The Holman Christian Standard Bible (Holman CSB) has completed its first-year anniversary and exceeded expectations, according to David R. Shepherd, Broadman & Holman's senior vice president/publisher and executive editor of the new translation.

“From December 2003 to December 2004, the Holman CSB soared from No. 11 to No. 5 in the general versions and translations best-seller chart of national sales data from Christian retail stores,” he said, adding that there now are about 1.5 million full of the Holman CSB Bibles in print, which he described as “a remarkable achievement.”

The Holman CSB was commissioned by Broadman & Holman Publishers and is the first all-new Bible translation from a major publisher in more than 25 years. An international team of 100 scholars and English stylists representing more than 20 different Protestant denominations worked together from the original biblical languages of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic to arrive at the modern English translation.

A number of churches throughout the nation used the Holman CSB translation in their Year of the Bible program readings. Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., purchased 1,000 copies, and First Baptist Church in Springdale, Ark., gave away 6,000 copies.