I bought this Bible for a New Testament Intro Class. My appreciation for the Scriptures has grown since. The translation is more beuatiful than the NIV but more readable than the NASB. Also, it has not bowed to political correctness like the NRSV has. It does not matter how egalitarian one is, gender-inclusiveness is not an attractive read.

Particularly helpful (or harmful) are the book introductions. IT is very important to consult an evagelical opinion at the same time, not to embrace that view necessarily but to get a well rounded view of the opinion. Another interesting aspect is the articles at the end, "How to read the Scriptures with understanding." This is without doubt the most beautiful essay on Bible Reading. However, these men openly doubt the historicity of the sacred text. Whether they are right or wrong, they very eagerly embrace higher critical views that can be dangerous if they are abused. The main reason that i give the book 4 stars is that some of the information is dated. The Documentary Hypothesis was once popular to academicians, now archeology is beginning to shed some uncomfortable light on it. They place more weight on that theory than necessary. other than that, a great read.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV, with Apocrypha is an amazing work. It uses the accurate RSV translation, and includes the study notes of great scholars like Bruce Metzger and Herbert May. I found the essays at the end of the Bible helpful as well, especially in an Old Testament class. The RSV (and NRSV) also offers the entire apocrypha/deuterocanon accepted by major Christian churches, which will enhance study.

This New Oxford Bible is slightly different than the NRSV version. Many of the notes are identical to those included in the NRSV version, or else they are very similar. The text itself is of course different. The RSV contains archaic language in the Psalms, and has no inclusive language, among other differences. The NRSV however, makes more use of the better texts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Overall I would say this Bible is written from more of a Christian faith perspective than the NRSV counterpart. One example I noticed is in the Introduction to Isaiah in the RSV, where it mentions Jesus as the incarnate suffering servant. This is omitted in the NRSV, probably in a desire to make it more ecumenical among Non-Christian religions.

Overall I think this is a great Bible to own. The scholarship is excellent and embraces Biblical Criticism, while coming from a perspective of faith. The translation is beautiful and readable. I am proud to include this is my collection of Bibles for both personal and academic use.

I bought this Bible recently as a replacement for my well-worn NIV study bible. I had come to enjoy the RSV after using it along with several other translations on my PC bible software -- it is written at a more advanced level than the NIV and seems to be closer to the original language while still remaining accessible to modern readers. This RSV is sturdy, easy to read, and has the benefit of a "modern" translation of the Apocrypha.

I often find text notes, inline maps, etc. to be merely distracting rather than helpful, and often the notes included with a Bible are somewhat questionable in their merit. (My NIV study bible has more notes than text on many pages.) This RSV edition keeps the notes short, succint, and scholarly. The maps are all in the back along with some excellent scholarly articles. Kudos to the publishers and editors for such a clean, thoughtful layout.

The only thing I'd change is that there's virtually no room in the text or in the margins for making notes. I use post-it notes stuck at the various places, but that's getting cumbersome.

The workmanship is wonderful. The scholarship tends to be in the classic liberal vein. But over all it's an impressive work for daily reading and devotions.

The NRSV is my favorite translation, and the New Oxford Annotated Bible is one of the best study bibles on the market. It is a classic in its own way. This is durable leather edition, with gold edged-pages and two ribbon markers.

This is an excellent book for learning Greek vocabulary and word formation, and has been used in seminaries for over 50 years. During that time, people have been thinking of ways they would add to it or improve it. Although Metzger's book still holds up quite well, I think that some of these newer books have surpassed it. For instance, I like Robinson's Mastering Greek Vocabulary better, and it contains much of the same material.

This reference is an important resource for the first time Greek student. Organized in a fashion of word use frequency allows the student to locate the most commonly used words quickly. The appendices are extremely useful for understanding concepts such as the geometrical graph of prepositions.

If you're a serious (or even semi-serious) student of NT Greek, you'll want this book. A short list of vocabulary words, sorted and indexed several ways, gives you the information you need to start learning the most commonly used words immediately.

Not designed to be read cover-to-cover, it's just a list of Greek words, their meanings and, often, related English words that derived from the Greek term. Using a computer program, the straight words could be generated easily enough, but the beauty is in the English definitions and related words. Designed to help make the connection between the English and the Greek clearer for the user, Metzger has provided students with an excellent, concise, and easy to use reference work that you'll return to over and over.

I was hoping this book may give some insight into Metzger the person and Metzger the spiritual being. Instead it is a set of experiences related to his life as a scholar, which is very interesting reading in its own right and I recommend the book on that basis, but don't expect much insight into Metzger's inner self, apparently he can't even ditch his scholars cap when talking about himself!

