Rating: 
Summary: An excellent Bible
Review: Definately the edition for those not comfortable with "inclusive language". Great ecumenical scholarly work. The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical section (to include the Orthodox cannon) is placed as an appendix in the back, behind the New Testament books. Lots of introductory material and plenty of footnotes. Not the same as the "catholic edition" but not prejudicial either.
Rating:
Summary: A good "common" bible
Review: Definately the edition for those not comfortable with "inclusive language". Great ecumenical scholarly work. The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical section (to include the Orthodox cannon) is placed as an appendix in the back, behind the New Testament books. Lots of introductory material and plenty of footnotes. Not the same as the "catholic edition" but not prejudicial either.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Read
Review: I bought this Bible for a New Testament Intro Class. My appreciation for the Scriptures has grown since. The translation is more beuatiful than the NIV but more readable than the NASB. Also, it has not bowed to political correctness like the NRSV has. It does not matter how egalitarian one is, gender-inclusiveness is not an attractive read.Particularly helpful (or harmful) are the book introductions. IT is very important to consult an evagelical opinion at the same time, not to embrace that view necessarily but to get a well rounded view of the opinion. Another interesting aspect is the articles at the end, "How to read the Scriptures with understanding." This is without doubt the most beautiful essay on Bible Reading. However, these men openly doubt the historicity of the sacred text. Whether they are right or wrong, they very eagerly embrace higher critical views that can be dangerous if they are abused. The main reason that i give the book 4 stars is that some of the information is dated. The Documentary Hypothesis was once popular to academicians, now archeology is beginning to shed some uncomfortable light on it. They place more weight on that theory than necessary. other than that, a great read.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Read
Review: I bought this Bible for a New Testament Intro Class. My appreciation for the Scriptures has grown since. The translation is more beuatiful than the NIV but more readable than the NASB. Also, it has not bowed to political correctness like the NRSV has. It does not matter how egalitarian one is, gender-inclusiveness is not an attractive read. Particularly helpful (or harmful) are the book introductions. IT is very important to consult an evagelical opinion at the same time, not to embrace that view necessarily but to get a well rounded view of the opinion. Another interesting aspect is the articles at the end, "How to read the Scriptures with understanding." This is without doubt the most beautiful essay on Bible Reading. However, these men openly doubt the historicity of the sacred text. Whether they are right or wrong, they very eagerly embrace higher critical views that can be dangerous if they are abused. The main reason that i give the book 4 stars is that some of the information is dated. The Documentary Hypothesis was once popular to academicians, now archeology is beginning to shed some uncomfortable light on it. They place more weight on that theory than necessary. other than that, a great read.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent Bible
Review: I bought this Bible recently as a replacement for my well-worn NIV study bible. I had come to enjoy the RSV after using it along with several other translations on my PC bible software -- it is written at a more advanced level than the NIV and seems to be closer to the original language while still remaining accessible to modern readers. This RSV is sturdy, easy to read, and has the benefit of a "modern" translation of the Apocrypha. I often find text notes, inline maps, etc. to be merely distracting rather than helpful, and often the notes included with a Bible are somewhat questionable in their merit. (My NIV study bible has more notes than text on many pages.) This RSV edition keeps the notes short, succint, and scholarly. The maps are all in the back along with some excellent scholarly articles. Kudos to the publishers and editors for such a clean, thoughtful layout. The only thing I'd change is that there's virtually no room in the text or in the margins for making notes. I use post-it notes stuck at the various places, but that's getting cumbersome.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic translation
Review: I discovered this edition in my bible study class. I was impressed with the scholarly depth of the notes. I also greatly appreciate that it contains deuterocanonical books not only from the Roman Catholic tradition, but also four books important to Eastern Orthodox churches: Prayer of Manasseh, 3 and 4 Maccabees, Psalm 151. I am interested in hearing from others who compare this version with the NRSV version. This version was last updated in 1977. Given that biblical scholarship has developed further, I would suggest that if you use this edition you also get the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, or alternatively the New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, NRSV.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic translation
Review: I discovered this edition in my bible study class. I was impressed with the scholarly depth of the notes. I also greatly appreciate that it contains deuterocanonical books not only from the Roman Catholic tradition, but also four books important to Eastern Orthodox churches: Prayer of Manasseh, 3 and 4 Maccabees, Psalm 151. I am interested in hearing from others who compare this version with the NRSV version. This version was last updated in 1977. Given that biblical scholarship has developed further, I would suggest that if you use this edition you also get the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, or alternatively the New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, NRSV.
