HCSB Minister’s Bible

September 20, 2010September 20, 2010 / Christopher Terry / 1 Comment

I just received a review copy of the HCSB Minister’s Bible in the mail. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I really like the HCSB translation. I am very excited about the forthcoming revision. I cannot wait till it is released and anticipate the forthcoming HCSB Study Bible.

My first impressions of the Bible is that the formatting is the best I have seen. I absolutely love the single column paragraph format. It is also a black-letter Bible, thank you B&H Publishing! The Bible itself has all of the technical textual notations at the bottom of the page. It is not a reference Bible. I have absolutely no problems with this at all. Typically the references do not run parallel to my train of thought. There are some articles in the back of the Bible that would be helpful for those in ministry. The Bible does include the normal HCSB text Bible features: plan of salvation, concordance, bullet note index, and several tables.

I will have much more on this Bible in the future. Everything that I has seen so far is absolutely wonderful.

Update:

I have had plenty of time using this Bible to make a more informed review. The Bible is smyth sewn which makes it possible for the Bible to lay flat and will also ensure that the binding lasts longer (kudos to Holman for making the majority of their Bibles with sewn bindings – we appreciate it). The cover itself is genuine leather (it is not the best I have seen but certainly not the worst).

The font is very easy on the eyes in regard to size. It is a different font character than I have seen in other Bibles. This does not make it bad just different. Christians are unique when it comes to Bibles. There is a large segment which does not want to see any variation between Bible translations (font, format, translation theory, etc…) so I don’t know how this will effect potential customers.

I like that this is a black letter text. The truth is that there was no such thing in the original letters. A black letter text forces readers to recognize that every single word in the Bible carries equal inspiration and weight.

The text is in a paragraph format with a single column of text. I prefer this layout of the biblical text. It allows you to focus on the text at hand rather than all of the visual noise on the rest of the page. It does feature the textual notes at the bottom of the page which is very a useful feature. The notes provide pertinent information for alternate renderings, Hebrew or Greek textual manuscript information, or literal translations.

This is a wide margin edition. It has ample amount of space on the outside of the text which allows users to record their own studies and thoughts on the biblical text. I have been able to record notes from my own studies in the margins and have had sufficient room to write. I think that this is an excellent feature in a Bible.

The Bible paper is thin. There is some bleed through from the text on the opposite side of a page. The boldness of the font on the facing page actually makes the bleed through less of an issue. The font on the facing page grabs your attention and minimizes the distraction. I did notice that after writing on a page that the edges of the page began to curl. Over time the page goes back to normal.

There is a pastoral helps section. I am a pastor but do not choose to use the helps. The helps are well done and could be very useful. I choose to use this as more of a study/teaching/preaching Bible, not a minister’s manual (not that there is anything wrong with such a use).

There is a full concordance in the back of the Bible. Since the HCSB is an optimal equivalence translation such a feature is a useful tool.

All things considered, I think that this is an excellent edition of the HCSB. I would encourage others, who like the HCSB and want a Bible to record their study notes in, to purchase this Bible. This is the first edition of the HCSB text so it would probably be wise to purchase Minister’s Bible which features the updated text.

Cambridge NASB Wide Margin Reference Bible in Black Goatskin leather

November 17, 2009December 3, 2009 / Christopher Terry / 1 Comment

When I received this Bible as a review copy from Cambridge Press I immediately noticed the non-traditional design of the Bible itself. I have come to absolutely love the format of this beautifully crafted Bible. The Bible itself is bound in goatskin leather. The cover is leather-lined which results in a very flexible cover. The grain of the leather is the finest I have seen. I had my NASB Zondervan Study Bible rebound in chocolate goatskin by Mechling Bindery and Mechling did an excellent job. But, the leather on the Cambridge Bible far surpasses the Mechling goatskin in quality.

The pages are smyth-sewn which allows the Bible to lay completely flat. The pages themselves are thick, very nice. One thing that I really love about this Bible is that the paper is not a bright white. It is more of an off-white which makes it easier on the eyes. The pages have gold gilding and red underneath. I have never owned a Bible that possessed this feature. It presents a classic look. The text has the words of Christ in red. I would prefer black if I had the choice, but it is not a big deal to me. The font is very readable. Cambridge used a very bold ink which makes it very visually appealing and clear.

