Rating: 
Summary: Excellent study guide, Bad binding
Review: Am enjoying this latest addition to my Biblical library, however, as another has said the binding is pretty bad.
Rating: 
Summary: A DISAPPOINTMENT
Review: I bought this Bible because I have enjoyed reading the commentaries in the New Interpreter's Bible. Some of the annotators in the Study Bible are the same as in the NIB, but many seem to be to less respectful of the Biblical text. The notes for the various books in this Bible are by 62 different scholars, ranging from conservative to skeptical. At John 14.6 ("No one comes to the Father except through me.") we learn that this text "celebrates how Jesus reveals God for those in this particular faith community and is not a statement about the relative worth of the world's religions." A note on the parable of judgment in Matthew 25 informs us that this parable is at odds with the acknowledgment of God's inclusive mercy in Matthew 5. Some of the books are well-served by their annotators.
Old Testament passages quoted in the New are seldom noted in the Old Testament and sometimes overlooked in the New.
This would be a good Bible for someone who is interested only in literary and historical aspects of the Bible. I regret I bought it.
Rating:
Summary: Much anticipated and well worth the wait!
Review: I can't overpraise this study Bible. Like its key rivals in the academic market, The Harper Collins Study Bible (HCSB) and The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NOAB), it uses the New Revised Standard Version as its text base (a good, responsible, and fairly literal translation of the full biblical canon--the 66 Old and New Testament books all Christian traditions use, plus 16 deuterocanonical/apocryphal books used in the Roman Catholic and/or Eastern Orthodox traditions). Also like its competitors, it has excellent scholarly introductions to each book, extensive explanatory notes, background articles, and maps.So why, if you already own a good NRSV reference Bible, do you also need to get this one? Because the book introductions are incredibly fresh and up-to-date. Because the study notes are insightful and well-phrased. And because, unlike the HCSB and the NOAB, the New Interpreters' Study Bible has two additional kinds of notes. From time to time, the NISB inserts a "Special Note" among the footnotes that makes an interesting observation on the text to help the reader appreciate the larger issues at play within the Bible as a whole. For instance, at 1 Samuel 2.9 there is a special note that calls attention to two distinct points of view in the Bible about justice/theodicy. These special notes are more information than the reader needs to understand the particular passage at hand (and as such can be easily skipped over because they are slightly indented and set off from the surrounding, more text-specific notes), but they are like little windows opening onto a much wider world...and should not be overlooked. In addition, there are almost 100 brief Excurses on thought-provoking topics like "Sibling Rivalry in Genesis," "Interpretations of Rahab," "Suicide," "Anti-Semitic Interpretations of Isaiah," "The Influence of the Maccabean Martyrs," and "Responsibility for the Death of Jesus." And the editors had the foresight to provide an alphabetical listing of these excurses, knowing that readers were going to want to come back to them from time to time. The essays included in the NISB mostly focus, as one would expect, on interpretive matters: "The Reliability of Scripture," "The Authority of the Bible," "The Inspiration of Scripture," "Guidelines for Reading and Interpretation," "Varieties of Readings and Interpretations of the Biblical Text," and "Culture and Religion Among the Ancient Israelities." The glossary is mostly a list of literary and theological terms (anthropomorphism, chiasm, theophany), but does include a few typical "Bible terms" that the reader may not find satisfying definitions for in a standard collegiate dictionary(such as, sackcloth, Gentile, Sheol). If you're a reference book addict like me, the NISB promises countless hours of pleasurable reading and exploring.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent study bible
Review: I have the ESV Heirloom Calfskin Bible, the leather NIV Cambridge Wide Margin Bible, the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, the Oxford Annotated Study Bible, the Harper Collins Study Bible and now this bible. For overall usefulness this has got all the other's beaten. The ESV Heirloom is my favorite bible just to read. It is so soft and beautiful that it is an experience on it's own.
