Review: CEV Outreach Edition Bible
01/04/2008 18:32 Filed in: Faith & Reason
Well, this is a bit late in coming, but I'm hoping that late is better than never.
Here's the timeline:
When David originally emailed me asking me to review the CEV Outreach Edition Bible (CEVOEB from here on), he stressed that he wanted my opinion primarily on three factors: (1) strength of binding, (2) attractiveness, and (3) suitability for a Bible to give to an unbeliever. So, I'll follow that general outline, perhaps slightly altering the categories.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The CEVOEB is a paperback Bible of approximately 840 pages. It measures 5 1/4" x 8 1/4" and looks to be about an inch thick. The paper is newsprint and the binding is glued. I wouldn't think that the CEVOEB is designed to be a legacy Bible, but that doesn't mean it will disintegrate overnight. I still have a paperback Good News for Modern Man NT that belonged to my parents and dates from the late sixties or early seventies. All pages are intact and it has the same binding as the CEVOEB. Further, I have a paperback NRSV that I got at the Urbana '96 Missions Conference which I've carried in my vehicle ever since I got it for times when I needed a Bible and didn't bring one of my "regulars." It's even withstood rainy weather at the Cornerstone Festival and keeps on going. All that to say, that although the CEVOEB is designed as an economical (they sell for $2.15 each on the ABS website) outreach, there's no need to fear that it might not stand up to continued use.
FEATURES
The biblical text of the CEVOEB is presented in two columns. To conserve space (i.e., take up as few pages as possible), there is very little margin between these columns, but a vertical line is used to divide them. The text includes the full complement of CEV textual notes at the bottom of the page in a single column. In what I believe is a standard feature of the CEV itself, the only technical abbreviations in these notes beyond those for the books of the Bible, are c. (CIRCA), OT, NT, and LXX.
Considering the purpose of this Bible (an economical outreach edition), my only real complaint for this edition is the size of the print. However, that may just be me, as regular readers of this blog will note that I almost always complain about text size. I would guess that the text is about a 7 pt. size, but it may be smaller. It uses a serifed font with bold type for chapter and section headings. I can read it without my reading glasses if I try, but it's much better with them on. I personally, would not want to spend long periods of time reading text this size, but again, that's me, and a younger person's eyes probably wouldn't have any problem with this text (I used to carry a pocket Bible when I was in high school and college, but don't use it anymore).
One feature of this Bible I really like is that it separates the biblical texts from the helps which are included in the back of the Bible. I know from experience working with people who have little or no background with the Bible that often the helps get confused with actual scripture. That shouldn't happen with this edition, but I do believe it would be a good idea for the person giving away this Bible to point out the helps in the back.
Following the Book of Revelation, one finds three helps, a section called "What's In the Bible," a mini-dictionary, and maps. The text of these sections is sans-serifed and easier to read in my opinion than the main scripture text. The text of the mini-dictionary is the largest continuous text in the entire Bible.
The "What's In the Bible" section contains brief introductions to the various books of the Bible. The information is very basic and short (about one paragraph per treatment) and not meant to be a scholarly introduction. Some books are treated together such as 1 & 2 Samuel, Ezra and Nehemiah and the four gospels.
The mini-dictionary is arranged topically, but includes both a section index and an alphabetical index. I like these kinds of features in Bibles of any sort (similar to the HCSB bullet point dictionary or the Dictionary of TNIV terms in Bibles of those translations). The meaning of some words, especially those of a cultural or historical nature are impossible to fully communicate in a translation. These kinds of dictionaries are the answer in my opinion, barring notes at the bottom of the actual text. An example of one of these entries in the CEVOEB is that for Amalekites which is under the heading "Cities, Nations, and Groups of People." Here the Amalekites are simply explained to be "A nomadic nation living mostly in the area south and east of the Dead Sea. They were the enemies of Israel." The mini-dictionary contains more than just definitions for mere words, however. It also includes items such as important dates in biblical history (designated using "BC" and "AD") and there is also a listing of the months in the Hebrew calendar.
Following the mini-dictionary the reader will find ten black and white maps: four on the OT and six for the NT, although four of the latter are half-page maps. An index to these maps would have probably been helpful.
