Comments on: Review: NLT Mosaic Bible

By: Chuck

Chuck — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:14:19 +0000

I received my copy of the Mosaic Bible as a gift. I would not have bought it myself (at least until it came out in large print!)

I agree that the NLT is not the “Living Bible”. I think it’s made fantastic progress and I have enjoyed reading it in my daily office. At this rate of improvement (1996…2004…2007…) I predict my full endorsement and reading it in the worship service by 2011 !

By: David Ker

David Ker — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:58:41 +0000

Michael, did you buy the book or receive it? You usually indicate this and I don’t see it on this review.

Thanks,

DAK

By: John Rich

John Rich — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:58:51 +0000

Thank you. I very much appreciate the review.

The Mosaic’s only flaw from my perspective is that it incorporates the NLT. Would that it could be published with the KJV or ESV.

And, yes, I’m a reformed Baptist…

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:41:33 +0000

I’ve often wondered what the NT authors would say if they were able to return and tell us how our Bibles differ from what they were really trying to say when they authored their letters. I wonder how many denominational and modern theological interpretations would be wiped out?

By: JoanieD

JoanieD — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:39:33 +0000

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah%20%2058&version=NLT
I have continued checking out some passages of the Bible in the NTL. I like how it does the above. While you are there, check out how Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” translates (paraphrases) that passage. I enjoy seeing what he writes!

By: RonP

RonP — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:14:14 +0000

Thanks for the review, Michael. This sounds like a Bible I would enjoy reading and certainly wouldn’t mind owning.
I just recently purcased a fairly new version of the Bible called simply “The Books of the Bible.” Basically, it’s a NIV translation with all the verse and chapter breaks removed. Instead it is broken up into natural literary or subject breaks, and each literary form — be it prose, poetry, wisdom literature, etc — is represented in a distinct way that is easily recognizable. The books are also ordered differently than the traditional order we’re all familiar with. While that takes some getting used to, I do see the logic in the new order, and I really like the fact that Paul’s letters are given in the order that they where written, rather than from longest to shortest. That really helps when lining up Pauls letters with his missionary journeys in Acts, giving an added dimension of context and circumstance to the letters. While the absence of verses and chapters doesn’t lend itself to cross referencing or topic studies, I must say I’ve never read a Bible version that lends itself more to just sitting down, reading, and getting lost in the amazing stories and literature that scripture has to offer.

By: T

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:14:37 +0000

Just got mine from Amazon today (ordered it yesterday with free super saver shipping, so, that’s pretty awesome),

All I’ve done is flip through the art work, and I’m impressed with the selections. Absolutely love it so far.

By: Keith Williams

Keith Williams — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:30:22 +0000

I’d love to do a three-year cycle based strictly upong the RCL, and in fact that is how I initially proposed this project. If Mosaic does well in its present form, perhaps I will be able to convince some others around here of the viability of the threefold publication.

As for the NLT text, I understand the frustration. After the NLTse was released in 2004, a number of changes were made by the Bible Translation Committee (BTC) in 2005 that were introduced to new editions of the NLT without any notation on the copyright page. When the BTC met in 2006, they made decisions that introduced even greater changes to the text, but we held almost all of those from publication because we knew 2007 would have still further changes that they would want to introduce. After the BTC meeting in 2007, the committee had gone back through the entire Bible with minor revisions, and we released all of the changes along with a new 2007 copyright date.

While the BTC continues to meet annually to discuss the text of the NLT, we have not released any further changes to published editions of the NLT since the 2007 update. We do not plan to introduce any such changes for a long, long time. Except for a few typos that should be isolated in specific editions (including the exceedingly annoying–to me–omission of the letter “a” from the word “and” in Gal. 6:1 in the first print run of Mosaic), every edition of the NLT that has the 1996, 2004, 2007 copyright statement has a consistent, unaltered text.

The short answer, then, is that any NLT that has 2007 on the copyright line will match up with its brothers and sisters.

By: Father Robert Lyons

Father Robert Lyons — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:45:29 +0000

While this sounds like an interesting Bible, I am not sure how useful I’ll find it. IVP is working on a 3 year cycle of devotional material (keyed, granted, to the Early Church Fathers) as a companion to their Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Called the Ancient Christian Devotional, it has weekly readings for the Church year based on, I believe, the RCL. Years A and B are avaliable, and a recent inquiry said Year C would probably come in a few years.

Perhaps, if the Church Year is to be keyed into, it should follow the RCL and be produced in 3 year increments.

Also, given that between my wife and I we own at least 7 copies of the NLT Second Edition (though, apparently an earlier revision), it’s going to be a challenge to get me to buy an eighth without a) knowing for sure that I have the revised, revised, revised version and b) knowing that I can buy it without having to invest again in a few years on another version. I realize, as an editor for liturgical books, that better translations can always be made, but there has to come a point where we say enough is enough – if for no other reason than not confusing folks.

Rob+

By: Father Robert Lyons

Father Robert Lyons — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:39:37 +0000

A few years back, CPH put out a version of the ESV that included Morning, Midday, Evening, and Night Prayer in a pretty simple form.

http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?part_no=011950

Hope this is helpful.

Rob+