Red letter edition
The term red letter edition is used to describe Bibles in which words spoken by Jesus, commonly only while he was on the Earth, are printed in red ink. This is not to be confused with the Red-Letter Christian movement, which has used this term to emphasize the teachings of Jesus in the Bible, particularly in regards to social justice.
The red letter edition was invented by Louis Klopsch, then editor of The Christian Herald magazine in 1899, and first published in 1900.[1] This style of Bible instantly became popular, and is sometimes favored by mainly Protestant Christians in the United States. Especially in King James Bibles, this format can be useful as quotation marks are not used.
Klopsch's idea of printing the words of Jesus in red originated in Luke 22:20, which says: This cup is the new testament in my blood, which I shed for you. This inspired Klopsch to ask his mentor what he thought of printing the words spoken by Jesus in red, to which he replied, "It could do no harm and it most certainly could do much good."[citation needed]
Because the original texts do not include quotation marks, it is often up to interpretation as to what words were spoken by Jesus, compared to explanatory text following. For example, a footnote in the New International Version for John 3:21 explains "Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 15."[2] Thus, red-lettering may not match the quote marks, and may vary from edition to edition. In addition, some publishers have chosen to print the words spoken by Jesus after his Ascension to Heaven (for example in the words spoken to Saul on the road to Damascus in Acts 9, as well as words spoken to John of Patmos in Revelation 1-3).
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[edit] See also
[edit] Bibliography
- The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : (Authorized Version) with all the words recorded therein, as having been spoken by our Lord, printed in color., New York : Christian Herald, Louis Klopsch, Proprietor : Bible House, 1903, ©1899. [3]
- Life-work of Louis Klopsch : romance of a modern knight of mercy, Charles M Pepper, New York : Christian herald, 1910.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ "Origin of Red-Letter Bibles | Crossway". Esv.org. 1994-06-20. http://www.esv.org/blog/2006/03/red-letter-origin/. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
- ^ HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society.
- ^ "The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : (Authorized Version) with all the words recorded therein, as having been spoken by our Lord, printed in color. (Book, 1903)". [WorldCat.org]. http://www.worldcat.org/title/new-testament-of-our-lord-and-saviour-jesus-christ-authorized-version-with-all-the-words-recorded-therein-as-having-been-spoken-by-our-lord-printed-in-color/oclc/50324831&referer=brief_results. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
- ^ "Life-work of Louis Klopsch : romance of a modern knight of mercy (Book, 1910)". [WorldCat.org]. http://www.worldcat.org/title/life-work-of-louis-klopsch-romance-of-a-modern-knight-of-mercy/oclc/2320151&referer=brief_results. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
[edit] External links
- The New Testament (Red Letter Edition) Is in the Religion Section at The e.Lib (King James Version).