USE AS AN OUTREACH EDITION
The CEVOEB has almost all of the standard features one would expect in an outreach Bible. Some outreach Bibles include "plans of salvation," but since such plans have come under scrutiny in recent years, perhaps it's best to let the presenter decide how to communicate the Good News.
One of the greatest strengths of this edition is the Contemporary English Version itself, an excellent "introductory" translation and one that has enough solid scholarship behind it that it can receive continued use even as a person matures as a believer. This review is not designed to be one for the CEV, although I would expect that I will do that eventually (right now I'm working on a review of the NET Bible). Personally, I would never give away a formal equivalent translation in an outreach situation, but rather offer median to dynamic equivalent translations instead. But even median translations often presuppose a certain amount of biblical literacy, so a purely dynamic translation like the CEV is ideal for the unchurched and in situations in which the presenter simply doesn't know the receiver's background.
The only real complaint I've ever had with the CEV is its flattening of Hebrew parallelism. However, discussion on Hebrew poetic structure are probably not going to come up in outreach situations, so this would not be a concern here for me.
In the past, I've given away outreach editions of the NIV, NLT, and GNT. I'd have no qualm in giving out this edition. It's a very good choice.
Because of its size and format, the CEVOEB looks more like a paperback book than a Bible, also making it ideal for outreach purposes. It can be thrown into a backpack easily, and because of the price, one will not worry too much about it getting banged up a bit.
As mentioned earlier, the American Bible Society offers these Bibles for $2.15. However, looking up the same ISBN on Amazon shows them going for as low at 1¢ (yes, one cent). Now, buyer beware as often resellers find what they believe is an equivalent ISBN for what turns out to be a different product; but nevertheless, if you are wanting to find the CEVOEB at an even cheaper price, this might be the ticket.
Regardless, David, this is a good choice and an excellent outreach Bible. Sorry the review took so long to post!
Here's the timeline:
- On December 12, 2007, Lingamish (a.k.a Lingermush, a.k.a. Flingafish, a.k.a David Ker) emailed me asking if I'd be willing to review the CEV Outreach Edition Bible, which he was willing to send me for free. Since I think David is a swell guy, and because I have a psychological inability to turn down a free Bible, I agreed.
- On December 13, David announced on his blog that he was giving away a case of CEV Outreach Edition Bibles.
- On December 15, Steve Ker (David's father) emailed me saying that he had mailed the Bible.
- On December 21, Kathy and I left for Louisiana for the holidays. I looked in my mailbox one last time before we pulled out, but sadly the Bible had not yet arrived.
- Late Monday, December 31, we returned. The Bible had arrived when I got my mail from my neighbor on January 1.
- Today is the first chance I've had to write something. My apologies. Hope it isn't too late.
When David originally emailed me asking me to review the CEV Outreach Edition Bible (CEVOEB from here on), he stressed that he wanted my opinion primarily on three factors: (1) strength of binding, (2) attractiveness, and (3) suitability for a Bible to give to an unbeliever. So, I'll follow that general outline, perhaps slightly altering the categories.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
The CEVOEB is a paperback Bible of approximately 840 pages. It measures 5 1/4" x 8 1/4" and looks to be about an inch thick. The paper is newsprint and the binding is glued. I wouldn't think that the CEVOEB is designed to be a legacy Bible, but that doesn't mean it will disintegrate overnight. I still have a paperback Good News for Modern Man NT that belonged to my parents and dates from the late sixties or early seventies. All pages are intact and it has the same binding as the CEVOEB. Further, I have a paperback NRSV that I got at the Urbana '96 Missions Conference which I've carried in my vehicle ever since I got it for times when I needed a Bible and didn't bring one of my "regulars." It's even withstood rainy weather at the Cornerstone Festival and keeps on going. All that to say, that although the CEVOEB is designed as an economical (they sell for $2.15 each on the ABS website) outreach, there's no need to fear that it might not stand up to continued use.
FEATURES
The biblical text of the CEVOEB is presented in two columns. To conserve space (i.e., take up as few pages as possible), there is very little margin between these columns, but a vertical line is used to divide them. The text includes the full complement of CEV textual notes at the bottom of the page in a single column. In what I believe is a standard feature of the CEV itself, the only technical abbreviations in these notes beyond those for the books of the Bible, are c. (CIRCA), OT, NT, and LXX.
