Reddit Reddit reviews The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version

We found 17 Reddit comments about The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version
Oxford University Press USA
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17 Reddit comments about The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version:

u/[deleted] · 6 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

I have a copy of The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version, which seems to be pretty balanced.

I think that it is best to make use of multiple translations or even make the leap and learn Greek and Hebrew.

u/BoboBrizinski · 5 pointsr/Christianity

I dislike the ESV Study Bible - it obscures or dismisses the scholarly consensus on many books, which is academically dishonest.

I highly recommend the Access Bible. Its notes represent mainstream biblical scholarship. It uses the NRSV, which is a cousin of the ESV and is actually easier to read in my opinion (you can compare them on BibleGateway.com - the NRSV and the ESV are both revisions of the RSV.)

I would also recommend the New Oxford Annotated Bible.. It's a little more technical and meaty than the Access Bible. It also uses the NRSV. More importantly, its notes are excellent and represent mainstream biblical scholarship. It comes in an older edition (with shorter, more conservative notes) using the RSV (which is the basis for the ESV and very similar to it.)

Another study Bible I like is the Oxford Study Bible. This uses the REB (Revised English Bible) - this is a British translation that is not related to the RSV/NRSV/ESV family. It's a fresh, creative and easy to read translation that nicely complements the formal translations.

Finally, there is the Norton Critical Edition of the English Bible, KJV. It's very unique for a study Bible, because it focuses on how the KJV influenced English literature. Although the KJV is hard to read, the notes clarify some of the obscure English language.

So... I guess the lesson is that there are a lot of choices out there. But since you're a beginner, I'd highly recommend the Access Bible before you explore the other stuff.

u/GregoryNonDiologist · 4 pointsr/Christianity

We do not have any complete manuscripts of the "original" Hebrew. The vast majority of English translations of the "Hebrew" Old Testament are not translations of the original Hebrew, but rather a translation of a form of Hebrew that was invented in the Middle Ages by a sect (largely anti-Christian) of Jews called the Masoretes.

So for the Old Testament your choices are to defer to translations of a post-Christian Hebrew text or to translations of the Old Testament in another language. The oldest complete version of the Old Testament in any language is the Greek Septuagint, which dates to the 2nd century BC.

In my opinion, the best place to go for a translation of the medieval Masoretic Hebrew text is probably the Oxford Jewish Study Bible, translated by and commented on by Jewish scholars.

The best place to go for a translation of the Greek Septuagint is probably the Orthodox Study Bible.

The advantage of a translation of the Septuagint is that it includes the entire Old Testament. Modern Jewish and Protestant translations omit a number of books.

In my opinion, the best English translation of the New Testament is the 2-volume Orthodox New Testament, but it's not terribly readable.

I agree with another suggestion that the RSV is perhaps the best overall version. If you opt for this, be sure to purchase a version with the so-called "Apocrypha" (actually called the Deuterocanon by the Church Fathers). The New Oxford Annotated Bible is a good choice. Definitely AVOID the NRSV - Get the RSV.

u/CostanzaChronicles · 4 pointsr/TrueChristian

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version is one I like. It's a bit more conservative than the later New Revised Standard Version Oxford Annotated Bible, but still includes modern scholarship.

Edit: Amazon lies. This Bible is not made by Nintendo.

u/anathemas · 3 pointsr/AcademicBiblical

Since you've already gotten some good answers on methods of studying the Bible, I thought I'd recommend the Intro to the OT and NT classes from Yale, as well as the Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean podcast (adapted from a series of 8 classes). They really helped me in understanding the Bible in its historical/cultural context. Here are the links, as well as some other podcasts/classes you might enjoy. I'm adding some new classes, so excuse the construction. ;)

As far as Bibles, the Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (RSV) is commonly recommended. You can find some cheaper editions, but I would personally avoid the NRSV — it uses more inclusive language which is great for spiritual reading but is a departure from the traditional language.

