Discover the whole story... so you can live a new story
The Books of the Bible New Testament is a revolutionary presentation of Scripture that strips away centuries of artificial formatting, leaving behind nothing but pure Bible text in a format that brings you closer to the original Scriptures than ever before. The Books of the Bible encourages better Bible reading, making it easier for you to read and understand whole books. The format of this Bible provides the story and history of the Early Church in chronological order of the growth of the church.
Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name * They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author * They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
I really enjoyed reading this, and it was enhanced by meeting with others in church to discuss it. Found it hard going at first, with Acts in particular seeming to take forever, but once I got beyond that it was refreshing and helpful to read the Bible without the chapter and verse divisions.
The introductions to each book were interesting and shed light on what was to come.
I really enjoyed the updated translation, and the formatting did actually improve my understanding. I especially liked the removal of chapter and verse numbers, as well as the poetry and epistle formatting. I'm reading it again right now!
This was a different version of the new testament that our bible study read through for a series at our church. The books were rearranged, but the text is still NIV. It is meant to give you a more comprehensive novel-like approach to the bible instead of reading it in small verses.
I love my study Bible -- I like to read the notes at the bottom of the page when I have questions, without having to go searching through a separate reference book. I appreciate being able to find and reference specific passages according to their chapter and verse numbers. But The Books of the Bible: New Testament is "for those who want to get lost in the story." And that is a beautiful thing.
The lack of chapter and verse numbers, absence of section headings, and single-column format made the text smoother to read -- like a novel -- and therefore easier to understand. Acts, for example, a book I hadn't before paid much attention to, suddenly became a fascinating story that held my interest as well as any fantasy novel. And the brief introduction at the beginning of each book provided context and helped make sense of the more confusing books, such as Revelations.
Even the order of the books is different, to aid in understanding and flow. Paul's letters, instead of longest to shortest, are presented in chronological order. Acts follows Luke, since they were originally two volumes of a single work, without John sitting in the middle. I love this. It is so much easier (and more enjoyable!) to read through the New Testament when it flows well.
While this book can be read in any time frame at any pace, my copy included a bookmark with a suggested eight-week reading plan that breaks the New Testament into manageable 15- to 20-minute chunks (about 12 pages).
Currently reading as a ladies evening bible studying in my home. Many are listening to the recorded version also. It is wonderful to follow the words and be able to listen to the narrator. Takes my mind back to the time it was written while renewing my hope for the coming of Jesus.
The format without chapter and verse lets you read as if in a historical novel full of truth and enlightenment.
I have found several modern day word changes. Ex: people for man
Will be interesting to see what the group overall thinks once we are done.
To close I would say it was a wonderful way to read through the New Testament. We finished up on Holy Week and did not plan it that way. Making the ending all that more hopeful. So thankful we read this book.
The Books of the Bible - New Testament (NIV) by Anonymous
In the previous review of the Old Testament I had mentioned that the new testament is not my cup of tea. But I still like the new testament but it's just that I love the old testament more than the new testament. I still love the stories from the new testament and respect those characters and the story. Such as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Luke. They are all great leaders and people and have great stories that change our thought and make us think about our lives and inspire us. Although I don't really like the new testament compared to the old testament I really love the stories and got inspired many times.
This is not my first time reading through the New Testament but it is my first time having it read aloud on audiobook. It is the greatest love story of all time and I’m continually in awe of God’s grace, mercy and unending love for us…for me(in spite of me). What a gift!
I enjoyed reading this translation in this format. i found the introductions to each of the books particularly insightful, as well as helpful for giving context.
I really enjoyed the challenge of reading the entire New Testament in 8 weeks. This format is different than what I'm used to, but it's still the Bible! I liked the way the books were put into semi-chronological order or grouped into similar themes. I think I got a better view of the broad sweep of the whole story. I will go back to reading my regular Bible now, but this Community Bible Experience was well worth it!
