Customer Reviews

Dake Annotated Reference Bible-KJV

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I have known of this bible for years but never looked into it until recently. I was amazed at the variance in the reviews here on Amazon; many people rate it an enthusiastic 5 stars while others give it a scathing one star. I can see why this is; it is the most personally polarizing bible that I have ever looked it and here is why:

The amount of annotations is amazing! Truly this man spent HOURS researching God's Word. There is a plethora of lists, word studies, and outlines, many of which I REALLY, REALLY like and gain much from, perhaps more than any bible I have ever had. They cause me to think and go back and study the text to find the outlined points. I like the way they summarize the sections of the text and make it easy to locate certain verses.

Conversely, there is also a lot to dislike, and I really hate to have to add this part of the review when there is so much that I DO like about the bible. However, as noted in so many reviews below, there are some SERIOUS theological errors in this bible regarding the Incarnation of Christ, the Trinity, creation, racism etc. I will not go deeply into these as they have been well covered by previous reviews. I agree that the views expressed by Dake on these doctrines are heretical, even looney. I admit that I wonder if it is wrong to own a bible that expresses such glaring errors about Christ.

One thing of interest, I looked up Acts 17:26 as one of the older reviews cites this verse as an example of having an extremely racist annotation attached to it. I have the July 2006 printing and in this edition, the racist annotation is gone. The annotations go from A, B, to D, although C is marked in the text. Annotation C is gone with a small blank in its place--and the racist comments previously noted are not in this edition. Perhaps the publisher became ashamed and withdrew it? If others readers have other older printings , I would be interested in your comments to see if indeed there is an annotation removed from here.

I have the genuine leather edition. It is a beautifully made bible and seems very durable, one of the better constructed ones around. It appears that the pages are sewn and not glued, a plus this day in age. The pages are not too thin, and the type tiny but clear. The four column layout is somewhat difficult to read at first, but you get used to it. There are some maps and diagrams in the back, many pertaining to Dake's view of end-times prophecy.

All this being said, I would not be comfortable recommending Dake to new believers, although I think older believers who are more grounded can gain a lot of value out of this bible if used with discretion. All in all, the Dake is a bible with many good notes that are sadly combined with a lot of loose doctrine.

Dake is not right about everything, he's human like me, you and John Wesley. But he claims to have spent 100,000 hours studying God's Word, so he is certainly a Bible EXPERT! Expect to have your mind blown, time and time again, by his commentary, (notice, I didn't say His commentary). I'd also be reading God's Plan For Man by Dake, along with your Dake Bible. A lot of those questions you've had will be answered, I guarantee it. You won't agree with him always, but it'll be a blast conversing with Dake, Finney, Wesley, Sojourner Truth and all the rest of the saints during the Millenium and beyond!

I found a nearly perfect copy of the 1967 Dake's edition at an estate sale a few years ago, and purchased it along with a well-worn Scofield Bible. Since I've always had trouble keeping the different sects of Christianity straight in my mind, I thought they would be helpful in understanding some of the more recent trends in Christian thought, such as dispensationalism (the belief that God has different expectations of people at different points in history), etc. I was pleased to discover the many comments throughout and charts in the back explaining many of the beliefs common among some (not all) Charismatic (and others, I'm sure) Christians. Dake's Bible is full of commentary and a mind-bogglingly fascinating number of lists. The commentary is right there in the columns next to the text for easy reference--of course it is his opinion, and he doesn't list what other books or materials may have inspired his thoughts.

As I understand it, Charismatic Christians believe in gifts such as prophecy, visions, speaking in tongues, revelation & authority given--and this is the line of Christianity in which Dake included himself. Since another reviewer asked about a racist footnote in the Acts 17: 26 (c), which notes, "See 30 reasons for segregation of races, p. 159", I thought I'd share what I have in my original edition here.

