Rating: 
Summary: The Spectacular CEV Learning Bible
Review: I just purchased this bible in paperback and haven't been able to put it down! The full-color pages are filled with drawings, pictures, artwork, explanations, thought-provoking questions, key bible verses, etc., etc., etc. This is a MUST HAVE for every Christian...young, old, new or seasoned. Wish I could give it more stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Get the NIV Learning Bible Instead!
Review: I only give this edition 3 stars because it is the CEV. Now, the CEV might be good for children or those with a very limited English-language education, but the CEV is a very watered-down version of the real Bible. If you get this Learning Bible in the NIV - well, then your ticking right on time! I give the NIV Learning Bible 5 stars! So get this Learning Bible in the NIV! Yes, it's big and heavy, but it must be like that with all those many beautiful color photographs and artworks from around the world throughout! The Learning Bible also has many helful informative articles and notes on every page. Very nice! Wish they made a genuine leather version. The other best study Bible is the NKJV (or NIV) of the Life Application Bible - oh yes!
Rating:
Summary: Get the NIV Learning Bible Instead!
Review: I only give this edition 3 stars because it is the CEV. Now, the CEV might be good for children or those with a very limited English-language education, but the CEV is a very watered-down version of the real Bible. If you get this Learning Bible in the NIV - well, then your ticking right on time! I give the NIV Learning Bible 5 stars! So get this Learning Bible in the NIV! Yes, it's big and heavy, but it must be like that with all those many beautiful color photographs and artworks from around the world throughout! The Learning Bible also has many helful informative articles and notes on every page. Very nice! Wish they made a genuine leather version. The other best study Bible is the NKJV (or NIV) of the Life Application Bible - oh yes!
Rating:
Summary: So visually appealing that you'll get lost in this Bible!
Review: I own a lot of Bibles, but when I saw this one, I knew I had to add it to my collection. For one thing, I didn't have another Bible with the Contemporary English Version translation. It is an easier translation to read and I agree with some of the other reviewers that it's probably not the best version for serious Bible study, but I think to disregard this Bible because of that would be a serious mistake.I encourage you to use Amazon's wonderful "See Inside" feature to see what this Bible has to offer. It is SO colorful! The notes are in the margins rather than at the bottom of the page. The notes are categorized by icons for Geography, People & Nations, Objects, Plants and Animals, History & Culture, Ideas & Concepts, and Cross references. What this Bible has that I've never seen anywhere is the pictures and photos that really help you understand the text! Just in the past couple of days, I've found these features helpful in my own study: In Genesis 48, Jacob blesses Joseph's sons (remember when Isaac blessed Jacob? There are similarities). There is a large color photo of the Rembrandt painting (1656) of this event! I was reading Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith. This Bible has a large chart of 13 people mentioned in Hebrews 11, along with what they did, and where in the Bible you can read the whole story. On the next page, there are photos of two "stone ceiling boxes" in Norwich Cathedral in England, depicting Noah's Ark and Moses in the Bulrushes. You'll learn about how the ceiling was put on this 15th century cathedral! In Exodus 12, there is a picture of the hyssop plant that was used by the Israelites to paint blood on their doorframes during the first passover. You'll also learn that the hyssop plant was mentioned in Psalm 51 - David asked that God wash him with hyssop (after his sin with Bethsheba) and then he will be whiter than snow. This Bible has excellent articles about How the Bible Came to Us, What Books Belong in the Bible and why, the different kinds of literature found in the Bible, the history of Bible translation, and a great article about Biblical archeology! I got the paperback version and it weighs 4 pounds! It is also wider than any other Bible I own, so it's a little unwieldy to have in your lap! You might consider getting the hardcover, or studying this Bible at the desk or table. My favorite Bible for study is the NIV Study Bible, but this one will be right by my side to add visual interest and broaden my learning greatly! Please check out my other reviews. I also have a Listmania List of favorite Bibles. I think I'll need to make a new Listmania List of some more great Bibles! May God bless you in the study of His Word!
Rating:
Summary: So visually appealing that you'll get lost in this Bible!
Review: I own a lot of Bibles, but when I saw this one, I knew I had to add it to my collection. For one thing, I didn't have another Bible with the Contemporary English Version translation. It is an easier translation to read and I agree with some of the other reviewers that it's probably not the best version for serious Bible study, but I think to disregard this Bible because of that would be a serious mistake. I encourage you to use Amazon's wonderful "See Inside" feature to see what this Bible has to offer. It is SO colorful! The notes are in the margins rather than at the bottom of the page. The notes are categorized by icons for Geography, People & Nations, Objects, Plants and Animals, History & Culture, Ideas & Concepts, and Cross references. What this Bible has that I've never seen anywhere is the pictures and photos that really help you understand the text! Just in the past couple of days, I've found these features helpful in my own study: In Genesis 48, Jacob blesses Joseph's sons (remember when Isaac blessed Jacob? There are similarities). There is a large color photo of the Rembrandt painting (1656) of this event! I was reading Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith. This Bible has a large chart of 13 people mentioned in Hebrews 11, along with what they did, and where in the Bible you can read the whole story. On the next page, there are photos of two "stone ceiling boxes" in Norwich Cathedral in England, depicting Noah's Ark and Moses in the Bulrushes. You'll learn about how the ceiling was put on this 15th century cathedral! In Exodus 12, there is a picture of the hyssop plant that was used by the Israelites to paint blood on their doorframes during the first passover. You'll also learn that the hyssop plant was mentioned in Psalm 51 - David asked that God wash him with hyssop (after his sin with Bethsheba) and then he will be whiter than snow. This Bible has excellent articles about How the Bible Came to Us, What Books Belong in the Bible and why, the different kinds of literature found in the Bible, the history of Bible translation, and a great article about Biblical archeology! I got the paperback version and it weighs 4 pounds! It is also wider than any other Bible I own, so it's a little unwieldy to have in your lap! You might consider getting the hardcover, or studying this Bible at the desk or table. My favorite Bible for study is the NIV Study Bible, but this one will be right by my side to add visual interest and broaden my learning greatly! Please check out my other reviews. I also have a Listmania List of favorite Bibles. I think I'll need to make a new Listmania List of some more great Bibles! May God bless you in the study of His Word!