The print in the ESV is nicer to read, but it does not have the excellent study notes the the New Interpreter's Bible has. These study notes are so good and allow you to study without having to go back and forth between commentaries. I think this is an awesome bible. The NRSV is a very good translation and I also like having the apocrypha. My only complaints are as follows: I wish the print were a little bit bigger and easier to read. Also, I like wide margins to write in, which the New Interpreter's does not have. The best bible for this is the Cambridge NIV wide margin(It is also a great bible). The quality of the cover and binding is certainly not in the same league as the ESV Heirloom but it is also not nearly as expensive. I have done a lot of study on the computer with various bible software programs, but it is not the same as sitting down and reading your bible in a comfortable chair. This bible is great for doing just that. High marks for a very good bible. Hope they do a few improvements to make it even better.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable Resource, Great Bargin!
Review: It has been nice to see positive reviews of this book, but focusing on the Computer Edition I would like to say I feel it is worth every penny. You have not only the complete text of the Bible (translation, notes and articles). You have the complete Interpreter's Bible Dictionary (with illustrations). The base software used is Folio which has wonderful features for annotating and high-liting. The search engine is good, although not as powerful as some Bible Software. The text of the Bible is hyper-linked not only to the commentary of the bible but vast numbers of words are in bold bringing up articles in the IDB. Included also are the general articles from the New Interpreter's Bible Commentary, and last but not least is a folio edition of the KJV and the RSV (both handy since the IDB was based on those two translations. I did feel that overall the NISB was more conservative in tone and less daring than it's bigger sibling the NIB, but all in all a valuable resource and the CDROM extras make this a steal of a deal. This product works in both the Windows and Macintosh platforms, although it is not OS X native but does run well in classic subsystem.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant but beware!
Review: Readers of the bible would do well to remind themselves that only the text of scripture is inspired, and not the accompanying notes produced by biblical scholars, which these days have become as lengthy and assertive as the text itself. The present publication is the culmination of a newer trend in publications of the bible. One finds copious annotations, notes and commentary. Almost every scholar of note has had something to do with it. That can be a good thing when it illumines the text, but it can also prove to be a highly frustrating thing, when scholars are intent on imposing their own interpretations onto the text of scripture. The notes of this edition, scholarly though they are, have a decided ideological slant which the reader should know about before he goes ahead and purchases it. What is this slant? First, this bible makes an effort to reclaim the Old Testament for Jews. The OT is the "Hebrew Bible", which in no way reveals the messiah of Christians. All passages of messianic import are interpreted historically and critically. On rare occasions one is informed that Christians have regarded this or that passage as referring to Jesus, but the bottom line is that these Christian readings are external to the true meaning of the text. Messianic Psalms are all about the psalmist, not about Jesus. Isaiah 53 is about Israel. Second, passages in the Bible that suggest patriarchy are neutered to confirm to a notion of gender egalitarianism, nowhere found in the bible. Paul is a sexist, and his view of women is effectively excised by skillful annotations that rework Paul's view of man in accordance with modern notions of equality. Third, difficult aspects of the Bible are toned down such as the anti-Semitism inherent in some pages of the New Testament. These are reinterpreted so that one thinks the early Christians had no disagreements at all with early Jews or Judaism. "Isn't that a good thing?" No. I don't think it is up to us to improve the Bible. The notes inform the reader that Jesus never brought a new covenant (contra Ezekiel) since God had never forsaken the covenant he made with Moses. It all sounds terrific, but is it Christian? Fourth, the scholars who produced this Bible make no attempt to disguise the fact that the bible is no longer the property of Christians. Like modern democracy, it belongs to all of us: Jews, Moslems, atheists, and well, yes, Christians too, but now they must wait at the back of the queue to get their helpings-and such meager helpings they are! What comes through loud and clear is that the bible no longer belongs to the church. These Ivy League academics have made it their mission to modify what (in their view) the church has cocked up. On the positive side: this bible is very well printed and has brilliant academic and scholarly annotations which throw great light on the critical questions surrounding the literature Christians call scripture. If the reader is looking for a scholarly study bible, this is it. A Christian may or may not recognize his faith here, and he may even have a hard time understanding why Jesus ended up getting crucified, but he will be able to find out almost anything he wants to know about the historical, social and political background of the biblical text. In truth, this is a great publication (I use it almost every day-if only to become mad), but it must be used with caution. Hubris has duped some of these bright sparks into thinking their word is on a par with God's.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent scholarly resource with ideological slant
Review: Readers of the bible would do well to remind themselves that the text of scripture is inspired, and not the accompanying notes produced by biblical scholars, which these days have become as lengthy and assertive as the text itself. [Back in the days of the Geneva Bible, notes were kept to a bare minimum.] The present publication is the culmination of a modern trend in publications of the bible. One finds copious annotations, notes and commentary. Almost every scholar of note has had something to do with it. This is a good thing when the text is illuminated, but it can also prove to be a highly frustrating, especially when scholars are intent on imposing their own interpretations onto the text of scripture. The notes of this edition, scholarly though they are, have a decided ideological slant which the reader should know about before he goes ahead and purchases it. What is this slant?
