Customer Reviews

The Access Bible, New Revised Standard Version (Hardcover 9870)

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Once upon a time, my personal bible reading was becoming dry and dull. Then along came The Access Bible (hereafter known as Access), New Revised Standard Version. It waked up my study! Access provides generous book intros and notes sprinkled throughout the text. Unlike other study bibles, Access does not tell you what to think. Instead, it leads you to make your own conclusions about what you read. As with all other study bibles, Access includes maps and a concordance. Access comes in editions with and without the Apocrypha. (The Apocrypha is a set of books that are accepted by Catholics and some Protestants.)

The translation used is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). The NRSV is a revision of the Revised Standard Version of 1952. For the most part, the NRSV is a formal equivalent version. The NRSV makes use of gender-inclusive language in reference to humanity (but not God). This may offend some people, but in my view, it makes the translation better. The NRSV is also based on the best Greek and Hebrew texts we have.

Access bindings range from a blue (without the Apocrypha) or a tan (with the Apocrypha) paperback/hardback to leather. The only quibble I have is that I wish it was available on a CD-ROM for use on computers. This is the best study bible; I recommend it. Buy it in bulk for your family and friends!

My preferred study bible has always been the RSV Oxford Annotated Bible (OAB). Its handy size, moderate scholarship, and helpful yet brief notes made it for me the best study bible available. However, even though the RSV OAB has now been superseded by the NRSV OAB, I've found the Access Bible worthier to succeed the RSV OAB than the updated NRSV OAB. Like the RSV OAB, the size and layout of the Access Bible are more convenient than the NRSV OAB and the notations are briefer and more mainstream in tone. I will go further and say that even though I prefer the RSV text of the bible, for an amateur student like me, the notations, essays, and introductions in the Access Bible are superior to those of the RSV OAB.

The Access Bible is billed as "an ecumenical learning resource for people of faith". This might lead one to think that it's a devotional, rather than scholarly, work. However, it is in fact primarily scholarly in the sense that rather than fostering devotion or teaching doctrine, the contributors aim to explicate the text along the lines of moderate to liberal mainstream scholarship. This means that the contributors, e.g. the notes for Hosea, are much more likely to sermonize about the dangers of patriarchy than the dangers of sin. The "people of faith" for whom this work is intended are primarily mainline Christians who are beginning bible students. If if that is you, or you can live with that, this is a very helpful work.

After having owned both the soft and hardcover editions of this bible, I find the hardcover so much more usable that I strongly encourage all to purchase it. A soft cover volume of this size simply isn't suited for the sort of use a bible sees. At this size, even a good quality softcover binding is too weak to be durable. Furthermore, with a volume of this size, a soft cover binding can't hold up the text block (i.e. the leaves of the book, rather than the cover/binding) on its own, forcing the reader's hands and arms to do the work that the binding should. This is why it's easier to hold a heavy-ish hard cover book for an extended period than a relatively light soft cover edition of the same work.

I used to use the HarperCollins Study Bible, but the commentaries and notes were all so secular. This Bible's notes and commentaries are more faith-based. This is an excellent Bible for people of faith who want to learn more about the context the Bible was written in. It is my primary study Bible now.

Anyone involved in the Disciple Bible Study courses will find this Bible tracks very well with the lessons. I found that the majority of assigned readings were identical to the phrasings of this Bible. The comments provide a wonderful foundation for in-class discussion. Class facilitators would be well served with this Bible.

As for those critical of the "liberal" commentary, I would offer that this Bible incorporates recent theological, social and archeological insights. The new (1999) informaiton has been scrutinized by leading scholars and approved for Christian consumption. You will find many of the same experts who were interviewed in Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ" listed as contributors. I see these facts as a continuing affirmation of the Truth. You will find yourself better tooled to discuss your Christian world views with those who seek the comfort and guidance not available through secularism.

The only real quibble I have is that the text used is the NRSV. This politically correct emendation of a great text, the RSV, does violence to the original imagery. Accuracy was given second place to being trendy and emasculated. This version is not useful for anyone concerned with accuracy.