NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context

by Zondervan, Ed Dobson (Foreword), Kent Dobson (Editor)

Understand God’s Word in its Original Cultural Context Including fascinating articles from Pastor Kent Dobson, unpacking the culture of Bible times, illuminating Scripture passages, and asking thoughtful questions along the way, The NIV First-Century Study Bible is a wonderful way to explore God’s Word in its original Christian context and better understand the historical meaning of Scripture. This NIV study Bible introduces you to an ancient world vastly different from your own, but rich in valuable life lessons. It includes great tools to help answer your questions about life in Bible times and see how the ancient past holds applicable truths for life today. Kent Dobson is the teaching pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, where he initially served as the worship director. He has been featured on Biblical programs for the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. Kent fell in love with Biblical studies in Israel and had the privilege of learning from both Jewish and Christian scholars. After his time in Israel, he returned to the States to teach high school religion and Bible before responding to God's call to the pastorate. Today, he keeps his connection to the Holy Land strong, leading tours to Israel that combine study and prayer, inspired by the ancient discipline of spiritual pilgrimage.

Genres: Reference, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Theology, Biblical Studies

1888 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 2014

About the author

Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. and has multiple imprints including Zondervan Academic, Zonderkidz, Blink, and Editorial Vida. Zondervan is the commercial rights holder for the New International Version (NIV) Bible in North America.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared to the overall excellent quality of the "NIV Archaeological Study Bible," the quality of the "NIV First-Century Study Bible" did not impress me. The "about each book" sections, maps, pictures, timelines and such were pretty standard for a study Bible, so that just left the commentary study notes to make it stand out. Much of that commentary covered pretty standard things like pointing out when a prophecy had been fulfilled or references to the verse elsewhere in the Bible. Nothing unique there.

The "hook" was that the study note commentary would include quotes from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, Philo, rabbis (from the Mishnah), early church fathers, and modern scholars along with some cultural background. The Old Testament commentary was sparse and usually not enlightening. He even resorted to summarizing what was happening in the text--things obvious if you'd read the text. However, the author did a decent job in the New Testament.

I've read the "Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary" for the New Testament, which was a major source for the author's comments. Very, very little of his commentary was new to me. And, frankly, I got more insights and answers out of reading the Bible Backgrounds books.

Got questions? Well, so does this author. It seemed like this author was sometimes more interested in raising questions than giving answers--even when there were answers. For example, for Luke 1:5, the author made it sound like Luke must have made an error in saying "Herod king of Judea" because King Herod ruled more than Judea. I'm thinking, "Luke's focusing on Judea and that phrase doesn't exclude Herod from being king of more than Judea...what's your problem?" On the Luke 4:44 study note, the author even says, "Luke may have been using the term "Judea" generically to refer to Israel." Yes, so why not just say so in the Luke 1:5 note?

Another example: In Genesis 26, the verses indicate that Issac moved from a place of famine to a place without famine and then planted some grain. The author says in his Genesis 26:12 note that it's a puzzle how Issac got a good harvest during a famine. Gerar is located in a spot that gets more rain, which would have been useful information to include. But apparently it was easier for him to pose a question than find the answer. He said in his Genesis 19:25 note that "There is no archeological evidence for the existence of Sodom and Gomorrah." Plenty of people think they've found it, yet he makes it sound like no one even has a clue.

I could go on and on. There were plenty of study notes that left me wondering why he felt the need to include them, especially in the Old Testament. For example, his Genesis 43:18 note reads, "Was this a touch of humor by the narrator? Where Joseph and Pharaoh in such need of donkeys that they needed to steal them from poor shepherds?" It's those poor shepherds that were worried that powerful and potentially greedy people would take them as slaves and take their possessions, so why would this be a joke? For the Genesis 45:23, the author writes, "Why is the text focusing on donkeys again?" Um, is this really important enough to include, especially when you have no answer? Seems like useless filler to me.

(Though I took my examples from only a few books of the Bible, I read every study note before writing this review.)

I received this book as a review copy from the publisher through Booklook.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The NIV Bible has been a popular translation for many years now and having been given a copy when I was confirmed many years ago, I always thought it to be the easiest translation to read. With the NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in its Jewish and Early Christian Context, I believe that this is one of the best Bibles for any student of the Bible. If only this had been available when I studied Theology at University understanding the Bible would have been made even easier.

What I like about this version is that each Book has a clear introduction and outline which many translations do not have. These are packed with information; the Old Testament books give the reasons for the title, authorship and dating information. With the added information of background, interpretation, literary characteristics as well as the outline of the book. Previous translations gave minimal information, where this information helps you to formulate a deeper understanding of the book and the messages within each book.

At the beginning of the New Testament we are given an interesting overview of The Synoptic Gospels as well as looking at John’s Gospel separately. With each of the Gospels we are given information on authorship, dating of the Gospel as well as the place of its writing. As well as information about the structure of the Gospels we are told who would have been the early recipients, its purpose, as well as its overall structure and outline. It is similar with the letters and Acts of the Apostles but we also get theological teaching and its purpose.

