The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version

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Highly recommended is the oh so wonderfully inclusive and all encompassing The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (but of course also more something rather specialised and for a particular type of reader). Despite how ancient the text is, new discoveries continue to be made; the NSRV fifth edition is only five years old.

I admit that I skimmed some parts, and by the middle the only thing that kept me going through to the end was bragging rights; being able to say that I have in fact read the whole thing. I recently learned about Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus was originally comprised of a Greek pun that couldn’t have worked in Aramaic, which disqualifies it (at least in this wording) from being real teachings from the historical Jesus. It is baffling why OUP have not created a sub-contents menu to provide this access as the ESV Study Bible and Harper Collins Study Bible do. The notes appear by default in a font size that is about 11 if you used that for the text but a normal reading size for the text would be 4 or 5. The characters are two dimensional, the plot is all over the place and the author can't keep his story straight.In addition, my "trial" copy of the Kindle version did not seem to include any of the maps at the end of the Bible that are offered in the physical copy, despite the Kindle's contents page saying that the maps followed the "end of the text". Again, the NOAB team lets the Bible speak for itself, from the times in which it was written, and help us read the Bible on its own terms, rather than imposing *our* terms upon it.

I must admit though, after reading it through the first time and vomiting, I went back the second time from a non-biased point of view and looked at it in a professional capacity and can easily see how it led to the bloodiest, most violent culture in human history. I haven't read any other edition of the Bible (besides what they gave us in religious ed when I was a kid) so I can't compare, but I would recommend this one! Jesus diet • Name it and claim it • Snake handling • Speaking in tongues • Spiritual warfare • The Bible Code • Gematria • Stigmata • Biblical longevity • Hanzi of Genesis • Dr.The new edition includes a full index to all of the study material (not just to the annotations), and one that is keyed to page numbers, not to citations. As a major bonus, this Bible comes complete with the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonicals - including books that do not appear in the Catholic Bible but do appear in the Greek and Russian Orthodox Bibles. I felt like understanding at least some basic Hebrew might have given me more of an appreciation of his commentary. But hey ho - what's on offer is light years in advance of the previous PDF masquerading as a "Kindle" version. Many point out that most of the notes he makes do not take the historical or textual context of the passages into consideration.

The Baylor Annotated Study Bible represents a monumental collaborative effort, bringing together nearly seventy biblical scholars—Baylor faculty, graduates, affiliates, and friends—to refresh our view of the sacred texts. At first I've been disappointed a bit because it is not an anglicised version (I don't say it is a problem just personally I wished it was), however, in some minutes I forgot about that! It also makes it as ecumenical as possible - almost any Christian tradition can feel comfortable using this Bible. The New Oxford Annotated Bible, with twenty new essays and introductions and others―as well as annotations―fully revised, offers the reader flexibility for any learning style. I was curious about it, though, and went online to read some reviews, and they're fairly inconsistent.

It's also interesting to read the juicy violent and sexual bits that are so often ignored in church services and Bible school classes. This is useful in understanding the context, which is imperative when reading The Bible appropriately. Color maps give readers the geographical orientation they need for understanding historical accounts throughout the Bible. I even purchased a second copy so that I could keep one at work and one at home making it easier to keep up on the daily reading schedule.

While a great source of discussion points, this SAB’s sassy attitude makes it for critics, not Christians. Countless students, professors and general readers alike have relied upon The New Oxford Annotated Bible for essential scholarship and guidance to the world of the Bible.

It's unsurprising why it's the gold standard in Biblical translation among mainstream Biblical scholars.