iWitness Books from Apologia (Crew Review)

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Deanna

I’m always on the lookout for kid-friendly resources to help my children learn about the Bible, so I jumped at the chance to review three books by Doug Powell from Apologia Educational Ministries: Old Testament iWitness, New Testament iWitness, and iWitness Biblical Archeology. These books are unlike any others I’ve come across, and it was a delight to get the chance to explore them.

About the books

What makes these 9″x6″ softcover books so unique is the way the information is presented on each page. Rather than separating the text and illustrations, Powell (an award-winning graphic designer with a Master’s degree in Christian Apologetics) has created beautiful full-color pages that integrate the text, making it appear as handwritten notes on separate scraps of paper, parchment, or the pages of books that are part of the pictures.

This creative presentation makes these books easily accessible for older children (reading level is about age 11 and up) while still being “meaty” enough for adults wanting to learn more about how the Bible as we know it came to exist. I have always had a fascination with the canon of Scripture and the history of the Bible, but in spite of all I’ve previously read on the subject, there was still plenty of information in these books that was new to me.

Each book sells for $14.00. Here’s a quick look at what they cover:

Old Testament iWitness

Old Testament iWitness tells the story of the Hebrew Scriptures:

the history of each book
the meticulous process the Jewish scribes used when making copies, ensuring that the original text was passed down over the centuries without change
comparison of the “Hebrew Bible” with the Old Testament used by Christians
what makes these books “inspired” and why are they included in the canon
the Old Testament in the Dead Sea Scrolls

Powell also discusses the writings of the inter-testamental period (between the last books to be written within the Old Testament canon and the books of the New Testament).

New Testament iWitness

New Testament iWitness is just as thorough in its coverage of the New Testament books. Much has been written in recent years about “other gospels” and early writings that are not included in the canon of Scripture. Powell goes back to when the individual books of the New Testament were written and discusses how they were used by the church in the first few centuries after Christ.

lists drawn up by historical church councils
criteria used by early Christians to determine canonicity
use in the writings of early church fathers
rejected books not included in the canon
how the New Testament books were copied over the ages
information about various manuscript types and how scholars study them

The book provides a fascinating look at how we have been given the New Testament as we know it today.

iWitness Biblical Archaeology

iWitness Biblical Archeology goes through the chronology of biblical history, discussing archeological evidence that relates to biblical figures, places, and events.

inscriptions about flood stories from various ancient civilizations
claims about finding Noah’s Ark
descriptions of Old Testament battles
copies of biblical manuscripts
artifacts from Jesus’ time
discussion about the Shroud of Turin

Powell covers all sorts of finds that would be of interest to anyone curious about archeology and how it relates to the Bible.

How We Used It

Ian and I started with Old Testament iWitness (although there’s no need to read them in any particular order). I read aloud to him during our morning Bible time and we worked through several pages each day (as long as his attention span allowed). Some of it was beyond his understanding, but at the same time I think it was a good introduction to learning about the canon of the Old Testament. He may not remember the terms “Septuagint” or “Apocrypha” next week, but now that he’s been exposed, I think he’ll notice them more the next time he hears the words. He already knew the books of the Old Testament, so he was able to understand the comparisons with the Hebrew Bible pretty well. We haven’t covered the inter-testamental period in history yet (though we discussed it a bit in our Bible lessons when we moved from the OT to the NT), so that part was new to him.

For this review I was expected to read through these books with Ian, and while that was my original intent, I wasn’t able to get through all of them with him. There was just too much information packed into these three books for me to get through with a 1st grader in 6 weeks. Once I realized we weren’t going to get through all three books together I decided to skip New Testament iWitness with Ian and just cover what we could out of iWitness Biblical Archeology.

I found iWitness Biblical Archeology to be a wonderful complement to our study of ancient history. He found the information about the epic of Gilgamesh interesting because we covered it in history earlier this year, and we’ve learned a lot about Egyptian chronology as a family so he was able to understand that as well. I will definitely be pulling this book out the next time our history cycle covers the biblical period. It is full of evidence for the truth of scripture and helps show children tangible evidence for what they read in the Bible.

Because I didn’t have time to read New Testament iWitness with Ian during our review period, I read through it on my own. I found it to be a faith-building study on the history of the New Testament. Powell does an excellent job of explaining why certain books are included and others are not. I especially appreciate his explanation of manuscript families and textual criticism, topics of great importance to me in considering which translation(s) to use with our family. I look forward to using it with Ian (and my other children) in the future.

My Overall Impression

Overall, I’d say at least half of the material was over Ian’s head as a 6-year old. The visual format kept his interest fairly well as I read out loud, but I know there was a lot he didn’t understand. However, that in no way detracts from my enthusiasm for these books. They may not be a great fit for first grade, but I know we will turn to them over and over again in the years to come.