The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha

This study Bible offers preface chapters on the Church and the Bible, chapter summaries, each Bible verse is annotated with scholarly reviews for study assistance to the reader, a select index of topics, and 14 Bible era maps. The language is easy to understand for the reader - the Revised English Version (1989). The book condition was in "very good condition". I recommend this bookseller.

There is no such thing as a perfect bible translation or version. Having said that, I love this Bible. The language is explosive and really grabs your attention. Let me allow it to speak for itself. 1 Peter 5:6-8 Humble yourselves , then, under God's mighty hand, and in due time he will lift you up. He care for you, so cast all your anxiety on him. Be on the alert! Wake Up! Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, prowls around looking for someone to devour. (Revised English Bible) No, I'm not trying to make any biblical points through the verse above. I just wanted to show you how I feel this bible uses it's choice of the English language to really grab your attention. I will still use Bullinger's Companion Bible of the KJV as my main bible. However, in my humble opinion this is a solid Bible to reference in personal study. I know I will.

Take out the study portions of 'The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha' and you get a suitable bible to study with, read with, become religiously interested with, or to simply enjoy. The annotations, the notes, the details, the descriptions that this bible provides can take this version of 'The Bible' from just another Bible to one of the greatest tools in understanding, coming to terms with, and delving deeper into the world of The Bible with. The addition of Apocrypha will enable those whose Bibles don't normally include Apocrypha get a taste of some of the later works added and practiced by some denominations. Grab this Bible, whether looking for a good read or looking to learn more. 5 Detailed Stars out of 5!

Strongly recommended for people interested in the poetry, historical context, and message of the Bible who don't want to go blue in the face trying to understand wordier translations. This bible makes things clear and accessible on first reading without making the text boring or monotonous. It maintains its poetry, but is no more poetic (and maybe at times it is less) than the NRSV. Unlike the NRSV this bible expresses the thoughts of the orignal authors even if word-for-word translation comes at a bit of an expense -- this is a huge plus for young people, lay people, people (re)discovering the bible, or people skeptical of many aspects of Christianity. This bible gives you beautiful words minus the confusion that often accompany more literal translations. As a plus it gives you historical and linguistic context galore to enhance your understanding. If you're not in the mood to read footnotes you don't have to -- this Bible is quite readable on its own and the footnotes are there to further the depth of your undersanding of the history, lingquistics, and meaning of what you're reading. The REB contains nearly 100 pages of articles on early Christianity and theological development that are a must for anyone desiring an honest understanding of Christianity. Honest and thorough, yet concise. Awesome feature. Amazon's service was good. No complaints. The book is indeed a paperback and is large. This is not the type of Bible you throw in a backpack when on the go or lend out freely. The NRSV is an ecumenical and theologically honest Bible that is available in hardcover study Bible editions at the same price as this flimsy one. The NRSV is a bit harder to read, but if you plan on studying the text and linguistics of the Bible rather than simply the message go with the NRSV. The great thing about the REB is how easy it is to move through it and understand it without sacrificing aesthetics. Its sound and accurate. The REB is not nearly as gender inclusive as the NRSV, strange that it would uphold a useless conservative tradition when it often takes liberties that no other literary or scholarly Bible would take. Understandable. Literary. Historical.

Great study Bible! Includes interesting and useful notes that are "academic" without casting dispersions on the divinity of scripture. The paper is super thin, so use your gentle fingers. Highlighting and underlining are not recommended - they go right through the paper. This is my second purchase of this Bible. The first one fell apart after a year of nearly daily casual study use- the binding seems to struggle to hold on to the delicate pages.

This is a dynamic translation, an attempt to capture the intent of the author. This of course is based upon the opinions of the translators. It is an easy to read translation that most will enjoy as a companion to a formal translation. The Annotations represent the typical progressive point of view that has been upended by history, archeological finds, the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as post modern scholarship that has called into question the blatant and opinionated conclusions of higher criticism.

People buy Bibles for many reasons. This translation in this edition is for the serious scholar of the Bible in the contemporary world. The research leading to this translation advanced the clarity of translation substantially beyond classics such as the King James Bible. The reference notes give the reader insight into the meanings of the scripture text in their historical settings and discuss so many of the difficult-to-translate passages. A must-have for Sunday School teachers, students, and classical scholars.

This is my fifth or sixth copy of this translation. As a translation, I recommend it highly. The editorial and study notes are about 50/50. Some are completely off base (in my opinion)... for example when refering to the construction of the tent of meeting (tabernacle) and the elements for it, the editor called the giving of gold as a tremendous hardship on Israel. Now, this is the same Israel that "plundered Egypt" when they left and had been wandering in the dessert. Seems like a disconnect to me on the editor's part. Other notes are very helpful (the positioning and commentary on the "Woman caught in Adultery" from the Gospel of John). I trust the translation and question the editorials and notes.