The Pursuit of God Bible
ISBN: 978-1-61970-092-5
Hendrickson, 2013
The main feature of this Bible is that it contains excerpts from the writings of A.W. Tozer. I would not characterize
it as a "Study Bible," but it is unique in that it introduces one to the writings of A.W. Tozer in an easy-to-read Bible
and, at the time of this writing (May of 2017), at an incredibly affordable price.
The text of the NIV used in this edition is the 2011 revision. Most of the people I know in the U.S. who are enthusiasts
of the NIV prefer the 1984 edition. The 2011 edition has attempted to use "gender neutrality," i.e., to eliminate the
masculine bias which has characterized the English language in the past. Most older U.S. readers can recognize, from the
context, whether the use of the masculine gender refers to mankind in general or the male sex in particular, but in some
parts of the English-speaking world there has been an attempt to eliminate the masculine bias.
The eighth Psalm provides a good example. In the 1984 edition of the NIV, here is how Psalm 8:3-4 is rendered:
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
The 2011 edition renders it this way:
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
I noticed, however, that Matthew 4:4 still has "Man shall not live on bread alone" in the 2011 edition, so there
may be some inconsistencies.
Click on the images at the left to see the full-sized photos
The leather cover feels thick, and has a "hammered" appearance to it. I don't know if this will be
true for all copies, or if it is peculiar to ours. But it seems that over time, these hammering dimples (if that's
what they are) are smoothing out.
Another closed view...
Another closed view, this time with the flash turned on.
I don't claim to be a great photographer...or even a fair one.
Another closed view, with flash...
The front of the box
The back of the box, showing the features of this edition.
Excerpts from A.W. Tozer's writings are divided up into three categories. In this NIV edition, the background for each
category is distinct from the other two. I will illustrate this in photos below.
The KJV edition - which is called "The A.W. Tozer Bible" - uses
the same background for all three categories.
For the "On Scripture" category, the text of the excerpt is printed on a background that is reminiscent of
old parchment.
Here's another example of an "On Scripture" excerpt.
Excerpts from the "Reflections" category are printed on a background with green shading on the top and bottom, and
feature an image of a dove (at least I THINK it's a dove) in the upper-left corner.
Here's another example from the "Reflections" category.
Excerpts from the "Challenges" category are printed on an off-white background with a brown border. I'm guessing that the
image in the corner is a guidepost?
Here's another example of an excerpt in the "Challenges" category.
There are brief introductions and outlines for each book of the Bible.
The type is clear and easy to read. The texture of the paper is "soft" and does not seem to be as subject to "glare" in
harsh lighting as other types of Bible paper.
I chose this page specifically because it shows that the "bleed through" from the opposite side is not excessive or
distracting.
The cross-reference system seems pretty good.
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