Customer Reviews

NRSV Reference Edition with Apocrypha Black calfskin leather NRA27

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

 

 

Cambridge makes the best Bibles. No other publisher can compare
with the quality of their Bibles, not even Oxford. This edition
of the NRSV is elegant. It feels good and has a fairly good
print size. The NRSV has become the standard translation for
many churches and scholars around the world. It is an excellent
translation, but like all translations has some weaknesses. Do
not let the criticism of others deter you from
choosing this Bible. Again, all translations have weaknesses,
but the NRSV gets an A- from me, while the RSV gets an A+. If
the NRSV is your translation of choice (and it frequently is for
me) then buy this Bible.

What good is there in having a Bible unless it is one you will read? In an attempt to find a Bible that had large enough print, easy to understand verbage, a translation that did not continue the errors of the King James Version, and contained the Apocrypha (why it has been removed from mainline versions is beyond my understanding), in a geniune leather binding was like searching for the Holy Grail. Until I saw this Bible. It is the most beautifully presented volume of the Holy Writ I have seen in a long time. Even the cover has become as an old friend beckoning me to pick it up and to read it. It is bound so well that it will provide decades of service. The leather has a rich feel to it and is leather of the highest quality. The paper is not India but has the same feel and quality to it. There is not any "bleed through" from my Bible highlighters. The chapter headings are accurate and the traditional verse numbering does not distract from the contextual flow. The only drawback is the attempt of the editors to make it non-gender specific. Some of the verses one has memorized from the KJV seem almost sacriledge now that the gender has been sterilzed. All-in-all I shall treasure this Bible as my favorite study/reference Bible for many years to come.

This is a beautiful Bible. It's just a few things short of being perfect; the pages seem to be slightly offset (the page edges on the right side don't look as straight as they could be), one of the ribbons is fraying slightly (easily fixable). Another thing I was disappointed in was the box that it came in; it didn't come in Cambridge's "A Cambridge Bible" double slipcase like pictured, but a gray case with a red ribbon-like pattern on it. I'm not a huge fan of the Apocrypha, but I don't mind it being in there.

The look, the feel, the smell, and every other characteristic of this book is of the highest quality. Unfortunately, I was looking for an heirloom book to give as a gift to a family member. Missing are a family history section and a concordance, two key features that have high value as a family bible. I was greatly disappointed in these omissions.

Yes, indeed, Cambridge makes the highest quality bibles in the world if we are looking merely at paper quality, gilding, typeface, clarity, binding, and leather. They do a sensational job with the basics of production.

However, with that said, I just wish they would choose a more conservative translation of the bible. The NRSV leaves much to be desired as a bible translation. The press for "gender equity in translation" [a dubious goal at best] caused these revisors to botch several essential messianic prophecies. With that said, I could still preach the gospel from an NRSV, I would simply have to avoid certain texts.

Yet there is no reason to compromise in this English speaking world. We have many other better translations, such as the NASB, the NKJV, and the NIV. There are many lovely bibles made in these translations. Why not choose one of them?