Page 159 of my 1967 edition notes in one of the side lists titled "30 reasons for segregation of races". Among the 30 reasons given are:

"1. God wills all races to be as he made them, any violation of God's original purpose manifests insubordination to him(Acts 17:26, Rom 9:19-24) 2. God made everything to reproduce after his own kind (Gen 1:11-12, 6:20, 7:14) 3. God originally determined the bounds of the habitations of nations (Act 17:26, Gen 10:5, 32, 11:8, Dt 32:8) Kind means type and color or he would have kept them all alike to begin with. 4. Miscegenation means the mixture of races, especially black and white races, or those of outstanding type of color. The Bible even goes farther than opposing this. It is against different branches of the same stock intermarrying such as Jews marrying other descendents of Abraham (Ezra 9-10, Neh 9-13, Jer 50:37, Ezek 30:5) 5. Abraham forbad Eliezer to take a wife for Isaac of Canaanites (Gen 24:1-4)...6. Abraham sent all his sons of the concubines, and even of his second wife, far away from Isaac so their descendents would not mix (Gen 25:1-6)...19. Jews recognized as a separate people in all ages because of God's choice and command (Mt 10:6 Jn 1:11) Equal rights in the gospel gives no right to break this eternal law...29. Wearing Garments of mixed fabrics forbidden (Dt 22:11 Lev 19:19) 30. Christians and certain other pepole of a like race are to be segregated (Mt 18:15-17 I Cor 5:9-13,6:15, 2 Cor 6:14-18, Eph 5:11, 2Th 3:6-16, I Tim 6:5, 2 Tim 3:5[....]" (page 159 of NT)

Recent editions no longer include the "30 reasons for segregation". A note from the Dake family website explains, "...And so in the fall of 1996, we discussed the matter as a family and made a unanimous decision to edit or remove any note that could possibly be misconstrued as a racist comment. The first printing to reflect these changes was done in January 1997"

These "30 reasons..." are examples of separation via cultural, nationalistic, and ritual taken from various OT & NT books. Finis Dake grew up in an era and an area where this was definately a topic of debate in Christian and social circles--some fought for an end to injustice, some fought to keep the status quo. Racism and the use of Biblical text to explain, support or justify racism was simply a reality of the time and place--certainly not a logical or fair one.

Seeing these beliefs practiced and justified by so many other Christian leaders of his era and previous, trying to understand why such a separation _still_ existed in Christianity despite the words attributed to Paul, etc., I am not surprised this one list on this topic made inclusion with so many others. The mention of "Miscegenation" suggests modern application, as Dake had to define this term in #4. This perhaps speaks of the danger of literalism and interpretation and how precarious it is to attempt defining or understanding situations far removed from their original historical context. Nor is Dake alone in this regard, for the footnote on the 1945 edition Scofield Bible I obtained contains questionable interpretations of the story of Noah, Shem, and Ham in Genesis, which also seems to have been noted by Dake.

There are decent online sources available which give more of Finis Jennings Dake's personal history and beliefs. I did find this Bible interesting for the view it gave into a Charismatic Christian way of considering things. Clearly this was a labor of love and a lot of work went into it--hence 4 stars (I have no doctrinal opinion to share here--it is what it is).

This Bible has an incredible amount of information in it and if you are serious about studying the Bible this is a must. That being said, you need to make sure you are well grounded in scripture because his views may be questionable at times. Furthermore, unless you have great eyesight, BUY THE LARGE PRINT EDITION. Even the large print is only 10 point, the regular print is very very small on the notes and at 40, my eyes couldn't read it without straining. If anyone from DAKE ever reads this, you need to print a tabbed version. Great Bible for the advanced student.

This was the first study Bible I received as a young Christian...and man, if Dake said it, it had to be true. When I became "aware," as I like to put it, of Dake's fallibility, I suddenly became imbued with a desire to check all my sources. And now, many years later, the continuing longevity of the Dake Bible has been nothing but astounding to me. (For those interested, Leon Bible has produced a little booklet called Finis J. Dake's Annotated Bibliography: The Sources Used in His Collective Writings. The only word I can use to describe a good portion of his sources is ANTIQUATED.)

Granted, the man had a gift if we can believe some of the stories written about him. It has been said that Dake could quote the entire NT verbatim, even giving appropriate verses and chapter changes (Lester Sumrall, Pioneers of the Faith, pg. 71). However, there is something terribly amiss in much of Dake's theology. An example is in order.

