Learning Bible-Cev: Luke's Gospel

The CEV translation is currently the one I use just about every day. The NLT comes a close second. Not wanting to risk my precious Euros on the complete Learning Bible just in case it did not meet my expectations, I purchased this volume.It is indeed refreshingly different to other study bibles. It is printed in full colour on thick paper and had the look and feel of a (school) textbook.Don't imagine for one moment that you will only be getting an annotated Gospel of Luke! To start with you get about 30 pages of background articles about the bible. Then 80 pages of the annotated Gospel. It does not stop there! 85 pages of feature articles, mini articles and charts come next. 15 pages of good-quality maps round off the book.Even if you find the annotations to be too lightweight, the wealth of information contained in this book is certainly worth the price you pay. The English used is clear and simple. Illustrations and photos add to the whole, making the book visually appealing.The text of Luke is broken down into sections and presented in single-column format. The annotations can be found in the side colums. Pictograms show to which of 5 categories the annotation belongs: geography, people and nations, objects/plants/animals, history and culture, ideas and concepts.For beginners, I would rate this book as a must! The annotations are sufficient, but not particularly detailed. If you need a first study bible, then this one is for you. It will not tell you what to believe or how you should do it. But it will give you solid background information.The CEV text is very readable and sometimes it is difficult to stop reading. The Learning Bible is precisely the same. Without realizing it, the reader is given a great deal of information. What a way to learn!