What makes this even more useful besides the clear and concise maps are the many explanations of various Hebrew and Greek words and their meanings in the context of the chapter. These study notes also incorporate writings from the early church writers, rabbis and other sources. These add to the commentary of the Bible and also raise various questions for the student about the text and Biblical times.

There are also interesting articles that actually address in depth various passages in the Bible, as well as Day in the Life articles that delves in to the life of people during the Biblical period. As well as excellent chronological information as well as ancient texts that relate to the Old Testament. What I enjoyed using was the translations own Concordance, which has made my Cruden’s redundant.

The NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in its Jewish and Early Christian Context is an excellent Bible for both the serious student of Scripture and those wishing to learn more. Being able to experience the Bible in its original Jewish and Early Christian context is brilliant, being able to see things in the context in both ancient and modern is insightful. An excellent Bible that should be welcomed with open minds and open arms.

[Mina Sherif Soliman · Rating 4 out of 5]

أكاد أقترب من إنهاء هذا الكتاب الثري، من أفضل ما قرأت عن العهد الجديد، و تحديداً عن شخصية يسوع التاريخية، هو يكاد يقارب ٢٠٠٠ صفحة لكنها كانت رحلة مثمرة جداً، هو تفسير لكل آيه من العهد القديم و الجديد و كأنك في القرن الأول، كل آيه مربوطة بما يشابها من المشناه أو التلمود أو التوراه و مخطوطات قمران (البحر الميت) الأسينية علي الأغلب، ينصح به لكل محب للعلم و محب المعرفة و يسعي لدراسة أكثر عمقاً للعهد الجديد و القديم.
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[Rebecca Hutcheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 2nd year to read through the entire Bible chronologically (following the Bible Recap reading plan and podcast). This study Bible includes study notes and pictures to help give Jewish and Early Christian context regarding the time it was written. Highly recommend this Bible!

[Esdras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una Biblia de estudio muy interesante. el objetivo es dar una respaldo bíblico arqueológico y cultural y lingüística de la época bíblica.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading my hebrew Bible as it takes me to my humble beginnings and offers great insights.

[Scott Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous information. I do not recommend this 'Study Bible'. Neither the notes nor the translation are profitable.

[Kenneth Sowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devotional Bible for the Elliotts and Josh & Aimee

[Rebecca Elson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on The Magical Buffet's website on 3/12/15.

I’m not here to pass judgment. Oh wait, that’s EXACTLY what I’m here to do, since this is a book review. I’ve got to tell you, spoiler alert, that I am duly impressed with the “NIV First-Century Study Bible” with notes by Kent Dobson. Now you may be wondering how does a piece of work like yours truly go about accessing the worth of a Bible? Honestly, I could have just gone by sheer mass. Seriously. If it wouldn’t be some sort of vortex opening super sin, you really could kill a man with the latest hard cover edition. The publisher used thinner than normal paper. Not flimsy or shoddy, just thinner. I would hate to imagine the size and heft if it had been printed with standard paper. The injuries my wrists take just getting out my copy of “Absolute Watchmen” are intense. I would need an assistant to get this off the shelf if they hadn’t taken appropriate measures. Now before you think I didn’t put any thought or consideration into this at all, let me show you that I do know how to do my non-paying job.

NIV stands for New International Version. According to the Preface, “The complete NIV Bible was first published in 1978. It was a completely new translation made by over a hundred scholars working directly from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. The translators came from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, giving the translation an international scope. They were from many denominations and churches – including Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Brethren, Christian Reformed, Church of Christ, Evangelical Covenant, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, and others. This breadth of denominational and theological perspective helped to safeguard the translation from sectarian bias.”

They even created a committee to keep up on biblical scholarship and to those ends the NIV Bible has been revised twice. The latest copy available builds on those revisions and reflects the latest effort to best translate international scholarship to English. That kind of work impresses me. But then, just in case their efforts to be as neutral and throrough in their interpretation as possible slips up, that’s where Kent Dobson comes in.

Dobson lived and studied in Israel where he earned a Masters Degree in History and Geography of the First Temple Period from Jerusalem University College. He also studied Comparative Religion at the Rothburg International School of Hebrew University. And Dobson provides all kinds of notes throughout the Old and New Testament and each Book has an introduction that provides outside context to the religious text you’re about to read. I know this is going to sound stupid, but I’m still going to say it, someone could really use this to study the Bible!

An important reason to not only have outside context notes as well as the best attempt at neutral translation can be found with everyone’s much loved Leviticus 18:22 which gets bandied about as the Biblical argument against homosexuality. “The NIV First-Century Study Bible” says:

Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

However when we go to the note it is revealed that, “Most of the Old Testament information about homosexuality is in the context of either rape or ritual prostitution. The Bible associates homosexuality with Canaanite depravity and cultic pagan worship. A clear break from Canaanite practices is a major theme in Leviticus, from dietary restrictions to sexual relations.

That’s a bit different, eh? And it’s there, thanks to the addition of Kent Dobson’s notes.

It’s not every day a gal is asked to assess the worth of a Bible, and I have to say, I never really thought I would find that much here to set it apart. Yet as they say, “The Lord (in this case) works in mysterious ways” and I’m sitting here with a Bible I’m pretty enthusiastic about reading. Who knew?

