Rating: 
Summary: Helpful up to a point
Review: After extensively using the Harper Collins for personal study, I must conclude that it is a mixed bag. The scholarship is certainly excellent and the translation trustworthy, but the study notes seem to have been written by people who do not believe in God. For example, this was especially noticeable in Isaiah, where the idea of prophecy as a vision of the future is not even entertained, even to argue against it. Therefore the reader is not given the option of making up their own minds as to the nature of miracles or the supernatural. While I understand that this is an issue which individuals must decide for themselves, I am a little disturbed that this viewpoint wasn't even considered. In my opinion, it calls into question the usefulness of the notes, since it is difficult to imagine reading the Bible separated from God's influence on the world.It is a good counterpart to the NIV study bible, which gives a more religious viewpoint, for example offering evidence that Isaiah was written by one person based on similarities in the text throughout. Again, you must make up your own mind, but the NIV does provide both viewpoints. For historical information and a glimpse into what the original texts must say, it is excellent. But for learning God's will for man, and how to grow closer to Him, I would read it with a grain of salt and an eye to the non-believer's influence.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Study Bible Available in English
Review: As a pastor, I recommend this Bible above all others to my bible classes. The annotations are superior to those found in the New Oxford Annotated, in my opinion. The NRSV is the clearest and most honest translation available in English.
Rating:
Summary: *The* Bible to Have
Review: As another reviewer has written, I have bought two copies of this particular Bible and, should the need ever again arise, I would buy this edition again for a number of reasons.
First, as it is annotated by the Society of Biblical Literature (hereafter, SBL), every book, manuscript tradition and canon (more on this later) is contextualized in two ways: first and foremost in its original historical context (or at least its purported original historical context); second, its later Jewish and Christian canonical-theological tradition (up through about the end of the second century, when these canonical traditions began to really take concrete shape).
This type of "historical criticism" (as it is sometimes called) has the benefit of noting parallels and breaks with other texts of the same era. So, one will read in the notes references to something such as the Gospel of Thomas, early Christian writings and Rabbinic literature, Babylonian creation accounts, etc. The goal of this is not to erase theological understandings of the texts of the Bible, but to place the texts themselves in their original context and let them speak with their own voice as much as possible.
In this way, then, the NRSV is a very Protestant Bible. In keeping with its Protestantism, not only is the Old Testament in this Bible the same as the traditional Protestant Old Testament (39 books), but following Luther and later Protestant editions of the Bible, the "Apocrypha" (an intentionally disparaging term when originally used, which means "hidden" or "esoteric") - the books in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Old Testaments that were never included in the Jewish Bible and were then thrown out of the Protestant Old Testament during the Reformation - are included *between* the Old and New Testaments. Breaking with Protestant anti-Catholicism, however, these books are in no way disparaged but are, instead, recognized by the editors of the NRSV as being accepted as Scripture by a great number of Christians (more Christians accept these books, in fact, than dispute them). To not understand the Apocrypha is to miss out on a huge amount of the larger Biblical world!
The second major reason why I would buy this Bible is due to the fascinating historical essays that open each of the three sections - Old Testament, Apocrypha and New Testament - which are wonderfully helpful for understanding the larger theological canvas that the Scriptures have occupied for Jewish and Christian communities. There are several tables that note the differences between the major canons - Jewish, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant - and in reading these, it becomes clear that books are placed where they are in the Bible for specific theological reasons (the book of Daniel, for example, is considered by Christians to be a prophetic work but not so by Judaism, hence its exclusion from the Prophets and inclusion in the Writings section of the Jewish Bible).
As with many study Bibles, this edition contains maps and diagrams interspersed throughout the text. Manuscript variances are noted clearly but unobtrusively throughout the text as well and the notes are helpful on historical, literary and linguistic lines. Each book contains an introduction, some of which are quite extensive and all of which are, like the other study aids, quite helpful.
It should be noted that unlike many Bibles, this Bible is neither translated nor annotated on a middle school (or lower!) reading level. For those that are genuinely serious about Bible study, though, I can think of no better Bible to begin - and end - with than this edition.
Rating:
Summary: OK version but quite big and unwieldy to hold.
Review: I find I don't use this Bible as much as my other 2 because it's rather bulky and unwieldy to hold on to. The pages are very thin. I actually use this Bible to write notes in and underline passages as its not my best copy. Other reviewers have liked the footnotes in this Bible version - I never bother to read them! They add to the bulk of the book and some take up almost half the page, meaning there's a lot of pages you have to flip through to get to what you want to read. I actually prefer the King James wording a lot of the time as it's shorter and thus better for quotes! This translation is easier to understand, but it's also wordy and thus longer.
Rating:
Summary: Solid... except for the binding
Review: I find the commentaries quite helpful, some a bit more than others. They contain a good balance between historical interpretation and textual analysis. The introductions to the books are particularly strong. The NRSV translation, although frowned upon by some old-world types mired in ancient tradition, seems fresh and direct, just as, in my view, sacred scripture should be. The maps are adequate and colorful, but they physically fell out of the binding not long after purchase. This would be the only real drawback and I imagine an exception rather than the rule.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I have two comments to make. 1) Why has no one yet reviewed this book(not the published version - the book itself)? 2) This book has impacted my life far more than any other book ever. You will not be sorry you read it.
Rating:
Summary: Scholastic integrety and a well balanced translation
Review: I prefer to interpret the relevence of the Bible for myself. The Harper Collins SB presents only the facts, without the typical suasion toward a secular view. It graciously leaves the interpretation up to the reader. The notes are the best I've seen. The translation is a good balance between the literal and the paraphrastic approach; it is lucid, flows well, and is quite accurate. If you are looking for an intelligent scholarly study bible rather than a devotional one, this is the best available. If only it were offered in a leather binding, but this durable and attractive full cloth hardcover is the next best thing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I really enjoy reading this Study Bible. It uses the highly acclaimed New Revised Standard Version and includes many informative annotations. This Study Bible includes an enormous amount of information, something like 60% Bible text and 40% annotations. I have found the notes to be "moderate" theologically, i.e. not too liberal or fundamentalist conservative. This is my personal Study Bible of choice and it is excellent for those desiring a scholarly look at the Scriptures.
Rating:
Summary: Good Bible for use by All.
Review: I really like this bible. The notes seem to be well balanced, though I lean toward a more orthodox understanding of scripture, I can still get a lot out of this Bible. The notes are concise and numerous. It has great maps. While I would doubt my beliefs are always in line with the annotators, I can still learn a lot from it and not lose faith in any way. Oh yeah, the NRSV is perhaps one of the best translations available.
Rating:
Summary: One of two best study Bibles available (with Oxford)
Review: I stumbled across this Bible by accident, and am I glad I did. Along with the Oxford Annotated Bible, this is the best study Bible available for scholars. The notes are clear and illuminating. For a balanced view you can read this in parallel with the NIV Study Bible. It will show the deficiencies in that approach.
|
