The CSB (Christian Standard Bible) translation Apologetics Study Bible is published by Holman Bibles. It’s available in several bindings, the copy I have here is the Navy LeatherTough.
It’s loaded with commentary & several articles on apologetics. A few names to mention out of the 90 plus apologists who have contributed: Ted Cabal, Lee Strobel (who wrote, The Case for Christ), Josh Mcdowell.
Citied Information from the box:
9.75-point type size Smyth-sewn binding Leading Article by Lee Strobe (Author of Case of Christ)
Commentary & Articles from over 90 leading apologist.
The Apologetics Study Bible CSB Review
The CSB (Christian Standard Bible) translation Apologetics Study Bible is published by Holman Bibles. It’s available in several bindings, the copy I have here is the Navy LeatherTough.
The NKJV Unapologetic Study Bible: Confidence for Such A Time As This is published by Thomas Nelson. (I’d like to thank Thomas Nelson publishing for sending out this hardcover edition for me to review). The NKJV Unapologetic Study Bible can be found in various bindings.
The first page, as you would expect, is the presentation page. The next few pages contain the copyright/publishing details, the Table of Contents, an Abbreviations page (a guide to how the books in the Bible will be abbreviated), and a Foreword.
This forward was written by Emmanuel A. Kampouris. To summarize this forward, it’s plea to bring Christ and biblical teachings back into the spotlight. It seems faith in God by the masses, is on a steady decline. We need to arm ourselves, our peers and our children with the Word of God, so that we may stand strong in God’s favor.
The study system in this bible is broken down into a special chart/grid. These charts are found in the introduction to each book of the Bible. Articles, quotations, profiles, and other features are organized into eight topics with four categories of study notes/commentary. The introduction will give an in-depth explanation on the topics and categories.
Cited Information/features from the back cover for the Bible:
Bible Book Introductions
Over 200 Articles
Over 70 Quotations
More than 50 Profiles
Indexes
Overall Thoughts: I do like this bible, however I feel in time, some of its contents will no longer be relevant. I’m not a big fan of a Bible advertising a website. The notes are pulled from the Kairos Journal, a website for pastors and church leaders, a tool to guide them toward biblically and spiritually directed thoughts and actions. The topics in this bible are extensively covered on the Kairos Journal Website.
As we read the historical notes, current issues, and additional notes, we will gain instruction and insight as to what the appropriate, biblical response to current social issues that we face every day.
I really like the size of this bible. It’s pretty much the size of a standard hardcover novel. I prefer to remove the dust jacket while reading to prevent wear and tear on the dust jacket. The font is a decent size, and the words of Christ are red.
The layout of this study Bible is simple and clean. It reminds of high-school/college text books. The articles within give great information on various subjects. The information in this study Bible will surely give you as the subtitle reads, confidence for such a time as this.
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The Christian Standard Bible or (CSB) Rainbow Study Bible, was published by Holman Bibles. The CSB translation is trademarked by Holman Bible Publishers.
The first page is the the basic presentation page. The following pages include the copyright/publishing details and a Scriptural Promise for the Holman Rainbow Study Bible, quoting Genesis 9:8-17. To summarize, it’s about the Rainbow and God’s covenant to not flood the earth again.
On the To The Reader page: it gives insight into the history of the Rainbow Study Bible. A lot of time went into the concept of this Bible. The writing, research, and editing took years to complete for this wonderful edition.
On the Words of Explanation page: this section explains the idea behind this Bible and how the color and the underlined text is used.
We’ve got the Books of the Bible in biblical order and in alphabetical order. The table of contents shows the page number of in text maps within each book, as well as illustrations and maps located in the back.
We are given a guide as to what the different colors represent, these will also appear on the bottom of every page.
At the back of the book, we have the supplemental study aids that are very useful. 100 popular bible passages and 365 popular bible quotations for memorization and meditation is awesome.