Considering the purpose of this Bible (an economical outreach edition), my only real complaint for this edition is the size of the print. However, that may just be me, as regular readers of this blog will note that I almost always complain about text size. I would guess that the text is about a 7 pt. size, but it may be smaller. It uses a serifed font with bold type for chapter and section headings. I can read it without my reading glasses if I try, but it's much better with them on. I personally, would not want to spend long periods of time reading text this size, but again, that's me, and a younger person's eyes probably wouldn't have any problem with this text (I used to carry a pocket Bible when I was in high school and college, but don't use it anymore).
One feature of this Bible I really like is that it separates the biblical texts from the helps which are included in the back of the Bible. I know from experience working with people who have little or no background with the Bible that often the helps get confused with actual scripture. That shouldn't happen with this edition, but I do believe it would be a good idea for the person giving away this Bible to point out the helps in the back.
Following the Book of Revelation, one finds three helps, a section called "What's In the Bible," a mini-dictionary, and maps. The text of these sections is sans-serifed and easier to read in my opinion than the main scripture text. The text of the mini-dictionary is the largest continuous text in the entire Bible.
The "What's In the Bible" section contains brief introductions to the various books of the Bible. The information is very basic and short (about one paragraph per treatment) and not meant to be a scholarly introduction. Some books are treated together such as 1 & 2 Samuel, Ezra and Nehemiah and the four gospels.
The mini-dictionary is arranged topically, but includes both a section index and an alphabetical index. I like these kinds of features in Bibles of any sort (similar to the HCSB bullet point dictionary or the Dictionary of TNIV terms in Bibles of those translations). The meaning of some words, especially those of a cultural or historical nature are impossible to fully communicate in a translation. These kinds of dictionaries are the answer in my opinion, barring notes at the bottom of the actual text. An example of one of these entries in the CEVOEB is that for Amalekites which is under the heading "Cities, Nations, and Groups of People." Here the Amalekites are simply explained to be "A nomadic nation living mostly in the area south and east of the Dead Sea. They were the enemies of Israel." The mini-dictionary contains more than just definitions for mere words, however. It also includes items such as important dates in biblical history (designated using "BC" and "AD") and there is also a listing of the months in the Hebrew calendar.
Following the mini-dictionary the reader will find ten black and white maps: four on the OT and six for the NT, although four of the latter are half-page maps. An index to these maps would have probably been helpful.
USE AS AN OUTREACH EDITION
The CEVOEB has almost all of the standard features one would expect in an outreach Bible. Some outreach Bibles include "plans of salvation," but since such plans have come under scrutiny in recent years, perhaps it's best to let the presenter decide how to communicate the Good News.
One of the greatest strengths of this edition is the Contemporary English Version itself, an excellent "introductory" translation and one that has enough solid scholarship behind it that it can receive continued use even as a person matures as a believer. This review is not designed to be one for the CEV, although I would expect that I will do that eventually (right now I'm working on a review of the NET Bible). Personally, I would never give away a formal equivalent translation in an outreach situation, but rather offer median to dynamic equivalent translations instead. But even median translations often presuppose a certain amount of biblical literacy, so a purely dynamic translation like the CEV is ideal for the unchurched and in situations in which the presenter simply doesn't know the receiver's background.
The only real complaint I've ever had with the CEV is its flattening of Hebrew parallelism. However, discussion on Hebrew poetic structure are probably not going to come up in outreach situations, so this would not be a concern here for me.
In the past, I've given away outreach editions of the NIV, NLT, and GNT. I'd have no qualm in giving out this edition. It's a very good choice.
Because of its size and format, the CEVOEB looks more like a paperback book than a Bible, also making it ideal for outreach purposes. It can be thrown into a backpack easily, and because of the price, one will not worry too much about it getting banged up a bit.
As mentioned earlier, the American Bible Society offers these Bibles for $2.15. However, looking up the same ISBN on Amazon shows them going for as low at 1¢ (yes, one cent). Now, buyer beware as often resellers find what they believe is an equivalent ISBN for what turns out to be a different product; but nevertheless, if you are wanting to find the CEVOEB at an even cheaper price, this might be the ticket.
Regardless, David, this is a good choice and an excellent outreach Bible. Sorry the review took so long to post!