Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, But Not a Good Study Bible, February 21, 2006
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At the outset, recognize that different readers want different Bibles. E.g., a reader may want a coffee-table Bible, a devotional Bible, or a study Bible. The reader may want a Bible that gives the interpretation of a passage (regardless of the passage's literal language); or, the reader may want the Bible to translate the language from Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic accurately, and to make up his or her own mind about the passage's meaning. One reader may be distressed if language favors the male gender; another reader may be distressed if the publisher changes the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic canon text to make language more gender-neutral.
This review assumes the reader wants an Updated NASB Bible. The Updated NASB Bible: (i) translates the language from Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic literally; and (ii) follows the canon text with respect to gender. If the reader wants a Bible that gives a passage's interpretation, rather than the passage's literal translation, that reader may be happier with a Message Bible (or similar Bible), which gives a modern paraphrase of the literal translation. If the reader wants gender-neutral language, the reader may be happier with a New Revised Standard Version, which uses inclusive pronouns.
First, the pluses of the Scofield Updated NASB Study Bible.
This Bible is beautiful. The leather is of excellent quality. The gold leaf is flawless. The pages are neatly-arranged, and the arrangement renders the Bible very user-friendly. The print is somewhat larger than the print of competing study Bibles, making the Scofield Bible more convenient for those with poor eyesight.
Second, the minuses.
Where New Testament language quotes a passage from the Old Testament, the NASB translation emphasizes the reference by using a different typeface: small capitalized letters. This is an excellent feature. However, inexplicably, Scofield rarely identifies the Old Testament passage that is being quoted. The reader is left frustrated, knowing that the small-caps language quotes an Old Testament passage, but with no convenient way to locate the passage being quoted (forcing the reader to do what I am doing: have both a Scofield Study Bible and a Zondervan Study Bible in front of him or her, and read the two together-a time-consuming, bulky, and expensive method that calls into question the rationale for buying the Scofield Bible in the first place).
Also, the quality of Scofield's footnotes varies wildly. I bought the Scofield Bible because I compared its notes on one particular topic with the notes of competing Bibles, and found Scofield's notes to be more helpful than the others. I assumed that Scofield's superiority on that one topic would carry through the rest of the Scofield Bible.
That assumption was incorrect.
Some text that desperately needs extensive footnoting has little or none (which is probably how Scofield could produce a study Bible about the same size as a comparable Zondervan Study Bible but with larger print). As one example, Scofield has four notes in Mark explaining the Olivet Discourse; Zondervan has 29.
Some notes are poorly-written. As one example, the note describing Judas Iscariot in connection with Matthew 26:14 says Judas was "One of the twelve disciples of Jesus who betrayed Him." The note implies that there were more than 12 disciples, 12 disciples betrayed Jesus, and Judas was one of the 12 who betrayed Him. The note should read (simply to be grammatically correct, and without regard to the additional information the note would need in order to be more nearly accurate and complete), "One of the 12 disciples of Jesus; the disciple who betrayed Him."
Some footnotes contain interpretations that are simply incorrect. As one example, recall the Parable of the Landowner. In that parable, a landowner walls off his property, installs a grape press, and leases the property to vine-growers. The landowner sends a slave to collect the rents; the vine-growers beat him and send him on his way, empty-handed. The same scene is repeated multiple times; the vine-growers beat some of the slaves, and kill others. Finally, the landowner sends his son. The vine-growers kill the son. Plainly, the landowner in the parable is God. The slaves are the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist. The landowner's son is Jesus. The vine-growers are the Pharisees (and presumably the Sadducees and Herodians). But, the note to Mark 12:1 maintains that "the vine-growers . . . are the O.T. prophets and John the Baptist." I.e., according to the note, the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist-not the Pharisees (and Sadducees and Herodians)-persecuted Jesus and caused him to be crucified.
Scofield's sloppiness and errors, such as those described in the examples above, render its notes on less-clear parables, discourses, and other material highly suspect.
In short, while the Scofield Updated NASB Study Bible may have some usefulness in one's library, and is certainly beautiful, the serious student would be better off buying a Bible with better references, more notes, and better note scholarship.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great Bible , January 4, 2007
First, just let me say that this Bible is of excellent quality. I find the binding looks good and feels good to touch. The type is comfortable to read and the thumb index is very helpful. Not all Bibles have that thumb-index and if you are as out of practice reading your Bible as I was, these will be very helpful! Especially in Sunday School class if you have a teacher who is very familiar with the scripture and likes to jump around a lot.
I completely agree with Scofield on every point and every note. The doctrine he espouses goes hand in hand with the actual words of our Lord. Scofield excudes common sense when dealing with such things as the Creation (a very sticky point and a stumbling block for me in the past, but no more). Some might be offended by his Creation explanation, because he does not adhere to the 6 24-hour day fundamentalist view. This was one of the things that actually SOLD me on this Bible. Fundamentalists may not like this Bible for that reason, but it has been the answer for me.
The New American Standard translation is easy to read in comparison to the King James Version. It is less contemporary than the NIV, but I find that the NIV goes too far sometimes in its contemporary language and robs some of the strength of the text. Not so with the NASB ... it's taken out all of the Thees and Thous and Verilys, but the urgency of the text is still felt on every page. This is not a Bible that has watered down Jesus' message. It does not take a "namby pamby" approach to your salvation. It clearly and emphatically tells you what is required of you to enter the Kingdom of Heaven ... one way and only one way.
The Notes and insets are quite informative and helpful. There are some nice maps in the back.
I highly recommend this Bible for those of you who had your religion educated out of you in one of our liberal institutes of higher learning.
God bless you.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Reference Bible, July 13, 2006
First let me say that if you don't like the NASB you are entitled to that opinion. Don't buy this Bible or any other using this version.
If you like the NASB or if you want to try one of the better "modern" translations then this is an excellent investment. The quality of construction is outstanding. Oxford has done a great job in this regard.
For those looking for a comprehensive "Study Bible" let me advise you to try another. For me, the Scofield is a "reference" Bible. The notes have more to do with CI Scofield advancing his ideas about dispensationalism. There are many notes related to prophecy because of this and you will find them pretty much in keeping with the current views among evangelicals of the pre-trib camp. Still the notes can be sparse. If verse explanations and background is what you are looking for this is not the Bible for you.
If you want a more thorough Study Bible in this particular translation I would recommend the NASB Study Bible by Zondervan (using the same notes from the NIV Study Bible).
The advantage to the Scofield in general is the way that the text is layed out. The outlining with the headings (and subheadings) within the text is unparalleled. The topical and cross reference system is also top notch. The indexes to notes and subjects in the back are very helpful.
The Scofield has been a mainstay in evangelical Christianity for 100 years because of the insight of CI Scofield that has helped many to understand God's plan through the ages and the overall excellence of Oxford in producing these Bibles. It takes its place right alongside the Thompson Chain as one of the great Bibles of the last century.
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by Ted Cabal
