When I posted “Judging the cover on The Book” last year, I mentioned goatskin as the Bible cover of choice and, since then, have found lambskin to be even softer. Either will last longer than the reader, but goatskin has usually been the easier of the two to find. Since both cost more than most editions, however, you might wonder why anyone would want the extra cost.
Besides the fact that the Word of God is priceless, most Bible lovers want a Bible that will endure for years. If you also like to carry on conversations with your Bible, as I do, you’ll want ample margins and an erasable pencil for responding as you read.
A big point to consider before you make an expensive choice is the translation itself. When I just want to read, I like to curl up with an easy-to-read contemporary translation (not paraphrase!) such as the New Living Translation (NLT), Good News Bible, or other thought-by-thought translation mentioned in the posting, “Which Bible would Jesus choose?” Or, if I want to research a topic or study a book of the Bible in depth, I’ll keep my ESV Study Bible, Archaeological Study Bible, or Life Application Study Bible close beside me and, most likely, borrow my husband’s NIV Study Bible too.
But when it comes to reading and responding to a Bible, I want a lap-friendly reader edition with wide margins, a top quality cover, and an accurate word-for-word translation.
For overall accuracy, the main choices include Amplified, Douay-Rheims, English Standard Version (ESV), King James Version (KJV), New American Bible (NAB), New American Standard Bible (NASB), and New King James Version (NKJV.) Any of those work well for a long-term relationship, but most do not come in a wide-margin edition with high quality leather cover, except for KJV, which I love but often miss what’s said.
I’m dismayed to say that the overall quality of Bibles seems to be declining. Many of the newer editions seem more like give-away or throw-away items with cheap paper, glued pages, and short-lived covers that cost more than they’re worth simply because they’re faddish or cute. But, when I ordered the NASB shown below, I discovered an edition of the very highest quality.
Within the two-column text, the cross-references in the center of the page provide help for looking up a subject or following a biblical train-of-thought, and an A to Z topical concordance at the back of the book eases that search too.
Since footnotes appear only as needed, this reader’s edition encourages me to keep on reading as I would any good book. The font is somewhat on the small side but very readable, and I like the writing space all around – even at the bottom of the page.
If that’s not enough for the thoughts, insights, and responses God gives to you as you read, you’ll be glad to know that a bunch of lined pages at the back of the book have your note-keeping in mind.
©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler
NASB wide-margin Bible in top quality leather [Note: Sorry! My copy described above is no longer available on Amazon, but I found the same edition in split-cowhide which has recently become my favorite.]
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Reviews study Bibles, new translations, large print editions, children's Bibles, commentaries, and other Bible resources
July 5, 2013
June 20, 2013
Life Application Study Bible
For about 30 years at least one person in every Bible study group I’ve participated in has brought a Life Application Study Bible (LASB.) Sometimes we met in church fellowship or parish halls, but often we met in homes where members of most denominations came together regularly to study the word of God.
What first impressed me was how people almost always found something helpful or interesting to add to our discussions, thanks to the extensive footnotes in the LASB. What did not impress me was how the notes sometimes went a bit far in telling readers what to think or how to act with each “must” or “should.”
So while I kept looking for a study Bible that might better suit my needs or preferences, I couldn’t help but notice that Christian friends were buying new editions of the LASB when theirs fell apart from heavy use. Or they began buying editions of the Life Application Study Bible in additional translations -- and there are many!
A quick search on Amazon, for example, shows that the LASB comes in the New Living Translation (NLT), New American Standard Bible (NASB), King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), New International Version (1984 NIV), and the newer NIV that, yes, I finally bought. Other versions may exist, but you get the picture. The LASB comes in many translations for one reason. People like it! And it helps.
Although I really do not want anyone to tell me how to think, I do want to know what other people think, and the LASB helps me to hear those voices and hopefully respond to those needs in my writing. For example, those of us who heard “Jesus Love Me” in early childhood have probably responded to that song from our earliest memories. So when we study Matthew and read the LASB footnotes, we’re reminded that everyone has not had our blessed experience. Some children grow up hearing nothing about God or only hear of Jesus as a baby born at Christmas, and so they may need to hear the footnote for Matthew 21:44, which explains what Jesus meant when He applied to Himself the metaphor about “the stone the builders rejected,” then ends by saying, “He offers mercy and forgiveness now and promises judgment later. We should choose him now!” True, and perhaps a reminder to us lifelong Christians to choose Christ again in the now of every day.
