On Sale
A Look Inside “A Visual Guide to Bible Events”
2May 3, 2013
This week, Olive Tree has an awesome sale on A Visual Guide to Bible Events. The book’s introduction states that its purpose is to be “a door through which to enter the world of the Bible and encounter the power and love of our Lord Jesus and the unity of Scripture.”
This resource does just that. This book is not written in your typical research academic resource. Rather, it has a conversational tone to which any person can relate. A Visual Guide to Bible Events is packed with over 500 photographs and maps brings a heightened awareness to the biblical text like no other.
For example, take the seven churches of Revelation.
With the addition of the map, you can visualize how John’s letter carrier would have made a circular trip and how closely the seven churches were geographically. You can also see the length of the Israelites’ detour around Edom in Numbers 20:14–21 and Deuteronomy 2:1–8.
Looking through the beautiful full-color photographs gives a sense of being “in the action” and gives a sense of realism and depth like no written resource could.
Another example is a section of the Jerusalem wall during Nehemiah’s time.
Or, seeing a scale model of the temple and envisioning what it would have been like to be with the early church in Solomon’s Colonnade.
Perhaps even seeing a picture of an altar to an unknown God and how that would have affected the Apostle Paul.
Bible history told and shown in this context is insightful for all those wanting to deepen their Bible knowledge. The Bible Study App enhances this resource to strengthen your Bible study. As you’re reading through A Visual Guide to Bible Events, tap or click on a scripture reference to instantly see the Bible text. You can also use the split screen feature to view the articles and pictures while reading your Bible to augment your daily reading.
This week you can pick up A Visual Guide to Bible Events for Half Off the regular price now through May 6th. It’s a resource I know you’ll enjoy!
Free Resource Friday
1Last week we highlighted John Wesley’s sermons as a great free download for The Bible Study App. This week we’re highlighting Charles Wesley’s Journal. 
Charles Wesley, the brother of John Wesley, helped found the Methodist denomination. He is most well known for the thousands of hymns he wrote, including some that are still well known today. Among those hymns that are still sung by Christians all over the world are “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Christ the Lord is Risen Indeed,” “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” “And Can It Be?,” “Love Divine all Loves Excelling,” and “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” Charles Wesley also kept a journal of his experiences spreading the gospel and ministering in England.
Download this title in App or by clicking HERE.
Introducing Paideia
2May 2, 2013
Olive Tree just released Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament for The Bible Study app. According to the series foreward, the commentary series was named “Paideia”, which is Greek for “education”, to reflect:
(1) the instructional aim of the series—giving contemporary students a basic grounding in academic New Testament studies by guiding their engagement with New Testament texts;
(2) the fact that the New Testament texts as literary unities are shaped by the educational categories and ideas of their ancient writers and readers; and
(3) the pedagogical aims of the texts themselves—their central aim being not simply to impart information but to form the theological convictions and moral habits of their readers.
Although this series is intentionally aimed at “MA students in religious and theological studies programs, seminarians, and upper-divisional undergraduates” the authors do not go into so much theological detail as to leave the rest of us lost in a sea of research.
Paideia is also different in that the series is not a “verse-by-verse” commentary, but rather looks at the final form of the Biblical text in large units of thought.
As such, each commentary is broken out into three sections:
(1) introductory matters
(2) tracing the train of thought
(3) theological issues
Paideia also has several maps, photos, and charts that help make the biblical text more accessible to those without original language, biblical and extra-biblical historical backgrounds and preparation.
Here are a few Examples:
The Paideia commentaries are even more powerful with The Bible Study App. Use the split window to read your chosen Bible translation on one side of the screen while the corresponding Paideia commentary will sync with your reading in your split window. Or, use the pop-out windows to view the content separately. If you are using the Windows 7 app, this is especially helpful if you have two monitors.
Like what you see? Right now, you can get the 10 volume Paideia commentary set for 50% off the regular price through May 6th.
What’s in the Archaeological Study Bible?
8April 26, 2013
When I first heard about the Archaeological Study Bible, I wasn’t sure what to think. My initial thought was how could there be an entire Bible devoted to archaeological study? And honestly, how could a study Bible devoted to archaeological study not be a snoozer? So, I got a copy of the Archaeological Study Bible and began looking through it. Wow, was I impressed (and wrong)!
The Archaeological Study Bible is a great resource. There are 520 articles covering five main categories: Archaeological Sites, Cultural and Historical Notes, Ancient Peoples and Lands, the Reliability of the Bible, and Ancient Texts and Artifacts. The Bible Study App enriches the Archaeological Study Bible. As you read through your Bible, the split screen and resource guide keep you synced with your reading.
Here’s an example of an article on the Zealots and Essenes (screenshots from an iPad):
Also included are almost 500 full-color photographs throughout the text. Here’s two examples:
Throughout the text there are detailed charts like this one:
At the end of the Archaeological Study Bible there are several maps that help you get an idea of the placement of biblical events:
The authors of the Archaeological Study Bible also included detailed book introductions for every book of the Bible. Other study tools include a glossary, extensive concordance and several indexes to help you find articles relevant to your study.
The Bible Study App enhances this resource when articles reference other articles within the Archaeological Study Bible. By tapping or clicking on the hyperlink, you can go directly to the related article, view in the Split Window, or view it in a Popup screen.
As you can see, you can spend hours learning the historical background of the Bible and the settings in which biblical events took place. The articles and pictures will give you insights into the Bible and make you feel like you could have been there.
You can get the Archaeological Study Bible for 50% off the regular price now through April 29th. I hope you enjoy this resource as much as I am.
Free Resource Friday
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This week we highlight John Wesley’s Collected sermons for The Bible Study App.
John Wesley’s gift for preaching was the spark that ignited the Methodist movement in eighteenth-century England. In The Collected Sermons of John Wesley, his influential sermons are made available to modern readers in their original language.
Readers can experience impassioned messages on topics such as The Nature of Enthusiasm—and how any true experience of religious devotion will yield heartfelt joy, calling Christians to bold and often unconventional acts of faithfulness—and Free Grace—about God’s grace freely given to all, making transformation and perfection in Christian love possible for any believer. In this free ebook, over 140 of Wesley’s sermons are collected and arranged alphabetically by topic.
Download this title HERE.
New Release: Archaeological Study Bible
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To engage the Bible more, you need to enter the world from which it came. From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, The Archaeological Study Bible is filled with study material that opens your eyes to the archaeological, historical, and cultural contexts of the stories you read and the people you meet in Scripture.
Take a journey back to the lands and origins of the Bible for an unparalleled encounter with the Word of God. Get insights into the roots of the Bible that will strengthen your faith and open new vistas of knowledge and understanding. Like no other study Bible, this one provides a sweeping, detailed look at the lands and times of Scripture, bringing to light the importance of ancient civilizations, practices, historical records and artifacts, literature, architecture, religions, laws, events, movements, geography, agriculture, wars and battles, political and monetary systems, historical figures and other factors that are critical to a deep and accurate grasp of the Bible.
The Archaeological Study Bible is 50% off this week only!
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