The Beauty Behind the Mask: Rediscovering the Books of the Bible (Paperback)

by Christopher R. Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
While millions of Bibles are distributed in North America every year, most of them are never read. One significant reason for this is that the Bible has been shaped over time in a way that makes it difficult to read and understand. But the Scriptures are now being released in a new format designed to help readers overcome the problems that the traditional presentation creates. In this new edition, The Books of The Bible, chapters and verses have been removed, the books appear in a new order, and longer works that were divided over time have been restored to unity. Christopher R. Smith is a member of the team that worked with the International Bible Society to develop this new edition. In this book, he traces the history and effects of the traditional elements that have shaped the customary presentation of the Scriptures. He describes how the new format was developed to help overcome these effects. And he explains how The Books of The Bible can be used effectively for personal devotions, group studies, sermon preparation and the other disciplines by which we apply the teachings of God¿s word to our lives. The Rev. Dr. Christopher R. Smith is pastor of the University Baptist Church of East Lansing, Michigan. He has a B.A. in literature from Harvard University, an M.A.T.S. in church history from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in theology from Boston College. His articles have appeared in such publications as The Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, New Testament Studies, Novum Testamentum, and Vigilae Christianae.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Clements Publishing (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894667735
• ISBN-13: 978-1894667739
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,278,519 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Beauty" Part 1, October 21, 2007

By	R. Leitner (Innisfil, Ontario CANADA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Rev. Dr. Smith's book "The Beauty Behind the Mask" is succinctly laid out into four great-reading chapters (readers will be relieved when they see that sentences are not numbered). Anyone who's had the previous privilege of reading Chris' 10-chapter on-line "The Bible Without Chapters or Verses" will notice that this outline to rediscovering the Books of the Bible does an equally good job of whetting the appetite of scripture-readers like me who've always wondered why all the numbers appear in the books in the first place.

"The Beauty Behind the Mask" should also appeal to anyone `tempted' to look into God's word for the first time, but who might be intimidated by it's present 'numbering system'. And skeptics of the `new' presentation of the Bible, who might think, "who's messing with God's word?" should definitely read Chris' book.

The book is well thought out, succinct and convincing. Just when you get to a point where you might think, "well, that's only one example", or that one of Chris's arguments might be confined, he presents the reader with additional levels of nicely researched, well thought-out and detailed support. I liked that; and all that in four chapters. Well done!

All of Chris' investigation presented in the book can be used by other researchers as a springboard for further studies. That means Chris' "scratching of the surface" will be worth more than convincing the reader to `trust' the new presentation of the Bible and understand why and how it came to be in print. "The Beauty" is almost essential to have as a companion to "The Books of the Bible".

Chris' research into the history of the development of the Bible's numbering (and ordering) system is packaged nicely into these four chapters. He sites many convincing examples as to how the historic numbering / ordering systems of the Bible books and letters could mislead the most astute Bible reader. He very satisfactorily supports an argument in favor of studying the Bible as it was handed down from the earliest original manuscripts.

"The Beauty Behind the Mask" is highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Eye-Opening Guide to Finally Freeing the Flow of Bible Reading, March 25, 2008

By	David Crumm "Editor of www.ReadTheSpirit.com" (Canton, Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Dr. Christopher Smith describes his work as similar to the cleaning of Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. People had become so accustomed to the layers of accumulated debris on the ceiling that they were stunned to see the vivid colors emerging through the thorough cleaning in recent years. The cleaning has given a whole new vitality to the experience of visiting this global landmark.

That's precisely what Smith has tried to accomplish in new editions of the Bible produced for the non-profit International Bible Society. Those new Bible editions -- both a complete Protestant Bible and various shorter sections of scripture bound in paperback editions -- are not presently available on Amazon or in bookstores as of early 2008. That's because this Bible Society only distributes its editions through non-profit avenues. But there are at least discussions underway of bringing out an edition of Smith's newly redesigned Bible in commercial editions -- so stay tuned. Or, it's also quite easy to locate the Bible Society's Web site and pick up editions at a remarkably low cost.

However you find those Bibles -- and the Bible Society distributes millions of copies of the Bible each year, so this isn't a barrier -- then, you're going to want Smith's companion book, here, to help introduce this new edition for group discussion.

Thousands of churches across the U.S. host thousands of small groups. What Smith has helped to spearhead is a superb way to inspire fresh interest in Bible reading. Among the many changes he has made, this new approach to the Bible removes distracting chapter and verse numbers. The biblical text is printed across the page like any normal book -- rather than squeezed into narrow columns. Books like Luke and Acts, which once were recognized as a single unit of scripture, are restored to their original order in this Bible -- adding new insights as we read the restored narrative as a single sacred masterpiece once again.

Smith's companion book is full of fascinating historical background on how our Bible came to be -- the sort of stuff that fans of the "History Channel" or the "Discovery Channel" will enjoy in your congregation.

In his book, Smith recalls a friend once complaining that the Bible is tough to pick up and enjoy because it "looks like a bad technical manual that you don't want to read." Smith offers a creative new design for the world's all-time bestseller in the hopes that more people, like his friend, will actually become regular readers of the original "Good Book."