As I became familiar with what the LASB actually says instead of staying locked into first impressions, I discovered a spiritual depth rarely found in study editions of the Bible. Since childhood, for example, I’d loved the Bible story about Solomon and even thought it’d be cool to be wise, which led to a lifelong love for the Bible that I’ve continued, now hoping to get into the mind of Christ. I don’t recall ever having this discussion with anyone before, so I’m doing some soul-baring here, but I cannot tell you what comfort and blessing I found in the LASB note on Ecclesiastes 1:16-18: “The more you understand, the more pain and difficulty you experience. For example, the more you know, the more imperfection you see around you; and the more you observe, the more evil becomes evident. As you set out with Solomon to find the meaning of life, you must be ready to feel more, think more, question more, hurt more, and do more. Are you ready to pay the price for wisdom?” Wow!
No matter what level you’ve reached in your life in Christ, the LASB helps each reader get closer to God. Sometimes, then, the footnotes won’t be for you but for the person next to you or, perhaps, a means of better understanding Christians still new to the faith. Most of the time, though, the footnotes make me feel as if a dear, wise, spiritually mature, well-informed, older friend is responding, explaining, and encouraging me as we read the Bible together.
Special Features: In addition to the extensive footnotes in this hefty edition, each book has an overview or Introduction with a timeline across the top of the page to get you into the era or historical setting. The sidebar, “Vital Statistics,” lists the purpose for each book, the most likely author and date, and the audience first intended. An outline of each book and list of “Megathemes” aid study, too, as do clear black and white maps that show the places mentioned as they're mentioned throughout the text.
Other special features include “A Christian Worker’s Resource,” which provides a teacher’s guide or a way to instruct and edify new Christians. For topical research or Bible studies, an extensive Dictionary/ Concordance helps you find biblical references to a particular subject.
Covers: The quality or type of cover depends on your choice of translations. Most LASB editions come in paperback, hardback, and colorful covers that feel like real leather but may be apt to curl and wear out sooner. However, with the newer NIV available in LASB, you may still be able to find a huge discount on high quality leather covers in the original NIV (1984.)
With copies of the other translations already on my bookshelves, I ordered my LASB in a large print edition of the newer NIV, which I’ll refer to here and feature in the ad below. Instead of the typical leather Bible with one color or piece, this one has a two-tone cover with saddle stitching all around the outer edges and down inner margins, attractively reinforcing areas where hands hit and wear typically occurs.
Format, Font: With its ample size and ink, the large font feels easy on the eyes, but footnotes have a readable font, too, in about the size normally used for the main body of a text. I especially liked the bold type for the chapter and verses to which each footnote refers, making a note quick to find during a discussion. Added subheadings also provide a quick way to scan for information and keep track of where we are as we get closer to God and each other in our search for an ever-deepening life in Christ.
©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler
Life Application Study Bible in the new NIV
~~
What first impressed me was how people almost always found something helpful or interesting to add to our discussions, thanks to the extensive footnotes in the LASB. What did not impress me was how the notes sometimes went a bit far in telling readers what to think or how to act with each “must” or “should.”
So while I kept looking for a study Bible that might better suit my needs or preferences, I couldn’t help but notice that Christian friends were buying new editions of the LASB when theirs fell apart from heavy use. Or they began buying editions of the Life Application Study Bible in additional translations -- and there are many!
A quick search on Amazon, for example, shows that the LASB comes in the New Living Translation (NLT), New American Standard Bible (NASB), King James Version (KJV), New King James Version (NKJV), New International Version (1984 NIV), and the newer NIV that, yes, I finally bought. Other versions may exist, but you get the picture. The LASB comes in many translations for one reason. People like it! And it helps.