Concerning the "kenosis," particularly with regard to what it was that Christ "emptied" himself of, Dake writes that "It could not have been His divine nature, for He was God...from all eternity" (pg. 218). However, it is impossible to ascertain exactly what Dake believed constituted the divine nature because he follows his statement that Christ did empty himself of "His divine attributes and outward powers that He had with the Father from eternity. He had no power to do miracles until He received the Holy Spirit in all fullness" (218). While Dake's first statement appears to be an improvement on the Christology of other adherents from the 19th-century-movement called Kenoticism (which held that what Christ emptied himself of was, in fact, "the form of God," or his deity [Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed., pg. 749]), the blatant contradiction that "He could do nothing of Himself in all His earthly life" (Dake, pg. 218) makes it clear that Dake was more than a little misguided in his Christology.

One thing that can be said about Dake's magnum opus is that it is ambitious--hence the reason for the extra 1/2 star--an E for effort, if you will. Nevertheless, the Bible is too dated (especially with regard to archaeological and historical data) and, quite honestly, too fraught with theological errors (the most notable complaint among reviewers) to be considered a study Bible of any valid worth.

I own several study bibles, yet I still find myself using the Dakes most often. Its completeness and thouroughness is still unmatched up to now. The concordance is so complete you would not need a separate one. Plus the fact that it is written in the Authorized Version makes it even more beautiful. This is truly a work of someone guided by the Holy Spirit. A real necessity for those who take thier Bible study seriously.

This is the best reference Bible I have ever read. In my opinion, the vaule of the material is priceless. If you are a minister of the gospel, it is impossible for you to read this book without having a new sermon revealed to you each and every time you use it. The reference and footnotes are excellent!

Bless Your Spirit

Rev. Matt Yarbrough, Jr.

Dr. Daske's classic work is the most thouroughly researched study Bible currently available. Dake is the finest prophecy scholar I have ever read, he never got into sensationalism (forcing current events into Bible prophecy). If one could only have one Bible study tool, the Dake Bible should be it.

My Dad got me a copy of this Bible for Christmas (we celebrated early this year). It is useful, but I am glad that I didn't pay for it. The sheer volume of notes (some helpful, some unnecessary, some down-right heretical!) in this study Bible cause the actual Scriptures to seem like an afterthought. It quickly becomes apparent why Mr. Dake had to open his own publishing company, as many of the notes will be found objectionable to pretty much every different theological perspective out there. Dake put a lot of time into making sure that the reader will understand his point of view on things. I found his views on Salvation, (i.e the Assurance & Security of ones' personal Salvation), with his oft reoccuring insistance within the notes that every Christian loses their Salvation each time that we fall into sin, at which point we must repent and ask forgiveness in order to be (re)born again, and again, and again, and again... to be ESPECIALLY troubling. (not to mention his strange comments on the Trinity, and on alleged events prior to Genesis 1:2...). I would classify Dake's theology as Uber-Dispensational-quasi-Covenant-works-grace-polytheistic-egomaniacal-wackoism.

This being said, there are quite a few helpful insights and features in this Bible. But, not many that you couldn't find in a study Bible from a reputable publisher, and with an editor(s) that display(s) some degree of accountability. Dake seems to really like making lists on various subjects. This is sometimes helpufl, sometimes amusing, and, in his case, a tad obsessive compulsive.

This Bible is only for the HIGHLY discerning conservative Christian who can distinguish between sound doctrine and heresy, or for those who want to start a heretic cult. There is a lot of truth within Dake's notes, but you have to wade through some pretty deep weeds from time to time to get to it... I like that it has an exhaustive concordance in the back (among it's oodles of other dandy features which you may or may not need), and the bonded leather edition is of very good quality. AND, it's printed in Minsk! (Which is, of course, irrelavent.)

This Bible is absolutely awesome! It give such detail that you can't NOT understand the scriptures. With Hebrew and Greek translations, it just comes alive. The writing is TINY so you might need some glasses, but other than that, I have not been able to put it down. My understanding of the most basic scripture is much more clear.