New Revised Standard Version Bible: New Revised Standard Version Study Bible with Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: With the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books (Bible Nrsv) (Hardcover)

I was given a copy of the Harper Collins Study Bible many years ago as a gift. I had several versions, and my friend thought he was giving me one more (I like to examine the differences in translations to find deeper meanings in the texts, or misinterpretations based on faulty or incomplete translation). Alas, he was disappointed when I informed him that this was not a distinctively Harper Collins translation; it is in fact a study version of the New Revised Standard Version, one of the dominant translations at use in church and scholarship today. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an updating of the respected and established Revised Standard Version, which still has life as the preferred text of many senior scholars.

The Harper Collins Study Bible was compiled under the direction of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) who, with the American Academy of Religion (AAR) is one of the most respected academic bodies in the field today. The AAR/SBL annual conferences are attended by thousands, including in the book vendor area a large contingent from Harper-Collins publishing. Wayne Meeks, a noted and respected scholar (primarily of New Testament and early Christian era studies) was the senior editor for this edition.

Generously annotated throughout, practically every other verse has a footnote. Variants in source texts and translations are highlighted, as are competing traditions of interpretation of the text (and yes, taking the text literally is still an interpretation, and a tradition of interpretation, for which there must be justification in the interpretive framework). Brief essays establishing context, historical background, textual difficulties and transmission history appear at the beginning of each book. This book contains the apocryphal books which some Bibles exclude; these are included and their status explained for those who are unfamiliar with these texts.

Various maps, charts, tables, and indexes aid the student, scholar or general reader in making way through the text. If I were to have only one copy of the NRSV, this would be it--if I were permitted to have only two Bibles, this would be the second next to my King James Version. Fortunately, I have no such restriction and thus use this beside the Jerusalem/New Jerusalem text, the Schocken versions that are currently being released, the New Interpreters series which is also currently being released, the Tanakh, a publication of the Jewish Publication Society, and various other versions. The Harper Collins Study Bible, however, is the central key around which my study of all other versions revolves.

Peruse it sometime in the library or bookstore, and see, if you have any interest in Biblical studies at all, if this does not become an essential tool for you, too.

Being a highly ecumenical collaboration, this translation allows the texts their difficulties and acknowledges problematic passages. There are phrases that simply don't translate well, and there are other phrases that have lost their original meanings through multiple translations. Fortunately, the footnotes frequently clarify unusual phrases and sayings, repetitions, allusions, and direct references to former texts, which vividly bring out the literary aspect of the texts--an aspect that is often glossed over or ignored. It also provides introductions to the texts, discussing authorship, historical context, intended audience, and intellectual purpose.

If you want to read the Bible for your personal growth and edification, choose the version that is easiest for you to access. If you want to learn more about the structure of the texts, the historical significance, and the connotations behind the writings, this particular study Bible is, perhaps, the best choice you can make.

One reason is that this one has several advantages. It was put together by a committee. While that has "smeared" some of the terrible contradictions present in earlier editions, such as the once universal King James Version. The Genesis story is therefore little more than a proclamation of everybody and everything coming into existence at once. It would, of course, take far too much space to list the smoothings this committee has performed. They have produced as readable a text as could be achieved, given the material. This is the editor's declared intent, justifying his use of the New Standard Revised Edition [itself something of a paradox in terms] as the foundation for the commentary appended.

They have also provided as much of the material as was available. This means the addition of books left out of other anthologies due to doctrinal or theological disputes. On the other hand, text that has "stood the test of time" has been "smoothed" in another way in order not to offend the sensibilities [and they are many and easily irritated] of the "gender feminists". While that may enhance sales, it's questionable whether it's improved the narratives. Since the collection merges two vast collections of material, it's clearly a book aimed at a Christian audience, if not a predominantly Protestant, one.

The purpose of the book is informational. This theme is introduced with a brief synopsis of the effort at textual analysis occurring mainly in the 19th Century. The "Higher Criticism" evolved into deep investigations of the texts' origins, but also into the environments in which they were written. The fruits of those efforts fills the bottom half of nearly every page of the anthology and doubles the usual number of pages. Word origins in the books are explained, characters identified and events placed in historical context. While this feature might impair the reader seeking "inspirational" insights from the text, to the critical reader, it is an excellent mechanism for setting the stories in context. It is also helpful in assessing the literary styles and the logic applied by the various authors. While the product is hefty, it is extremely useful.

If study of the texts dominating the minds of millions is your interest, you would do well to start with this book. Many of those millions will not relate to what this collection portrays, since it is either not in their language or alludes to events or peoples unknown in their society. Even so, such a long journey as comprehending the roots of a superstition so widespread on the planet and pervasive in our culture must commence somewhere. It may as well start here. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]