Although I really do not want anyone to tell me how to think, I do want to know what other people think, and the LASB helps me to hear those voices and hopefully respond to those needs in my writing. For example, those of us who heard “Jesus Love Me” in early childhood have probably responded to that song from our earliest memories. So when we study Matthew and read the LASB footnotes, we’re reminded that everyone has not had our blessed experience. Some children grow up hearing nothing about God or only hear of Jesus as a baby born at Christmas, and so they may need to hear the footnote for Matthew 21:44, which explains what Jesus meant when He applied to Himself the metaphor about “the stone the builders rejected,” then ends by saying, “He offers mercy and forgiveness now and promises judgment later. We should choose him now!” True, and perhaps a reminder to us lifelong Christians to choose Christ again in the now of every day.
As I became familiar with what the LASB actually says instead of staying locked into first impressions, I discovered a spiritual depth rarely found in study editions of the Bible. Since childhood, for example, I’d loved the Bible story about Solomon and even thought it’d be cool to be wise, which led to a lifelong love for the Bible that I’ve continued, now hoping to get into the mind of Christ. I don’t recall ever having this discussion with anyone before, so I’m doing some soul-baring here, but I cannot tell you what comfort and blessing I found in the LASB note on Ecclesiastes 1:16-18: “The more you understand, the more pain and difficulty you experience. For example, the more you know, the more imperfection you see around you; and the more you observe, the more evil becomes evident. As you set out with Solomon to find the meaning of life, you must be ready to feel more, think more, question more, hurt more, and do more. Are you ready to pay the price for wisdom?” Wow!
No matter what level you’ve reached in your life in Christ, the LASB helps each reader get closer to God. Sometimes, then, the footnotes won’t be for you but for the person next to you or, perhaps, a means of better understanding Christians still new to the faith. Most of the time, though, the footnotes make me feel as if a dear, wise, spiritually mature, well-informed, older friend is responding, explaining, and encouraging me as we read the Bible together.
Special Features: In addition to the extensive footnotes in this hefty edition, each book has an overview or Introduction with a timeline across the top of the page to get you into the era or historical setting. The sidebar, “Vital Statistics,” lists the purpose for each book, the most likely author and date, and the audience first intended. An outline of each book and list of “Megathemes” aid study, too, as do clear black and white maps that show the places mentioned as they're mentioned throughout the text.
Other special features include “A Christian Worker’s Resource,” which provides a teacher’s guide or a way to instruct and edify new Christians. For topical research or Bible studies, an extensive Dictionary/ Concordance helps you find biblical references to a particular subject.
Covers: The quality or type of cover depends on your choice of translations. Most LASB editions come in paperback, hardback, and colorful covers that feel like real leather but may be apt to curl and wear out sooner. However, with the newer NIV available in LASB, you may still be able to find a huge discount on high quality leather covers in the original NIV (1984.)
With copies of the other translations already on my bookshelves, I ordered my LASB in a large print edition of the newer NIV, which I’ll refer to here and feature in the ad below. Instead of the typical leather Bible with one color or piece, this one has a two-tone cover with saddle stitching all around the outer edges and down inner margins, attractively reinforcing areas where hands hit and wear typically occurs.
Format, Font: With its ample size and ink, the large font feels easy on the eyes, but footnotes have a readable font, too, in about the size normally used for the main body of a text. I especially liked the bold type for the chapter and verses to which each footnote refers, making a note quick to find during a discussion. Added subheadings also provide a quick way to scan for information and keep track of where we are as we get closer to God and each other in our search for an ever-deepening life in Christ.
©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler
Life Application Study Bible in the new NIV
~~
June 15, 2013
The Complete Jewish Bible
If you have an edition of the Bible with cross-referencing to indicate the connections between the Old Testament (OT) and the New, you have probably noticed how Jesus fulfills prophecies and embodies the Word of God – literally and figuratively – in His own being. This translation of the Bible not only emphasizes that but helps us to understand the Jewish family of God to which Jesus belonged and of which Christianity is close kin.
As the translator of this fine work, David Stern explains in the Introduction, “I wanted to produce a single book that would deal with all the ‘Jewish issues’ I could think of in connection with the New Testament – questions that Jews have about Yeshua (Jesus), the New Testament, and Christianity; questions Christians have about Judaism and the Jewish roots of their own faith; and questions we Messianic Jews have about our own identity and role in the light of two thousand years of separation and conflict between the Church and the Jews.” Before bringing us the Complete Jewish Bible, however, he wrote the Jewish New Testament Commentary, which I viewed on Amazon and immediately added to my Wish List.
