The HarperCollins Study Bible: Fully Revised & Updated [Hardcover]

Harold W. Attridge (Author), Society of Biblical Literature (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 22, 2006

The landmark general reference Bible that offers the full text of the New Revised Standard Version, now completely revised and updated by leading biblical scholars, including, new introductions and notes, diagrams, charts and maps––25% revised or new material.

After 10 years of new archeological discoveries and changes in biblical studies, it was time for an overhaul of this classic reference work.

With the guidance of the Society of Biblical Literature, an organization of the best biblical scholars world wide, we have selected Dean of Yale Divinity School, Harold Attridge, to oversee the Study Bible's updating and revision.

• The fundamental strengths of the first HCSB remain . . .

up–to–date introductions to the Biblical books, based on the latest critical scholarship, by leading experts in the field

concise notes, clearly explaining names, dates, places, obscure terms, and other difficulties in reading the Biblical text

careful analysis of the structure of Biblical books

abundant maps, tables, and charts to enable the reader to understand the context of the Bible, and to see the relationship among its parts.

• But, in this new revised edition . . .

Every introduction, essay, map, illustration and explanatory note has been reviewed and updated, and new material added. For instance,

There are newly commissioned introductory essays on

the archaeology of ancient Israel and the New Testament world,

the religion of ancient Israel,

the social and historical context of each book of the Bible, and

on Biblical interpretation

There are completely new introductions and notes for many of the books in the Bible, plus a full revision and updating of all others.

Of special interest are:

The literary history of the Pentateuch (those books between the Old and New Testament that Catholics include in their Bible)

More references to ancient non–Biblical sources which seem to parallel books in the Bible like the Gnostic gospels uncovered in Egypt or the famous scrolls found near the Dead Sea in Israel.

And, more comprehensive attention to the interrelationship of Old and New Testaments

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Harold W. Attridge, Ph.D., is Dean of Yale University Divinity School and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament. He has published many scholarly contributions to New Testament exegesis and to the study of Hellenistic Judaism and the history of the early Church. He also has served as the president of the Society of Biblical Literature.

The Society of Biblical Literature is a nine-thousand-member international group of experts on the Bible and related fields.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2208 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; Rev Upd edition (August 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006078685X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060786854
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.9 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Bibles

More About the Author

Harold W. Attridge, Ph.D., is Dean of Yale University Divinity School and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament. He has published many scholarly contributions to New Testament exegesis and to the study of Hellenistic Judaism and the history of the early Church. He also has served as the president of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 89 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Difference between Study and Student versions March 23, 2009

By E. Murray

Format:Hardcover

The only difference between the student and study version is that the study version has a concordance while the student version doesn't. That is the difference in page numbers and material. All other material and bonus features are the same.

Was trying for ages to figure out the difference as I wanted to get the most complete Bible I could and was seeing that the student version had less pages, which one would not expect. Hope this helps others in their purchasing.

163 of 178 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Shoddy Production, Excellent Text November 26, 2006

By Benjamin R. Finger

Format:Paperback

For years this text has been a staple of many a classrooms. This text and the notes themselves are superb. Hands down this was for many years a spectacular production. However all this is ruined by HarperCollins recent production of this text with shoddy design and materials.

The version listed here has been significantly changed. The layout is cramped at best. The margins are minuscule leaving little to no room for personal comments or notes within the text. Which seems kind of ridiculous for a student bible not having room for the student to make notes in. They have additionally changed the font in this text making it even more difficult to read. It is to narrow now and plays havoc on the eyes.

The maps are horrible! Instead of drawn maps they have been rendered by digital maps that have been pixelated horribly! I am all for digital maps but don't do it in such away that when you look at it everything is blurry and you can't see anything. The maps as they are just seem to take up space. This could have been good had they taken sometime and made good maps. But no we are stuck with horrible maps.

And the space between the columns have been significantly reduced. To the point it is easy to miss the ending of one and continue reading into the other.

The text itself and notes are absolutely wonderful. The quality and production of this text is horrific. So all I can say is buyer beware.

130 of 144 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Of making many Study Bibles there is no end October 25, 2006

By Charles S. Houser VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Every day there seems to be another new study or devotional Bible on the market. If you're not a Bible fetishist, this plethora of choices must be truly mind-boggling. All I can say on behalf of the "Fully Revised and Updated Harper Collins Study Bible" is that the first edition was great and the revised edition has some nice enhancements. First, it comes with a concordance that is complete enough to help readers find key passages, but not so long as to make the book too thick and bulky to handle. Also, the Bible includes five articles that provide clear explanations of important topics every Bible reader should be aware of: Strategies for Reading Scripture; Israelite Religion; The Greco-Roman Context of the New Testament; The Bible and Archaeology; and Archaeologoy and the New Testament. Many of the introductions to individual books of the Bible have been revised. The scholarship in the articles and introductions is consistently good and they are written in language that is sensitive to both the person of faith and to those people who may be interested in the Bible as literature who don't want to have doctrinal positions foisted upon them. The notes, the editors assure us, have also been thoroughly revised. The Bible employs the New Revised Standard Version (which has not changed since the earlier 1993 editon of the HCSB was first published) and includes the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, those books read by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians but not by all Protestant traditions. If you only want to buy one study Bible, this may be the one for you.