First, this bible makes an effort to reclaim the Old Testament for the Jewish people. The Old Testament is no longer called the Old Testament, but the "Hebrew Bible". Passages of messianic import are interpreted historically and critically. On rare occasions one is informed that Christians have regarded this or that passage as referring to Jesus, but the bottom line is that these Christian readings are external to the true meaning of the text. Messianic Psalms are all about the Psalmist, not about Jesus. Isaiah 53 is about Israel.
Second, passages in the Bible that suggest patriarchy are neutered to confirm to a notion of gender egalitarianism. Paul is viewed as a sexist, and his view of women is effectively excised by skillful annotations that rework Paul's view of man in accordance with modern notions of equality.
Third, difficult aspects of the Bible are toned down such as anti-Semitism seemingly inherent in some pages of the New Testament. These are reinterpreted so that one thinks the early Christians had no disagreements at all with Judaism. The notes inform the reader that Jesus never brought a new covenant (contra Ezekiel) since God had never forsaken the covenant he made with Moses.
Fourth, the scholars who produced this Bible make no attempt to disguise the fact that the bible is no longer the property of Christians. Like modern democracy, it belongs to all of us: Jews, Moslems, Atheists, and well, yes, Christians too, but now they must wait at the back of the queue to get their helpings-and such meager helpings they are! What comes through is that the bible no longer belongs to the Church.
On the positive side: this Bible is very well printed and has superb scholarly annotations which throw light on the critical questions surrounding the literature Christians call Scripture. If the reader is looking for a scholarly study Bible, this is one of the best. A Christian may not recognize his faith here, but he will be able to find out almost anything he wants to know about the historical, social and political background of the biblical text.
Rating:
Summary: A DISAPPOINTMENT
Review: Some people want a Bible which has been adapted to suit the tastes of a particular sect or group, such as the ESV or the NIV. The majority prefer to use a Bible which has been translated without bias from the best available critical texts - the NRSV is the best available translation at this time. Some people want a Study Bible which tells them what to believe and how to believe it, thus keeping everyone in line (e.g. NIV Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible). Many people prefer to consult a Study Bible in which the facts are presented from a more historical-critical point of view; the reader is left to make up his or her own mind about what to accept and what to reject (New Oxford Annotated NRSV 3rd ed.[NOAB], HarperCollins Study Bible [HCSB] and the Cambridge Annotated Study Bible NRSV). For those in that last group, the New Interpreter's Study Bible (NISB) is a very welcome addition. If you already own the Oxford or HarperCollins, then purchase this volume for use alongside. If you are considering the Cambridge, get this one instead.
The study notes are somewhat more detailed than in the Oxford and HarperCollins. On page 5 the book of Genesis starts. There is only room for the first 5 verses, the rest of the space being taken up by notes and an excursus. This is actually quite exceptional. Generally the pages are 60% Bible text and 40% notes. A nice touch is that proper names in the Bible text have been broken down into syllables as was the case in the RSV. Looking at Isaiah 7:14 as most conservative believers tend to do, we see that the NRSV translates 'young woman' correctly from the Massoretic text. Among the notes at the bottom of the page is a "Special Note" explaining how Matthew came to use the word 'virgin' in his Gospel.