Special Features: In addition to introducing us to the translator’s Jewish background before he became a seminary-trained Messianic Jew in Israel, the Introduction describes the 7 sections of the Bible with the Hebrew scriptures arranged in the sequence Jesus would have known with their original Hebrew names:
The Torah (the Pentateuch or first five books of the Bible which reveal and express God’s law or will)
The Prophets (early and late with most of the historical books included in this section as in the Jewish canon)
The Writings (wisdom literature with the remaining historical books such as Ruth and Chronicles)
The Gospels (Mattityahu/ Matthew, Mark, Luke, Yochanan/John)
The Acts of the Emissaries (of Jesus aka Apostles)
The Letters (to the early churches or Greek and Jewish Christian communities who met in common-union)
Revelation
The Introduction also includes 4 pages of Hebrew prophecies fulfilled in Christ and gives us a peek inside a Jewish synagogue such as Jesus would have regularly attended.
Other Special Features include a Glossary in the back of the book with a pronunciation guide and maps with their true Hebrew names (“Natzeret” instead of the Anglicized “Nazareth” or “Yerushalayim” for “Jerusalem.”) Several blank pages follow with room for “Notes.”
Covers, Size, Font: My copy of the Complete Jewish Bible is slightly smaller than the one I found on Amazon (see ad below), but both have a hardback cover unless you prefer the Kindle edition, also available on Amazon. The font might have changed with the newest edition too, but my copy has a thin but readable font with a little less ink than I prefer. However, the many, many OT scriptures quoted in the New Testament have been set in bold type for easy identification and emphasis, offering us frequent reminders of our spiritual roots and connections to one another in the Family of God.
©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler welcomes review copies of new translations of Holy Scriptures into English, new study editions, new children’s Bibles, and new treatments of older translations of the Bible. May God bless this work and that of David Stern, who saw a schism in God’s family and wanted to do what he could to resolve this as a “contribution to tikkun-ha’olam (repairing the world.)” Amen! and Shalom.
Complete Jewish Bible
Jewish New Testament Commentary
~~
As the translator of this fine work, David Stern explains in the Introduction, “I wanted to produce a single book that would deal with all the ‘Jewish issues’ I could think of in connection with the New Testament – questions that Jews have about Yeshua (Jesus), the New Testament, and Christianity; questions Christians have about Judaism and the Jewish roots of their own faith; and questions we Messianic Jews have about our own identity and role in the light of two thousand years of separation and conflict between the Church and the Jews.” Before bringing us the Complete Jewish Bible, however, he wrote the Jewish New Testament Commentary, which I viewed on Amazon and immediately added to my Wish List.
Special Features: In addition to introducing us to the translator’s Jewish background before he became a seminary-trained Messianic Jew in Israel, the Introduction describes the 7 sections of the Bible with the Hebrew scriptures arranged in the sequence Jesus would have known with their original Hebrew names:
The Torah (the Pentateuch or first five books of the Bible which reveal and express God’s law or will)
The Prophets (early and late with most of the historical books included in this section as in the Jewish canon)
The Writings (wisdom literature with the remaining historical books such as Ruth and Chronicles)
The Gospels (Mattityahu/ Matthew, Mark, Luke, Yochanan/John)
The Acts of the Emissaries (of Jesus aka Apostles)
The Letters (to the early churches or Greek and Jewish Christian communities who met in common-union)
Revelation
The Introduction also includes 4 pages of Hebrew prophecies fulfilled in Christ and gives us a peek inside a Jewish synagogue such as Jesus would have regularly attended.
Other Special Features include a Glossary in the back of the book with a pronunciation guide and maps with their true Hebrew names (“Natzeret” instead of the Anglicized “Nazareth” or “Yerushalayim” for “Jerusalem.”) Several blank pages follow with room for “Notes.”
Covers, Size, Font: My copy of the Complete Jewish Bible is slightly smaller than the one I found on Amazon (see ad below), but both have a hardback cover unless you prefer the Kindle edition, also available on Amazon. The font might have changed with the newest edition too, but my copy has a thin but readable font with a little less ink than I prefer. However, the many, many OT scriptures quoted in the New Testament have been set in bold type for easy identification and emphasis, offering us frequent reminders of our spiritual roots and connections to one another in the Family of God.
