The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels Volume 1

Ordered this from Amazon a while ago when it was much cheaper than it is today. Almost doubled in price in some bookshops.It a lovely Bible and I love how you get the commentaries and explanations by Bishop Baron. Beautifully laid out but the font is a little smaller than I expected.I bought the Gospels book but will certainly get the other two volumes.

First off, I have to say that this is a gorgeous bible (see photos.) It is a good, solid weight and is easy to hold. I am excited to delve into the Gospels with the commentaries and expect the revelations from Bishop Barron and other Theologian commentators to bring a fuller understanding to the Word of God/Gospels/Good News.The pages do have some ghosting, but they are of thick and glossy paper stock that should handle underlining and highlighting well. I thought that I was ordering the Leather bound copy based on the product photo, however, I received the Hardcover version. The Hardcover version did not come in a box. It was shrinked-wrapped in plastic with a single card insert in the back. The covers are encased in a canvas-like material with the gold embossing stamped on (see photos.) Also, the book does lie fairly flat once opened (see photos.)Reading the text does need some getting used to as the Bible text is not formatted in the usual 2 column arrangement. The Bible Scripture passages are written in a serif font while non-Scripture features (commentaries) are written with a sans-serif font.The artwork and the extras loaded into this book make the Gospel stories come alive on the pages. One suggestion I would have as feedback was to highlight the scripture passages a bit more. I understand that the serif and sans-serif fonts are supposed to distinguish the differences, however, in some pages, one has to train the eye to look for serif font to figure out which is commentary and which are scripture passages. I should note that the serif font (scripture passages) are a darker, solid font compared to the non-serif commentary font which are narrower (see photo.) With this in mind, I would suggest using a different color for the scripture passages, though doing so would most likely drive up the production and the overall cost.In Summary:Cons:- received hardcover version instead of pictured leather cover- one has to one's train eyes to get used to a new bible reading format (not a 2 column format, though some of the commentaries follows this format)Pros:- this is a tremendous gift to Christians who love the Word of God because scripture study, and delving deeper into scripture, requires good, knowledgeable guides which we get in the Word on Fire Bible.- the aesthetics of this bible has to be highlighted: the beautifully rendered religious art and the expert formatting makes one want to read it for hours- minimal ghosting of pages and thicker, glossy pages for underlining and highlighting text- Bible lies fairly flat- Bishop Robert Barron notes that this bible was created for non-religious and fallen away Christians, I can attest to the friendly and open language used in the Forward by Bishop Barron- there is a section on how to approach reading a Bible for those who do not have a clueAdditional Notes:- remember that scripture passages are in a serif font and commentaries are in a non-serif font.- the purpose of this bible is for study, so if you want to read scripture passages without getting distracted or bogged down by add-ons/commentaries, stick to reading a regular NRSV-CE bible with minimal notes- I get asked a lot where one should start reading the Bible and I always say, start with the Gospels. Now, I can lend my copy or refer people to the Word on Fire Bible for absolute beginners and hungry intellectuals alike

Beautifully packaged and exquisite cover artwork. Great for X mas present.

I am going to review this Word On Fire Gospels Bible further after I dig a little deeper into it. My first take is that I have never seen a Bible like this. I am a lifelong Bible-believing Protestant convert to Catholicism, so I know a thing or two about Bibles. This one ties Sacred Tradition - in the form of extensive commentary of the Fathers and gorgeous art … (the variety and applicability is mind blowing) … - with Scripture.As soon as I removed this Bible from its packaging I knew we were going to become very good friends because of the rich feel of its cover and the deep classic gold embossed imprint, heavy pages, beautiful typeset … I quickly went in to Amazon and bought the other three available editions, the fifth Bible edition will be available in June.I am a Traditional Latin Mass celebrating Catholic. This Bible (IMO) does a great job, an incomparible job, actually, speaking from the fullness of the Church’s Traditions to every contemporary Catholic but also, no less, to those who are not Catholic but seeking. It certainly has inspired me in a new way. It is a powerful evangelistic tool, no matter who you are, or where you are in your walk in this life to meet our Savior, Jesus Christ.This project seems to me to be the essence of the "new evangelization", promoted by the II Vatican Council - whose intent was to open the doors to all that is ancient and true and make it understandable to a new generation that may otherwise be lost … “to have”, as Bp Barron says in his intro letter, “greater study of the Bible among laypeople, placing the Scriptures more fully at the center of the liturgy, and making the writings the ‘soul of theology’”.When I converted to the RC Church, it was first and has always been by her beauty, her logic, her unified authority in all liturgy, books, teachings, architecture, our never-changing Sacred Traditions … everything together … by which I was persuaded. This Bible is in that line, and is good for my soul.Edit 1: I’m almost through Mathew. I am simply blown away by the comprehensive and orthodox instruction that accompanies the Scriptures. It forces one to slow way down and meditate every step of the way with the many sub-chapter lessons. And so far the teaching is rock solid. It makes reading the Bible fun again.Edit 2: Another feature that I like about this Bible is the commentary stream is constant, such that I am led to slow my reading down, as we should, and prayerfully ponder Scripture, led by various "pastors" in contemplation of the Word of God, rather than merely reading it (lectio divina).

This is an incredible book.Having read the Bible for a long time and one thing that people find limiting about it is that extensive research is required to garner a good understanding of it as well as its message. This often leads to fatigue, burnout and unfortunately, the distancing of people from it.I found this to be the case with friends and family. When reading the book I was blown away by the presentation as well as its depth and the beauty of it. I bought a few to give to other family members and it has kept them engaged. For the first time I see a zeal in them, they have been able to articulate Biblical themes and lessons in a well-researched way and have been asking to come to Church with me on a regular basis.If you are unsure about purchasing this book, I highly recommend it, especially if you are someone who is either experiencing difficulties with the Bible, or have a lot of experience with it and would like to experience it in a new and engaging way. This Bible also got me into other books by Word on Fire and I have been amazed by everything I have ordered from them. I don't regret ordering this Bible for a moment and now have all 4 volumes, also planning to order the 5th, 6th and 7th once they are released. This is an easy 5 stars from me.