Most octogenarians have reminiscences, but very few are as interesting as these! The exacting memory and precise eye for detail which made Metzger the dean of thsi century's textula critics also makes him an ideal figure for mining his wealth of experience. This memoir goes from his Pennsylvania boyhood to the ivy league halls of Princeton Theological Seminary, where Metzger spent more than 50 years as a student and professor. He gives us a candid insider's view of the great Biblical translation issues of this century. A good read.

I read Metzger's book while preparing to lead a study group on the Book of Revelation. I found the author, who is well-known and well-respected among biblical scholars using the historical-critical method, to be much more pastoral than usual. He not only uses great research, as one would expect, but uses it in a style of understanding the meaning of the text and offering insights into how we can apply the theology of John today. The book is clearly not intended for scholarly use, but is perfect for the main study text of a bible study. Well done and inexpensive.

A great Bible study guide, that's easily accessible for folks without a background in Bible history. Metger writes the historical and literary context in terms that any lay person can understand and interprets the book of Revelation in light of its historical context. A scholarly book that is easy to understand! It is recommended by a New Testament scholar to his seminary students for Bible study in a local church.

For those reviewers who suggest that the title is misleading, I ask you to look at the publication date. This book came out before the fad of "Bible Codes". He addresses the one true coded book in the Bible, Revelation. And he addresses it perfectly.

This massive tome has it all--the Hebrew bible (aka the Old Testament), the Apocryphal books, and the New Testament. I'm a history and religion major, so I've had to make use of this Bible many times, and I haven't even had to dig into the Old Testament yet.

The best functions of this book are the copius annotations and translator notes found on every page. They help guide the novice along when some of the text gets a little dense. The annotations help link quotations to their proper place in the other books of the bible. Most bibles have this feature, but this edition has the best annotations I've seen. The translator's notes are nice, showing the reader where the Greek or Hebrew words could have had alternate meanings to the English. It also points out where some ancient texts may have omitted or added text, and then tells you what it was. Very handy, I must say.

This bible also has tons of explanatory material about the text: historical information on biblical times, various literary forms used in the Bible, explanations of ancient modes of writing, etc. All of this information is very helpful to getting more out of reading the Bible.

As a budding religion major, I've yet to explore all of the information this edition provides, but for the biblical scholar, this is the book to go with. It will take you far in your studies.

For the casual reader, this Bible may not be as useful. Many people like to read on their own and make their own interpretations out of the scripture. In these cases, the annotations and explanatory notes will not be helpful, but could actually be a hinderance. Some want to read the Bible in a new, updated, modern English version. I'd recommend the Good News Bible for these readers.

Overall, a must for the biblical scholar. I took a class on Paul, and I was glad to have this bible along to help get through some of his deep theological discussions!

As much as I am a devout Christian, it is essential to consider the Bible in light of modern scholarship. For someone who doesn't have training in the original languages, but still wishes to profit from the use of language in study of their Bible (after all, Paul, Jesus, and Abraham did not speak in Jacobean English, ya know), this edition of the Bible is indispensible.

The notes are not unwieldy -- the Biblical text takes up generally 4/5 of the page. So it is not impractical for non-academic use. Each sequence and individual book has a scholarly introduction about it, which is profitable to read in order to have a firm understanding of the history of the text. All of this fosters an intelligent reading of the Bible. Another asset of the edition, there's a mini-concordance (well... they don't actually call it that) in the back where you can look up some words very quickly to find major instances of them.

If you want a devotional book or an edition with notes to confirm your own beliefs, you should look elsewhere. To learn more about the Bible and how to read it, this is one of the best investments you can make. If you can get another translation to read alongside it, that's probably best. Personally I'm apathetic about the gender language issue -- it's awkward in some places but still doesn't detract too much from this as compared with other translations.

If you don't have an NRSV, definitely purchase this edition!

The New Revised Standard Version is the finest translation available today, and the New Oxford Annotated Bible is the best study edition of the Bible. I am a Byzantine Catholic who has a deep devotion to the Bible as God's word, and yet appreciates the best of modern bible scholarship.

The NRSV translation is very literal yet very easy to read. It employs inclusive language for human beings, but never for the Holy Trinity. The NRSV is a better overall tranlsation than the RSV, not least of all because it is based on more precise and abundant textual evidence, especially for the Old Testament.

