sure If I would want to take fine art at university because of what our society considers art. I tend to be more of an illustrator anyway, constantly told I drew too much in my course. I think its much better possibly to buy books and have the discipline to sit and follow them rather then pay for university courses, cheaper as well. now if I only could get the confidence to do it without an instructor near by to call to.

[HappyChristian]

Oh, my, after having seen some of your art, I think you would do well with books!!! God has definitely given you a talent!

[Wee D'Arcy's Mum]

I remembered what it was called Pointillism, the style I like.
Thanks Happy

[Jerry]

I believe Deuteronomy 4 is referring specifically to what is portrayed as God or as a god. The Israelites were not forbidden to carve pictures - consider that God Himself told them to carve cherubims, and the brazen serpent - but specifically forbidden to do portrayals of God (whether worshipped or not). The golden calf was idolatry - forbidden because it was both a false god and a false representation of the true God.

Another passage states this:

Numbers 33:52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:

The context is that they were to destroy the pictures of the idolatrous pagans that God was destroying from off the land. All three things mentioned were parts of their idolatry (pictures of their idols, molten images of their idols, and the high places was where they had their idolatrous groves and shrines, especially to Ashtoreth).

[Madeline]

Not that I am immune or never have looked at any art (many things fall into this category of course), but it is well to remember that all artistic representation, whether in literature, plastic arts, music, what have you, is generally effective through mimesis, that is, through mimicking something real and exaggerating or altering it in some way. Therefore it is possible for art to please us by distorting reality. Too much of this, or believing the distortion, is not healthy from a spiritual point of view. Art for example can be like the dangers of some Christain music these days. The emotional effects of the music may or may not be precisely tuned to or appropriate for the words they accompany, and the words themselves, while seemingly spiritual, are inevitably going to diverge from precisely what the scriptures say (and sometimes dramatically so). Whilst it can be a spiritual support for believers who are spiritually mature and well trained in the truth of scripture so as to ignore and downplay whatever is of false emphasis or altogether false, it can serve to misdirect immature believers and those who are not advancing spiritually into all sorts of false practices (which is why one finds music playing such a large role in, e.g., charismatic churches). Therefore whenever "cultural activities" begin to delve into areas where they are clearly serving as temptations to sin, the believer should be doubly forewarned. So much in our present society of eschatological "Babylon" is steeped in art/cultural media that it is impossible to exist in it without being bombarded by such images, sounds, etc. every day. The better we learn to appreciate what is "of the world" and what belongs instead to "the things above", the better we will be able to set our minds to thinking and contemplating spiritually positive things (rather than things that lead us into various temptations). My

Love,
Madeline

[Wee D'Arcy's Mum]

I have decided not to order it. When I am in Toronto at my friends' house we will no doubt go to the outlet store Hampstead house has, its about as big as my living room and kitchen combined so it does not take long to see what is there. I will look at it there to see what kind of art is in it. so in the mean time there are 22 books I want I picked up 3 yesterday and want the 101 essential tips of Decorating with fabric and lace crochet but not the Style source book which is nice but has no practical use unless you are an interior designer studying it. the first I think is only 3 dollars I have all my art books out in categories of watercolour, drawing, techniques, pastel/pencil crayon, colour theory, effects and will go through them then see if the ones I want from the store will give me more then what I have. I could use some acrylic painting and more on painting light into your pictures. there were also cooking and cleaning books and one atlas of the world. Well two books down and 20 to go to try and maybe only get 5 or 6 books good thing most are only around 5 each but its those art books but at 12 or 14 dollars that is better then 40 or 50 I have enough afghan books too so I think I will skip that one and the crochet vest one. so thats 18 to go.

Thanks for your advice on the Bible. I think spending my money on the MP3 Bible will be better money spent.

I am sure in the next few days I will talk myself out of most of them and it helps I have some arriving from the library so I can see if I will get full use out of the book or if its a waste to own it. some books you can spend months pouring into it and when its about art it can take several months to do all the things in it.

[Jerry]

Talking about art, you might be interested in viewing these paper sculptures:

http://jenstark.com/sculpture_01.html

I do not endorse anything else on this sight, but these were really neat.

[Madeline]

:-S

[Kubel]

Art has been very popular with Bibles for quite some time. In fact, the 1611 had a bit of art on its cover page.

http://www.minihost.org/1611/1611_title.jpg (sorry for the poor quality, its a copy of a facsimile of the original)

Plus, I am firmly convinced that pictures of Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit depicted as a dove is idolatry, which we are forbidden to do

I see a dove [holy spirit]... a lamb [jesus]... and son and moon gods [???]... some geese [???]... a bunch of saints I would assume... anyone know what the geese are?

I've heard a lot of commotion about the triquetra on the early NKJVs, but no one seems to care much about the obvious pagan symbolism on the early KJVs. :bonK:

[Jerry]

Maybe we do care - but I don't own one of those 400 year old Bibles, so the art on its cover or inside it doesn't matter to me. I don't reject an MV because of a picture it contains (though I might reject a certain edition of one because of that), but because of its text. I do not have a King James Bible that contains artwork - so I am consistent in my beliefs and applying those beliefs. I cannot change or undo what someone did in the past - I can live for the Lord in the present.