Rating:
Summary: Sound scholarship
Review: I recommend this Bible for reading for devotion, understanding and (along with other translations) serious Bible study.
I wonder why a couple of reviewers say this version is not as good as the New International Version (NIV)? Is this because of something someone else has told you, or because you have a scholar's knowledge of Aramaic, and have done a comparison?
The reason I ask is that our Seminary (George Fox Evangelical) has just switched from NIV to this version, the Contemporary English Version (CEV), partly because they felt the scholarship was better. They came to the conclusion that serious students of the bible were better off without some of the theological baggage that was introduced in the NIV.
And that language that is closest to a contemporary English reader (in structure, construction, punctuation and word usage)is a better tool for Bible study than is a version that requires the reader to depart from his or her typical reading patterns in order to make sense of the passage translated.
This is not to say that the NIV is "bad," but I consider myself to be something of a student of God's written word, and I have been impressed with the CEV. I don't believe that a version's accuracy is inversely related to its readability.
Every committee of Biblical translators needs to begin with certain strategic decisions as they begin the task of translating. Some of the decisions are similar to those facing any translator: where will be strive to be on the literal/meaning scale?
That is, when we attempt a strict word-for-word literal translation, it will result in nonsense; different languages are structured differently, the idioms are different, (and particularly in the problem of scripture) there may be no contemporaries who natively speak the original language.
This results in a requirement that anyone who studies such a translation needs to possess a doctoral level of understanding about the contexts and cultures in which the original texts were written.
That is, the translators transfer to the reader the burden of bridging the contextual and semantic gaps between the original language and that of the reader.
On the other hand, some translators will take a passage, read it in the original, and then restate the passage so that it is meaningful in the language into which the work is being translated.
The problem here, of course, is that the translator scholars are more likely to sneak in (perhaps unawares) some of their own prejudices about what particular passages mean.
This can be ameliorated somewhat by turning to a committee of translator/scholars, from a variety of Judeo/Christian traditions, but the risk cannot ever completely go away.
In the case of Biblical translation, this is all compounded by the problem that we have several existing versions of the scriptures, all of which are the result of generations of copying (and therefore, the possibility of scribal error), and no two of which exactly agree with one another.
I regularly read the NSRV (Harper Collins Study Bible), the NIV, and the CEV. Of these, I find the CEV to be a more powerful version. When we are talking about God's own written word, this is not a bad thing.
My advice (based on the reasons I have given) is to pick a translation (not a paraphrase) that most often speaks to you for regular and devotional reading. For me, this is the Contemporary English Version.
Then when it comes to serious study, read several versions side-by-side. And for truly serious study. . . learn Aramaic, ancient Hebrew, and ancient Greek!
Rating:
Summary: Comments on THE LEARNING BIBLE
Review: My children and I have truly found this a very special Bible. We were very pleased with the clarity of the written presentation as well as the beautiful illustrations. We Have also bought several copies as gifts for family members and friends. They feel as we, that this Bible is a very easy book for children as well as adults to read and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Inviting!
Review: The Learning Bible grabs your attention and makes Bible reading an exploration! I love its colourful presentation of the word of God. The side column notes are succinct and interesting. The CEV translation is a little on the simple side but is good for reading large sections of scripture. Adding a concordance would make this volume more accessible. The Learning Bible is great for home use but is too unwieldy to carry to church or Bible studies. Hopefully a slightly smaller edition will be produced in the future without sacrificing on the text size. As it stands, this is an excellent and interesting presentation of the Bible!
Rating:
Summary: Very Inviting!
Review: The Learning Bible grabs your attention and makes Bible reading an exploration! I love its colourful presentation of the word of God. The side column notes are succinct and interesting. The CEV translation is a little on the simple side but is good for reading large sections of scripture. Adding a concordance would make this volume more accessible. The Learning Bible is great for home use but is too unwieldy to carry to church or Bible studies. Hopefully a slightly smaller edition will be produced in the future without sacrificing on the text size. As it stands, this is an excellent and interesting presentation of the Bible!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent details beyond the word.
Review: The Learning Bible has more information than you will find in most other study Bibles. It's a joy to discover all the details from the history of the Bible specifics about archeology in an easy to read format. I was especially impressed with the art from all over the world which gives this book a special, international flavor.
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