Compact Personal Gift And Award Bible-snap Flap-nab

Rating:
Summary: Excellent edition
Review: As far as the quality of this Bible goes (I have one that I bought years ago), it's excellent. Unfortunatly, being the NAB, the translation is banal, and the notes tend towards a very liberal (and I suspect in some cases, heterodox) interpretation of the Scriptures (from an orthodox, Catholic P.O.V.) I say heterodox, because when compared to what the magisterium has actually said regarding the intepretation of Scriptures (you can look up copious amounts on this subject in Denzinger, if you're interested), this Bible (without qualification) opts not only for the most liberal position, but for positions which simply ignore the parameters the Church has established for the interpretation of Sacred Scripture. I challenge anyone interested to look the relevent passages up, and then compare them to the notes to be found in the NAB. It's quite distressing. Of course, nothing can be worse than the "Catholic" NRSV which the Canadian conference of "Catholic" Bishops has forced upon Canadians in our liturgy (a translation replete with politically correct, gender neutral revisions of the actual text.)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Catholic Bible
Review: The NAB is perhaps the best Bible to own for American Catholics. It is the Bible that is used for the Liturgy for the Church in the United States of America (Canada uses the NRSV). The imitation leather is durable, and is sturdy enough to place into a Bible cover. The binding is very strong, and allows Bible tabs (cords - the long flat strings that you then use as bookmarks) to be slipped down into the binding. The pages are of thin paper, which cuts down on the thickness of the Bible, but it is very crisp and does not bleed through if you use a highlighter or pen to take notes.

A bonus of the NAB is that is has a very exhaustive cross-direct quotations of another verse, or explain a particular verse. In addition, the NAB has very good footnotes which explain a lot of the more difficult verses. Of course it should be noted that the NAB is a Catholic Bible so the footnotes in places will have a Catholic "bias" to them. However most of the footnotes have to deal with cultural and historical information which may not be readily known by the reader. The final highlight of the NAB is that each book of the Bible comes with an opening summary of each book. Important information such as who wrote the book, when it was written, what audience was being address, what the central theme of the particular book is and what was happening during the times that the book was written is all contained in these summaries. The only drawback to the NAB is that it does not contain a concordance, however with the cross-referencing, this is not as much of a problem.

The durability of this book, the excellent construction and the beauty of the imitation leather make this an ideal "Gift Bible", perfect for first communions and confirmations, or any other occassion where one wishes to give the gift of the Word.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Catholic Bible
Review: The NAB is perhaps the best Bible to own for American Catholics. It is the Bible that is used for the Liturgy for the Church in the United States of America (Canada uses the NRSV). The imitation leather is durable, and is sturdy enough to place into a Bible cover. The binding is very strong, and allows Bible tabs (cords - the long flat strings that you then use as bookmarks) to be slipped down into the binding. The pages are of thin paper, which cuts down on the thickness of the Bible, but it is very crisp and does not bleed through if you use a highlighter or pen to take notes.

A bonus of the NAB is that is has a very exhaustive cross-direct quotations of another verse, or explain a particular verse. In addition, the NAB has very good footnotes which explain a lot of the more difficult verses. Of course it should be noted that the NAB is a Catholic Bible so the footnotes in places will have a Catholic "bias" to them. However most of the footnotes have to deal with cultural and historical information which may not be readily known by the reader. The final highlight of the NAB is that each book of the Bible comes with an opening summary of each book. Important information such as who wrote the book, when it was written, what audience was being address, what the central theme of the particular book is and what was happening during the times that the book was written is all contained in these summaries. The only drawback to the NAB is that it does not contain a concordance, however with the cross-referencing, this is not as much of a problem.

The durability of this book, the excellent construction and the beauty of the imitation leather make this an ideal "Gift Bible", perfect for first communions and confirmations, or any other occassion where one wishes to give the gift of the Word.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent edition
Review: This Bible is just the right size for those of you who like to love your books. It is not tiny, and yet it is just the right size to carry in your hand bag or brief case. There is a beautiful section in the front with pages to document sacraments received and other important family events. There is also a portrait of Pope John Paul II, who for all intents and purposes, is the greatest pope. There are explanations for each verse as well as color prints throughout depicting the important stories of Jesus. Like my dad always says, you can never have too many Marys or rosary beads. Now you can add bibles to this list. It's perfect for a gift, even if it's a present to yourself. It's a purchase you will cherish for the rest of your life, and a bible with family history pages becomes and heirloom.