Customer Reviews

NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been using the New King James Bible since 1984, but prior had bought an NIV published by Zondervan back in the early 1980's that was called the NIV Pictorial Bible. Have searched many times unsuccessfully to find a newer copy, since my original is pretty beaten up.

Coming upon this new Archaeological Study Bible by Zondervan in NIV I could hardly believe my eyes. Finally this was the bible I had been seaching for, but this copy is a vast improvement over the older NIV Pictorial Bible. Where the old Pictorial, for example, had 1266 pages, this newer Bible has 2306.

I differ from several reviewers in that I am now using this Bible as my main, daily study Bible. Yes, the print is small, but even at 62 years of age and retired, I can handle that without difficulty. Plus the added feature of the CD-ROM included with this Bible allows one to load it into the computer to read off-line when desired. Thank you Zondervan, a very nice added feature to this Bible.

Since I purchased a black, top grain leather covered Bible, the only smell I receive is one of newness, and leather. Possibly the glue on the bonded or lesser copies accounts for that. But since I will be using the Bible as an everyday one, I opted for the leather. When active in ministry I had a few bonded leather copies, and they just don't hold up. I have found through experience the full leather is the best for my use.

I could not be happier with this Bible. And though it is termed an "archaeological" Bible, it is much, much more than that. While it does offer archaeological information, it equally offers social, historical, and cultural as well. This is the best well rounded Bible I have ever seen.

If you are seeking a very exceptional Bible, I would suggest you at least look this one over.

Semper Fi.

The concept of the Archaeological Study Bible is a unique one. Our understanding of Biblical times, places, and customs have been greatly advanced (especially in the last century) by the work of archaeologists. It seems natural to have a study Bible that provides the reader insight into the archaeological discoveries that directly relate to Biblical accounts. While the concept is good, and while this study Bible has many solid and interesting insights, the product is not yet refined.

The Bible is the account of God's activity in the world from its creation through its redemption, through its end, to the establishment of the New Heavens and the New Earth. The text of the various Biblical books finds their center of gravity in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Indeed every book of the Bible is about Jesus. The NIV is translation that has enjoyed widespread use over the past several decades...even if its popularity is waning. The NIV translation strives to strike a balance between faithfulness to the original language of the text and readability; but if a difficult reading occurs and the translators have to make a choice between a wooden-yet-accurate translation or a readable-yet-paraphrased translation, they go with the latter. The NIV is easy to read "in your head," but doesn't sound very majestic when read out loud (e.g. in a worship service).

The footnotes and articles provided by the editors of the Archaeological Study Bible provide insights into the culture, customs, geography, and other idiosyncrasies of the period covered by the Biblical text. Common building techniques are covered; unique aspects of language (Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic) are brought out; important historical persons (who may or may not appear in the text) are analyzed; and the state of world-politics is emphasized. The conservative view that holds the authority of the Bible highly and presumes the historical accuracy of accounts is the paradigm through which the editors devise their notes--although they started out de-emphasizing the Biblical account of creation (hinging on the Hebrew "yom") and questioning the world-wide nature of the Flood (citing watermarks on local mountains only). But beyond these debatable points, the footnotes are solid. They often address points of isogogical/archaeological debate (e.g. who authored a particular book).

Yet, the Archaeological Study Bible is still not as good as it could be. Many of their notes only tangentially relate to the text and do not aid in the reader's understanding. One example occurs in Job 3 where Scripture reads that Job scratched his sores with potsherds. A large box then explains the great importance of potsherds in archaeology (dating, identifying cultures, trading partners, etc.). It is interesting, but knowing about the archaeological importance of potsherds doesn't deepen my understanding of Job. A photograph or artistic rendering of what one of those potsherds (or pots) might have looked like would have been much more helpful. Further, many of the photographs included have little (if anything) to do with the text or note. Few maps and diagrams are included that would have greatly illuminated my understanding of the layout of cities, characteristics of evolving technology, travelogues of the Israelites, Paul, Joshua's army, etc.

Unique neither-good-nor-bad aspects of this study Bible should be mentioned. One understandable aspect of the notes is that the historical portions of the Bible receive a fuller treatment in the footnotes than poetry or the epistles. Again, while the Archaeological Study Bible does a good job of keeping itself free of testy doctrinal debates, it will often point out Old Testament Messianic prophesy, summaries of Paul's points in his epistles, and possible explanations of John's visions in Revelation.

I neither recommend this study Bible, nor advise against buying it. The overall impression I get is that the editors or publishers couldn't decide if they wanted to attract a wide readership (hence the less-accurate NIV translation and notes about doctrine and prophesy) or a narrow, specialized audience (use of jargon, lack of maps). The end result is that neither group will be entirely satisfied. If you do decide that this would be a helpful study Bible for you, I would recommend buying the least expensive available--future editions will certainly be forthcoming featuring streamlined notes and updated archaeological discoveries (which are new every year; indeed, I cannot recall whether the recently-discovered ossuary of James or remnants of the first-century Christian church is mentioned in the notes). In all: an excellent concept with strong indications that the scholars and editors worked hard on this study Bible, but the end result leaves room for improvement, which I expect will come in future editions.

Hardcover Edition

Like: This is a beautiful Bible and the parchment-type pages add to the beauty. The colorful artwork and articles are interesting and helpful, as are the footnotes. It's a temptation to go through and read all the archaeological and historical notes right away just because they look cool. There is a sense, with the articles and info right with the Scriptures, that I'm gaining a great deal more. I've gone back to reading the Bible every night...THAT makes it worth it.