There is plenty of room in the margins for notes. There is less room on the inside margin for notes, but presents more space than other wide margin Bibles I have seen. There are maps in the back. This is a nice feature when using the Bible to instruct others. In the back of the Bible, behind the concordance, you will find a number of lined pages for note taking purposes. This is a nice feature.

I would have to say that the format and features of this Bible make it the finest that I have ever seen.

This is an indication of the beautiful grain of the goatskin leather. Awesome.

The pages are smyth-sewn so the Bible opens flat.

Here is the format of the text on the page. You can also see at the edge of the picture the red-lined pages.

Here is another shot of the leather grain.

This is an indication of the flexibility of the goatskin.

The Bible is so flexible. It feels so nice in your hand. The Bible also has two ribbon markers.

This is terribly blurry but this is a shot of the red-lined pages.

NET Bible First Edition review

November 17, 2009December 3, 2009 / Christopher Terry / Leave a comment

I received a review copy the NET Bible First Edition in black a few weeks ago. The cover itself is a very nice bonded leather with hubs on the binding (a classic look). The one thing that I do wish is that they had gone with a genuine leather cover or something that would be a bit sturdier. The contents of the Bible are so large that I doubt the cover can withstand continued use without cracking or tearing (though the true test will be time of use). The pages are smyth-sewn which is a huge positive. This ensures greater durability of the binding and also for the bible to lay flat when open. The pages themselves are thin, probably a little thinner than normal Bible paper (not nearly as nice as the Lockman NASB’s – large print ultrathin reference Bible and wide margin single column reference Bible). The overall the Bible itself is well-made.

The translation itself is very good. It is toward the formal equivalence end of the spectrum. There are places where the NET has clarified ambiguities that are found in the original text. This has made a more idiomatic translation than the NASB and the ESV. Yet, there are places where this causes the NET to be more accurate such as, John 1:18 and John 3:16. One of the features of the NET that is unique are the chapter and verse markings. The NET includes the chapter number along with each verse marking, ex: John 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and so on. This is not a problem for me, though it did take some time to become acquainted with it. The satellite maps that are found in the back of the Bible are full color and topographical. These are by far some of the nicest looking maps that I have ever seen in any study resource. They truly open your eyes to the features of the areas in question. The maps are a bonus.

Now, time to discuss the study notes. These by far are worth their weight in gold. There are three different types of notes: study notes, technical commentary, and technical notes. The study notes are what you would find in other scholarly study Bibles. The technical notes are alternative translation options or a more literal translation option. The technical commentary notes are filled with a vast treasury of notes on the original languages. The notes are much like technical notes you would find in a Greek or Hebrew grammar. Yet, the blessing is that the notes are found beneath the text in question. In a grammar you have to search the index to find if there might possibly be help in regard to a text you are studying. The Bible came with a Bible.org Bible Library resource C.D. I have not even had a chance to examine this added resource. It seems like the NET Bible is like the gift that keeps on giving!

I truly like the translation itself. I believe that it is very accurate and yet readable. The scholars are from Dallas Theological Seminary. Therefore they are conservative evangelicals. It has been stated that the NET will be revised every five years beginning in 2010. This helps you to realize that the translators are striving for the best translation of the Word of God possible. The only drawback for me as a pastor is that people will have to buy a new copy every five years (though I don’t want to sound cranky, I am not, and I personally don’t mind doing so).

I read somewhere that someone was hoping that the NET would replace the NIV as an idiomatic translation. I don’t know if that will happen but I do believe that it is that good. I would highly recommend the NET Bible as a preaching and teaching resource. I would say that it is non-negotiable to own it as a study resource. At the very least, download the electronic version on Bible.org.

The Bible also comes with a resource c.d. with study materials. I have not yet had an opportunity to check out this bonus resource.

The Bible is significant in size. But that is to be expected when you have over 60,000 study notes contained in it.

This Bible is smyth sewn and therefore opens fairly flat. The pages are what you would normally find in other Bibles. They are not the thickness of the ESV wide margin or the NASB large print ultrathin.

This is what you will find in some texts where there is a lot to be explained textually. It is a black letter text which is a positive.

Here is an example of what the satellite maps look like. They are a bonus.

Like the Bible itself, the ribbon marker is larger than most other Bibles feature.

The sewn binding and the weight of the Bible cause it to open fairly flat. I do wonder how well the premium bonded leather will hold up under frequent use.

