Customer Reviews

The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with Apocrypha

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I carried a Revised English Bible with me through all three years of seminary; and constantly compared it to the Greek and Hebrew texts. Although it is not the most precise, literal translation (here I would lean towards the New Revised Standard because of my personal dislike for the scholarship behind the New American Standard), the sense of language and poetry in the REB is far superior to any reliable translation. For this reason, the REB is the translation that I read from the pulpit.

The scholarly articles and footnotes in the Oxford edition are top-notch; although they have a decidedly Anglican flavor in places they are generally ecumenical and quite informative. If you were to only have one study Bible, this is the one I would recommend.

I have read and compared three translations of the Bible in English: the New International Version, the New Revised Standard Version, and the Revised English Bible. My favorite is the REB. The NRSV is the most literal (except for the gender neutral changes), and it is also the most difficult to read. The NIV is often too informal for my tastes. Although the REB is a scholarly translation, it is the least literal of the three in its phrasings, but less gender-neutral than the NRSV. Because the REB is so well-written, I find that I get more out of reading it than either of the other two, and I tend to use the others primarily for comparison of specific passages.

Reading a study bible with its commentary, study aids, and maps is essential for most of us, especially the beginner. This study bible is one of the best for the layman. It strikes a good balance between what I consider to be too much information (Harper NRSV Study Bible) and too little (Oxford Annotated NRSV Bible).

My only complaint is that this study bible does not come in a nice leather edition. The only leather REB is the superb edition published by Cambridge, but it contains only text with no study aids or maps.

The 200 pages of prefatory articles form a really good introduction to contemporary Biblical scholarship. Twenty scholars offer such titles as "The Social World of the New Testament," "Torah and Covenant," "The Contributions of Archaeology," "The Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Jewish Literature." Each book from Genesis to Revelation has a compact introduction and the chapters are usefully annotated. The translation is perhaps the clearest rendering of the Bible into English ever accomplished. There are 14 wonderful maps (based on the Oxford Bible Atlas) with an index to all place names in the Bible. There is a condensed concordance of people, places and themes. This is a marvelous rendering of faith into words that deserves a place in every library. I notice many of the reviews refer to its "liberal bias" which misrepresents the triumph that is this work. To denounce "liberalism" in this way defends ignorance. To read the Oxford Study Bible is like studying the Bible at a great seminary with brilliant professors offering great lectures employing state-of-the-art scholarship.

This Bible is used in many college courses on the Bible as literature because it is based on very fine non-denominational scholarship of a highly respectable sort (this is what the other reviewers on this site mean when they refer to "liberal bias"). It is in fact an excellent scholarly source for people with no particular religious bias who want to study the Bible as a historical and cultural document. Its notes are extremely useful and informative, and carefully based on recognized modern authorities.

I have neen using this edition of the REB for a month now and I have havn't been this excited about reading the Bible in years. This translation is the best written I have come across.(The JB,NJB,and NEB come close)The words flow for reading silently and for reading outloud. I would wish all my evangelical friends out there who think the NIV is a well written Bible to read the REB for one month. You will be a amazed at the difference between the Bible being alive in the joy of God's words as it reads in the REB and the NIV, where God's words are functional means to get one to read the large amount of notes at the bottom of the page i.e NIV Study, Life Application, or any other gimmick Bible Zondervan, Tyndale, or Nelson can come up with this month.It's the differance between a well-written paperback and work of fine literature. REB is great literature, and beyond all dogma and duty, shouldn't we read the Bible at least once in the most beautiful English available? This translation is it. (2nd choice-NJB-but that is another review)

I carried a Revised English Bible with me through all three years of seminary; and constantly compared it to the Greek and Hebrew texts. Although it is not the most precise, literal translation (here I would lean towards the New Revised Standard because of my personal dislike for the scholarship behind the New American Standard), the sense of language and poetry in the REB is far superior to any reliable translation. For this reason, the REB is the translation that I read from the pulpit.