Cited Information from the Bible Packaging:
Introductions to each book of the Bible
Full-color maps and reconstructions
Concordance
Subject Guide
Chart of Ancient Bible Texts
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
The CSB Rainbow Study Bible is a very unique bible. As someone who’s always hesitant to take a highlighter to the scripture… with this bible, I don’t have to, it’s been done for me. The color coding is very helpful when you want to focus on certain subjects of the Word. For example, if you want to focus on scripture relating to Prophesy or Faith, you can flip anywhere through the Bible and find those topics easily because of the color coding.
The highlights can also help you get a better understanding on your scriptural reading. I think this Bible should find its way to everyone, especially for those who recently found Christ or for those seeking His wisdom.
This bible gets extra points for having 2 ribbon markers! The font is actually pretty large, making it very easy to read.
My only con with this bible, is that it’s best to read this one where light is plentiful. I had a hard time deciphering certain highlight colors while reading at night next to a dim lamp.
So do I recommend you get the CSB Rainbow Study Bible? Yes.
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The ESV Illuminated Bible: Art Journaling Edition was published by Crossway.
On the inside flap we get a quick overview about this elegant journal bible. The presentation page is decorated nicely.Of course one of the first pages with full print will be the all about the copyright details and publishing information. The following page, is the contents page, listing out the books and other features that can be found in this bible. Before we open up to the Old Testament, there is a section that goes into detail about the English Standard Version (ESV) translation.
Each book in this Bible has a fully designed, unique title page. In the back of the Bible, we have an index of the title illustrations.
There are 64 title pages with full page gold illustrations. The fine art doesn’t end with the the titles pages, because there are more than 250 hand lettered verses that can be found in the margins along with over 100 additional illustrations.. The 50 full page verse illustrations are very well designed
Cited Information from the Bible and Crossway.org:
9. Lexicon Font
Black Letter Text
2-Color Printing
Illustrated by Dana Tanamachi
Smyth-Sewn Binding
Single-Column, Paragraph Format
Thick Cream-Colored Paper
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
The Illuminated Art Journaling Bible is beautifully designed. The cream colored paper, the gold artwork, and black text look great together. The layout is simple and the illustrations and artistic scripture writing throughout are nice. The margin space is generous, plenty of room for journaling your thoughts and prayers.
The 9 pt. font is a decent size and the single column paragraph format, makes reading the scripture easy without the wording/structure feeling cramped. The wide margins leave a generous amount of space for journaling your thoughts and prayers.
So, do I recommend that you pick up the ESV Illuminated Bible: Art Journaling Edition? Yes!
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Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through the Unfolding Promises of God
The ESV Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through the Unfolding Promises of God was published by Crossway.
The hardcover edition is pretty think, but not too heavy. The design on the dust-jacket is very impressive. The inner flap sheds light on a few of the features within this Bible (listed down below). Underneath the dust-jacket is black board with some gold designs and text on the spine. With a book this thick, I personally prefer taking the dust-jacket off to prevent wear and tear. This Bible is also available in tru-tone and top grain leather.
On the inside there is a presented to page with some elegant design work. The cream colored pages with the gold and grey highlights are just beautiful.The contents page lists everything within this Bible along with its page number. On the back of the contents page, is a chronological overview, organizing the books in, well… chronological order.To summarize the Introduction, it’s basically saying that the Bible is a STORY, an epic TRUE STORY. However, it’s not just an epic tale of those within the books, it’s OUR story, our epic. It’s true, because God’s Word is still relevant and the story is still unfolding.The preface provides a brief history of translations and an explanation of the English Standard Version translation.
Each book in this Bible has a unique illustration that sits above the title. In the back of the Bible, we have an index of the title illustrations. We see all the art with a summary of what it represents. You can also find a Daily Bible Reading Plans section, with two different plans. Both take you through the bible in one year. There’s a suggested reading plan and a canonical reading plan.