Rating:
Summary: My fav. translation, exc quality, great price on Amazon.com
Review: In response to Stephen from Venice, the two Bibles I use for the bulk of my Bible study and reading are this one, and the NOAB NRSV (third edition). Unlike many, I'm generally indifferent to the NRSV's use of inclusive language, though it does sometimes get in the way. What I mind more about the NRSV is that it is too "modern" sounding. Stylistically, I prefer the RSV for meditative reading and liturgical use. There are some areas where I find the NRSV has improved the beauty of some passages, though for the most part, I prefer the classic beauty of the RSV, which is just modern enough, while still sounding "biblical." With the NRSV, I miss the use of the "thee/thou" language when the author is addressing God... (present in the RSV). The preface to the NRSV dismisses this as something that wasn't done in the Hebrew or Greek texts... however, I think it's so ingrained in English biblical tradition, that a lot is lost. That being said I do trust the NRSV for accuracy, and the annotations in the NOAB are really top-notch and more complete for serious Bible study than this Bible. Also, for all my dissing, I like the NRSV stylistically as modern translations go (as opposed to, say, the NIV). As a result, I use both the RSV and the NRSV and find, in that elusive quest for the "perfect" Bible translation, that perhaps a translation that has the best aspects of both the RSV and the NRSV would be tops (with the KJV of Psalm 23 thrown in for good measure -- I mean, why mess with that?). The quality of this particular Bible was, as has been the case for me with Oxford, absolutely superb, and while the annotations are more brief than the NRSV counterpart, they are helpful and enlightened and, well, trustworthy. (My review is for the leatherbound version).
Rating:
Summary: Overall a great Bible package!
Review: The New Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV, with Apocrypha is an amazing work. It uses the accurate RSV translation, and includes the study notes of great scholars like Bruce Metzger and Herbert May. I found the essays at the end of the Bible helpful as well, especially in an Old Testament class. The RSV (and NRSV) also offers the entire apocrypha/deuterocanon accepted by major Christian churches, which will enhance study. This New Oxford Bible is slightly different than the NRSV version. Many of the notes are identical to those included in the NRSV version, or else they are very similar. The text itself is of course different. The RSV contains archaic language in the Psalms, and has no inclusive language, among other differences. The NRSV however, makes more use of the better texts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Overall I would say this Bible is written from more of a Christian faith perspective than the NRSV counterpart. One example I noticed is in the Introduction to Isaiah in the RSV, where it mentions Jesus as the incarnate suffering servant. This is omitted in the NRSV, probably in a desire to make it more ecumenical among Non-Christian religions. Overall I think this is a great Bible to own. The scholarship is excellent and embraces Biblical Criticism, while coming from a perspective of faith. The translation is beautiful and readable. I am proud to include this is my collection of Bibles for both personal and academic use.
Rating:
Summary: Overall a great Bible package!
Review: The New Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV, with Apocrypha is an amazing work. It uses the accurate RSV translation, and includes the study notes of great scholars like Bruce Metzger and Herbert May. I found the essays at the end of the Bible helpful as well, especially in an Old Testament class. The RSV (and NRSV) also offers the entire apocrypha/deuterocanon accepted by major Christian churches, which will enhance study. This New Oxford Bible is slightly different than the NRSV version. Many of the notes are identical to those included in the NRSV version, or else they are very similar. The text itself is of course different. The RSV contains archaic language in the Psalms, and has no inclusive language, among other differences. The NRSV however, makes more use of the better texts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Overall I would say this Bible is written from more of a Christian faith perspective than the NRSV counterpart. One example I noticed is in the Introduction to Isaiah in the RSV, where it mentions Jesus as the incarnate suffering servant. This is omitted in the NRSV, probably in a desire to make it more ecumenical among Non-Christian religions. Overall I think this is a great Bible to own. The scholarship is excellent and embraces Biblical Criticism, while coming from a perspective of faith. The translation is beautiful and readable. I am proud to include this is my collection of Bibles for both personal and academic use.
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