The scholarly articles and footnotes in the Oxford edition are top-notch; although they have a decidedly Anglican flavor in places they are generally ecumenical and quite informative. If you were to only have one study Bible, this is the one I would recommend.

This book has been a great help to me in familiarizing myself with the actual teachings of Jesus. The best part for me is the notes at the bottom of the pages which refer you to those parts of the Old Testament that he quotes or refers to. It's great for giving context to those scenes where he's giving the Pharisees what-for, and many of the things he quotes are powerful and moving. Many others are outrageously inflammatory; I can see why the Pharisees got so mad at him.

I am also quite pleased with all the context commentary the authors give at the beginning of each book of the bible, indicating the "current events" going on when the various books were written. There are a set of full-color maps in the back which are excellent for "following along" when the narrative describes Jesus or another Biblical character's travels.

To any person new to Christianity, I would heartily recommend that you get this book, start at the Book of Matthew and work your way through the four Gospels first, then go back to the Old Testament. The way this bible is laid out makes it easy and an excellent education.

The Revised English Bible is surely the most underrated and under appreciated version of the bible today. It is a thorough revision of the New English Bible, which was a bold and daring completely new translation from the original languages, published in 1961 and 1970. The REB is an accurate, literary, intelligent version of the Holy Scriptures, with dignified language. It is a somewhat free translation, but transparent to the original languages, as theologian Harvey Cox comments. It is not a paraphrase, but a reliable translation for devotions or study, for layperson or scholar. I found that by reading the REB along side my NRSV New Oxford Annotated Bible, 3rd edition, that the REB actually adopts renderings suggested in the NOAB commentary notes (e.g., Genesis 15). Furthermore, the Oxford Study Bible is one of the very finest study bibles available. True, there are only minor revisions from the 1976 edition, and those mostly for inclusive language and to fit the REB rather than the NEB text. But the notes hold up remarkably well, and I do not see that any of the newer study bibles have much over the Oxford Study Bible. The scholarly articles are also very helpful, and completely brand new. My only complaint is that the print is smaller than the original 1976 edition, but it is still very readable. The Revised English Bible, Oxford Study edition is an excellent study bible. If I was starting all over again, and could only own one edition of the Holy Scriptures, the REB in the Oxford Study Edition would be my choice. It is my new "stranded on a desert island" translation!

I have elsewhere reviewed the Revised English Bible, so suffice it to say that I prefer the New English Bible to the REB, though I must admit that as I transition to using modern language materials, the REB is particularlly useful wen it comes to the Books of the Apocrypha.

I have seen many notes herein about the poetic nature of the REB, and while parts of Ecclesiasticus are definately well done, I find the poetic material to be lacking. One who is searching for a wonderful poetic translation of the Scriptures into modern English should really be investigating the Jerusalem Bible. (See my review on amazon.com). My mark of a great poetic bible is the ability to chant the psalms, hymns, and canticles of the Scriptures flawlessly and simply - and the REB does not permit me to do so.

As to the edition in hand, the Oxford notes are, as usual, a plethora of context, context, context. While I don't agree with a great deal of modern Biblical scholarship, I find Oxford's articles to be very enlightening and easy to use. I have several Oxford Study Bibles (New American Bible, New English Bible, Revised Standard Version) and have found them all to be excellent resources. The REB Study Bible, which I purchased for use in Seminary, is another worthy addition to Oxford's line.

I still use it to this day for personal growth, sermon preparation, and individual devotion, and I believe you will find it to be a worthwhile addition to your library as well.

The Revised English Bible is a joy to read; the text is clear, fluid, and does not read at all like a translation. The various study helps in the Oxford Study Bible put the text into context. The study articles are particularly good, and the foonotes give good basic information without being too overwhelming.

On occasion words are used that Americans may not be familiar with, such as calumny, obdurate, and betide, and the text does read at a literary level, but is still clear.

The text is not as gender-inclusive as the New Revised Standard Version, but more so than the New International Version; the English is also not as "British" as the New Jerusalem Bible. For sheer reading pleasure this translation is the best.