[GreenPartyVoter]

No, I don't necessarily mean Bibles rewritten in PC lingo per se, but I have seen numerous study Bibles out there but none of them ever seem to be put together by liberal Chrisitians. (I currently have 3, the student Bible, The Women's Bible II, and the Couples' Bible)

Do any of the more liberal denominations put out their own study Bibles, or are there any generic non-denominational liberal study Bibles in existence?

Thanks!

[BrotherRog]

Hmm... I'd say that the most "liberal" study Bible that I'm aware of is the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) Study Bible. It's really more academic than anything, but it clearly stands against a more literalistic/fundamentalist reading of the Good Book. Another excellent resource, albeit far larger and more extensive, to consider is the New Interpreter's Bible Commentary series. This is available in either 12 books (like an encyclopedia) or on CD. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that they've just come out with a 1 volume New Interpreter's Study Bible. Can anybody verify this?

[BrotherRog]

I located this book:

Amazon.com review
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version With the Apocrapha
by Walter J. Harrelson

[BrotherRog]

Now, for a much older "liberal" Bible, check out: ; )

The Jefferson Bible
by Thomas Jefferson

Amazon.com review

[BrotherRog]

In case that link didn't work, go to:
http://www.amazon.co...105442?v=glance

[GreenPartyVoter]

Thanks, all. From the research I have been doing it looks liek the Access Bible may be a good one for me to start with. I need something that goes easy on someone who hasn't studied the history of her faith and its cukture in detail.

[jroi]

For completeness on this or maybe just of general interest - there is a lesser known (but probably of interest to this community) Bible that uses inclusive language both for people and for God.


http://www.quixote.org/pfe/index.html

[killermode]

I know of a couple of great bibles that seem look at the message God was trying to give. I think there the best.

The NIV and KJV!

For crying out loud, if your looking for a bible that's liberal or conservitive, your really missing the point.

Jason
Minusmay.com

[Socius]

Quote

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that they've just come out with a 1 volume New Interpreter's Study Bible. Can anybody verify this?

I have this study Bible and highly recommend it. It is the NRSV with Apocrypha. It includes study notes, excursuses, some topical essays having to do with interpretation. Scholars that contribute are those leading in their field. Before each book there is an introduction with structure of the book concerned.

If anyone is interested in OT, I recommend "Sources of the Pentateuch: Texts, Introductions, Annnotations" by A. F. Campbell and M. A. Obrien. It is the first five books Genesis to Deuteronomy, though the later book contains only 4 verses. It's divided into J, E, P source (that's why Deut has only a handful of verses, Leviticus and Numbers also only include verses that pertain to J, E, P). In this text you can read J as one whole, E as a whole, likewise with P. It's a different way to read the Pentateuch, giving one a feel in the way that Historical critics are thinking.

[TammyJo58]

Hi!

I really enjoy the Life Application Study Bible. I have one in the NIV and one in the New Living Translation. When you read the commentary at the beginning and you see how many different denominations and scholars were involved, and when you read how exacting their research was, it gives you a confidence in it that, at least for myself, is lacking with some of the other versions. I grew up with the KJV, and my Pastor still uses it in his sermons, but when I study in private, the Life Application Study Bible helps give a clearer understanding of the scriptures.

God Bless,
TammyJo58

[AletheiaRivers]

I just purchased the New Oxford Annotated Study Bible with Apocrypha, which uses the NRSV.

I find it easy to read. The annotations seem thorough. It is scholarly and balanced; not too far to the right, not to far to the left.

The text is evenly spaced and easy on the eyes. The paper is of superior quality, which can be a problem with some Bibles.

I figure my next bible will be The Access Bible, which also uses the NRSV. Or:

Quote

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that they've just come out with a 1 volume New Interpreter's Study Bible.

This study bible looks awesome! I looked it up on Amazon and found the following review from someone who DOESN'T LIKE the NRSV for this reason:

Quote

First, this bible makes an effort to reclaim the Old Testament for the Jewish people. The Old Testament is no longer called the Old Testament, but the "Hebrew Bible". Passages of messianic import are interpreted historically and critically.

