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| The Chronological Study Bible | 
 enlarge | Author: Thomas Nelson
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Category: Book
List Price: $69.99
Buy New: $41.46
You Save: $28.53 (41%)
New (23) Used (5) from $41.46
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 242744
Media: Bonded Leather
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1728
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.4
Dimensions (in): 10.2 x 7.3 x 2.1
ISBN: 0718020693
Dewey Decimal Number: 220
EAN: 9780718020699
ASIN: 0718020693
Publication Date: October 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Chronological Study Bible is the only study Bible that presents the text of the New King James Version in chronological order-the order in which the events actually happened-with notes, articles, and full-color graphics that connect the reader to the history and culture of Bible times and gives the reader a dramatic, "you are there" experience. Features include translators' notes, full-color illustrations of places, artifacts and cultural phenomena, contextual articles that connect Biblical times and world history and culture, daily life notes, time panels and charts that show the flow of Biblical history and in-text and full-color maps.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 A great gift for folks who love to study the Bible and history! November 29, 2008
The Chronological Study Bible is a terrific gift idea for the history-Bible buff on your Christmas list. It's chock full of helpful sidebars, historical facts, archeological tidbits, maps, photos, timelines, and art.
What I loved: The fact that the Bible is arranged (as much as could be possible) in chronological order, making it a terrific book to read through in a year, and in order. Simply read five pages a day. I enjoyed the historical pull-outs about culture and geography. I also enjoyed that the difficulties of the Bible are addressed and even left ambiguous. I appreciated that the Psalms are integrated throughout the center of the Bible, not all at once. It gives historical context to the Psalms and their authors.
What I didn't like: The first thing I did when I received the Bible was to locate the book of Job. I've always been curious about that book, particularly when it was written. Though I'm no scholar, I prefer the interpretation that the book dates way back when, around the time of Genesis. So it was a bit disconcerting to see it plopped in the middle of the book (though the authors tell why they've put it there.)
Overall: Highly recommended, particularly for the Bible reader who loves history. I can't think of a better gift!
 Study the Bible Chronologically November 27, 2008
When Thomas Nelson rolled out their Book Review Bloggers site, there were 8 books up for review, two of which I had already reviewed. I decided to take on the Chronological Study Bible for review. I figured if I like it, it would be an asset to me. If I didn't like it, it would prove to me that I don't like chronological Bibles. I once downloaded a piece of software called "The Bible Planner." I don't know if it's still available. I never used the calendar, tasks, or other organizer utilities, but it came with a daily Bible reading plan. The Bible was arranged roughly in order. I read it for 3 months, but didn't like it. It was in the King James, which I was using heavily at the time. For some reason, I just stopping liking the trusty old KJV for daily reading (though it's still superior for quoting and memorizing) and settled on the New King James, which is the translation used for Thomas Nelson's Chronological Study Bible.
Reading the Bible chronologically can be a challenge, and I expect that producing a chronological study Bible can be equally as challenging. The book of Psalms, for instance, contains 150 Psalms, which span a timeframe of more than 1000 years. Psalm 90 was written by Moses, whereas a few Psalms were written after the Babylonian Captivity of Israel. When reading the Psalms, it can often be difficult to keep in perspective when and under what circumstances each Psalm was written. Placing them chronologically can provide a great deal of perspective. Reading the prophets outside of historical context can also be difficult. Isaiah's life was about 80 years, and his ministry spanned the lives of 4 kings. Placing his prophesies into their historical context provides a high degree of utility for studying Isaiah and his fellow prophets. Likewise, the New Testament is not canonically arranged in chronological order. The Chronological Study Bible does place the New Testament into an order. The Gospels are arranged in order of events, and the epistles are arranged roughly in the order in which they were written. Those that were written during the span of the book of Acts are included in Acts, and Paul's prison epistles are included in order after Acts 28. Jude is arranged before Hebrews.
However, placing the Biblical narrative into chronological order cannot be easy. Even good and committed scholars can disagree over which order certain events in the Bible happened. When I received the Chronological Study Bible, I decided to see where the book of Job was placed in the narrative. I personally hold the view that Job occurred prior to the Exodus of Israel, as there is no evidence in the book of a Torah or Levitical Priesthood or any of the Israelite customs or requirements laid out during that time frame. I decided that this was as good a time as any to explore the tools laid out in the Chronological Study Bible, and on page 1665 I found the Index of Scriptural Passages. This index is laid out in canonical fashion as we would find in most Bibles. I found that Job 1 is on page 901, directly following Proverbs 31. At the top of the page, I find that Job was placed in 586 to 332 B.C. I'll just say that I respectfully disagree on the dating of Job, but you can take that for whatever you believe it's worth. On page xi, the editors state:
Rearranging the Bible is, of course, a fallible human effort. Even those who have earned advanced degrees in the various fields of biblical studies would disagree on any particular rearrangement. The editors of The Chronological Study Bible have been forced at times to make hard decisions, to choose one location at the neglect of another that is equally plausible. In such instances, an honest effort has been made to acknowledge another possible arrangement and to present its case fairly. This allows readers to decide the issues for themselves.
I flipped to the back for some reason, and thought that the maps looked familiar. I thought that perhaps there is a standard stock of study Bible maps that can be used. I went through some of my other study Bibles, and found these exact same maps in the John Hagee Prophesy Study Bible, which by looking at the cover I realized is also a Thomas Nelson product. I looked at some of my other study Bibles and found different maps in them according to the publisher. This isn't a problem; just an observation.
