Oldest Bible Scanned for Web

New translation cuts down on the 'he's'

(NEWSER) - God is still the Father in the latest version of the world's most popular Bible, but conservative Christians aren't happy with gender-neutral language elsewhere in the 2011 New International Version Bible. The new translation—which Biblical scholars say is a more accurate interpretation of the original Greek and Hebrew—uses "brothers and sisters" in place of "brothers" and tries to avoid using "he" or 'him" as the default reference to an unspecified person, replacing it with "they," AP reports. More»

'The Proclaimer' speaks Haitian Creole and is powered by the sun

(NEWSER) - A New Mexico ministry has sent 600 talking, solar-powered Bibles to Haiti to bring disaster victims the “hope and comfort that comes from knowing God has not forgotten them through this tragedy.” The “Proclaimer,” Reuters reports, reads the good book aloud in Haitian Creole and is designed for "poor or illiterate people," says the Faith Comes by Hearing ministry. What's more, the device works "in the jungle, desert or ... even on the moon!" says its website. More»

US military firearms with coded messages raise issue of 'crusade'

(NEWSER) - A rifle scope commonly used by the US military is inscribed with references to the Bible. The scopes, made by Trijicon of Michigan, bear codes that refer to verses glorifying God and Jesus—even though the military, leery of being accused of waging a Crusade, bans proselytizing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The scopes are "probably the best example of violation of the separation of church and state in this country," said an activist who promotes separation of church and state. More»

Archaeologists discover home from biblical time

(NEWSER) - For the first time, archaeologists have found a house from the time of Jesus in the town of Nazareth. The small house, which consists of two rooms, a courtyard, and a cistern for water, is considered a typical home for the inhabitants of Nazareth, were Jesus is believed to have spent most of his life. The town is in what is now Israel. More»

(NEWSER) - Even the Bible isn't conservative enough for some conservatives. The mysterious "Conservative Bible Project" aims to bring the holy book back to its right-wing "roots" by routing out muddy translation and liberal "bias." That includes no more "gender inclusive" terms that "emasculate" Christianity and rethinking liberal words like "comrade" and "peace." Economic parables should be clarified to be "free market" lessons, and hell presented as scary as ever and not "downplayed," states the conservapedia.com site. More»