Throughout the volume there are so-called "Excursus" sections. These "give more extended treatment to texts, themes and ideas that deserve special attention..." (page XV). A few of the subjects covered: Biblical Ambivalence to Government; Creation: Ordering Chaos; The Eucharist in John; Gender in Genesis; Two Flood Narratives; Paul and the Law. The Apocrypha is included in this edition. These books are well worth reading. Strange to think that some Christians do not even know of their existance!! The Apocrypha gets the same detailed treatment as the rest of the Bible. Add to all this some interesting essays on various topics (e.g. The Reliability of Scripture, the Inpsiration of Scripture, Culture and Religion Amont the Ancuent Israelites etc.) and some maps and you have a superb guide to the Bible. Of course, one must not forget the introductions to each book plus an outline. The language used is not such that only academics can understand it. The content of the notes and essays is of the highest academic value. Quite a feat!
I must emphasize that owning and using more than one Study Bible is preferable if you want a large, accurate picture of things. you will find yourself leaning towards one Study bible, but the other will provide other insights. Thus the NISB plus either the NOAB or the HCSB, or even all three! Is there anything negative to say? Yes: the lack of cross-references either between the columns or in the margin. The Cambridge is the only Study Bible in the NRSV to have them. A missed opportunity by Abingdon Press. The paper used is very thin so you can see the print from the next page. But it is not distracting. The hardback binding is not as good as the NOAB or the HCSB which means the paper easily crinkles. One would expect better for the price. Unfortunately the copy of the book that arrived at my house was of a sub-standard quality. In fact such a book should never have been allowed to leave the printers. I have mailed Abingdon about this and will post their reaction in a follow-up. Such a pity that a lack of quality control should marr an otherwise great book. I hope this is an exception and not the norm for Abingdon publications.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent - with no reservations
Review: Some people want a Bible which has been adapted to suit the tastes of a particular sect or group, such as the ESV or the NIV. The majority prefer to use a Bible which has been translated without bias from the best available critical texts - the NRSV is the best available translation at this time. Some people want a Study Bible which tells them what to believe and how to believe it, thus keeping everyone in line (e.g. NIV Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible). Many people prefer to consult a Study Bible in which the facts are presented from a more historical-critical point of view; the reader is left to make up his or her own mind about what to accept and what to reject (New Oxford Annotated NRSV 3rd ed.[NOAB], HarperCollins Study Bible [HCSB] and the Cambridge Annotated Study Bible NRSV). For those in that last group, the New Interpreter's Study Bible (NISB) is a very welcome addition. If you already own the Oxford or HarperCollins, then purchase this volume for use alongside. If you are considering the Cambridge, get this one instead.
The study notes are somewhat more detailed than in the Oxford and HarperCollins. On page 5 the book of Genesis starts. There is only room for the first 5 verses, the rest of the space being taken up by notes and an excursus. This is actually quite exceptional. Generally the pages are 60% Bible text and 40% notes. A nice touch is that proper names in the Bible text have been broken down into syllables as was the case in the RSV. Looking at Isaiah 7:14 as most conservative believers tend to do, we see that the NRSV translates 'young woman' correctly from the Massoretic text. Among the notes at the bottom of the page is a "Special Note" explaining how Matthew came to use the word 'virgin' in his Gospel.
Throughout the volume there are so-called "Excursus" sections. These "give more extended treatment to texts, themes and ideas that deserve special attention..." (page XV). A few of the subjects covered: Biblical Ambivalence to Government; Creation: Ordering Chaos; The Eucharist in John; Gender in Genesis; Two Flood Narratives; Paul and the Law. The Apocrypha is included in this edition. These books are well worth reading. Strange to think that some Christians do not even know of their existance!! The Apocrypha gets the same detailed treatment as the rest of the Bible. Add to all this some interesting essays on various topics (e.g. The Reliability of Scripture, the Inpsiration of Scripture, Culture and Religion Amont the Ancuent Israelites etc.) and some maps and you have a superb guide to the Bible. Of course, one must not forget the introductions to each book plus an outline. The language used is not such that only academics can understand it. The content of the notes and essays is of the highest academic value. Quite a feat!