Check out the rest of the r/askbiblescholars wiki for some other resources and, and feel free to drop by if you have any questions regarding Biblical history or theology.

u/greyandlate · 3 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

> that the devil basically wrote the Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha

That is a bit extreme, I never heard that in my years in fundamentalist churches.

The importance is that the (Greek) Bible of the early church included them. Early Fathers frequently quoted them, especially Sirach and Wisdom. There are many narratives that are profitable to read, and give context to practices that are common among Orthodox, but neglected by Protestants, such as the idea of a guardian angel, praying for the dead. Just this morning I read an inspiring story of the seven brothers martyred for their faithfulness to the Jewish law from IV Maccabees.

The consensus that I have heard among Orthodox teachers is that the RSV is better because the NRSV was translated with an agenda to prefer gender sensitive terms. There is an edition of the RSV with the extra books from the LXX that is widely available, I found mine used. It would serve you well until you get an orthodox study bible, if you so choose later.

u/nicktachy · 3 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

The Orthodox Study Bible is popular as is the Oxford Annotated RSV w/ Apocrypha.

u/pancake-breakfast · 2 pointsr/OrthodoxChristianity

I just finished listening to a Fr. Thomas Hopko podcast about reading the bible. He mentioned the OSB, but recommend getting ahold of an old revised standard edition study bible, like this one.

u/01000001_sauce · 2 pointsr/Christianity

Is it the RSV or the Orthodox Study Bible? The New Oxford Annotated RSV has all the books most major Christian groups accept as canonical. It's tough for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church but scholarship on those books is picking up due to their great historical value, and someday there may be an English translation of the Tewahedo Church's canon.

u/bobo_brizinski · 2 pointsr/Anglicanism

Came here to recommend the RSV with the others. It's my primary Bible. Oxford still sells the 1977 RSV edition of the New Oxford Annotated Bible. The notes are solid, though not as contemporary as the latest scholarship, they'll do fine. For a study Bible it's also a surprisingly handy size (not compact, but not a cinderblock like other study bibles). This is the most common edition of the RSV available.

My favorite edition of the RSV is a compact version of the RSV-Catholic Edition published by Oxford. It looks like this. Don't know whether the smaller print will bother you but I enjoy it.

You said in this thread you like pew hardback Bibles - the American Bible Society published one of the RSV. Out of print unfortunately, but they look like this - a plain black or maroon book with "The Bible" on the cover. Sometimes you can find cheap ones on EBay.

Other new editions of the RSV are harder to find. Catholic publishers like Ignatius Press and Saint Benedict Press continue to publish new editions of the RSV Catholic Edition, which is virtually identical to the RSV and includes a chart of the differences in an appendix. Ignatius also has an "RSV 2nd Catholic Edition" which modernizes thees/thous and is designed to reflect more Catholicism.

Oxford published a 50th Anniversary edition of the RSV, in both hardcover and leather, but it's rare and thus expensive unfortunately.

u/bukvich · 2 pointsr/slatestarcodex

It is this one. Amazon has been kind enough to tell me I purchased it in February 2013. When I bought it I did google search on (oxford study bible site:amazon.com) and it was the first result and I clicked twice more and naively proceeded onward like that is now taken care of forever.

I did this at the encouragement of Dale Martin's New Testament Yale U. videos. I have this weird memory that he said something about the NRSV being a more politically correct translation; maybe like in this example the Proverb we began with NRSV has "person" and the RSV has "man". I have a clear memory of him reading from his version in front of the class in at least one instance and his oxford study bible is materially different from his students' oxford study bibles.

In retrospect I am not happy that I paid Amazon their retail and I could have gotten a good second hand copy for five bucks. :(

u/NotADialogist · 1 pointr/Christianity
  1. Read Matthew and Luke through three times.

