Help me find this children’s bible from the eighties

[Nuffaluff]

DS aged 11 is enjoying RE at school and we’ve been discussing bible stories, particularly the creation myths at the beginning. We aren’t religious so his knowledge of the bible is scant. He is very interested in it all.
I was taken to church as a child, was bought a bible and read it again and again, so my knowledge of the bible is good.
I want to get hold of a copy of this bible I had as a kid as they just don’t make them like that any more. They’re all rated U these days, whereas mine was more of a 12 certificate! I’ve looked on eBay but I can’t find it because I can’t remember the publisher.
It was:
Owned and read by me in the eighties
A4 sized and thickish
Had some of the more obscure Old Testament stories, eg. Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego in the fire (great illustration!)
Illustrated on every page - some almost full double-paged illustrations, eg the flood.
Illustrations highly detailed and realistic
Here’s the main clue - the illustrations were graphic, and I mean pretty violent, horrific and memorable. It didn’t shy away from the nasty bits and that’s particularly why I loved it.
Can anyone help me? I reckon if you had it and took a photo of one of the illustrations I would probably remember it.

@mynameiscalypso

I don't even know where to start on the pic of John's head. I think the creepiest bit is the man who is clearly checking out the woman's bum.

Well yes, that would be Herod

Found it! Bought it!
Fiver on eBay. Can’t wait until it arrives.
Mine was from 1985 and had a lovely picture of Jesus talking with the little children.
Giving not a hint of what’s inside.

I love mumsnet.

I had this one! I remember now from Joseph and Potifer(sp?) wife pic.

On the subject of John's head, for a Sunday School fancy dress competition when I was about 7 my mother had me dress up as Salome - we made a papier mache, very gruesome John the Baptist head, which I held up by its long, knitting yarn hair. I still can't quite decide whether this makes her batshit crazy or the best mum ever. The competition was won by some kid wearing store-bought, plastic centurion armour, dressed as a generic Roman soldier. I was absolutely robbed.

Could it be My Book of Bible Srories?

https://www.google.ie/search?q=my+book+of+bible+stories&client=safari&sxsrf=AOaemvLCYtaDIEJtS2DQ4PfOCpZbmpWbw%3A1638389838647&source=hp&ei=TtinYYCdJaiBhbIPueGGWA&oq=&gss_lcp=ChFtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1ocBABGAAyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyBwgjEOoCECcyDQguEMcBEK8BEOoCECdQAFgAYMoMaAFwAHgAgAEAiAEAkgEAmAEAsAEP&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-hp#imgrc=NAxn3-pwYs3abM:

Blimey if that had that in schools now it would def end up in the Daily Mail with an angry adult face and sad child.

@Etherealhedgehog

On the subject of John's head, for a Sunday School fancy dress competition when I was about 7 my mother had me dress up as Salome - we made a papier mache, very gruesome John the Baptist head, which I held up by its long, knitting yarn hair. I still can't quite decide whether this makes her batshit crazy or the best mum ever. The competition was won by some kid wearing store-bought, plastic centurion armour, dressed as a generic Roman soldier. I was absolutely robbed.

🤣

@Nuffaluff

@Nuffaluff apologies didn't realise you found it.

@Etherealhedgehog
That’s brilliant. I’m definitely stealing that for an eighties-set sitcom I might write in the future

I had the bible for children. It's currently in the crèche at our local church!

Joseph is 'well fit' in that Potiphar picture! I think I'd have done the same as Mrs Potiphar if he really looked like that.

@mishmased

Isn't that the Jehovah's Witness one?

@Nuffaluff yes I think it is. I used to read (non Jehovah's Witness) it as a child and remembered shadrach, Meshach and Abednego story.

The one you were looking for is the one I had too, OP.

@Etherealhedgehog

On the subject of John's head, for a Sunday School fancy dress competition when I was about 7 my mother had me dress up as Salome - we made a papier mache, very gruesome John the Baptist head, which I held up by its long, knitting yarn hair. I still can't quite decide whether this makes her batshit crazy or the best mum ever. The competition was won by some kid wearing store-bought, plastic centurion armour, dressed as a generic Roman soldier. I was absolutely robbed.

I am INCENSED for you!!! But very pleased for the OP!

Joseph’s a bit of a looker alright in that picture. What went on in the illustrator’s mind I wonder.

I had the same one as a christening gift in 1982. I knew it would be that one from reading your OP.
I absolutely loved it as a child and it's only now that it's registered quite how gruesome some of the illustrations were!

I'm on a nostalgia trip now! I got in trouble at school for blatantly copying my RE homework from one of the stories in said bible nearly word for word (I think it was the one about Jesus throwing the money lenders out of the temple).
Unfortunately the teacher had exactly the same version in the classroom

Ask the seller?

The Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea is another good one. Or Solomon and the baby…

Oh this brings back memories!! Thank you OP!

I also had a "teenage" bible which had little real life stories peppered throughout (which I found much more interesting than the bible itself) - does anyone remember that one at all?

@Driposaurus

The one you were looking for is the one I had too, OP.

Me too! We were also a non-religious family and I also pored over it endlessly (that and The Children's Book of Questions and Answers, with photos of cancer cells and accounts of a man forced to stand to attention for something like 132 hours). It used to annoy me that the detail of the illustration on the cover was different from that of the one illustrating that story in the book.

I might watch The Ten Commandments today!

I have a different children's bible from the 80s but it has some equally disturbing illustrations

Lord Calypso, looks like an artist from the same school alright!