The Schuyler Credo Quentel ESV Review
Schuyler (pronounced Skyler) puts out a lot of incredible Bibles. Schuyler may be best known for their Quentel Bible, but the thing that sets them apart from most of the Bibles I review is that Schuyler is not locked in to one specific translation. This means that even if the ESV isn’t your translation of choice, you can go to their website and find these high quality Bibles in almost any translation you are looking for. Even now, they are currently working on a CSB edition of the Quentel that will release next year.
I’ve been really excited about the Bible I get to review today. Schuyler has taken their popular Quentel and added the historic creeds and confessions to the end of it creating The Schuyler Credo Quentel. I’m reviewing the ESV version, but I am told the Credo is also available in the KJV and has been offered in the NASB in the past. You can get the Quentel without the creeds and confessions in almost any major translation.
Schuyler Bibles are extremely high quality so when you order one, you can trust you will be taken care of. Something that set Schuyler apart immediately upon opening my package was that the Bible and box it comes in were wrapped incredibly well in bubble wrap. This communicates that you’ve ordered something very nice and that it’s being well taken care of all the way down to how it gets to your door. I was incredibly impressed.
Upon removing the box, I was greeted by simple and elegant packaging. The Bible comes in a black box with Schuyler’s logo on the front, the model of the Bible on the top, and their company name on the bottom. Also unlike most other companies, the back of the box in blank. Many will include features of the particular Bible on the back, but Schuyler keeps it simple and it personally doesn’t bother me at all.
The Bible speaks for itself. What immediately struck me is that this is a big Bible. This isn’t meant to be the Bible you haul everywhere—Schuyler makes a Personal Size Quentel for that. This Bible is about the same size as Crossway’s ESV Preaching Bible. It’s a little thinner than a study Bible. It’s got some heft to it, but for good reason that we will soon get into.
I received the version that is black with red leather interior lining and three red bookmarks. This is a goatskin leather and the red leather liner on the inside may be the softest leather liner I’ve felt on a Bible. The goatskin is soft and supple. The cover has a 9mm yapp. The spine has six raised ribs with gold lettering that says, “Holy Bible”, the version, and has Schuyler’s name and logo at the bottom. The page edges have a red under gold art-gilt and the inside cover has a gold gilt line. This is a beautiful Bible.
One thing I love that Schuyler does on most of their Bibles is that they imprint the logo on the cover. They offer some Bibles without it,, but I think they have a great logo and that this is a really cool feature of the Bible. This is entirely a personal preference, but it really sets them apart among other premium Bibles as most just offer plain covers.
As I’ve stated in previous reviews, the name of the game in printing and binding is Jongbloed in the Netherlands. That’s where all Schuyler Quentels are printed. You can rest assured you’re getting the highest quality when you purchase one of these Bibles. However, I do notice that the stiff hinge to increase reinforcement and durability is also present in this Bible just as it was in another Jongbloed Bible I reviewed. This doesn’t prevent the Bible from staying open at Genesis, but it does keep it from that completely flat lay. This seems to be a consistent feature in Bibles coming out of Jongbloed right now.
The big features when it comes to the Quentel are found in the text. Schuyler designed this text block and this Bible to be highly readable and to focus on smaller portions of Scripture. Their website says that this design has the Pastor, Teacher, and Bible Student in mind. For that reason, this is a double column Bible. My preference is typically a single column, but let’s talk about why—if you’re going to get a double column Bible—it should be this one.
First, this is a reference Bible and I love how Schuyler has designed it. This Bible features more than 80,000 cross references. The references are in a single column across the bottom of each page. This is how every reference Bible should be designed. Many reference Bibles will create a third column in between the double column, which really cramps the text. Schuyler has beautifully designed the Quentel to lay the references at the bottom in an attractive format.
One thing that makes these so attractive is that Schuyler has chosen to include an accent color in the Quentel. Chapter numbers, page headers, page numbers, and reference numbers are in brick red. This is especially attractive in my addition since brick red is the accent color of the whole Bible.
The other thing that makes this a magnificent double column is the font and size. Schuyler has used an 11 point font, which certainly contributes to the size of this Bible. However, if you’ve read my reviews, you know I am fan of bigger fonts. I wear glasses, but with a big enough font it doesn’t matter. I think 11 point is probably the best font size I’ve seen in a Bible. The only down side is that I did notice several times that words at the end of one line have to be hyphenated to the next, which feels disruptive.
Another distinguishing factor is that Schuyler has chosen to make their font nice and bold. The text jumps out at you off the page. The text being the focus is also enhanced by paper thickness and line matching. The paper is a 36 GSM thickness. The text is also line matched so lines on one page are the same as lines on the other. Any premium Bible you consider should and does employ line matching. It very much helps to eliminate distraction. The 36 GSM paper is nice and thick. There is minimal ghosting from other pages and it really isn’t noticeable unless you’re being picky. You’re honestly probably not going to find many Bibles offering thicker paper than this.
One thing I particularly like with the Quentel that I haven’t noticed in any other Bible is the heading on each page. Instead of listing a single chapter, Schuyler has opted to list the chapters featured on the page. For example, I currently have the Bible open in Numbers and one page says Numbers 7-8 at the top because it has text from both chapters and the adjacent page has Numbers 8-9 because it features text from both of those chapters. While this is a small feature, it is helpful and worth mentioning.
If you don’t mind a thicker Bible, I do think the Quentel is the ultimate double column out there. The Bible also has a pretty beefy concordance and extensive Schuyler maps. I will briefly mention that I’m not sure why Bibles include maps anymore. I never use them nor pay attention to them. In the age of the internet they seem largely superfluous, but nevertheless, they are there if you are interested.
What I love about the Credo Quentel is the addition of the historic creeds and confessions. The Credo Quentel includes The Apostle’s Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Chalcedonian Creed, The Athanasian Creed, The Augsburg Confession, The Articles of Religion, The Westminster Standards, The Westminster Confession, The Larger Catechism, The Shorter Catechism, and the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. You will find all of these in the back of the Bible and if you enjoy the creeds and confessions like I do, this is really the version of the Quentel you should be purchasing. The addition of these historic documents really doesn’t add to the size of the Bible at all and I think they are a helpful and useful addition to the Bible. I’m so glad that Schuyler chose to do this in a Quentel.
The Quentel is not cheap with the regular Quentel coming in at $200 and the Credo Quentel coming in at $225. However, it’s important to note that this Bible is an heirloom. It’s made of the highest quality materials and is something worth investing in and passing down for generations. Schuyler also does limited runs of these Bibles meaning you’re investing and not paying a mass manufacturer. The Quentel is truly the nicest double column Bible you’ll ever invest in and if you enjoy the creeds and confessions then let me encourage you to go ahead and invest in that version.
You can buy the Credo Quentel in black here or imperial blue here.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the Credo Quentel from Schuyler in exchange for a fair and honest review.