©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler welcomes review copies of new translations of Holy Scriptures into English, new study editions, new children’s Bibles, and new treatments of older translations of the Bible. May God bless this work and that of David Stern, who saw a schism in God’s family and wanted to do what he could to resolve this as a “contribution to tikkun-ha’olam (repairing the world.)” Amen! and Shalom.
Complete Jewish Bible
Jewish New Testament Commentary
~~
April 13, 2013
Review of the Amplified Bible
Study Bibles bring insights and information we might not know without all those notes and extra articles, so I recommend having many! Sometimes, though, the study aids can become a distraction or, worse, get in the way of just reading. Also, most study editions weigh a lot, making the overall size and page length overwhelming to pick up, much less read.
In the 1980’s The Lockman Foundation came up with a unique solution – a translation to get nothing lost in translation. Instead of study notes, the Amplified Bible, published by Zondervan, includes the various choices of synonyms and other options that arise when translating one language into another. For example, look at these familiar verses from Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayers” in the Gospel of John.
“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I Am], He may give it to you,” John 15:16.
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you],” John 16:33.
My favorite print edition of this translation came in top grain leather, which I can no longer find on Amazon, so I'm showing a bonded leather edition and hope it also places biblical references directly after the related verse. This might occur, for instance, when a verse mentions a king, and Amplified brackets the book, chapter, and verse where you can find the story of that king. Or, right after a prophetic word in the Hebrew scripture (Old Testament), you’ll find the New Testament reference that shows the fulfillment of that scripture or ones yet to be fulfilled. For example:
“One will say, I am the Lord’s; and another will call himself by the name of Jacob; and another will write [even brand or tattoo] upon his hand, I am the Lord’s, and surname himself by the [honorable] name of Israel. Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. [Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13],” Isaiah 44:5-6.
©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler welcomes review copies of new translations, study editions, and children’s Bibles.
The Amplified Bible, bonded leather
March 5, 2013
Spirit-Filled Life Bible, NKJV
The previous article on the Bible Reviewer discussed “Bible editions for research and accuracy,” ending with my list of personal favorites, but I forgot the study Bible I often borrow from the most scholarly and liturgically-minded person in my home – the Spirit-Filled Life Bible, New King James Version (NKJV) published in 1991 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
In the “Introduction” of this innovative edition, the General Editor Jack W. Hayford explains: “The Spirit-Filled Life Bible is the first of its kind, in which a broadly representative team from more than twenty denominations and independent fellowships has been banded together to produce a study Bible integrating the Pentecostal-Charismatic viewpoint.”
Since that viewpoint comes from such a wide-ranging group of believers, common beliefs needed to be established first to prepare a work that would be acceptable and helpful. Interestingly, these basic points of agreement included the main convictions of most denominations, who come together as one in the Body of Christ held by these beliefs:
Belief in the virgin birth of Jesus
Belief in the sinless life of Jesus
Belief in the atoning death of Jesus
Belief in the Risen Christ
Belief in Christ’s ascension into Heaven
Belief in the divine inspiration and authority of the Word of God
Belief in the Holy Spirit, at work today, empowering Christians and the Church Body of Christ
With the above beliefs and ongoing prayer to unify the team, this study edition opens with a large section on “Kingdom Dynamics” from Bible teachers and pastors whose names you might recognize from television – men and women, who love God and continually devour Holy Scripture.
Each of these contributors presents a theme topic with a short description and list of “Kingdom Dynamic” principles keyed to relevant scripture. When you turn to those verses, you find a box inset in the text, briefly expounding on that particular passage.
Other textual inserts include “Word Wealth,” which defines words we often hear without always knowing the origin or imagery they’re meant to convey. For further options in word studies, the back of the book includes a concordance followed by pages of very clear and colorful maps.
As typically occurs in the fine quality of Bibles published by Thomas Nelson, the font used throughout this edition is clear and readable in the text but also in the footnotes. Those footnotes, in fact, drew me to investigate the above, so I could tell you about the insights and interesting info I found, but better, the notes can show you.
