The Tabloid Bible

by Nick Page

Does it ever end? The insatiable desire for more and more versions of the Bible? When I was a young Christian there was the King James Version, and that was that. Now there's the NIV, the RSV, The Living Bible, The Message, The Street Bible, the New Living Translation (my favourite), the New Life Version, the New American Standard Version. Now there's even one called the Bloke's Bible!

But I like The Tabloid Bible. I didn't at first, I thought, 'Oh no! Not another Bible to fill the already bulging coffers of the publishers!' And while there may be some truth in that, The Tabloid Bible in an odd way helps us to see how we would react to happenings such as the burning bush, the rebuilding of the temple, the garden of Eden and so on.

On the other hand, that could be its weakness, for if read in isolation you'd miss the point; you'd miss the true meaning, or exegesis - the study of the Bible in relation to its historical setting. In other words, interpretation of Scripture that uproots it from its cultural and historical context, can be unsafe.

So, The Tabloid Bible is to be enjoyed, but knowing Nick Page as I do, I don't think he intended it to used as a Study Bible.

Order it online here, and then tell us what you think