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Rating:  Summary: A Beautiful, Elegant Bible Review: Cambridge makes the best Bibles. No other publisher can compare with the quality of their Bibles, not even Oxford. This edition of the NRSV is elegant. It feels good and has a fairly good print size. The NRSV has become the standard translation for many churches and scholars around the world. It is an excellent translation, but like all translations has some weaknesses. Do not let the criticism of others deter you from choosing this Bible. Again, all translations have weaknesses, but the NRSV gets an A- from me, while the RSV gets an A+. If the NRSV is your translation of choice (and it frequently is for me) then buy this Bible.
Rating:  Summary: A Beautiful, Elegant Bible Review: Cambridge makes the best Bibles. No other publisher can compare with the quality of their Bibles, not even Oxford. This edition of the NRSV is elegant. It feels good and has a fairly good print size. The NRSV has become the standard translation for many churches and scholars around the world. It is an excellent translation, but like all translations has some weaknesses. Do not let the criticism of others deter you from choosing this Bible. Again, all translations have weaknesses, but the NRSV gets an A- from me, while the RSV gets an A+. If the NRSV is your translation of choice (and it frequently is for me) then buy this Bible.
Rating:  Summary: A Bible with no Rival Review: I have just purchased this Bible and am more than pleased with it. Quality abounds from the durable binding to the art gilt pages and handsome calfskin leather. This is the Mercedes of Bibles!
The NRSV text is an excellent translation. Used widely in colleges and mainstream churches, it is the translation of choice for many critical biblical scholars because of its overall accuracy. Its gender inclusivity and elimination of archaic English (thee, thou etc.) are all a plus in my estimation.
I am very glad this edition does not have the words of Christ in red. Not only is red often harder to read, it is also very often poorly aligned to the adjacent black text. But more importantly it oversimplifies the whole process of how the gospels were shaped and written. The red text in red letter versions of the Bible are not the verbatim words of Jesus, in many instances, as any synopsis of the gospels will show and can mislead in its simplisticness.
The inclusion of the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books is welcomed by me. If anyone is put off by that just think in terms of how helpful this material is in learning more about the cultural/ideological background of the Bible. Now you have a nice, readable version to study!
My only criticisms are minor. The typography could have been a bit better edited and perhaps the font size increased a tad. Page margins could have been a little wider for limited note making. Also, offering different colors of leather than just black would be nice.
But hey, those quibbles are nothing compared to the enjoyment I am going to have with this Bible! I will enjoy the quality of this Bible everytime I handle and breathe in its supple leather aroma.
Rating:  Summary: Pretty nice, but somewhat inferior to other Cambridge bibles Review: I'm not real crazy about the Swift 9pt font. It is not bold as advertised on the Cambridge catalog. I would have prefered the semi-bold that they use in a lot of the KJV. Paper is good. References are OK.
1 star deduction for font. I know this isn't fair, but another star deduction for the translation.
I wish that Cambridge would publish the RSVCE or even just RSV with Apoc or the Confraternity version of Douay-Rheims.
I find the gender inclusive language problematic in places, but not horrific - EXCEPT in the poetic writings.
I take issue with the paraphrasing and over interpretation packaged as enlightened scholarship. Not saying that it isn't, not qualified to comment on that; I just don't care for it.
I prefer some archaic language at least in the poetics for reverence and beauty.
However, if you prefer the gender inclusive language and have never been spoiled with a high quality Cambridge KJV, then this might be a 5 star for you.
Rating:  Summary: Outstanding Quality but Deficient as a Gift Review: The look, the feel, the smell, and every other characteristic of this book is of the highest quality. Unfortunately, I was looking for an heirloom book to give as a gift to a family member. Missing are a family history section and a concordance, two key features that have high value as a family bible. I was greatly disappointed in these omissions.
Rating:  Summary: An almost perfect Bible Review: This is a beautiful Bible. It's just a few things short of being perfect; the pages seem to be slightly offset (the page edges on the right side don't look as straight as they could be), one of the ribbons is fraying slightly (easily fixable). Another thing I was disappointed in was the box that it came in; it didn't come in Cambridge's "A Cambridge Bible" double slipcase like pictured, but a gray case with a red ribbon-like pattern on it. I'm not a huge fan of the Apocrypha, but I don't mind it being in there.
Rating:  Summary: Welcome to the fine art of Bible Publishing Review: When it comes to fine art of Bible publishing, Cambridge University Press has few rivals. This beautiful publication is one of the finest editions of the NRSV available. It stands in that old tradition of Bibles that one likes to handle and smell. Note it comes in either Bonded leather or Calfskin. What you get in exchange for your money is the following: the finest leather binding of any Bible in print; the text of the NRSV in an eminently readable and bold, though not oversized font; a comprehensive cross-reference system; and a useful glossary of biblical terms. The bible also comes in a handy and durable size. Few Bibles feel as good and look as good as this one. So if you are looking for a single copy of the Bible that will last a lifetime, this is the obvious choice.
The only downside to this Bible is that it is only printed in an edition that contains the apocrypha, i.e. there is no purely "Protestant" version of the Cambridge NRSV Reference - at least not at this stage. If however, you see the apocrypha as useful, or if you don't mind its inclusion in your Bible, the logical thing to do would be to order a copy without delay. It's worth every cent.
Rating:  Summary: Yeah, it's a pretty bible, but . . . Review: Yes, indeed, Cambridge makes the highest quality bibles in the world if we are looking merely at paper quality, gilding, typeface, clarity, binding, and leather. They do a sensational job with the basics of production.However, with that said, I just wish they would choose a more conservative translation of the bible. The NRSV leaves much to be desired as a bible translation. The press for "gender equity in translation" [a dubious goal at best] caused these revisors to botch several essential messianic prophecies. With that said, I could still preach the gospel from an NRSV, I would simply have to avoid certain texts. Yet there is no reason to compromise in this English speaking world. We have many other better translations, such as the NASB, the NKJV, and the NIV. There are many lovely bibles made in these translations. Why not choose one of them?
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