It is beautiful and poetic (take for example, the classic Isaiah 53 Passage). It is a product of Protestant, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Jewish scholarship, as is the New Oxford Annotated Bible. The NRSV with Apocrypha carries the imprimatur of both the US and Canadian Catholic Bishops, and used in the Canadian Lectionary for Mass. It is quoted in the English edition of the Catholic Catechism, along with the original RSV.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible has a venerable tradition behind it parallel to the RSV/NRSV. The first edition came out in 1962. In 1966, The Oxford Annotated Bible came out with the Apocrypha, and received the imprimatur of Richard Cardinal Cushing of Boston. It was the first "common Bible" hailed by Catholic, Protestants and Orthodox. In 1977, the Expanded New Oxford Annotated Bible with the second edition RSV text came out, with an expanded Apocrypha, which reflected the canon of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. It was the most complete bible ever.

And finally, in 1991, the New Oxford Annotated Bible in the New RSV was published, continuing the great tradition of this venerable study bible. This edition too, has the fuller Apocrypha, which includes Psalm 151 and 3rd and 4th Maccabees. As a Byzantine Catholic, I appreciate the fuller canon, which has all of the books of the Greek Septuagint. The Greek Septuagint was the bible used by the earliest Christians, and is still the official bible of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.

The updated study notes are a vast improvement over the RSV/New Oxford Annotated Bible of 1977. I appreciate for example, that the notes in John chapter 6 admit a Eucharistic interpretation more clearly than the 1977 edition. I find that most of the notes do not conflict with my Catholic faith.

The NRSV is my favorite translation, followed by the old RSV and the New Jerusalem Bible. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is my favorite study bible. I would not say that this bible has a "liberal" bias in the notes. Rather, the scholars have a high view of the bible, but accept certain critical theories, much like many contemporary Catholic and neo-Evangelical scholars. Princeton Scholar Bruce Metzger, an evangelical Presbyterian, is the chief editor for both the NRSV translation and the New Oxford Study Edition. He has a high view of scripture, as can be ascertained by Lee Strobel's interview with him in his book, the Case for Christ. Metzger's name has been associated with both the RSV/NRSV and the New Oxford Annotated Bible during their entire histories. The RSV/NRSV and the New Oxford Annotated Bible have been intertwined for nearly forty years, and will continue to help people understand God's word. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is designed to study the NRSV Bible. I highly recommend it.

This ill-conceived and poorly written compilation of superstition and combined myth and fairy tale has nothing of redeeming value except for the study of possible ancient beliefs. I write "possible" as there are no corroborating texts with which to gauge whether or not described customs were in fact part of the described culture or simply "literary license" by the author. Without this, nothing credible exists within the text.

The Revised Standard Version is a well done work, worthy of the truths that the book itself contains. By also including the "Apocrypha," the book is including texts held to as Scripture by the Pre-Nicean church. This is one of the available translations that has carefully been written to guard all of the facts within it which are so thoroughly supported by both archaeology and fine scholarship. As a Greek student at the University of Washington I would recommend this or the NAS.

This leather bound Bible is of great quality and reasonably priced for the occassion. In the back of this book there are many well conceived close up photos of important Biblical places that can be easily used to relate to what Biblical time and place the reader is interested in. Furthermore, it's Oxford! The page quailty is better than ordinary paper and is extremely durable. The pages feel great and have a golden lining on the edges which does not easily rub off. The content itself is, in my opinion, excellent for the modern-times reader. Those that want something easier to read than the King James version are going to like this New Revised Standard Version because it is so easy to read, but Oxford has maintained the tradition of King James by not altering the passages AND Oxford goes on to include the Hebrew and sometimes Latin translations at the bottom of the page to see how else the passage could read. Beyond this, the New Revised Standard Version has the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books at the end of the Old Testament. This book is of excellent quality, context, readability, and does well to live up to the Oxford name. I recommend this book, but would also recommend the King James version after reading this English evolutionary Bible. Also a helpful reference book like the Oxford Companion to the Bible will definitely come in help to the curious Christian.

Metzger in an ordained Christian minister. This book is theology prettied up to pass as scholarship.

Amplifying an earlier reviewer, Metzger also says maybe the ending of Mark's original gospel got burned. One imagines conflagrations all over Christendom, everywhere burning up just that last little bit of Mark.

Or maybe the _original_ copy of Mark got burned -- no wait, just the last couple pages of the original book got burned in the fire, so it must have been a tiny fire, and Mark died in the fire, the tiny fire, right, so he couldn't redo it. And there was only that one copy, and no rough drafts, right? Oh, oh, here it is: the fire got all the rough drafts, and the last page of the final version, and Mark.

Any stupidity will do for apology. A useless book.

If you're a believing Christian looking for the believers' orthodox account of gospel origins, this is a five- star book. Metzger knows a lot. He organizes well and writes clearly.

