ESV Illuminated Scripture Journals pair the entirety of individual books of the Bible with a lightly dotted blank page opposite each page of Bible text, providing space to creatively engage with and reflect on the Word of God. Hand-lettered, gold-ink illustrations by renowned artist Dana Tanamachi are interspersed throughout the blank pages, inviting readers to add their own artwork or reflections to each page. These thin, portable notebooks have unique covers stamped with gold-foil and are great for art journaling, personal Bible reading and prayer, small-group Bible study, or taking notes through a sermon series.
Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name * They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author * They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
Thus, ends my reading and writing in this set of volumes of the Old Testament. It was different than reading through a one volume Bible. Each Scripture journal is grasped as a single book, which in reality they are, although they fit as a whole. The last two volumes have several books combined in one volume. These minor prophet books, so referred to due to their short length but not their importance in the canon of Scripture, are quite short in comparison to other books. For example, Malachi uses a mere four pages of the volume. I discovered in reading through these books, not only this one, that I would think "this reads differently." Of course it did not, as I have read through the English Standard Version Bible several times. I am quite familiar with the ESV, having used it as the predominant Bible throughout studies in seminary towards my M.Div, and primarily for any teaching I do. Perhaps I was contemplating a bit more while reading these journals. I would write in them from a personal view rather than a note-taking, student perspective. In all, I am enriched by having completed the set. Now on to the New Testament journals! If you enjoy and feel the need for more contemplation while reading Bible, invest in this set. And, not that this is important, but a perk is that it is a beautiful set for your library shelf. A brief note on this particular journal is that the books are prophetic in nature. The reader must understand that apocalyptic language and metaphorical pictures are used. Most of the prophecies are for the future of the time period they were written in. This doesn't mean that many of the principles set forth would not apply to all ages, including today. Erroneously, though, many commentators, scholars, and students apply the words to a future time for even now. While there are some passages that can be applied in such a way, for the most part it should not be interpreted in such a way. Compare history with these writings. But certainly, there are passages referring to the coming Messiah and his earthly time, see Zechariah 6.12 passage. Joshua is indicated but he is also symbolic for the coming Branch, Jesus. Zechariah 9.9, et al., is messianic.