Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive overview of the Bible
Review: This is the first study Bible I have ever owned, and I must say it has been extremely helpful. I'm not happy with everything in it but overall it has been far more than what I expected.
This Study Bible is complete with color maps, timelines, and thoughtful commentary throughout the text. During certain sections the editors also inserted little sub-sections on important geographical/theopolitical/socioeconomic points of the time, such as explanations of David's Jerusalem or the family tree of the House of Herod the Great.
The introductions to the different books are also very informative and helpful, giving a substantial amount of context to more fully understand the test.
The words of Christ in red can be a bit grating to me, but that's a matter of personal choice. It is helpful, however, if you are in need of a direct quote from Christ to counter someone in a theological debate (I enjoy debating with fundamentalists and pointing out the gaps in their reasonings as compared to Christ's words.)
The commentary is the best I've ever read in footnotes in study Bibles, which is the reason I really bought this one in the first place, besides for the fact that I like the New International Version.
The only real complaint that I have relates to the fact that the comments can, at times, be a bit too conservative-leaning in theology, and at times feel the need to directly point out the Religious Right's laundry list of Christian values (i.e. on homosexuality, abortion, salvation only through Christ, etc.). Sometimes I think it would have been better to not further preach the established Christian views in the commentary but instead let the reader decide on how to interpret questionable verses.
I found their explanation of the Sodom and Gomorrah story a little simplistic and lacking, for instance.
But if you read this Bible with an open mind, it is possible to filter out the bias and see the Bible for what it really is: a supreme achievement of beauty. This Bible helps one put this in a historical perspective in order to appreciate its message more.
Just don't expect anything refreshing in its theological worldview.
Additionally, the New International Version of the Bible is probably the best I've read. I don't know if this pertains to this specific review, so I'll keep it short, but I feel that the NIV is the only available English translation that truly conveys the everlasting spirit of both the Old and New Testaments.
So, in short, this is a very helpful Bible, and one that I'll use for years to come. I just don't take my religious viewpoints from it.
Rating: 
Summary: Safe choice for thoughtful Evangelical readers
Review: While I prefer the NRSV translation over the NIV, and the HarperCollins Study Bible (with Apocrypal/Deuterocanonical books) over this Study Bible, I do read the NIV Study Bible to better understand Evangelical positions on matters of dates, authorship, and interpretation.This is decidedly a Protestant Bible (the copyright holder, the International Bible Society, has made it clear that they have no intention of ever translating the Apocrypha...not even as interesting literature from the biblical period); more specifically, Evangelical from a Christian Reformed Church tradition...if you look close enough you can see the shadow of Calvin across its pages. That said, I feel the introductions and notes are well-done and helpful. Unlike the Scofield Reference Bible, it does not foist an extreme dispensationalist or fundamentalist world view on its readers. It has a number of helpful in-text charts and maps (I keep the charts on the Hebrew Calendar, Old Testament Sacrifices, and Old Testament Feasts & Sacred Days permanently tagged for quick reference). It also has a helpful 150-page concordance. My gripes: (1) Words of Jesus in red (I find this device silly and hard to read), (2) Center column cross references are marked with superscript alpha letters, the same as the textual footnote system...yes, one system uses italic and the other roman letters, but as small and light as these call-out markers are it's impossible to distinguish them, and (3) some of the book introductions are a little too defensive for my taste (the authors favor the earliest possible date for the apocalyptic book of Daniel in opposition to most mainstream biblical scholars). I understand that a revised and updated NIV Study Bible is going to be released by the publisher later this year. I'm sure I'll buy it, but I hope it rectifies some of the weaknesses of the current edition.
|