But you should realize Metzger is doing "believers' scholarship," not "critical scholarship." He starts with the idea the gospel stories are basically true (but not historically infallible) accounts of Jesus life. His job is to understand Jesus through the not-quite-inerrant gospels. Any scholarship that leads away from traditional theology isn't worth mentioning -- so he doesn't.

To his credit, Metzger does acknowledge some faith-confounding results of critical scholarship, but he always explains them away, even if the best thing he can come up with is silly.

Silly how? Here's an example. Critical scholars have long seen that the original gospel of Mark ends at 16:8, a few lines back from the current ending, without mentioning Jesus' ascension. That changes Mark's theology. Metzger admits the scholarship and even acknowledges it is correct: Mark's gospel did originally end without Jesus' ascension. But the reason, says Metzger, is that Mark up and died before he could get out those last eleven verses. [pg 92] I am not making this up.

Is silliness evil? No, it's not. Metzger seems like a nice guy. Silly is OK. But if you read this book you will miss all the scholarship about what the changed theology means, not just to Mark but to the history and development of Christian ideas.

What is bad about the book is that it is fundamentally about apology, not scholarship. You always get the believer's conclusion, always with the believer's spin. You don't get the uncomfortable conclusions of critical scholarship. You don't get the facts from the ancient texts that underlie the conclusions. And you don't get the non-silly reasoning behind critical scholarship's faith confounding conclusions.

Faith confounding how? Here's an example. Metzger acknowledges the pre-gospel Synoptic Saying Source, aka Q, exists. He mentions, but because it contradicts his theology (he says this himself) quickly dismisses, the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas. He ignores the fact that neither Q nor the Gospel of Thomas mention Jesus' death and resurrection. That's bad, because there is a large body of critical scholarship about this: Jesus' earliest followers, say many scholars, were not Christians!

Now, I don't know if the early-followers-not-Christians stuff is true or not. But I do know it's an important part of NT scholarship, and if you read this book you won't get any of it. Metzger doesn't mention the underlying facts and he doesn't mention the reasoning. Read this book and you won't even know the issue exists.

That's one example. There are many many others, particularly in the area of the early non-canonical gospels and their similarities, timing and relationship to our four modern gospels.

The good news is there are better books for non-believers, or for believers interested in real scholarship. One very good one is Harvard Professor Helmut Koester's: Ancient Christian Gospels Their History and Development.

Bruce Meztger seems to be the reigning scholar as far as early New Testament books are concerned. He's writen over ten books on that subject alone. From all information about the "Q" document to different textual versions of the gospels, he's your man.

This book, however, is not specifically about where the individual books of the New Testament Canon came from. Meztger does talk about who wrote them, to be sure, but he is more concerned with how they actually came to be canonized. He discuses the outside elements that brought the church to seperate certain books as authoritative(canonize), and investigates various books that were eventually rejected. One thing Meztger seems to stress is that the decision to include books in the canon was not done over night in one council; but gradually over roughly 300 years of various(though similar) 'lists' of books. Eventually he concludes with the excellent illustration:"If, for example, all the academies of music in the world were to unite in declaring Bach and Beethoven to be great musicians, we should reply, 'Thank you for nothing; we knew that already.'" Same thing with the canon.

I found this book to be extremly boring in places; I'm not very proficient in scholarly works. This book seems to be meant for college students. Its very helpful, though, for those who want to know how the New Testament came to be labeled as authoritative, hence the five stars. Don't miss the concluding essays on modern questions concerning the canon. I recomend this to budding Bible scholars or mature Christians.

This book is a world-class monument to peoples gullibility. The myths and superstition contained in this so-called "holy book" would be laughable if not for the destruction and suffering it has caused through the ages. Bigotry, hate, superstition, murder, ignorance, etc. it's all in there, ready to instruct the naive and lead the sheep (one of the reasons religious leaders refer to followers as their "flock"). Book burning is a horrible thing, but an exception should be made for this compilation of nonsense.

For my money, this is the Bible to use for prayer and devotional reading. Its language soars with majesty, unlike so many "low" translations today.
As far as the reviewer below who holds the Holy Scriptures in contempt: it is actually the atheistic/materialistic philosophies of the last century which have caused the most bloodshed. All of the religious wars throughout history combined would be only a very small fraction of the killings done in just the past 100 years in the name of secular philosophies. It is a fact. Go count the graves.
The Bible is the divine word of God. And it will be speaking to men long after the reviewer has, well, gone to his maker.

This edition of the Bible is masterfully put together: binding & cover, paper, type and layout, everything about the book itself is worthy of its contents.