For example, remember the story where some believers bring a paralytic friend to be healed, but crowds prevent them from getting anywhere near Jesus? So what do they do? They lift the tiles off the flat roof of the house where He’s teaching and lower the paralyzed person down from the ceiling! As the New King James Version (NKJV) goes on to say:
“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you’,” Mark 2:5.
If you grew up hearing Bible stories, you’ve surely heard that one. I had too, but the footnote in the Spirit-Filled Life Bible came as news to me! To quote that note with my parenthesis and italicized emphasis added:
“The response of Jesus reflects the Jewish view (at that time) that forgiveness of sins must precede physical healing.” (i.e., Since the friends undoubtedly knew that, Jesus addressed the whole situation from their understanding, background, experiences, and perspective as they peered down on their paralyzed friend.) “Whether or not this particular disease was the consequence of sin, Jesus went to the heart of the matter. Sin and disease are effects of evil, and Jesus reveals God’s opposition to evil in any way it may manifest. His goal is to bring complete wholeness to people.”
Amen and amen!
©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler
P.S. Well, once again, I went to Amazon’s website to find the study Bible just described and discovered a newer edition! That would not, of course, change the genuine leather-covered copy I hold in my hand, but it might mean you can find a good price on one like it with a little searching on the Internet. (My search would start with Christianbook.com) If, however, you want the updated version, here’s a place to order a paperback copy of the newest edition:
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February 18, 2013
Bible study and church unity
As a lifelong student of the Bible and lover of the church in all its parts, I’m thrilled to see the Bible bind Christians together again! For one thing, developments in biblical scholarship and archeological digs have helped many Protestant publishers see that the apostles and other early church leaders knew the apocryphal books – those extra “Old Testament” books included in the original King James Version (KJV) of the Bible but taken out during the Reformation.
Meanwhile, Catholic scholars have greatly encouraged private and group study by making more study editions available with informative footnotes and articles provided by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. In addition, Christian scholars from Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical churches put their halos together to bring us the Common English Bible, previously reviewed on this site. Before that the Revised English Bible (REB), reviewed in A study Bible with an ecumenical view, gave us a one-Bible-fits-all-study groups.
Besides the REB, Oxford University Press has given us ecumenical editions (aka with Apocrypha) of the Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), which I’ve used for years and highly recommend. Therefore, I’m doubly pleased to announce the new-to-me revised edition of the New American Bible (NAB) approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and published by Oxford.
Since I prefer genuine leather covers for the Bibles I use most often, I’m happy to see this edition can be found with a nice leather binding. Except for the NAB I bought years ago, Catholic editions rarely have high quality leather. My old NAB does but has "Catholic Study Bible" printed with such big gold letters on the spine that some Christians might not want to take it to another church study group.
The new (2010) NAB Revised Edition from Oxford has bold lettering on the spine, too, but its golden letters say “Holy Bible,” which should please everyone! I got the large print, which I like, but the treatment of footnotes took some getting used to at first. i.e., Instead of having footnotes and study notes at the bottom of each page, this edition places them at the end of each book. So you can look up notes as you go, or read (as I did) the study notes in one sitting. Interestingly, this placement kept me from being distracted (as I often am) from reading straight-through, and I felt as though I comprehended the text more fully since I didn’t have the typical footnotes to interrupt the reading.
Regarding the type of information found in those study notes, the footnote for Matthew 27:16-17 tells us, “The Aramaic name Barabbas means ‘son of the father’,” then points out “the irony of the choice offered between him and Jesus, the true son of the Father.”
For another example of a footnote concerning the Passion of Christ, a note on the time of death told in John 19:14 says: “Noon, the time when, according to John, Jesus was sentenced to death, was the hour at which the priest began to slaughter Passover lambs in the temple.” That’s the kind of information I wouldn’t know without the truly informative information in these study notes. Glad I ordered mine, but it’s a little hard to find, so I hope this link on Christian Books works for a while.
© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler
December 13, 2012
Digging the Archaeological Study Bible
Ever since Zondervan released the Archaeological Study Bible in 2005, I’ve hinted broadly for a copy to read, study, and review. It’s not that I’m too cheap to buy my own but am apt to spend every discretionary dime on Bibles so thought I’d try a different approach and beg for review copies.
