The New Oxford Annotated Bible, New Revised Standard Version

By Oxford University Press

Brief introduction and outlines Notes at bottom of pages 6 3/4 X 9 1/4 % Font size: 9

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195283651
• ISBN13: 9780195283655
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 1728 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.7" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

I'll admit it, I bought it for school.

I've read a couple of Bible translations now, and with most of them, they're written for religon. Which makes sense. That was never why I was reading them, however; I've always looked at the Bible in a more literary or philosophical way. This particular version marked the end of my search for a Bible. I bought it for a class this semester, but found myself reading up on the Apocrypha and the neglected books in my precious spare time. The translation is fully detailed in the copious footnotes and introductions at the beginning of each book. Nuances in language, shifts in dialouge, it's all explained nicely, so you don't need to speak Greek and Hebrew to get it all.Whether you're doing what I did, and studying the Bible, or if you're looking for a religious text, or both, this is definitely the way to go.

The best study bible for "seekers"

When the Oxford University Press labels this an "ecumenical" study bible, it's not kidding. The Apocrypha are included, naturally. (You don't have to read them, of course, but you will have to pay for them.) But the Old Testament is also respectfully referred to as "The Hebrew Bible". And all dates are given as BCE/CE rather than BC/AD. The annotations are just as scrupulously free of denominational bias. Of course, the only way it can manage that is by avoiding religious interpretation altogether. This makes the book less useful to those looking for an in-depth treatment of their particular faith, I suppose. But that's also what makes it invaluable to those of who are still "waiting in the hall" - as C.S. Lewis put it. That, combined with the title's decades of acceptance by men far more learned in the subject than I (and just the general classiness of the OUP), means I *trust* this Bible as I do no other I've seen on the market - as one can only trust someone who isn't trying to sell you anything. And, without wading too far into the muddy and turbulent waters of the translation issue, let me register my opinion that the New Revised Standard Version used here strikes me as the most literal translation that can still be considered good English. (It doesn't read with the absolute clarity of a good thought-for-thought version like the Good News Translation, but it far excels the New American Standard Bible - generally considered the single most literal English version - and the mega-popular but lamentable New International Version, which doesn't even have all-out-literalism as an excuse.)Furthermore, as a specimen of book manufacture, the New Oxford Annotated Bible is a giant among dwarves. The uncluttered double columns of text [11-pt. Times New Roman, I'm guessing] and single column of annotations at the bottom of the page, set with half-inch margins, printed on opaquer-than-average paper, is more readable than any non-Giant Print Bible I've ever seen. The words of Jesus are not printed in red, but if you're afraid you'll lose track of them, you can always highlight them with a red marker and draw pointing arrows labelled "Over Here!"

A Top-Quality Study Bible

Oxford has greatly improved its New Annotated Study Bible. The notes are far more extensive than in previous editions. In addition to including the complete text of the NRSV in an easy-to-read typeface, this new edition contains notes pointing out information and meanings which are not obvious from just reading the text and, in places, indicating meanings from the underlying Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts which are not evident in the NRSV translation.The notes are entirely scholarly and do not attempt to teach any religious doctrine.In places, the NOAB Third Edition is less thorough in its notes than the competing HarperCollins Study Bible, but the notes are better written and far less tedious to read.

This edition makes the Bible fun to read

I used this Bible for two classes in college, one on the Hebrew Bible and one on the Christian Scriptures. This translation is not only one of the most accurate in English but also is much easier and more fun to read than more archaic versions. I have nothing against the King James Version for its use of language, but when you're mostly interested just in what happened and don't need it to sound poetic, this version is better. It also has useful notes at the bottoms of the pages and maps in the back for all the periods of time the Bible covers.

It's as if a door to understanding has been opened.

When I began reading this bible, it was as if I never understood anything at all from the KJV. This bible, considered by some to be the most literal translation to date, has truly been a God send for me. Now that the Aprocrypha have been returned to their proper place, I get an even better picture of what the bible should look like.