Reader's Gospels: English Standard Version

by Anonymous

The  ESV Reader’s Gospels  invites the reader to approach each Gospel―Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John―as its own unified, cohesive story. The text is presented in a beautifully designed single-column format and is printed on cream, opaque book paper. All verse numbers, chapter numbers, footnotes, and cross-references have been removed, resulting in a text that reads like a novel. Occasional section headings alert the reader to thematic shifts in the narrative, and these headings are also located at the top of the page to assist in navigation. The  Reader's Gospels  helps readers immerse themselves in God’s Word so that they can see afresh the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel.

Genres: Scripture, Theology, Biography, New Testament

313 pages, Hardcover

First published August 31, 2015

About the author

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.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crossway, will you marry me?

[Kyle Rapinchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this format: no chapter and verse markers, only 3-4 headings for the entire gospel, and in a nice hardcover copy with normal book paper. It helps me focus attention on the text and read for longer periods of time. I hope that Crossway chooses to publish the rest of Scripture in this type of format.

[Jeremy Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously the New Testament is amazing! My 5-star rating is for this particular edition of the gospels. I really appreciated reading the four gospels in the ESV Reader's format (i.e., without columns or verse/chapter demarcations). It was especially helpful because it allowed me to see the narrative arc and story elements more clearly. The binding, paper weight, and font size were also excellent. That being said, for closer, deeper meditation on the Scriptures, the traditional verse-by-verse layout is more conducive.

[Brian Nicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get this book! If you love The Lord and love to read, you need this version of the Gospel narratives. It reads like a novel that you can't put down. The font is easy on the eye, the paper is thick and non-reflective, just the right shade of white to not cause eye strain or fatigue. The binding lays flat when the book is left open in a table. You will come back to this book again and again and love Jesus more because of it.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic way to read the Gospels with decreased distraction. I recommend it for those who want to read large chunks all at once and see the larger narrative of Jesus unfolding. It was a blessing to see more clearly the flow of narrative unhindered by chapters and headings.

[Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has no chapter numbers, no verse numbers, only a few section headers. It's printed in a single-column format on paper like you'd find in a "regular" book. I found it easier to become immersed in the story as it plays out in the Gospels.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent. The paper quality, layout, and presentation are absolutely fantastic and beautiful. The text is the Bible, which is also very good. Having no verse numbers or chapter numbers helps read them for what they are—historical narratives that aren't broken up. Fantastic.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The content is ESV but the typography is beautiful. Thick cloth paper made in Italy, no chapter headings or verse markers and the section headings are well-placed. A great edition of the gospels for personal reading.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful typesetting of the Gospels. All of the chapter and verse references have been removed, with only major sections within the Gospels noted. It really does facilitate reading in large chunks, and helps the reader to see connections across different parts of the book.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not recommend this edition of the Gospels more highly. I found it much more natural and enjoyable to read than a typical Bible. Very nicely bound.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of just the four Gospels without verse numbers and very few divisions or headings. It is a great book for those who want to focus more intentionally on the life and teachings of Jesus. It is truer to its original letter form, which makes it more fluid and allows one to focus on the larger context and see the interwoven themes more readily than with the many divisions and numberings of most bibles. i would recommend this collection be used to read and reread the gospels regularly.

[Jeremy Utley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have appreciated how the lack of chapter divisions, verses, and references has affected my approach to the gospels. I'm seeing much more continuity to the stories, parables, etc, and making connections between things that I had sadly allowed chapter divisions and headings to hinder.

Really nice companion to a good reference Bible.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is literally the four gospels published in a beautiful book. They've stripped out all the chapters and verses and instead you get a few subheadings per book. I loved reading the gospels in this way - it allows you to get absorbed in the story more, read it more quickly, and notice things and connections you hadn't seen before.

[Cody Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have never read through the gospels with the chapter and verse divisions removed, I highly encourage you to do just that. This is a great resource for comparing the gospels to one another as well as getting a good understanding of how each author presents Jesus Christ.

[Francesca (Chesca) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The four Gospels, each divided into major sections but NOT into chapter and verse. Loved the experience of reading these accounts of Jesus’ life in this way! Felt more like a real story—not something disjointed and dissected. 😅

[Bill Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great resource for devotional readings of the Gospels. At times reading can become a chore instead of enjoyment. This book can help bring life back to anyone’s reading.

[Evan Staffieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh way to read the gospels! 👍

[Zacarias Rivera, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful edition of the gospel records, without the chapter and verses. One can read it straight through as a narrative.

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this format for devotional reading.

[Perpetual Felicities Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read through the Gospels in the Bible app.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reader's Gospels are a great format to read through the four gospels. Removing chapters and verses make for a much smoother reader and encourages you to read larger chunks. Reading bigger portions also helps make better connections between sections that are normally divided up into different chapters. Highly recommended!