Ascension's The Great Adventure Catholic Bible: Preliminary Thoughts

I can remember being drawn to the Bible again and again and reading it at different phases in life with memories back to childhood; nonetheless, I do not ever remember having much guidance on how to read and understand the Bible well until recently. When I heard about the Salvation History narrative on a Symbolon session a few years ago, I was fascinated. A video by Fr. Josh Johnson also contributed to a recognition of the value of Scriptures. Listening to homilies at Mass daily after having read and reflected on the readings was also of great benefit.

I have a longing to get a Master's in Theology with a layer of that desire linking to wanting a better foundation in Sacred Scriptures; however, that seems to be something to wait patiently for, rather than something that is intended to be a yes in this moment of my life (a September 2018 Catholic Digest article titled "Going Back to School Later in Life" provided consolation in the waiting). In the meantime, I am grateful for other avenues to develop and deepen my interactions with Scripture.

Last weekend I received my copy of Ascension's new The Great Adventure Catholic Bible. The release of their version of the Bible came at a perfect time because I had already been planning on dedicating a specific block of time on the Bible this academic year. Building on my existing practice of starting the day with daily readings, I was looking forward to consistent, intentional general Bible reading.

Right before preparing to go back to work, Ascension started to promote the upcoming release. I have heard about the Bible Timeline but have not had any first hand experience other than having purchased The Bible Timeline chart. I loved it for the same reason that I appreciated the Symbolon session - it helped to have a better sense for the big picture and connections between different sections.

I am so excited to have the timeline integrated right into a version of the Bible providing guidance along the way. There is an introduction to the concept of the timeline, followed by an overview of the full timeline at a glance. Then before each key period represented in the Bible further explanation about the periods is incorporated. There is also a reading plan to read the fourteen books that provide the overarching narrative across the Old and New Testaments in three months.

As a teacher educator with a focus on reading and writing methods, I have been thinking about how what I know about literacy can help support me as I seek to better understand the Bible. Naturally, I loved the sections on How to Interpret the Bible and Lectio Divina in this Bible. They complemented the Symbolon session I loved so much (not surprising since Dr. Mary Healy, one of the editors of The Great American Catholic Bible, participates in an interview with Dr. Edward Sri in the Symbolon session).

In addition, there are aesthetic aspects that I love about this Bible. Blue is my favorite color, and the cover and pages have a soft feeling. Even just thinking about sitting in my quiet church coupled with the feel of the Bible and power of the words makes me feel a sense of peace. The font is easy to read with plenty of white space in between the rows of text, and in the Gospels, I love that Jesus' words are in red. I appreciate Bibles that have tabs on the edge of pages to easily navigate between different books of the Bible, but this one is even better because each tab is color coded to align with the timeline concept.

I am looking forward to this extra time dedicated to Sacred Scripture, and I know that having this version of the Bible will enhance that experience. I am grateful to the editors, Jeff Cavins, Mary Healy, Andrew Swafford, and Peter Williamson for all of the thought put into how this Bible was crafted with aiding people in understanding.

I am hoping that before too long there will be a Spanish version since they have the timeline resources available in Spanish. If they do provide it in Spanish, I will be very excited to get a copy for my husband so that we can better experience all that the Bible and this specific version of it have to offer.