Sep
18
2008
The Books of the Bible
Do you ever tire of the endless parade of specialty Bibles that fill the shelves of Christian bookstores? There are Bibles for everyone – teens, kids, women, men, former alcoholics, students, the elderly.
The optimistic side of me rejoices at seeing so many Bible resources available. The cynical side of me can’t help but scoff at the ways in which publishers market the Bible to niche audiences.
Yet there are certain specialty Bibles that deserve a place on the shelf. The International Bible Society has recently released a book called The Books of the Bible – which compiles the Bible books in a fresh, creative way while omitting chapter and verse divisions.
Here’s what I like about The Books of the Bible:
- Easy to Read. This is not a Bible for study; it’s a Bible for reading.
After I received my copy, I started reading Samuel-Kings (a compilation of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings). To my amazement, after what seemed like only a few minutes, I realized that I had read 13 chapters! Because the chapter divisions, verse numbers and footnotes are absent, The Books of the Bible removes all distractions and puts the focus completely on the text. The layout is one column, so it’s easy to follow.
- The combination of books. The Books of the Bible puts books together in ways that help illuminate the relationship between the books.
Take the New Testament, for example. Instead of beginning with the four Gospels, the books are compiled by theme and author. The first book of the New Testament is Luke-Acts (combined into one seamless narrative). Next come all of Paul’s letters, in chronological order. (Reading Paul this way helps you follow Paul’s thought pattern throughout his life.) The Gospel of Matthew is paired with Hebrews and James (also written for Jewish audiences). The Gospel of Mark starts off Peter’s section, since Mark is widely regarded as a compilation of Peter’s memoirs. The last part of the New Testament belongs to John. You read his Gospel, his letters, and then Revelation.
- The Narratives.
The combining of books helps carry on the Old Testament narrative. To read Samuel and Kings together as one long story avoids chopping up the narrative into different chapters and books. The same benefit comes from reading Luke-Acts, and Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah this way.
The only downside to The Books of the Bible is the translation it uses: the TNIV. I do not subscribe to the dynamic philosophy of translation behind the TNIV, and I believe some key passages get muddled by the attempt to make the language gender-neutral.
At the same time, I like certain aspects of the TNIV (for example, the keeping of “Messiah” instead of “Christ” in several New Testament letters). While the ESV still remains my translation of choice for preaching, memorization, and personal study because of its word-for-word equivalence, I enjoy reading the Bible in other translations, including some of the more dynamic-equivalent translations like the NLT, TNIV and the NRSV.
The Books of the Bible is a creative repackaging of the Bible. Some will dismiss it as just another attempt to profit from the Bible market. But I have found it to be a handy resource and a nice Bible to read for enjoyment.
For more information on The Books of the Bible, click here.