ESV Wide Margin Reference Edition (Tru-Tone Portfolio Edition)

November 17, 2009December 3, 2009 / Christopher Terry / Leave a comment

I received a review copy of the ESV Wide Margin Reference Edition from Crossway a few weeks ago. I have been a longtime NASB user. The edition that was sent to me was the Portfolio style in TruTone. The cover itself is beautiful. It is very soft to the touch and flexible. It is a delight to hold. It is obviously not as nice as a calfskin cover, but from what I have heard it may be superior to the genuine leather edition. The pages are fairly thick, thicker than most other Bible paper. The paper is not as nice as that found in Lockman NASB’s (large print ultrathin reference Bible and the wide margin reference Bible). There is a nice amount of space on the outside edge of the page for which to write notes. It is unfortunate (as many others have written) that the inside margin is too narrow for writing notes. The one request that I have for Crossway is that they switch this edition to a sewn binding. It is glued and eventually will begin to pull away. The glued binding also keeps the Bible from laying completely flat. One interesting note, the box said that the Bible is guaranteed for life! This is an impressive promise.

The translation itself is very similar to the NASB. There are some places where the scholars have updated some archaic words or renderings which are contained in the NASB such as, brethren to brothers; only begotten Son to only Son. There are some places where the ESV has eliminated some of the supplied words that are used in the NASB, which at times has led to greater clarity. Interestingly enough, the ESV does use some anglicized wording that does sound a little odd to the modern-day American reader such as, haughty, rubbish, puffed up (which I realize is a literal metaphor from the Greek language). I will not belabor the point. It is something that each individual believer would need to examine to determine if the language is comfortable for him.

I would like to say that I do believe that the ESV is a very good translation. I would highly recommend it to others. I believe that it is an accurate translation which will be useful to the church. Crossway has also provided many excellent editions of this translation which make it very likely that a believer will find an edition that fits his preferences such as, the personal reference Bible, classic reference Bible, thin-line edition, the single column reference edition, as well as many others. I really like the TruTone editions that Crossway has produced, they make it possible to have a very attractive Bible which is pleasant to hold and use.

If you are interested in this edition or other editions of the ESV, I would recommend that you check out the Westminster Seminary bookstore as a result of their exceptional prices.

It is a glued binding so the Bible does not lay completely flat when opened, but not terrible. One thing that was surprising is that Crossway now offers a Life-time guarantee on these Bibles.

The wide margins are nice. The paper is also surprisingly nice. It is a black letter text in paragraph format, very nice.

The TruTone cover is soft and flexible. As you can see the Bible does open nicely, even though it is not a sewn binding.

NASB Large Print Ultrathin Calfskin Bible

November 17, 2009December 3, 2009 / Christopher Terry / 5 Comments

I recently received a review copy of the NASB Large Print Ultrathin Calfskin Bible from the Lockman Foundation. I already owned the Genuine Leather Version that I had purchased from American Bible Sales. When I received the Bible I was immediately impressed, in fact overwhelmed, at the quality of the calfskin leather. I previously had my NASB Study Bible rebound in goatskin by Mechling Bindery and the calfskin was softer by far. The pages on the calfskin are smyth sewn which makes for a durable Bible and also causes the Bible to lay open flat. The Bible pages are thicker than any other publisher provides, period. This Bible is truly a treasure. God’s blessing be upon the Lockman Foundation for producing such a high quality set of Bibles.

Since I have received this Bible I have not been able to bring myself to use any other to preach and teach from. This Bible retails for $110. I would recommend purchasing one from American Bible Sales. They distribute the Foundation Publication NASB Bibles. They are excellent in quality. If you are looking for a beautifully crafted Bible I recommend you purchase the NASB Large Print Ultrathin Calfskin Bible produced by Foundation Publications. I hope to have some pictures available soon for those who are interested in visual details.

Here is the velvet cover in which the Bible arrives.

As you can see the calfskin edition has the raised bands. Very nice.

The cover is leather-lined. Beautiful!

The calfskin leather is so soft and pliable.

Since the pages are smyth-sewn the Bible lays completely flat when opened.

Here is a look at the formatting of the text. It is in verse format, but at least the paragraphs are indicated with emboldened verse numbers. The paper is the finest Bible paper I have ever seen.