Why do bibles have 2 columns

When the Revised English Bible came along, however, these reader-friendly innovations fell by the wayside. While there is not yet a deluge of single column Bibles, interest is building, and there are several notable editions worth mentioning. This satisfies the churchly need to look up verses easily while giving the reader a single column format.

While the leather-bound edition is quite large, the same single column, paragraphed text is now available as a Penguin paperback , the most readable edition of the KJV currently available.

For readers of the NIV, Cambridge also produces a fine single column setting of that translation. For either looking things up, or for reading it through—the design choices matter. New English Bible For the book designer, the Bible presents a two-fold challenge. The typical request looks like this: Dear Mark, I am searching for a large print 12 pt.

Better Bibles: paragraphed text Consider paragraphed text. The NEB: shape of things to come But the exceptions are fascinating to consider.

Topics: Arts, Literature. Mark Bertrand J. Create a free online account. Folks found that out a long time ago even when folks were using scrolls. ElShaddai Edwards said:.

Gary, let me ask you a question… when reading a normal full-size book not a Bible, not a little paperback , do you have the same problem? If not, why not? It was pointed out on another blog that the only other place that double-column text is regularly accepted outside of newspapers and magazines is in academic or reference books.

Is the Bible a reference book or a reading book? I would think that a large-print, single-column, paragraph-text setting would actually be the most comfortable way to read the Bible. Gary Zimmerli said:. Rick — After I posted this entry I was talking with my co-worker about this, and he pointed out that some single-column Bibles are easier to read for that very reason, like the NASB wide-margin side-column-reference Bible, and a couple others.

The text column is a bit narrower because there is another column of cross-references and notes. That seems to be the important point. I think it must of necessity be a reading book first of all. Iyov said:. October 10, at am. Gary — I agree with you. I find short columns easier to read — especially with smaller print. Recently, I was looking at a copy of the original Jerusalem Bible after a post by Doug Chaplin and I thought to myself — this is really hard to read!

Kevin said:. Bibles are often printed in smaller type, and a single column makes it more difficult to read. There is evidence that this is the real reason, and I will come back to it in a moment. Under ordinary circumstances it is questionable that a single column increases page count. If that were true, why are only Bibles normally printed in two columns? Are Bible publishers the only ones interested in economics?

It is true that the Bible has a large number of poetic passages, and poetry can normally be printed more economically in two columns. My printed editions of both Shakespeare and Milton are printed in single columns. In smaller type two columns are indeed easier to read; however, the practice of two-column Bibles goes back to the beginning of the codex or book form. That brings us to the third argument. Before the invention of the codex or book form in the late first or early second century AD, books were normally written on long scrolls.

A scroll could be up to thirty feet long. It was read held horizontally, not vertically and unwound similar to the way the old VCR tapes ran. Because holding a thirty foot scroll was cumbersome, it was advantageous to have small columns, so the scroll would not have to be opened wide in order to read it. The reader could hold his or her hands fairly close together. This made it less tiresome, and it also made it easier to move the scroll to the next column.

And a smaller column made it less likely the reader would skip a line when reading. So it seems that our Bibles still reflect the time when they were written by hand on scrolls. Traditions in all forms are difficult to break, especially when it comes to our Bibles.

In a later post, I will give another example of how tradition affected the printing of our Bibles in the Renaissance period. In the meantime, I will continue to read my Bible on my Ipad, just as the apostles did. Posted in Uncategorized Leave a Comment.