The Access Bible, New Revised Standard Version (Bonded Leather Black 9871) [Leather Bound]

Gail R. O'Day (Editor), David Petersen (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 1999

Modern readers of the Bible are time travelers visiting a society and culture very different from their own. Strange customs, unfamiliar words and novel concepts encountered in the Bible's pages can make understanding the Word of God a real challenge.
The Access Bible is friendly to people who've never studied the Bible before. It's been carefully written and edited so that those new to the world of Bible study can just pick it up - and start reading.
A unique feature of the Access Bible is the running commentary which is interspersed with the Bible text. Difficult concepts are clearly explained in terms which everyday readers can easily understand. There's no need to have a dictionary by your side when you're using the Access Bible. When a technical explanation is required, all of the terms are defined right on the page, as well as in a glossary at the back. History, social contexts, religious practices, the beliefs of ancient peoples - all are explained when the Bible text requires it.
In addition, this Bible was designed to contain all the background information needed by believers from a wide spectrum of churches. The Access Bible sets a new standard for ease of understanding the Scriptures!

Product Details

• Leather Bound: 1792 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195282558
• ISBN-13: 978-0195282559
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,780,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the bible for the casual reader, November 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Access Bible, New Revised Standard Version (Paperback 9872) (Paperback)

I have 22 different Bibles and this is by far the most enjoyable Bible of whole of them. I have studied from the NIV study bibles( living insights, NIV study, quest, and student), the Nelson study bible, the new believer's study Bible, NASB, NAB, KJV, and the New oxford, and harper Collins' study bibles. While all of these have their merit I tended to find that the NIV, KJV, NLT, and NASB were geared toward more evangelical Christians. While this is fine it does help those people from the mainline denominations who want to pursue active Bible study are fed an evangelical and, quite frankly, in some cases, bad scholarship. The new oxford and Harper Collins' study bibles are excellent but sometimes can be too detailed and filled with information that may be interesting though not terribly important to the casual reader. The Access Bible uses the excellent New Revised Standard Version, which is what most mainline and even some not- so- mainline churches use. The version which has the Apochryphal/deuterocanonical books is excellent for catholics and former catholics who still feel a connection to that particular denomination. The study notes are placed where they are most needed and not at the bottom of the page like so many other bibles. Well some may accuse this bible of taking the "liberal" approach that is not the case. While yes, it "sells" the JEPD theory of the pentateuch the editors are merely using the most accepted conseus of Bible scholars. Also, unlike the two study bibles mentioned above I found this Bible to be filled with spirit. Not that the NOA or HCSB are not great, like I said they are, it is just that they are very techinical and some feel that because of this they take the magic of out of Scripture. The Access Bible, however, does not oversimplify and yet does not get too technical, keeping the magic and wonder of Scripture in tact. If a person is looking for a Bible filled with great scholarship and a sense of the holy, this Bible is highly recommended!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evangelical Who Thinks This Bible Is A Winner!!!, September 3, 2002

By 

David Spuria "David J. Spuria" (Spencer, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Access Bible, New Revised Standard Version (Paperback 9872) (Paperback)

I think this is the best study Bible I've used. What makes this Bible better is the amazing amount of footnotes within the text itself. This forces the reader into studying each section. The scholarship is better than any evangelical study Bible. The book introductions are essay-driven mini-books that have a seminary-style approach. I was almost overwhelmed with the scholarship and attention to detail. I have one picky complaint. The B.C.E. designation (before common era) instead of B.C., before Christ. This is politically correct terminology that minimizes the importance of Christ's life, and how it marked the beginning of the Christ era, not the Common era. But that does not take away from the academic detail of these editors. We all know Jesus' impact, and what his birth meant to the world. Also, God has no concept of time anyway. As far as the facts go, these scholars seem to get it right. There is a fantastic balance of research and scholarship as well as making it understandable for the layman. It makes the facts and stories come alive. This is what sets it apart from other study Bibles that often preach rather than teach. Granted, some Bibles should preach (i.e.-life application Bible). But if you want to study the context and history of ancient Israel, and the hows, whys and whats of the sacred text, than this Bible is the best. It's fun reading as well.