I must emphasize that owning and using more than one Study Bible is preferable if you want a large, accurate picture of things. you will find yourself leaning towards one Study bible, but the other will provide other insights. Thus the NISB plus either the NOAB or the HCSB, or even all three! Is there anything negative to say? Yes: the lack of cross-references either between the columns or in the margin. The Cambridge is the only Study Bible in the NRSV to have them. A missed opportunity by Abingdon Press. The paper used is very thin so you can see the print from the next page. But it is not distracting. The hardback binding is not as good as the NOAB or the HCSB which means the paper easily crinkles. One would expect better for the price. Unfortunately the copy of the book that arrived at my house was of a sub-standard quality. In fact such a book should never have been allowed to leave the printers. I have mailed Abingdon about this and will post their reaction in a follow-up. Such a pity that a lack of quality control should marr an otherwise great book. I hope this is an exception and not the norm for Abingdon publications.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good; well ahead of the competition.
Review: The NISB succeeds where other study bibles fail (see my review of the New Oxford Annotated Bible, 3rd ed.), because the editors have wisely chosen to limit its focus. The introduction states that the chief objective is "to make biblical and theological scholarship readily available to those engaged in preaching and teaching in the ecumenical church." That's a much narrower focus than most study bibles, which attempt to balance the needs of a wide spectrum of readers. The broad emphasis of the NISB tends to be more theological and exegetical, than explanatory or expository. As a result, it's a useful resource for its target audience - but probably less useful for more general readers or students. As a pastor, I find it sufficient for my needs, and it has become my study bible of choice. The overall thrust is deliberately ecumenical, and reflects current critical and theological scholarship. Some readers will doubtless label it "liberal" - oooo, the bogeyman! There's a glut of study bibles out there, and thoughtful readers will want more than one (I use the NIV Study Bible for a conservative perspective, and for its outstanding reference features - the best I've seen anywhere). Anyone with the capacity for rational thought will find commentary in the NISB with which they'll disagree; if that's threatening to you, then buy something else. For example, this card-carrying liberal believes that Jesus is indeed the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him. The commentary at John 14:6, however, provides me with little useful guidance for the "other-faiths" question. But - it makes me think. That's the main strength of the NISB: it provokes thought, and it asks and encourages good questions. Anyone looking for authoritative answers won't find them here. [begin rant] The world would be an infinitely better place if leaders, authors and publishers would encourage and expect people to ASK QUESTIONS and THINK FOR THEMSELVES [end rant]. Like many other things in this world, a good study bible is an excellent servant, but a poor master. Particularly interesting are the many "excursuses" scattered throughout. These notes pursue a single theme - Holy War (in Joshua), or Household Codes (Ephesians). They vary in length from a few sentences to more than a page, and often address questions I haven't thought to ask - which is precisely why they're helpful. My major complaint: the Apocrypha, 400 pages, more than one-sixth of the whole book. I don't use it, I don't want it, and I don't like turning to where Luke should be and finding Third Maccabees. They should publish the Apocrypha in a separate volume, and make this a thinner, less expensive book - or perhaps devote a fraction of that space to in-text maps, or even a center-column cross-reference apparatus. Minor, curmudgeonly complaints: 1) Every single book introduction ends with an identical two-line statement, that the study notes are based on the outline in the introduction. This is a perfectly valid editorial policy, but a) So what? and, b) Stating it once in the general introduction, rather than 84 separate times, would shorten an already too-large book by two or three pages and would, over the course of a long press life, save a few trees from being chopped down. At least the twelve huge volumes of the NIB are printed on recycled paper. 2) Suggestion for the copy editor: use spellcheck before you copy-and-paste. "Baased" should be "based" (pp. 1802, 1849, 1906...). Like, duh! 3) The print quality, at least in the leather edition, is uneven - a few pages are printed too lightly. Abingdon is, of course, branding the New Interpreter's label on a variety of products. I'm impressed with those I've seen - the flagship NIB is superb, and the new Pastor's Bible Study looks promising. Kudos to Abingdon - may they keep up the good work. If they call me, I'll tell them exactly what I want in the second edition!
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