Title: The Chronological Study Bible
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 978-0-7180-2068-2
Genre: Bibles/NKJV/StudyTitle:
1670 Pages
$44.94 Hardcover
The Chronological Study Bible is unlike any other bible I have read. When I first opened it, I wasn’t impressed because it was hard to find scriptures I wanted to look for. However, the idea of having a Bible that told the story of Biblical times in chronological order appealed to me, so I kept reading and found it very intriguing.
For most people, the Bible is all too familiar. They are used to the Bible and how it is set up; they know that Psalms is one of the largest books and it is in about the middle of the Bible; they know that Luke is in the New Testament and comes after Mark. Most people who are learned in the Bible know that it has the roots of our history in it, or as I have often heard it called–HIS-story.
This Bible has all the same information in it; however, it is in a way that makes reading the Bible not only a challenge but a joy. There are images of historical figures; interesting notes on the culture of the times (i.e. what exactly was happening in Corinth when Corinthians was written); in-depth commentaries on the scripture passages; and history tidbits on each and every page. An example of this are the “Time Capsules”. These little snippets of information are helpful in trying to piece together the Bible’s historical context.
The order of the New Testament starts off with an account of the Virgin Birth from Matthew ,and then transitions to Luke and gives an account of Christ born of Mary. A synopsis of the Betrayal, and Betrothal of Mary and Joseph, helps bridge the gaps in chronology . The latter explains how the young couple were betrothed and unable to spend time together before they were married, so no one would blame Joseph for “putting Mary away”. It goes on to explain that Joseph chose to marry her instead of divorcing her as not to shame her any further.
The goal of the Chronological Study Bible is not to replace the original translation of the Bible but to explain time as the setting in which the biblical record appeared. I believe this Bible was not written for people who are not well-versed in the Bible, as it would be hard to pick this scripture account up for the first time and reply on it as a study bible. However, those who are versed in the bible will read this translation and return to their traditional Bible better equipped with an intimate knowledge of historical Biblical times. The order of the text will help them see the Scriptures with a new outlook as it relates to chronological events.
Added features include: Daily life notes on life in biblical times; A topical index, Glossary, and an in depth concordance.
I am a pastor’s wife and enjoyed reading this bible. It gave me a new perspective on how society has not changed much from biblical times; we still have the same problems and still make the same mistakes as they did back in Jesus’ day.
