Customer Reviews

Illustrated Bible - Good News Translation

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like this bible, particularly the illustrations by the Swiss artist. The silver gilded pages, simple yet elegant illustrations, a ribbon marker, and high quality papers. Everything looks great.

However, I later found that the American Bible Society sells the same bible at $8 on their online shop: bibles.com.

I have grown to love the Good News Translation and finally it has been published in bonded leather! This is a beautiful and accurate translation from the original languages, easy to read and understand, yet very reverent and powerfully interpereted. The illustrations are tastefully and beautifully done throughout and actually add desireability rather than detract. This is the centerpiece of my Bible collection and I read it daily.

Being in my fifties, I grew up when Good News for Modern Man exploded in popularity in the sixties and then the Good News Bible arrived in the seventies. I was raised on Revised Standard in the Presbyterian church that I belonged to, but all of us in my age group discovered the Bible anew in this fresh translation. Remember, there weren't so many available back then.

Over the years I learned that I preferred the New American Standard translation, which is still my daily Bible. However, I purchased this Bible when I came across it, and reread it with renewed pleasure.

Please keep in mind: this is NOT a paraphrase, as so many newer versions have been. It is a true translation, which in part was designed to bring the Bible to those for whom English is a second or third language. I am not in favor of paraphrases, feeling they aren't needed or desired for English speakers of normal intelligence. This translation is a great bridge. It untangles the beautiful prose of King James and is much more 'readable' than the NASB I enjoy. And indeed, it is a pleasure to read as a book itself.

The line drawings were a pleasure in themselves in the early editions. For whatever reason, they have been 'colorized' in the contemporary editions, which I think adds nothing to AV's work, but it's not an irritant to me either.

No, this Bible isn't constructed with the same quality of paper and leather as some costing several times more. Frankly, I would have rather had a better quality of craftmanship, and would have paid more. However, for the price, the leather is very acceptable. Pages are edged in silver, not gold, and quite attractive. The pages are average in transparency-not the best, but not the worst, either. The type is easy on the eyes.

I appreciate the Bible Society keeping this translation in the public arena. It deserves to be on the shelf.

Like other reviewers said, I met the TEV back in the 70's, when American Bible Society was moving train-car loads of 'Good News For Modern Man,' paperback New Testament, filled with stick figure illustrations.

Perhaps because nobody released a study edition minus the stick characters; and maybe because NIV was being released in every possible configeration and edition possible -- I followed the crowd moving away from the KJV (and/or RSV...) to the NIV, and sorta never looked back -- until just recently.

With the advent of the NLT and ESV, I for some unknown reason took another look at the updated TEV > GNT; in working with some very heavy passages primarily in Isaiah and Jeremiah. At that time (around 2007-8) I had access to a generous selection of contemporaries, including the American Bible Society's newer release: CEV; the NJB, NAS^, ESV, NIrV, NAB, NLT....

I was surprised to find the GNT's renderings of sticky and problematic OT passages at the top of the pile, in passage after passage. Where and how did I let this contemporary English masterpiece slip through?

Most likely because nobody with mega$$ took it under their wings and produced study editions that propelled the NLT and NIV.

Even today, I know of only one GNT study edition extant -- (except for the GNT Catholic Students/"Kids") -- the more recent "GNT Starting Point Study Bible" (edited by the Luis Palau Evan. Association); the unvarnished text edition is even today most commonly available from the non-profit ABS.

Maybe most users see ABS products like the GNT as sorta a "poor man's street Bible," for mass distribution in low-cost versions....

No English translation is word-perfect, but the GNT ranks at least as an 8.0/10.0 for faithfulness and clarity for the UN-theologically trained (one ESV translator said many of the encrusted theologically elite were secret closet RSV users....)

I place it and the "Lutheran" God's Word Version / GWV, as premier texts for serious study and research.

It is more on point than even ABS's CEV, if you want to really dig and study. The CEV reads more like the NLT; GNT is more literal, but without being "wooden," as some critics have labeled the NASB, ESV, NKJV, etc.

I.e., take the GNT over ABS's CEV when you want to mine the Scriptures for the best nuggets. Like the GWV, it strikes an optimum balance in word choices or terminology; the syntax is reasonably easy to understand, yet more precise and specific than the NCV, NLT, etc.,

The bells and whistles of illustrations, and designer covers of this particular edition, of course add eye-appeal to an otherwise plain-jane looking book; since vanilla text editions of the GNT have no built-in library of study helps; common stuff on most all versions [few want a plain text Bible anymore; but one which will "explain itself" with a battery of tech-toy study helps].

All those other versions' study notes-helps are there to hopefully move you along on up the path to better and deeper Bible understanding -- and higher wisdom that only in-depth hours of Bible study is supposed to produce > scholarship at the next level.

Every Bible student should keep a GNT on the shelf for variant readings and comparison of texts; even if they want to carry a NIV, NAB, NAS, ESV, NCV....

GNT clearly surpasses the NASB and the NIV in accuracy-clarity (hard to be accurately wooden like the NAS and also use non-tech EZ English -- something the NIV has fallen behind on -- by choosing to retain all those difficult seminary-level expert theological terms not in the original Greek or Hebrew, but encrusted via 500 years of higher learning: sanctification, justification, righteousness...)

Of course the "down-sized" NIrV (primarily in children's editions) addresses many of these issues -- and I keep the NIrV around also...

Matt Whitlock raised the same charges against such as the NIV, NAS, et al: "they [Christians] have also made the concept all but inaccessible to the average person.

Why...'repentance, redemption, atonement, justification, righteousness, reconciliation, propitiation, and sanctification?'

[The translators could have had it both ways by putting these VIP key theological tech terms in parenthesis in the text; or footnoted them.

It is obvious that scholars would like these words to "flash-card" in their face, for higher-level scholarship and study.....]

The New Testament was written in a common ('koine') language, but we CONTINUE to use an outdated and inflated vocabulary to talk about God's work in our lives, which almost guarantees that NO ONE WILL UNDERSTAND us.

In fact, given a pop quiz on Sunday morning, my guess is that many evangelicals would not score well >

> If asked to explain the theology behind words we hear and use all the time."

Matt Whitlock and Chuck Smith Jr., "Frequently Avoided Questions;" pp. 68-69, 2005, Baker.

I might add also that GNT is rare common ground for a contemporary English Bible (the NRSV being the only other I am familiar with).

ABS Catholics and Protestants worked together in translation, and both groups buy and use it; in fact the bulk of editions published by ABS seem to tilt toward a larger Catholic audience...Good News Indeed for all of us...

I was surprised to see a new leather bound edition and bought it immediately. This edition combines the easy to understand, generally accurate text of the GNT with with hundreds of helpful, colorful line drawings. Before now, I have never seen the drawings in color.
Apart from the graphic on the front cover (not offensive, but unneccessary and cheapens the look a bit) and a few renderings that are possible but neither probable nor preferred, this is a great Bible to have. It's just the right size with silver page edges and a ribbon marker. The leather isn't very good quality, but it's priced right.
I recommend its purchase.

When I first ventured into the christian scene I was handed a King James Version, which while beautiful was difficult to understand. I next stumbled onto the Good News Bible and everything became clear. This is an edition that is a joy to read.