Dislike: I did find the type to be extremely small, especially the footnotes, and this was with my reading glasses on; however, with very good light it's not a problem.

Also disliked the fact that the writers had to put NIV disclaimers in some of the articles. I found that to be odd.

Note: The Bible is rather large, but no larger than a four version parallel one and it fits into an extra-large Bible cover.

Added Note: At the time of purchase I was using reading glasses, it was hard to read even WITH the glasses on and worse without---blurry. :)

For serious students of the bible, this is a valuable resource.Fonts, smell, whatever, aside, the important thing is the content! When we read our bibles we're trying to put ourselves back in time, to experience what those biblical people experienced for the first time; to hear, smell and taste what everyday life was like, and to have some small sense of God entering our lives.

The contents of this book can help. The translation doesn't matter - use whatever one you want. But where else will you find Noah and Gilgamesh, prayers by David and prayers to Marduke, side by side?

I wouldn't use this bible for devotions, but I would certainly use it for LEARNING!

I am commenting specifically on the kindle version.

I first spotted this book at the bookstore several years back and was intrigued. [...]

I then spotted this as a Kindle version for $3.99. (Looks like it's gone up to $19.99). At that point it was a no-brainer.

This is a fantastic reference. The amount of background material is extraordinary. The hyptertext cross-reference capability of the kindle version is superb. Images are also nicely rendered. In short, this is a cadillac kindle Bible version like no other, except for an LDS Version of the KJV Bible that I use which has great cross reference hyperlinks, but has some indexing problems (see my review of that product at http://www.amazon.com/eLibrary-Blackberry-Dedicated-Devices-ebook/dp/B0035647FK/ref=cm_cr-mr-title). In terms of a Bible Kindle version, I think this NIV wins out over all others.

I simply could not believe that I got such a fantastic reference in terms of content and kindle navigation. I guess initial takeup was good and they've since up'ed the price. [...]

If you own another version of the bible I would highly recommend purchasing this version for the historical commentary alone. I am a graduate divinity student and it is an invaluable resource. Admittedly, the NIV translation is not perfect but the footnotes and commentary are without equal. Furthermore, the commentary and footnotes are hermeneutically and exegetically more "to the point" and actually more scholarly than the footnotes in some of the allegedly more academically accepted versions of the bible. The cross referencing of verses is also more extensive than most bibles I have used. I have been faulted for using this text as a primary biblical reference, however the footnotes and commentary simply make it too valuable to ignore. You cannot call yourself a serious student of scripture without having access to this text.

This Bible has become my new favorite NIV study Bible. I have several NIV Bibles, but nothing compares to this one. It supplements my reading of scripture and aids my understanding in ways I didn't think possible. It inspires me to read scripture every chance I get.

Reading and studying the Old Testament is often a challenge for me, but with the Archaeological Study Bible, it really helps put scripture in better context. It's fascinating to read all the notes concerning ancient texts, artifacts, peoples, lands, culture and history. The color pictures are better than I ever expected for a hardback edition under $50.

My only qualm is the font/text size, as it is a bit of an eyestrain after an hour or so of reading. But, I understand that with well over 2,000 pages, font size is often compromised.

I was able to preview several pages from this book at the Zondervan website. That was all I needed to realize that this was the Bible for me!

There is much that one could find to criticize in this Bible: size (huge), typeface (small), translation (outdated), pseudo-parchment pages (distracting), the predictability of the conclusions the annotators draw (always conservative).

Do not, however, waste time carping about the deficiencies. This is a heavily annotated work of real scholarship. Many conservative annotators ignore or give short shrift to contrasting views, but the annotations in this Bible discuss issues from all perspectives, giving the contrasting views a full hearing before deciding against them. Who says conservative scholars aren't scholarly? This Bible would not be out of place on the shelf beside the New Interpreter's Study Bible, the New Oxford Annotated Bible, and the HarperCollins Study Bible--which is exactly where I plan to place my copy.

A FOOTNOTE: The more I use this Bible, the better I like it, but they really need to hire a new proofreader for the second edition. Two examples: 1. "collaborate" is used for "corroborate." 2. Roman soldiers are referred to as "legionaires" rather than "legionaries." The singular form for the Roman soldier is "legionary," not "legionaire." Despite the dissonance of the occasional spelling error, I still rank the Bible as top rate. Detailed comparison of its annotations to the three study bibles mentioned above reveals this Bible's annotations to be more complete and informative.

For perhaps the first time, the Archaeological Study Bible makes discoveries in the field of Biblical Archeology available to the average Bible student. The in depth articles bring life to the historical contexts in which many Biblical stories take place. The custom maps and photos of various artifacts vividly illustrate study material.

The only disappointment is the CD included with the Bible. Rather than the interactive software one would hope for from such a quality resource, the CD essentially only contains photos of artifacts seen in the Archaeological Study Bible.

However, even with this minor disappointment, the Archaeological Study Bible is a tremendous resource for any serious student of the Bible.

I love the notes and history, however, in the Kindle version you can not tell where the Biblical text ends and the notes and history begin. The publishers need to put the Biblical text in a different color or font, or keep the Bible at the top of the screen and the notes at the bottom. Somehow, there should be a break so the reader knows immediately which is the Bible and which is the history.