I like the layout on several points. First I like how it takes out all the separations and removes verse numbers and chapter numbers and it just lays it out in typical book format. I also like how they arrange one particular writer's books all together so when reading all the books by a particular writer you don't have to jump between different literary & writing styles between books. It's more consistent to understand what a particular writer may mean because you're reading that one persons style for all their books at the same time instead of jumping back and forth between different writers styles all the time.
Overall I like the way they have it setup, really the way it was originally written and intended to be read as letters & stories, not separated by chapters & verses.
I hesitate to even write about this book. This is the Bible, yes. And, as God's Word, it already has the power to change a life. Throughout the centuries, it has changed the world. It still is.
This one is different. Let me try to explain. I am a born again Christian, and I've read the Bible for over 40 years. This one is different. Oh, it's exactly the same words - an NIV translation, like I usually read. This version is in book format, with no chapters and verses. Reading it that way is utterly and completely different. Instead of understanding the Bible in bits and pieces, you get sweeping views, themes and a deeper understanding. Reading this was an amazing experience.
Reading the New Testament more in chronological order and with chapters and verses removed makes it read much more like the narrative, first-person account and/or personal letters that it was originally. It was a fresh take on familiar passages. I also appreciated the historical and cultural explanations at the beginning of each book. Highly recommend!
Read this as part of a church Bible study, and I loved it! Reading the New Testament in this story-like fashion somehow made he text more approachable. Loved being able to dig into it with the other ladies in my group to discuss what we saw, what we didn't understand, and parts that touched us. Hoping there's an Old Testament version out there for us to tackle next!
I just finished an 8-week read through of the New Testament using this version via Biblica's "Community Bible Experience." It was a really interesting and refreshing experience.
Basically, this version strips out all of the chapter and verse numbers and all the other usual Bible footnotes, references, etc. So you can just read it like a book, or rather a series of books. They've also rearranged the books of the New Testament in a more logical manner, so you don't have to plow through four gospels and then try to figure out how all the letters factor in. Instead books are collected together loosely by author, chronology, and/or date written. There are also notes at the beginning of each book to explain whatever is known of authorship and to provide a bit of historical context. I found it all very straightforward and very helpful.
If I had one complaint, it's that the way it's organized means all of Paul's writings are grouped together, and honestly that was a bit of a bear to get through in one go. Overall, though, I really liked the organization and I don't think I'd change anything.
Reading the New Testament like this gave me a "big picture" view I'd never had before, even though I have done a straight up read-through in the past. I think just the lack of distracting notation alone allows you to really focus on the content and notice things you'd never have understood before. It was challenging, refreshing, and ultimately very faith-affirming.
One of the best book(s)I've ever read too but then again I'm biased. Also Paul Is a great writer his parables understandable and his prose unforgettable unfortunately however I'm not able to read it in its translation of Greek though that's a translation of a translation of a lost manuscript. Even if i was not a Christian just reading this book provided considerable insight aswell a understanding of what western world was using as corner stone of literature. Would recommend Atheist and Christian alike
Also fuck you to the antichrist me and my homies hate the antichrist.
Technically, I did not read THIS whole book because I started the year in a Chronological Bible. But once I found this... my life forever changed! It is hard to find, but if you can...get one! There is nothing like reading scripture without the distractions of artificial breaks and interruptions of chapters and verses, commentary and footnotes and cross-references. Just pure unadulterated scripture here organized by Author's cannon of influence. (If you can't get this one... get the Immerse Bibles!)
Thought this was an interesting take on the Bible, but not anything Earth-shattering. Would probably have a bit more impact on readers who are not as well-versed in the Bible, and/or who have not read the New Testament all the way through before. There were a few spots where I read things that I didn't immediately recall, but this wasn't the case most of the time. It was a good way to hold a weekly study with other believers, though.
I loved reading the Bible without any verse or chapter divisions. It flowed in ways that I didn't anticipate, and I caught patterns and connections that I hadn't caught before. For my general, high-level reading of Scripture, I plan to go back to this format.
I can't rate the Bible. This is a little different in that it is written more like a novel. The chapters are not in the same order as they are in the bible but it does end with Revelations. I'm glad I read it.