|
| The Learning Bible: Contemporary English Version | 
 enlarge | Creators: American Bible Society, Howard Clark Kee
Publisher: American Bible Society
Category: Book
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $36.31
You Save: $13.68 (27%)
New (12) Used (7) Collectible (1) from $34.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 64221
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 2400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.7
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.4
ISBN: 1585160172
Dewey Decimal Number: 220.5208
EAN: 9781585160174
ASIN: 1585160172
Publication Date: April 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book! Delivered direct from our US warehouse by Expedited (4-7 days) or Standard (usually 10-14 days but can be longer). Expedited shipping recommended for speedier delivery. Over 1 million satisfied customers
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Wow, I love this Bible. August 2, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I got the bible from a christian bookstore on Febuary 24, 2005.
I was blessed when I got it. It has lot's of info - it's like having a bible & bible encyclopedia at my fingertips. I like the pictures in it also. I even have enough margin room to write my notes in which is cool also. I read it every day, sometimes all
day everyday. It has lot's of Art in it too - I even draw pictures in the side magins that matches with the verses which is cool, and most of all, it's really easy to read and understand it.
Praise the Lord - God is good.
Sound scholarship February 24, 2005
28 out of 28 found this review helpful
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!
 Get the NIV Learning Bible Instead! April 22, 2004
4 out of 19 found this review helpful
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!
Makes reading the Bible FUN!!! April 8, 2004
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
A friend gave me a list of creative ways to read the Bible: by topic, cover-to-cover or by each person. This Bible only gives a guide of reading it cover to cover. I used my own method unlike reading a subject at a time...I did a person at a time (e.g., David, Matthew). This made my Bible my readings SO MUCH FUN!
I am able to easily interpret God's word and share it more with friends and relatives of all ages. The side-bar comments and refernce data make this version even better.
Some are true to the KJV. This Contemporary English Version will be the only one for me!
A great Bible for anyone. November 28, 2003
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I really like this Bible and I have been very happy with it. I have many KJV Holy Bibles and I love reading them, I think The King James V. Bible was a very great achievement. But it gets very flustering with its old english. This Bible opens up learning the word of God In a great new up-to-date way. I know Gods word don't change, but human languages and words do change. It is good to read some different Bible versions. The Contemporary English Version is very easy to read so you can get indulged in Gods word.
|
|
|
 | |
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.