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Centuries-old books, Bibles open to view

A 1769 King James Bible is worth perhaps $5,000. A 1776 book of martyrs, more than $2,000. To the minister who added them to his collection, they're priceless.

TARPON SPRINGS - Ancient tomes with yellowed, dog-eared pages fill glass cases at a unique museum on Rainville Road.

There is a 1592 Geneva Bible, the first such book to use numbered verses; a rare 1769 King James Bible (Baskerville); a 1776 Fox's Book of Martyrs; a 1641 Acts and Monuments of the Christian Church; and a Hebrew Torah, written by Yemenite Jews in a scriptorium circa 1700, among others.

The sacred collection is housed in the 23,000-square-foot Leslie Hale Ministries facility and is open to the public daily, preferably by appointment.

"How did they survive?" said Hale, as he looked at a 1668 King James Bible with delicate, wood-cut engravings. "I stand in awe of this, how God preserved these Bibles."

Hale, 64, is the pastor of the nondenominational ministry and preaches once a week on WCLF-Ch. 22 and twice a week through the Sky Angel satellite system. The grandfather of five came to this country from Belfast in November 1981.

He has been amassing the collection for months. Some families have donated the books to him; the rest he buys from dealers in Europe.

"We have been getting them at very good prices," Hale said. "I got three Fox's Book of Martyrs printed 135 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence for $2,000 in Ireland."

On the flyleaves of some Bibles are personal inscriptions and family trees. Inside are notes scribbled near favorite verses.

More Bibles are exhibited in the Room of the Sacred Book near the sanctuary. Lining the walls of that area are 38 picture frames, each containing a page from the first American Bibles printed in Cherokee, Swedish, Dutch, French, German, Braille and other languages.

"These are absolute treasures," Hale said. "(The Bible) is the most beautiful, dramatic book in the world. It's alive. You've got to hear what this thing says. Whatever (your question), this book has the answers. It's like a treasure field."

Hale said he opened the museum to give people "a deeper appreciation of God's word, of its beauty and magnificance."

"I also wanted to offer people a deeper appreciation of the price paid by the martyrs and others down through centuries in order to get the Bible to us. That's my burning passion."

John Tomasi of Clearwater, a church member of 10 months, enjoys looking at the collection.

"It's very impressive," he said. "I started thinking, people were actually reading this when the Bible was considered new. What a different world it was."

But he found Fox's Book of Martyrs "chilling."

It lists the martyrs and the way some of them were tortured and killed.

"This is a horrible book to read," Hale said. "It gives the gory details of how the martyrs met their deaths. Their eyes were gouged out; they were burned at the stake."

The book is worth a few thousand dollars, according to Michael DiRuggiero, co-owner of the Manhattan Rare Book Co. in New York, as are the others.

He said the 1769 King James Bible is worth $5,000, "depending on the Bible and assuming it's in good condition."

But to Hale and other people of faith, the items are priceless.

"Why has the Bible been preserved so long?" he asked. "There must be something to it."

- Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com

The Antique Bible Museum at Leslie Hale Ministries is at Rainville Road and Alt. U.S. 19 in Tarpon Springs. It is usually open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but it's a good idea to call before going: (727) 938-0112. Sunday worship is at 10 a.m.