The First Scofield Study Bible: King James Version/Black Genuine Leather

Rating:
Summary: An individual but compelling interpretation
Review: Here's a great example of the kind of good old-fashioned Bible scholarship that nobody seems to be doing anymore. C. I. Scofield had a very particular and sometimes even quirky way of interpreting the Bible, and his edition of the Bible is devoted to presenting that particular interpretation. That's both its strength and its weakness.

You won't find a balanced assessment of different schools of thought here. Scofield just dismisses anyone who disagrees with him as "puerile." Instead, what you get is a detailed exposition of his theory of "dispensations"--different periods in which God tested man's obedience to some specific revelation of his will.

Scofield writes notes on only those parts of the Bible that interest him and support his interpretation. The New Testament is much more heavily annotated than the Old, and in the Old Testament the Prophets are much more heavily annotated than the historical books, where often more than fifteen pages can go by without a footnote. If something puzzles you in one of the passages that don't interest him, Scofield gives you no help.

Scofield also omits the original King James translators' marginal notes and alternative readings, some of which are helpful to the average reader. One example I just happened to notice: Deuteronomy 32:44, where to "Hoshea the son of Nun" the King James translators added a note, "Or, Joshua," reminding us that Hoshea and Joshua are the same person. This particular verse apparently didn't interest him, so Scofield provided no note.

In short, this is not really a reference or study Bible; it's the text of the King James Version used as an extended illustration of Scofield's own theology.

Scofield's interpretation is compelling, however, and even if you're one of those "puerile" readers who don't always agree with him, you really ought to make his acquaintance. This book puts you in touch with one of the truly great minds of Biblical scholarship, and in fact its greatest strength is in how clearly Scofield's mind shines forth, with all its quirks and peculiarities. Every note will make you think. And if you disagree with him, so much the better--you'll think harder.

This facsimile edition is on the whole well printed. Some pages in my copy showed enough broken type and faded spots to remind me that I was reading a facsimile, but never enough to interfere seriously with legibility. The modern publishers have added Scofield's essay "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth," which gives us even more insight into Scofield's thinking but is not nearly as entertaining as his notes in the Bible text itself.

Rating:
Summary: OLD FAITHFUL
Review: I must now replace my worn out KJV Scofield Reference Bible (1967 ed.) which I received as a gift in thirty years ago, and I find that there is still nothing quite like it on the market. Although text critical scholarship may have moved on, the basics of a book that has lasted millenia do not change in a mere century. As chief editor to the combined bible, commentary, and chain reference Scofield provides the basics - and more - very well indeed. I have found nothing quite so precise, so concise, and nothing displaying such moderation and common sense, all couched in a style with minimal jargon.

For the Old Testament there is a one-page introduction to the Pentateuch, the historical books, the poetic and wisdom books, and the prophetic books. For example, there is a description of the key technique of Hebrew poetry (parallelism of thought) in the introduction to the poetical and wisdom books. The basic variations on this technique are demonstrated with great clarity and economy. For the New Testament there is an introduction to the gospels, the epistles of Paul, and the general epistles.

One of my most loved features is the concise concordance at the back, which is compiled with an eclectic brilliance. Some of the footnotes are small masterpieces of exposition, some push concepts such as typology much too far. But I do not suppose Scofield would have declared this work to be perfect, or incapable of being usefully updated - and it would be hard to say that about any reference book.

Rating:
Summary: 2 thumbs up!
Review: The Scofield study bible has helped me understand different areas of the bible much better. I enjoy reading it, and often have a hard time putting it down.

Rating:
Summary: The Original Scofield Is The Best You'll Get On The Market
Review: This is THE original 1909 edition. Contains Scofield's "Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth," a MUST read for gaining a real insight into fundamental scriptural truths and freeing oneself from the bondage of superstitious and fallacious oppressive religious hocus-pocus biblical interpretations.

In no field of human activity has there ever been, nor will there ever be, so much oppression and manipulation as in the field of faith and religion, whereas this is precisely THE field where one should be able to truly emancipate oneself from the bondage of fellow human co-miserants.

All the goods our recent and modern civilization owns, it owes it to the reform and the reformators. With the reform gradually came political freedom, moral and spiritual emancipation, the cultivation of intellectual pursuits and arts, the dawn of economic freedom and the rise of capitalism, the italian renaissance, etc. Forget about the french revolution, which brought nothing but bloodshed and decapitations, the tyranny of collectivism and ... the dictatorship of Napoleon.

The soul and the conscience of man is the heart and the centerpiece (the holiest of holies if you wish) of human achievments.

To come back to the Scofield Reference Bible(s), there are ONLY two legitimate versions, the 1909 version (first publication) and the 1917 version (second, only slightly modified, version). These are the original legacies of C. I. Scofield and were reverently left untouched untill the mid-sixties. The NEW Scofield Bibles are not only awash with new added-on modern theological interpretations, but they also dilute the original work and emasculate it from its original fundamentalist strength. Beware. Avoid them is my only advice.

C. I. Scofield was the first to introduce what is still known as THE (Scofield) Reference Bible, prophesied the re-birth of the State of Israël and the return of Jews to their homeland. Since that time many have tried to follow in his footsteps, sometimes with the attempt to improve on his work, but no one has reached his level of dedication and logic.

Scofield's premise is that the Bible has but ONE Author, not many authors, and that all its books form one big collection of books, all given by the same Author, a collection which complements itself, with some parts throwing more light on other parts of that same collection of books, namely the Bible as a whole. It is on this premise that his, at that time unique, innovative system of chain references was developped.

This is probably THE best Bible you'll ever get on the market (probably only rivalled by the notes of J.N. Darby's annotated english version and his introduction to his french translation).

My advice is get your hands on anything you can that's written by C. I. Scofield, from "Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth" to "Prophecy Made Plain", up to his "Scofield Bible Correspondance Course," which constituted the building blocks out of which sprang "The Scofield Reference Bible."

You'll be enriched with an Everlasting Treasure and feel like you're being more and more intimately acquainted with an Author you'll long to meet on a daily basis, for evermore. In His Presence, Eternal Life will finally look like a very desirable thing.