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Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS, shares a peek at The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels, a beautiful presentation of the Word of God.

 

The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels is much more than a book containing only the texts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Our friends at Word on Fire call it "a cathedral in print," and they're not wrong.

Cathedrals are more than just buildings. Every little detail in a cathedral, from the architecture to the art to the stained glass to the shape of the baptismal font, is there to help draw souls to God. This Bible was created with the same intent: Every little detail is in there for a reason. All the details are there to help draw your soul to God.

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At 591 pages, this Bible is much bigger than you'd expect, considering it only contains the four Gospels: 89 chapters total. But inside this book, you find much more than those 89 chapters.

Some of this Bible's size is due to the paper quality. Unlike most Bibles, which are printed on very thin paper, The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels is printed on thicker white paper. This not only makes this a more durable edition of the Bible, but much more readable as well.

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Barely a page goes by without the supplemental material that make this Bible a treasure of faith. Explanations of Gospel stories by the Church Fathers and other saints are side by side with essays by Bishop Barron, commentaries by modern scholars, and beautifully lettered quotes. The Bible text is presented in single-column format, in a different font than the one used in all the supplemental material. The font used to display the text of the Bible was even designed expressly for this edition. The book is leather-bound, with gold edges on the pages and a ribbon bookmark. Every aspect of this book's design makes the material easy to access.

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This Bible uses the New Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition, which was approved by the United States Council of Catholic Bishops in 1991 for use by Catholics in private study and devotional reading. It is not the same version as the one used at Mass, but it is an easy-to-read translation that is known for its literal accuracy and understandable presentation.

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When you open The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels, you find the Word of God, meditations on the Gospel stories and background on the customs of Jesus' time and place, plenty of sacred art along with capsule explanations of the details within (and handy zoom-in circles to focus the observer's eye), and much more. This beautiful Bible invites the reader to explore the Word of God in a variety of ways.

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The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels arrives in a beautiful box with the same design as the front cover. This Bible, which retails for $59.95, would make an excellent Confirmation or graduation gift, and is available beginning June 15, 2020.

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Copyright 2020 Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS
Images copyright 2020 Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS. All rights reserved.