Book Details:
Author: Zondervan
Category: Bible, NIV
Publisher: Zondervan (March 2011)
Binding: Bonded Leather
Page Count: 1152
ISBN: 0310435080

Recommendation:
Review Date: 5/15/2011 by Shaun Tabatt
Rating: Recommended

Review:
While I love my many study Bibles, they can be rather cumbersome to carry along to church, Bible study, etc. And although I wasn’t particularly on the lookout for another Bible, this new NIV Trimline Bible seems to have found me. Many thanks to Zondervan and the organizers of The Gospel Coalition 2011 conference for providing this Bible as one of the complimentary books at this years conference.

The NIV Trimline Bible is compact, measuring 4″ wide x 7.3″ high x 1.4″ deep and light, weighing 0.82 pounds.  The particular edition that I received is bound with navy bonded leather. One particular feature I really like about this Bible is that it has a snap cover.  This is especially important if you’re going to put this Bible in a purse or a bag as it will protect the pages.  There is nothing more horrifying to me than pulling a book out of my backpack and seeing that the pages are bent and wrinkled, but that won’t be a concern with this Bible.  To compliment the navy binding, the page edges in this Bible are gilded silver.  There is also a solitary navy ribbon marker inside the Bible. The biblical text inside this Bible is based on the NIV translation updated in 2010. There is a three page preface explaining the history of the NIV Bible and notes some of the specific changes made in the 2010 edition. The NIV Trimline Bible is a pretty standard, no frills Bible.  Other than the NIV text, the only other feature of note is a table of weights and measures found on the last page.

The NIV Trimline Bible will definitely become a mainstay in my backpack and will be coming with me when I travel.  What appeals to me most is its compact size and the snap cover, which I feel makes the binding extra sturdy. And while my young eyes have no problem with the 6.3 point font, this may be a show stopper for those requiring or preferring a larger font size. All things considered, this is a very well bound compact Bible.  It is a very good value for the list price of $34.99 and can be often found for less than $30 on Amazon and elsewhere.

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Zondervan at The Gospel Coalition 2011 conference. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

I first caught wind of Basics of Biblical Aramaic in a promotional video for Zondervan language resources sometime last year.  To be honest, I was rather surprised that they had decided to put time and effort into publishing an Aramaic grammar as most of the publishers seem to play it safe by publishing only Hebrew and Greek resources that will appeal to the widest possible audience.  Hats off to Zondervan for taking a chance that all of us Bible language buffs will want to expand our repertoires to include Aramaic in addition to the Hebrew and Greek many of us have picked up along the way.

Basics of Biblical Aramaic is rather short, coming in at only 256 pages.  The book progresses as one might expect in this type of grammar and is divided into the following sections:

• Aramaic Phonological System
• Aramaic Nominal System
• Aramaic Verbal System:  Peal
• Aramaic Verbal System:  Derived Stems
• Charts and Paradigms
• Annotated Biblical Aramaic Text
• Aramaic-English Lexicon

Key features to note are:

• Complete lexicon of Biblical Aramaic
• Complete annotated text of all 269 Bible verses written in Aramaic
• Downloadable grammar workbook
• Chapter exercises
• Answer key
• Colorful charts

Assuming Basics of Biblical Aramaic does well, I anticipate that we will eventually see Aramaic flashcards and other audio resources similar to those already aligned with Zondervan’s Greek and Hebrew offerings.  I’d especially be impressed if they released Sing and Learn Biblical Aramaic, but I won’t hold my breath.    Keep in mind that this new book is designed for those who already possess a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew, so if you’re a first or second year Hebrew student looking to impress your professors, this book is just what you’ve been looking for.  Imagine the surprised look on their faces when you tell them how you slaved away the entire summer teaching yourself Biblical Aramaic.  All things considered, Basics of Biblical Aramaic looks like a great resource and I’m sincerely looking forward to digging into it.  Sample content and ordering information can be found at Zondervan.com:  LINK.

Every month ChristianAudio.com features a free audiobook. This month (May 2011) they are featuring The Next Story by Tim Challies. Click the image below for details.

The kind folks at Zondervan Academic sent along a copy of Jonathan Lunde’s Following Jesus, The Servant King:  A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship (Zondervan, 2010). Following Jesus, The Servant King is the second book in the Biblical Theology For Life series. In this work Lunde presents a biblical theology of discipleship, based on an informed Christology of Jesus, the Servant King.

Book Details:

• Author: Constantine R. Campbell
• Category: Religion / Biblical Reference / Language Study
• Publisher: Zondervan (November 2010)
• Binding: Softcover
• Page Count: 90
• ISBN: 0310329078

Recommendation:

• Review Date: 3/18/2011 by Shaun Tabatt
• Rating: Highly recommended

Of all the publisher’s I follow, Zondervan Academic continues to stand out based on the number of useful original languages resources they continue to release year after year. The latest addition to their lineup of language resources is Constantine Campbell’s Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People (Zondervan, 2010).