  2. Then read all four Gospels.

  3. Then re-read all four Gospels in parallel with the Praxapostolos (Acts/Epistles/Revelation). However many chapters of the Gospels you read, read the same number of Praxapostolos chapters.

  4. When you finish #3, start #3 again, but now add a Psalm a day. Maybe break up Psalm 117 into 3 pieces.

  5. In parallel with #4, you might add a chapter or two from the Wisdom Books each day. Make sure your Bible has the Deuterocanonical books Wisdom of Solomon and Wisdom of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus). These books were included in the Bible canon by all Church councils in the first millennium and are very valuable. I recommend the Orthodox Study Bible or Oxford Annotated RSV (not the NRSV) with "Apocrypha". The Wisdom Books are Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach.

  6. Then, in parallel again, you might add a chapter or two of the remaining books of the Old Testament, starting with Genesis and reading through all of the prophets.

    I would also recommend you get some first millennium commentaries. For the Gospels you might get the set of Theophylact's commentaries, or consult the commentaries of John Chrysostom (Matthew, John) or Cyril of Alexandria (Luke) online.

    I recommend first millennium commentaries because (1) you will find that they are the source of many of the key ideas expressed in later commentaries; and (2) they come from a time before there was a separate "Roman Catholic Church" or "Orthodox Church" or various Protestant churches, all with conflicting interpretations of the Bible.
u/palaeologos · 1 pointr/Christianity
u/internetiseverywhere · 1 pointr/OrthodoxChristianity

Fr. Hopko specifically mentions the The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha

I use this + the Orthodox Study Bible, as well as some commentaries such as Fr. Lawrence Farley's. I also use (critically) Tyndale commentaries, but this is mostly because they are accessible to me. OH, and NT Wright's New Testament for Everyone

I really, REALLY want the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture but I do not have easy access to this series and it is quite expensive.

u/HannasAnarion · 1 pointr/Christianity

Pick up a decent study bible, I've seen a couple that have pretty detailed discussions of what's going on in each book. It's been a while, and my library is on the other side of the country, but I recall this one being good.

u/yibanghwa · 1 pointr/Christianity

The New Testament manuscript tradition the KJV was based off of is from the same manuscript tradition that Eastern Orthodox New Testaments have been based off of, which is, as far as I've seen, one of the big reasons why the Eastern Orthodox prefer the KJV and the NKJV for English translations.

It's just easy to fall into the trap of dismissing the KJV altogether because of the weird way some modern North American Protestants worship the translation, along with hearing that the KJV supposedly is a bad translation (it's not, nor are its manuscripts necessarily worse). The way KJV-onlyists regard it is obviously absurd, but it doesn't change the fact that the KJV is a solid and beautiful translation that does deserve our continuing respect.

That being said, the KJV is a very archaic translation for our times, and it's not something that anyone should recommend for an initial read or for usage as a "main" bible. If you want to read a respectable translation that is used by both the Catholics and the Orthodox, then I would recommend to you the [NOAB RSV] (https://www.amazon.ca/Annotated-Apocrypha-Revised-Standard-Expanded/dp/0195283481) or the RSV-CE. The RSV-2CE is also an option, and I have a personal copy myself, but it has some dodgy typesetting errors among other things, and I wouldn't wholly recommend it as it is now. I would recommend the RSV-CE over the RSV-2CE. I currently use the NOAB RSV as my main Bible. The NOAB RSV includes the Eastern Deuterocanonical texts, if you are interested in them. The only main flaw of the NOAB RSV for me is that it omits certain passages that are regarded by modern scholars as being late additions into the text, such as the story of the woman caught in adultery in John, which I think was a mistake by the RSV editors. It should have been kept in with footnotes noting its contested nature.

u/teawar · 1 pointr/books

If you have access to an academic library and are interested in the opinions of the Church Fathers of the 1st millenium, I highly recommend the Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture series. If you're looking for something less overwhelming, I would go with the New Oxford Annotated Bible, which is very commonly used in academic courses.