What is the Variorum Bible?
The Variorum Bible is a King James Version Bible published in 1881 which is marked inline and in footnotes to distinguish the various readings from the various different manuscripts. This is done with notes from about 70 commentators. Notes compare the given text to at least 6 versions in Latin, Syrian, and Coptic, and at least 23 manuscripts. It is a unique reference for anyone who wants to read KJV with a running awareness of manuscript variation.
The Variorum Bible is also a chain-reference with many Study Bible helps as listed in the 'Aids to Students.' The glossary, concordance, maps, and Bible dictionary-style contents comprise the last over 300 pages of the work, or about 1/4th of the whole. Chain-refernces are presented in side columns, while all footnotes pertain to translations.
Format Limitations
You need to use the Internet Archive version to read photo-plates of the Variorum Bible, as it is apparently not available as e-text or a notes set. There is a thrift paperback copy which has all the photographed plates on it's tiny 600 pages, and there are collectable editions for sale starting around $100+ dollars.
Internet Archive Edition
The Variorum KJV 1881 is avaliable online at The Internet Archive. This is an excellent scanned version for practical use, complete with very necessary zoom feature. However, the Page numbering is very wonky, so allow me to provide the following:
Pages count by 2
- Aids to the Student Table of Contents: Book -, Software 12
- Manuscripts and Critical Editions: Book xi-xii, Software 18-20
- Genesis: Book 1, Software 32
- Matthew: Book 1, Software 682
Then in the middle of Acts, the Software pages use Book pages, until page 2 of the Glossary, when the Book pages jump up to match the Software pages.
- Acts 16: Book 116, Software 798
- Acts 17: Book 118, Software 118
- Revelation: Book 238, Software 238
Last 340 pages are "Aids to the Student"
- Glossary Title: Book I, Software 116
- Glossary 2nd page: Book 1044, Software 1044
Hopefully, the listing above will help anyone accessing this online version.
Comparison to the NET Bible
The New English Translation (NET) Bible has virtually no notes except pertaining to translation, but has far more translation notes than the Variorum Bible, but the translation notes are not all based on manuscript variations. With the NET Bible, you could look up a verse and see translation considertations. With the Variorum Bible, you could look up the same verse and see the manuscripts which favored or varied from the given reading. The notes between the two references are effectively similar in many places, but style of presentation is distict. At an age of almost 150 years, the Variorum Bible is not nearly as easy-reading as the truley modern NET Bible (~30 years old). The take-away of comparison, however is that they are distinct enough to be useful together.
|