Customer Reviews

The Access Bible, New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha (Paperback 9872A)

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

 

 

This is a terrific resource for readers who really desire to grow in their understanding of the Bible and Biblical times. The notes are very good, providing pertinent historical and cultural information and insightful analysis. They're straight forward and really help to illuminate the entire Bible, especially the more difficult passages. They're also user- friendly, providing the information right there rather than sending the reader off on a hunt through a maze of cross references.

My comparisons are with the NIV Study Bible (which I found too conservative and rigid)and the Harper-Collins Study Bible (which I found too technical and almost secular in their approach). This Bible strikes a happy medium--real,user friendly scholarship, presented in an uplifting way. For me it really helps in sorting out the time bound, cultural aspects of the Bible from the eternal truths we should cling to forever.

If I have one complaint, it's that there are no headings within the text to help the reader locate specific passages (e.g., "The Transfiguration" or "Feeding the 5,000.") But that's pretty picky--it's a wonderful book!

Another evangelical christian who loves this Bible! Although the introductions and notes have a liberal leaning, the amount of objective historical and cultural information is amazing. In my opinion this is not a Bible for beginners although it is much more accessible than the New Oxford Annotated or the HarperCollins. This Bible offers a unique format with commentary interspersed throughout the text rather than at the bottom of the page which helps with continuous reading. The sidebar essays are helpful and thought provoking. This Bible gives you a lot of background information but lets you think for yourself! Used alongside an evangelical study Bible such as the NIV Study Bible any reader has the best scholarship available from various perspectives. The bold, clear print that Oxford uses in this (and their other study Bibles) is easy to read and I would love it if evangelical study Bibles would follow Oxford's lead in this regard. If you want to gain better understanding of the Bible in its historical context, choose this Bible as one of your main study editions!

The Access Bible is the best study Bible I have found. The notes are basic enough that you don't feel like the notes should have notes, but they are scholarly enough that you feel like you have a good sense of the passage you just read. The focus is on things that are central and relevant, not esoteric and only interesting to specialists.

I particularly like the way the notes and text alternate, rather than using footnotes. I find it very difficult to read back and forth between text and footnotes, so have the Bible broken down into a portion of Biblical text and then a portion of notes works very well for me.

While the frankness with which current scholarship is presented might offend some very conservative readers (the Bible, for example, makes no attempt to pretend that Genesis 1-2 presents a literal account of creation and instead points out the differences between the two creation accounts), I think that there is something in here for most Christians of any denomination or theological persuasion, as well as for non-Christians seeking to understand what mainline Christian biblical scholarship and interpretation looks like.

As an agnostic forced to take a religion course by his school, I have been extremely pleased with this version's commentary and treatment of biblical issues. It presents an in-depth, non-biased analysis of events from both a historical and a spiritual point of view. My college's RE101 courses all focus on different aspects of Christian doctrine. Some focus on Christian ethics; others on Christian history and characters; others on controversial biblical issues (racism, violence, semitism, etc); yet others are prevalently surveys of history and archaeology of the Bible as a piece of writing.

The Access Bible has something for everyone. The commentary is detailed, thorough, well-researched, and presents opposing views. As translation issues are also discussed in the extensive footnotes, the book is also a decent basic companion to courses in Greek.

Overall, a recommended buy for beginning and slightly advanced students of biblical history and tradition. The price is good, and for exceeding 2000 pages the book's paperback edition is surprisingly lightweight, which is a definite plus for students. :)

A few of the pages were wrinkled and the book contained much highlighting. Received as described online, but the price wasn't great.

I love the commentary in this Bible and of course the NRSV with apocrypha is my preferred Bible.

HOWEVER, I have found pages 255 through 270 missing in my version. there may be more, but I have not taken the time to review it.

I am asking for a replacement or refund - I prefer a replacement because, as I say, I really like the accompanying commentary.

Before you purchase this Bible, be sure the error has been corrected.