For ages, nothing happened. Then publication of the new New International Version took the original NIV off the shelf for new editions, which now means a great buy on the Archaeological Study Bible. Maybe Zondervan will do an updated edition with the new NIV, but not wanting to risk missing this highly recommended study Bible, I bought my own in top grain leather and will now hint for a review copy of the new NIV.
Format: Each book begins with the kind of background information I want to know: factual data to immerse me in Bible scenes and clarify the “Author, Place and Date of Writing,” “Audience,” “Cultural Facts and Highlights,” and “Timeline.” To bring the individual books into present day, the format also includes suggestions to notice “As You Read,” questions to consider in “Did You Know?” and “Themes” to look for in the text or the “Outline.”
Size: Big! This 6.5” x 9.5” edition weighs more than my ESV Study Bible, which has more than the 2306 pages (plus maps) in the Archaeological Study Bible, so the type of covering tips the scales.
Binding: I chose the thick, durable top grain leather, which I like and recommend, but the less expensive hardback edition (shown below) has the advantage of sitting up, nice and straight, on a bookshelf.
Type: As page numbers increase in a study Bible, font size usually decreases, which works for me since I’m myopic anyway. What does not work well is a lightly drawn font with lightly applied ink. Having noticed this in other Zondervan Bibles, I hope the company will reconsider and go for a chunkier font or thick ink.
Study Aids: From “A Chronological History of Palestine” in the front matter to the “Subject Index,” “Concordance,” and high quality maps in the back, this edition provides study aids that live up to the subtitle: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture.
Unique Features: In addition to the above-mentioned aids, the Archaeological Study Bible includes inserts throughout its pages to give a glimpse of “Ancient Texts and Artifacts,” “Ancient Peoples, Lands and Rulers,” “Ancient Voices,” “Archaeological Sites,” and more. For instance, instead of just describing the “Dress and Fashion in the Greco-Roman World” of Jesus’ time, illustrations show this, so we can easily see and perhaps even envision ourselves in each biblical setting where we, too, belong.
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved, but pass it on! To see sample pages from this excellent study edition, click the pic below:
.
For ages, nothing happened. Then publication of the new New International Version took the original NIV off the shelf for new editions, which now means a great buy on the Archaeological Study Bible. Maybe Zondervan will do an updated edition with the new NIV, but not wanting to risk missing this highly recommended study Bible, I bought my own in top grain leather and will now hint for a review copy of the new NIV.
Format: Each book begins with the kind of background information I want to know: factual data to immerse me in Bible scenes and clarify the “Author, Place and Date of Writing,” “Audience,” “Cultural Facts and Highlights,” and “Timeline.” To bring the individual books into present day, the format also includes suggestions to notice “As You Read,” questions to consider in “Did You Know?” and “Themes” to look for in the text or the “Outline.”
Size: Big! This 6.5” x 9.5” edition weighs more than my ESV Study Bible, which has more than the 2306 pages (plus maps) in the Archaeological Study Bible, so the type of covering tips the scales.
Binding: I chose the thick, durable top grain leather, which I like and recommend, but the less expensive hardback edition (shown below) has the advantage of sitting up, nice and straight, on a bookshelf.
Type: As page numbers increase in a study Bible, font size usually decreases, which works for me since I’m myopic anyway. What does not work well is a lightly drawn font with lightly applied ink. Having noticed this in other Zondervan Bibles, I hope the company will reconsider and go for a chunkier font or thick ink.
Study Aids: From “A Chronological History of Palestine” in the front matter to the “Subject Index,” “Concordance,” and high quality maps in the back, this edition provides study aids that live up to the subtitle: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture.
Unique Features: In addition to the above-mentioned aids, the Archaeological Study Bible includes inserts throughout its pages to give a glimpse of “Ancient Texts and Artifacts,” “Ancient Peoples, Lands and Rulers,” “Ancient Voices,” “Archaeological Sites,” and more. For instance, instead of just describing the “Dress and Fashion in the Greco-Roman World” of Jesus’ time, illustrations show this, so we can easily see and perhaps even envision ourselves in each biblical setting where we, too, belong.
© 2012, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved, but pass it on! To see sample pages from this excellent study edition, click the pic below:
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