Review: The Chronological Study Bible (NKJV)
by Steven Rossi on March 16, 2009 in Books
I recently received The Chronological Study Bible for review from Thomas Nelson. I’ve read a good portion of it, and I’ve enjoyed it greatly. I’d like to give three short observations:
First, this Bible is extremely decorative. Not only does it have pictures throughout of relevant contemporary and ancient subjects, but it colorfully presents numerous notes and side-commentaries. I (somewhat naively) enjoy simply flipping through the pages. I’m sure that other, more ornate Bibles exist, but for its kind this study Bible offers a wonderful design.
Second, its organization. I understand that the editors of chronological Bibles struggle in the process of deciding in what order to place the books. Those in charge of this project chose to order the text with the historical passage of time, matching events with when they would have taken place historically through the epochs of time. The introductory material explains this decision in depth, but I must add that I found its order to be more than pleasing.
Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the notes found on nearly every page. This study Bible contains relevant information which both comments directly on the biblical text and offers insight into the culture in which the text was written. Frequently (perhaps too frequently) the reader is pointed to timelines which continually attach a time period to the text. Archaelogical and cultural references are prominent. Detailed explanations of various sections create an overarching connection throughout the whole of the Scriptures. This edition presents tons of information.
All that said, I highly recommend this study Bible. I believe that it will serve as a valuable resource in any collection, and it is certainly a delight to read.