Book Sneeze The Compass Bible, The Voice Translation

A few years ago, in my textual criticism class, quite a stir was created when the Voice New Testament was released. Another modern translation. Sigh. And the list grew from there of all the knowledgeable arguments, translation styles, etc...


Let me start with: I LOVE THIS BIBLE! This is a lengthy post, just to warn you.




Compass is packed full of notes that reach out to the soul struggling through the questions of life and trying to  trust the Spirit of God to bring peace and direction, remaining open to hearing The Voice.

 The language used in this Study Bible cuts through the "christianese" of terms that the church goer is familiar with and breaks through the theologically defined terms in order to speak to the heart.

Readers will read scene after scene where God speaks to the heart and not just the head. This is a bible for reflection and devotional quiet time. I would probably not read it in a serious study group, debating issues. But then again, I may. Just to cut through the overly familiar.

From The Voice: "One of the byproducts of the information age in the church has been its focus on biblical knowledge. Many Bibles reflect this, packed with informative notes, charts, and graphs. While there's nothing wrong with having a deep knowledge; a personal connection and deep relationship are far better. This is exemplified by Jesus' comment to Martha, "Oh Martha, Martha, you are so ... concerned about a million details, but really, only one thing matters. Mary has chosen that one thing, and I won't take it away from her." (Luke 10:41-42 The Voice)
The "one thing" is a deeper, personal relationship with God. And The Voice is focused on helping readers find (or rediscover) this connection with Him. Scripture is presented not as an academic document, but as an engaging story. The intention of the scholars and authors who collaborated on The Voice is to enable readers to hear God speaking, to experience His presence in their lives
."

www.hearthevoice.com has numerous resources and videos regarding this translation.

Many cultures, specifically the Jewish culture have a difficult time with certain words, words that were used to persecute. Christ and Cross for example. You might think that those things are in the past with concentration camps. Even today we have friends who as Jewish children have been called Christ Killers. With some translations feeling emboldened to use the YHWH liberally through out scriptures (some times inconsistently) this adds another stumbling block. The Compass Bible also uses the term "Anointed One" in place of "Christ" and the terms "Eternal" or "Eternal One" for the tetragrammaton. AND they point out the fallacies of the mistranslated words Jehovah and Yahweh. (YES!!!!)
and also: 


By removing things that could hinder, the translation team has made a Bible that those who are not familiar with G-d, the Church, Christianity, etc... would be more apt to not only pick up but actually read.
The translation team did not just slough off translation skills in order to gain the emotional/heart aspect.
“The heart of the project is retelling the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works, while remaining painstakingly true to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts,” says the preface.



Seriously, read the preface! (I geek out on Bible prefaces!)

Look inside the Voice NT here: http://issuu.com/thomasnelsonbibles/docs/45_romans_flipbook/11?e=0

Get the Gospel of John here free: http://www.nelsonfree.com/compasswalmart

The Bible itself is bound well, the cover of the hardcover is lovely under the dust jacket, not just a plain text title. Thomas Nelson has their quality guarantee when you register your Bible. The price point on this Bible reflects its all around desire for accessibility. Good quality and affordable prices.
The Compass includes:
--A 365-day reading plan through the whole Bible
--A 40-day retreat with Jesus (provides daily New Testament passages and a simple 7-step format for your devotional time)
--The Road Map to God’s Promises  Twelve pages of scripture references for topics ranging from “What The Bible Has To Say About God’s Faithfulness” to “What To Do When You Feel Discouraged.” These are easy to find helps when in great need.
--A user-friendly topical guide


Italic type in this Bible indicates words not directly tied to the translation of the original language, but words that highlight the nuances of the original, and provide readers with cultural context  that would have been obvious to the original audience.
--Delineated material expands on themes in the text which includes cultural, historical, theological, or devotional observations.
--Screenplay format identifies dialogue and avoids the repetition of conjunctions, articles, and certain verbs. It helps in identifying just who is speaking.

Comments

bobbie said…
Looking for a Shabbat read? this blog post is amazing...Long, well thought out, extremely cautious in sharing the pros and cons and why they have become so... I hope it will bless you, it blessed me

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