The Cambridge Companion to the Bible (Cambridge Companions to Religion)

Rating:
Summary: Readable, yet scholarly
Review: This book goes through the Bible historically and gives you the latest in textual and archeological research. It is an easy read, and it seems written for mass consumption, but it is not unscholarly. It is for true students of the Holy Scriptures and not for people who think the holy books are magic words from God. It is a sane, yet reverent approach to the study of ancient literature which we believe is inspired by God. It is NOT fundamentalist. If you are serious about Bible studies, then I recommend this volume whole-heartedly.

Rating:
Summary: Introduction to Biblical Studies
Review: This is not a scholarly book in the sense that it's not part of any visible academic debate. It does not treat any particular issue in enough depth to be so.

It is, rather, a sort of textbook. Call it "Introduction to Academic Thought About the Bible." Following the order of the biblical texts and with detours to discuss such topics as the pseudepigrapha and the inter-testamental period, the book lays out basic issues of historical, archaeological and textual biblical criticism, such as, for instance, the idea of the J, E, D and P-authored components of the Old Testament, or the question to what extent the books of Joshua and Judges present different narratives of the conquest of Palestine by the Israelites, and what archaeology has to say about that conquest.

The book does not discuss theology (at least, not modern theology). If you're an inerrantist, this book is not what you're looking for. If you're reading the Bible for the first time, this is probably too much information and not the kind you need to help you follow the narrative. Though it has a section of color plates (and black and white photos throughout) and a limited number of maps, this is not an atlas. This is also not a debunk-the-Bible book -- mainstream believers in the inspired nature of the Biblical should by and large have no objection to the contents of this book.

But if you're generally familiar with the Bible, and interested in increasing your knowledge (in particular, I would suggest reading this alongside a reading of the Bible itself, a method to which the organization of this book lends itself) about Bible studies, I recommend this book without reservation.