Flashy "Bible" seeks to inspire the ADHD generation

It's odd to hear people use the term "gateway Bible," as if scripture is an addictive drug that can be pushed on an unsuspecting dupe. However, that is exactly the term that is being used to describe Bible Illuminated, a glossy, coffee-table style version of the New Testament that is coming to the United States, courtesy of Swedish publisher Ab Forlaget. This new edition is chock full of beautiful art photographs and images of celebrities, including Martin Luther King and Angelina Jolie.

New Look for the Bible

When I took Biblical literature in college, my classmates conducted a low-level battle over Biblical translations. Some advocated the King James translation, others preferred the New American, and still others pored through the original Hebrew. The versions that we chose said a lot about us. As a King James man, I liked the formal style of its classical English, although I appreciated that the New American was a little more accessible. My friend who advocated the Jeffersonian Bible was a bare-bones kind of guy, while my Hebrew-reading classmate placed a lot of stock in getting the original meaning and nuance of the scripture. Depending upon our personalities and level of imagination, a different version of the Bible resonated with each of us.