As a blogger and social media enthusiast I appreciated the background story behind the book. In a sense, it all began when Dr. Campbell decided to take the tips he had been sharing in the classroom about how to keep your Greek going after college / seminary and turned them into a series of posts called “Keep Your Greek” on his now retired blog: www.readbetterpreachbetter.com. The nine posts in that series actually served as the outline for this book. I especially liked that Dr. Campbell chose to share some of the comments dialog from his original blog posts at the end of each chapter. It was useful to see the types of questions posed by the original readers of the content and Dr. Campbell’s responses. Maybe it is because I spend far too much time using social media, but the blog responses section at the close of each chapter drew me in and made me feel a part of the conversation.

Keep Your Greek:  Strategies for Busy People is quite short at only ninety pages. The content is divided amongst ten chapters and the book closes with an appendix and a list of recommended resources. Each chapter introduces a new concept about how to enhance your ongoing study of Greek. You can get a good idea of each chapter’s content from its heading and subheading. If you are a very serious and stodgy language student, try not to take offense as some of them are a bit tongue in cheek. They are as follows:

• Chapter 1: Read Every Day: Reading reminds, refreshes, and reinforces.
• Chapter 2: Burn Your Interlinear: The interlinear is a tool of the devil, designed to make preachers stupid.
• Chapter 3: Use Software Tools Wisely: Bible software can be a blessing or a curse–it’s up to you.
• Chapter 4: Make Vocabulary Your Friend: You remember the names of your friends, right?
• Chapter 5: Practice Your Parsing: Practice makes perfect. Or aorist. Or present. Or … What is that verb?
• Chapter 6: Read Fast: It’s the vibe of the thing.
• Chapter 7: Read Slow: Slow and steady wins the race.
• Chapter 8: Use Your Senses: Greek is a language, not just words on a page.
• Chapter 9: Get Your Greek Back: If you did it once, you can do it again. And it will be easier this time.
• Chapter 10: Putting It All Together: Make it a part of life.

When it’s all said and done, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There was a light-hearted tone that ran throughout the entire book, making what is sometimes a very mundane topic, enjoyable to read. Each chapter offers extremely practical advice, much of which I intend to put in place as I continue my quest to keep up my own Greek skills. And if you are more of a Hebrew or Aramaic guy, don’t despair, these strategies will enhance for your ongoing language study as well. I would highly recommend this book for any Bible college / seminary student, pastor, or layperson who is interested in or who has ever studied Greek. Even if your interest in keeping up with your Greek studies is limited, you will find something of use here. Readers who enjoy this book should also consider picking up a copy of Dr. Campbell’s Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek (Zondervan, 2008).

Author Information:
Constantine R. Campbell (PhD, Macquarie University) is a senior lecturer in Greek and new Testament at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of numerous books, including Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek. Dr. Campbell is a public speaker, musician, and author, and lives in Sydney with his wife and three children.
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Zondervan for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

Many thanks to Andrew Rogers at Zondervan for sending along a review copy of Michael Horton’s The Christian Faith:  A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims On the Way.

The Christian Faith:  A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims On the Way is available for purchase from Amazon.com, WTSBooks.com, Zondervan, and many other Christian book retailers.

After watching this trailer, I’m really excited to read Tim Challie’s new book. It is available for pre-order through Amazon.com and Westminster. If you pre-order through Westminster, you can even get an autographed copy.

The winner for day 12 of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 3rd Annual 12 Days Before Christmas is:

• Joel Watts (www.thechurchofjesuschrist.us)

Many thanks to Random.org for making it possible to choose fairly. Also, many thanks to Bridge-Logos, Baker Books, Zondervan Academic, Tyndale House Publishers, & InterVarsity Press for sponsoring the prizes for day 12.

The winners for day 8 of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 12 Days Before Christmas are:

• Doug
• Jon
• Brittany Putman (www.bpmusicstudio.com)
• Casey
• Jeff Oien (www.scripturezealot.com)

Many thanks to Random.org for making it possible to choose fairly. Also, many thanks to Zondervan Academic for sponsoring the prizes for days 8.

Welcome to day 8 of Bible Geek Gone Wild’s 3rd Annual 12 Days Before Christmas. Today’s contest is sponsored by Zondervan Academic. Today’s prize pack includes the a copy of following:

The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms: Key Insights for Reading God’s Word by Brian Webster, David R. Beach
The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms provides fundamental information regarding the meaning, background, context, and application of the Psalms. In addition to practical application, numerous charts are included that provide information about the various types of psalms (messianic, prophetic, etc.) along with a quick reference list of psalms that lend themselves to being used for worship or personal meditation or as a basis for praying the Scriptures. Through the use of full-color visual images, the message and world of the Psalms are brought to life in a way never before presented, making this book not only an excellent resource for understanding the Psalms, but a wonderful gift as well. The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms is a must-have for students of the Bible, pastors, and anyone who desires to possess a unique reference guide to these ancient works of poetry and worship.

*The video is also available on the Zondervan product page for The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms: LINK.

Contest Details
The object of today’s contest will be to answer the questions that follow below. Following the close of the contest, the winners will be contacted via e-mail. There will be five winners in today’s contest, each winning the prize pack described above. Good luck!

This contest is now closed. A winner will be announced soon.

Terms and Conditions
* This contest is limited to residents of the 48 state continental United States.
* Contestants may submit one entry per contest per day.
* The winner or winners will be announced following the close of each contest.
* Prizes will be shipped within several days of the close of each contest.