Harper Collins Study Bible

It was time for me to buy yet another Bible. Not that I needed it, as I have so many Bibles now. I like to follow a “read the entire Bible in one year” programme, which means reading 3-4 chapters per day, and I have been doing this for a number of years. Each time I started afresh I like to use a different translation of the Bible. This year it is the NRSV I am using. I was interested in getting a so called “Study Bible”, though I am a little wary of using these as I find the study notes are often the opinion of the author, and so I do not treat the study notes as “thus saith the Lord”. I wanted a study Bible which gives historical and archaeological evidence, as well as notes from learned scholars that provide true FACTS rather than, “the Bible says it, so it must be true and no secular evidence is required”. I wanted a balanced set of study notes, and I feel I have this with this Study Bible. I opted for the hardcover version after reading the negative reviews of the Kindle version, and I am glad I did. This Bible seems to be vary well made and has lots of information in it. It also includes the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, which though not accepted as Canon by many denominations, the RC being the main exception, they are still interesting to read.There are plenty of updated notes here and the pages, over 2000 of them, are of that nice crisp “Bible paper”. The NRSV is, so I have read, one of the most accurate translations of the Bible, though some do disagree, saying that the KJV 1611 is the most accurate. I do like the KJV but due to it’s old style language used it can be a vary “wordy” translation to read. This NRSV version is clear and easy to read. My only negative point about this Bible is that it has no ribbon as so many Bibles do. However, it’s not hard to use a piece of paper for a book marker. Oh, and though the paper it is printed on is nice, it does have a bit of a shine on it that can reflect the light a little, which can be distracting. So, all in all, this is a vary nice study Bible, and a nice easy translation to read. Recommended.

the book is good. very analytical and careful. I would recommend it to those who are looking for clarity on specific verses/chapters that raise questions. This is also good for the Jews who would like to follow Judaism and would help them counter-act missionaries from trying to convert them to Christianity. Makers of this book go into great detail of Isaiah chapter 53 and Isaiah 9:6 and give various opinions in regards to the suffering servant and who the person in Isaiah 9:6 is. As a Muslim, I thought very hard in regards to the chapter and verses of Isaiah 53 and 9:6 and It sounded like Jesus (according to Christian missionaries). BUT when I read the part where it says that "he shall pro-long his days" and "he shall see his offspring" and further evidence of Isaiah 9:6, I knew that it did not refer to Jesus. The book made me realise that it was referring to the suffering servant, which is the nation of Israel and speaks about Israel metaphorically, as a single suffering servant. Also in Isaiah 9:6 it refers to Hezekiah and not Jesus. However, there were other candidates that fit the verse. I as a Muslim do believe in Jesus, but I do not believe that Jesus was Crucified or killed for the sins of humankind and he is neither God Almighty and this book also proves and has shown me that, as well as the Holy Qur'an!

Excellent rating

I own 6 Bibles already, but until I got the Harper Collins Study Bible none of my previously owned versions included the Apocrypha.The introductions to the books are written to enable quite involved study of the scripture which really appeals to me, the introductions as well as set the scene for every book in the Bible also explain the Culture of the times when the books were written.The few negative things that I would mention is the Harper Collins Study Bible is written in American English, which is no massive problem as the Scripture is that of the NRSV.The introductions take a while to get your head around (It did me) they are quite in-depth and wordy. There is also the noticeable lack of a marker ribbon, which can make it a bit time consuming to find a passage, but can be sorted with a book mark.I always remove the Dust jacket from Bibles as they always slip when I am reading and get tatty very quickly, this Bible is the perfect size to fit Large Bible Covers so there is no problem keeping it clean. The typeset is quite small but is easy to read as it is broken in to paragraphs with sub-headings.Sometimes in the introduction texts you will see that the author of the essay will refer to something like the Gospel of Thomas (New Testament Apocrypha) which interested me enough to start searching on the web for the reference text)I would recommend this Bible to those who want to get deeper into the text of the Bible, but wouldn't buy it as someones first Bible.To Sum upI highly reccommend this Bible, would make a fantastic Confirmation present or for anyone wanting to get beyond the first layer of the scripture.For a first Bible I would recommend the Kingsway Life Application Study Bible.

This is an excellent publication. The articles and notes are very helpful.THe paper is quite thin so it might not be suitable for some readers.

The Bible was exactly what I was looking for as a present. The recipient found it very useful and easy to study from. Thank you

Very pleased to have this. It arrived punctually and has been in use frequently since then. Excellent notes based on up to date scholarship.

Comprehensive Bible and study guide, with good illustrations. Very informative and useful for students or anyone interested in knowing more about the Bible.

Eu entendo que é uma bíblia e que é muito conteúdo para um só livro - conteúdo este que é magnífico, inclusive. Mas as páginas extremamente finas e as letras pequenas dificultam a leitura. Pensei mais de uma vez que poderiam ter dividido o livro em dois volumes; teria feito a experiência de leitura bem mais agradável.

The Christian Bible, for better or for worse, has been foundational to Western culture. Our laws, values, and even the way we speak has been deeply influenced by the Bible - both in religious and secular spaces. It's created a lasting impact on our daily lives in ways we don't even notice.This lands it squarely in the middle of the study of social anthropology for me, a comfortable but curious non-believer.And just as Western culture has its roots in the Christian Bible, this book digs even deeper to grasp the roots of that Bible itself.We've learned quite a bit since the inception of the King James version in 1611. We've unearthed scrolls that are much older than the copies we were working with before, writings that add context to the books we read now, and we have a much better understanding of the ancient languages that the original scriptures were written in.The NRSV is a great translation for both reading and study and was my personal favorite even before I found the Harper Collins. To my knowledge, it's the only translation that encompasses books from multiple traditions (i.e. the Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox bibles), which is great for continuity and keeping book clutter to a minimum.It does NOT include books found only in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo canon such as Jubilees and Enoch. Though you can easily find those elsewhere if you need to.I've attached a picture of the books included in this volume for reference.I'd recommend the Harper Collins to believers who'd like to learn a little about the genesis of their holy book, students looking to get into the weeds, and everyday people who maybe had trouble understanding the King James as a kid but want to revisit the Bible. I've found that the footnotes kind of act as a person in the room who can explain things when the text gets a bit confusing.Fundamentalist literalists who hold every verse as unquestionable historical fact may want to skip this one and get a devotional instead.Content-wise, it's a textbook for the price of a bible.Physically, it is pushing the limits of its binding, but I'm not worried about it holding up.I don't quite understand why some reviewers are upset about the paper unless they expected an actual textbook. It's the same as any bible paper I've ever touched and about twice as thick as the thinnest paper I've encountered.You can definitely tell there's text on the other side of the page, but the ink itself does not bleed through.In all, a very important and valuable tome packed full of answers for Christians and worldly academics alike. I think it's a pretty fun read too :)

BY FAR THE MOST ECUMENICAL, THOROUGH AND AUTORITATIVE ENGLISH VERSION !

Arrived early and so far have found it easy to read and very imformative

im Spektrum verschiedener Studienbibelndie Dake Bibel ist auch sehr gut, ebenso die Genfer Studienbibel und verschiedene andere Bibeln im Markt