Can you believe it? How dare the editors of the NRSV call the Hebrew scriptures, well, the Hebrew scriptures?!

Quote

If anyone is interested in OT, I recommend "Sources of the Pentateuch: Texts, Introductions, Annnotations" by A. F. Campbell and M. A. Obrien.

And now, thanks to Socius, I will be obtaining this as well. Look what you did. You made me spend more money!

Aletheia

This post has been edited by AletheiaRivers: 30 December 2004 - 10:52 PM

[fatherman]

The New Oxford is currently my favorite, especially when I want to read the most accurant, non-biased translation. If I'm looking for beauty and poetics, I put it down though.

[Theo-Maniac]

I would recommend that when you're reading the OT, no matter what version of the Bible you're reading, you read a copy of the Hebrew Tanakh alongside for comparison. I personally preffer the Jewish Publication Society's translation, but there are a couple different ones out there to choose from. There are some pretty interesting translation discrepancies you'll notice if you do this between the Tanakh and OT of the Bible. Not to mention the fact that I personally trust the Jewish people more when it comes to translating their own Holy texts accurately than my fellow Christians.

[Theo-Maniac]

killermode, on Sep 9 2004, 05:08 PM, said:

I know of a couple of great bibles that seem look at the message God was trying to give. I think there the best.

The NIV and KJV!

For crying out loud, if your looking for a bible that's liberal or conservitive, your really missing the point.

Jason
Minusmay.com

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I doubt you'll find many here who agree with you. The NIV is a conservative translation that actually manipulates the text of the Holy Scriptures to say what they want. For example, you know all those parts of the NT where Paul talks about sexual practices and it says Homosexual or gay in the NIV? Turns out there's no word that is anything close to gay or homosexual in the origianl languages the NT was written in, so how did they pull that off? As for the KJV, I read it primarily for the Psalms, most of the Psalms I memorize are the KJV version simply because they sound more beautiful to me than any other translation. However I can't make heads nor tales of most of it, so it is not my primary Bible. Not to mention the fact that it has similar problems to the NIV, except in the case of the KJV, verses appear in the english that don't exist anywhere in the original texts.

[Seminarian]

I've never read it, but there was a controversy last year when Bible scholar John Henson released his own translation of the Bible, which he called Good As New: A Radical Retelling of Scriptures. I don't know if it's any good at all, but it is supposedly a more "liberal" type translation. Plus it was endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

[kiwimac]

I use the NASB study Bible but not exclusively, I have 20 or so translations which I use. My favourites, New English Bible; NRSV; NASB; Good News etc.

Kiwimac

[Ted Michael Morgan]

GreenPartyVoter, on Jul 18 2004, 01:22 PM, said:

Thanks, all. From the research I have been doing it looks liek the Access Bible may be a good one for me to start with. I need something that goes easy on someone who hasn't studied the history of her faith and its cukture in detail.

The Access Bible is an excellent beginning study Bible. You made an excellent choice.

[davestelzer]

As an independent student of the bible and by virtue of constitutional freedom of religion, I am free to be either liberal or conservative as a response to what I read.

For example, If I am inspired by the mercy of God I may choose to be liberal. If I am inspired by the holiness of God I may choose to be conservative.

I am free to change my mind on each inspiration. Conservatively for example I may choose to eat health food. Liberally, I may choose to eat frozen custard.

Conservatively I may choose to pray for universal healthcare in the USA. Liberally, I may choose to politely greet people on the street.

The point is: the bible is both conservative and liberal. I am free to respond either way. Both are valid responses.

It does not have to be either / or, it can be both / and!


Dave

[Ted Michael Morgan]

Excellent modern translations of scripture are the individual translations of Torah and other Hebrew scripture by both Robert Alter and Everett Fox. Cynthia Ozick's excellent essay in The Din in the Head explores and describes the power of Alter's translation.

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This post has been edited by Ted Michael Morgan: 16 July 2006 - 01:00 AM