While in the back, I decided to see what other tools were included for study. I found the concordance to be fairly comprehensive for a study Bible. Obviously, it's not Strong's, but it will help you find some high profile words. I decided to test a few, using E-sword for backup in the New King James. I noticed that the concordance in the Chronological Study Bible had one entry for the word "wizards", in Isaiah 8:19. E-sword backs that up. I next randomly picked out the word "watch". The Chronological Study Bible's concordance lists 17 entries. E-sword returned 53. I'm only putting this here for comparison. Most study Bibles aren't known for having superior concordances. This one seems like it will be good if you want to look up a word off the top of your head. You won't be doing extensive word studies from a study Bible concordance. I think this concordance is adequate for what it will be used for in most cases. I don't expect to use it often myself as I have plenty of other tools available.
The Chronological Study Bible is divided into 8 epochs, or time periods. Epochs 8 and 9 cover the New Testament, 8 being the life and ministry of Jesus, and 9 being the Church Age and Revelation. Epochs 1-7 cover the Old Testament. Time Charts and Time Panels are included throughout the study Bible in relevant sections. Maps are also included throughout when they will be helpful. Also included are transition points which appear whenever the order changes (such as II Samuel 12 transitioning to Psalm 51) or when the narrative within a book changes, such as the end of Genesis 20 transitioning to the birth of Isaac in Genesis 21. Also included are some translator's notes. I'm not sure how helpful these actually are. Sometimes when I'm studying in depth, it does help to see notes like "NU text leaves out Christ", but when I'm doing my daily reading I can find those distracting. There are text blocks throughout the study Bible with culture, notes on religion and worship, beliefs and ideas, and in-depth explanations of certain events.
I would surmise that this Bible was developed so that a person could begin in Genesis 1 and read the Bible through on a day to day (or other periodic) basis through to the end. It most likely would make a good daily reader. The chronological organization would make this Bible difficult to use for church or Bible studies. The notes are not designed for in-depth study, but will shed some light for you as you read through the Bible's timeline and cultures. I have several study Bibles, and they often are developed by to meet different objectives. When my wife and I first started attending church (before I became a Christian), she bought me the Promise Keepers Men's NIV Study Bible. I also have both the Tim LaHaye and John Hagee Prophesy Study Bibles, the John MacArthur Study Bible, The Evidence Bible, the Defender's Study Bible, and now the Chronological Study Bible. To date, my favorite is the MacArthur Study Bible, which is the most comprehensive. However, each is useful for certain purposes. I would place my recommendation on the Chronological Study Bible for daily reading and surface study. I think it's very well done, the New King James text is very accurate and readable (a difficult balance to achieve, believe me) and the notes and helps are as I said useful.
MSRP for the Chronological Study Bible is $44.95. You can purchase it from Amazon, for $29.69 new.
 I am returning this Bible November 23, 2008
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
I purchased this Bible with a little apprehension. But was willing to give it a try. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit leads and guides us. Upon reading this version of the Bible I felt that He was telling me that it was wrong. A comment in the introdution made both me and my wife very uneasy. on page xi of the introduction last paragraph say's "No longer will it's words be disconnected holy pronouncements out of the blue." Nothing that God say's in His Word is "out of the blue". The Bible has delivered God's Word to generations, it has spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and has been the roadmap to salvation by faith in Him. Some of the dates that are used and a preoccupation with pagan religions of the day in the first few chapters did not seem to give God's word the respect it deserves. I use various study Bibles and commentaries, but this one is a little to liberal for my liking. If we prayerfully read our Bibles and ask God for understanding and wait for Him to reveal the truths to us, that is all we need.
Revelation 22:18-19 "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
A little confusing at first November 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was given the opportunity to review the new Chronological Study Bible. I have enjoyed looking through it and planning how I will use it for studying!
At first I was confused because I thought that Chronological meant they arranged the books of the Bible by the dates they were written.That is not the case! They arranged the books, and even some passages by the dates of the time period being narrated.
The study Bible is divided into 9 Epochs of time. Book order has been rearranged and some passages were moved to follow a chronological outline.
The beginning of this BIble has an extensive explanation of their decisions and an admission that scholars have differing viewpoints on the order of some of the events.
Included throught the Bible on the pages are the following:
*Maps
*Archeological Information
*Timelines
*Background and historical information
*Beliefs & customs of the time period
*Photos
*Science & Technology
*Footnotes
The pages are full of usual information and I believe this Bible would be a great help in my studies.
The copy I received is a hardcover with a dust jacket and reminds me of a big textbook. The paper is not the typical thin Bible paper but it's not quite thick textbook paper. (That's probably not important, but if you were going to buy it online you wouldn't be able to tell what type of paper it is so I'm including it!)
In the back of this Bible there is a topical index, a glossary, a concordance, and an index of Scripture passages. There are also maps and blank pages for notes.
I was glad to see the index so that I could locate passages I wanted to look up. Since it's not in typical order, finding things wouldn't be as easy without this index. The index is arranged by the book order in a regular Bible so it is easy to use.
The Chronological Study Bible is the NKJV version.
This won't be your "carry to church" Bible, I think that would be confusing. But it will be good for studying a certain book of the Bible or a certain time period.
The Chronological Study Bible (Bible Nkjv) November 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
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