Cited Information from the Bible and Crossway.org:
9.25 Milo Type (Scripture)
8.5 Milo Type (Notes)
897 notes written by pastor Greg Gilbert
All-new introductions to each book of the Bible
80+ maps, illustrations, and timelines
Foldout timeline in the back
Highly readable typesetting with generous margin space
Premium cream-colored paper
Smyth-sewn binding
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
The Story of Redemption Bible is gorgeous. The cream colored paper, the gold accents, and black text… beautiful. The layout is simple and the illustrations throughout are a nice touch. The margin space is generous, but it wouldn’t be considered a “wide-margin.” While there is some space, you’d have to write pretty small or turn the Bible to write your notes horizontally.
This single column paragraph style is clean, the paper isn’t overloaded with text. So, there’s no references or notes at the bottom of the pages, just the occasional translation note.The notes are in line with the paragraph format, separated by dividing lines within the scripture. They are conversational, inspire thought, and share valuable, wise information. I love how these notes are laced into the scripture, it’s so much easier than referring to the bottom of the page.
So, do I recommend that you pick up the Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through God’s Unfolding Promises? Yes! If you like elegant, simple design and distraction free reading… get this bible!
Purchase the Story of Redemption Bible: A Journey Through God’s Unfolding Promises: https://amzn.to/2QefdMR
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The Archaeology Study Bible English Standard Version, is published by Crossway. It’s available in hardcover, tru-tone, and Genuine Leather.
One of the first pages is a presentation or presented to page. The contents page gives us a list of each item in the book, as well as the page numbers, which by the way, this Bible has 2037 pages total.
Archaeology is important, especially when it comes to the history of God’s word. This Bible, uses archaeology facts to create a setting and backdrop to paint a clear picture of the timeline in which biblical events took place.
I did find something humorous in the introduction, and I’m not sure if it was intentional. Keep in mind… this is an archaeology bible.
“We desire that laypeople, as they study this bible, would be encouraged to dig deeper into the scriptures and to grow in grace, knowledge, and truth.”
The introduction also mentions that this bible could be part of a suite, as there are two other books that could contribute to this study Bible. The other books are the ESV Study Bible (2008) and the ESV Bible Atlas (2010).
The Archaeolgists that have contributed to this Bible are legitimate, as they have experience in the field, digging up the past. In the Biographical Sketches section, we’re introduced to all those who contributed to this Bible, giving us a brief background of the contributors.
The preface goes into great detail about the ESV translation, covering 5 pages! It’s pretty interesting to learn how the text was translated.
Because this is an Archaeology Study Bible, we get an in-depth explanation and discussion about… Archaeology! We have an awesome list of the 10 most significant arcaological biblical discovers. We dive into what it is, why it’s important.
Another cool feature is that the Old and New Testaments have in-depth background info. Each book in this Bible has an introduction section which sheds light on the theme of the book, a summary of the contributors (notes and archaeology) and a simple outline.
Cited Information from Crossway.org:
Double-column, paragraph format Cross references Footnotes 2,000+ study notes 400+ full-color photographs 200+ maps and diagrams 200+ informational sidebars 15 articles 4 timelines Book introductions Presentation page Smyth-sewn binding 9. font / 8. font for notes
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I really enjoy this Bible! The maps, graphs, and photos of archaeological finds scattered throughout, certainly enhance the reading experience. It even states in the introduction that they hope to add a backdrop with the archaeological details, and they succeeded. I’d say that if you’re a history buff, you’d love this Study Bible.
This hardcover editions is a bit heavy, so you’re going to want to sit down with this at a table or any surface to lay the book down. The layout and design of the book is nice and simple. The design of the spine is really nice, a little more intricate than the cover. The one thing I wish this Bible had, was a ribbon marker.
I’ll defiantly be using this bible, even though it won’t serve as my primary book, I’ll be visiting it quite often to read up on the historical findings and study notes.
Do I recommend that you pick up the Archaeology Study Bible from Crossway? Yes! It’s unique… it’s awesome. If you’re a history buff, this is the Bible for you.
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