The CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible Review
Holman has released an incredible resource with the new CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible. This Bible isn’t just full of incredible material, it looks visually amazing. In examining this Bible, it feels as though every single detail was through through. Let’s dive in.
First off, I opted to get the Crimson LeatherTouch edition of this Bible. I wanted to go all out in this feeling like an ancient book and it certainly did not disappoint. The LeatherTouch is wrapped over a hard cover and the design is beautiful. As you can see in the pictures below, the crimson really pops. With the gold accents and gilding, it really is a beautiful book aesthetically. I was a critic of the LeatherTouch in my review of the CSB Pastor’s Bible, but it feels so nice over the board and it really works for me here. There are two bookmarks (black and red in mine) and I find that to be a most welcome feature as well.
When you open the Bible, you’ll hear a crackle from the pages as you flip through and then you’ll notice the pages are an off white to almost yellowish color. This is a beautiful detail of the Bible that adds to that ancient look and feel. You really do feel as though you’re handling an old book and I can’t quite express how much I love this. The accent colors in my copy are also a crimson color, which really brings the Bible together nicely with the crimson cover and gives it a very elegant look.
This Bible has a really generous 10.25-point type size with 8-point study notes. I love when Bible’s have nicely sized fonts so this feature really pleases me. There also are multiple pages for notes in the back and full-color maps.
This Bible is definitely targeted toward people who like biblical history. It’s also a great introduction into biblical history from the second through sixth centuries. The early church fathers had real thinkers and their thoughts and writings still greatly benefit us today. You’ll find this Bible is packed with study notes from the early church fathers and includes profiles of them. These include Irenaeus of Lyons, Origen, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Augustine, and many more. There are exclusive feature articles and what they call “Twisted Truth” call-outs that show where some in the early church went wrong in their views and teaching. Each book of the Bible has a nice introduction and in the back of the Bible you’ll find that Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
I could go on and on about how much I really like this Bible. It really does feel like a piece of art you can hold. My only question is how did they pick which early church fathers’ commentary to use for each passage? I’m sure there was a method, but you will notice when you read the commentary that a certain father is used for a certain text. There were times where I found myself wishing to read what Augustine may have said on a certain passage and instead the comments were from Chrysotom. This is a minor quibble and it would be impossible to please everyone in this way, but I figured I’d mention it.
This really is an amazing and beautiful resource. Let me encourage you to go ahead and pick up a copy because I haven’t been this impressed by a study Bible in quite some time. Whether you have an appreciation for Christian history or not, you will benefit from this Bible and it will look amazing sitting on your shelf!
At the time of this writing, you can only pick this up from LifeWay’s Website, but it will be released later at other retailers.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this resource from Holman in exchange for a fair and honest review.