If you find yourself in the market for a Bible for spiritual or academic reasons, I heartily recommend the “NIV First-Century Study Bible”.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who writes a bit of biblical fiction, the overview description of the NIV First-Century Study Bible drew me in:

“Experience the Bible through Eastern eyes by exploring the cultural, religious and historical background of the Bible. This hardcover study Bible allows you to understand God’s Word in its original cultural context, bringing Scripture to life by providing fresh understanding to familiar passages, beloved stories, and all the Scripture in between.”

As a Booklook blogger, I got a reviewer’s copy of the e-book version of this Bible. This is a review of that edition’s Bible study features, not the NIV text.

The list of features is long and impressive. I’ve checked them out and this is what I found:

This Bible’s notes (commentary study notes and translator’s footnotes) and articles do indeed focus on describing and explaining the Middle Eastern location, history, and customs of the Bible’s writers and setting.

Textual articles consist of pieces longer than study notes and supplement each book. They cover a variety topics that go from delving into the history of part of the text (like “The Oral Law”—an article on the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:7), to explaining the customs and ethics of the day (like “Joshua and the Ethics of War”), to telling about recent archeological discoveries that support the biblical record (like “Hezekiah’s Water Tunnels”), and more. These were interesting and informative.

There are word studies. I found these short, skimpy and disappointing in that the Strong’s Concordance number was not included.

Day in the Life articles explain the lifestyle and customs of Bible peoples. Some sample topics are: “Desert Shepherds,” “Slaves,” “Widows.” Because these pieces attempt to describe and explain customs spanning the Bible’s hundreds of years, they are quite general and don’t get into subtle changes that may have occurred over hundreds of years, e.g. between the patriarchs and the time of the exile or the Old and New Testaments.

There are many In-text Charts and Models. These were not all equally accessible on my e-book version. I’m not sure how they would display on different e-readers, but know that on my keyboard Kindle, many of them are too tiny to read. When they’re set up as pure text (e.g. “Ancient Texts Relating to the Old Testament”) they view just fine. However when they’re set up as graphics, text boxes or charts (e.g. “Old Testament Chronology”) the static text size and sometimes grayed graphics made them pretty well useless.

Further Study Helps include a Table of Weights and Measures, Endnotes, Bibliography, Topical Index to Articles, Glossary, Concordance, and Zondervan’s Full-Colour Maps (14). As with the charts and models, some of these things were not legible on my e-reader (like the tables and maps). I liked the Glossary, that explains Bible words and concepts, and the linked Concordance, where Scripture references are accessed by clicking on a link.

All in all, this Bible's study features make it a great choice for anyone interested in learning more about the cultural and social setting of the Bible. For those getting it as an e-book, there is an article in the fore-matter on how to navigate this edition. Though my e-reader was unable to access all the Bible’s features, accessibility and usability no doubt vary with the type of e-reader or tablet.

Even without access to the full menu of features, the NIV First-Century Study Bible e-book version is a wonderful resource—a wealth of information, stored in one light reader, and available at one’s fingertips.

I received the e-book version of the NIV First-Century Study Bible as a gift from the publisher for the purpose of writing a review.

[Create With Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a passage of the Bible and felt that you did not fully comprehend what the writer was trying to convey because it was originally written for a different audience, living in a different culture during a different period of time?

Have you ever felt that the words you were reading did not make sense because, perhaps, something important got lost in the translation process?

If you are interested in a Bible that will help you to better understand Scripture without the cultural biases we bring to our reading, then the NIV First-Century Study Bible belongs on your bookshelf!

The NIV First-Century Study Bible helps you to explore Scripture in its Jewish and Early Christian context.

As Ed Dobson writes in the Forward:

Context is critical to understanding. Without the benefit of context, none of us can comprehend what is said in a conversation. And the Bible is exactly that. A conversation between us and the God who inspired those words, carefully shepherded them through the centuries, and who continues to breathe life into them and for listeners today.

This beautifully designed and colorfully illustrated Bible is filled with a wide range of resources such as study notes, word charts, photos, maps, charts, models, and textual articles that will help you to better understand the context in which each book of the Bible was written.

In many ways, the NIV First-Century Study Bible reads like a cross between a traditional study Bible and a Bible dictionary!

If you love history, the NIV First-Century Study Bible is the perfect Bible for you!

I rate this feature-rich Study Bible 5 out of 5 stars.

To read my review in its entirety, please visit Create With Joy.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. However, the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reviewing the hard copy of the NIV First-Century Study Bible not the e-version.

As an eternal student of history, I was very interested in assessing this new bible. It is an easy to read bible. The format and the content are exactly what someone who wants a bible that they can refer to at times when they are being a student of the bible...a learner...a seeker. Sometimes you need a devotional bible but this is perfect for studying the Word.

I must confess that I prefer bible studies where we are studying the bible as it relates to history. The NIV First-Century Study Bible helps place the Word in its historical context. That is an important to me and if it is important to you and your study of the bible then this bible is for you.

This is an easy bible to navigate. There are introductions to each book of the bible that are well-written and insightful. There are articles and study notes that support the Word.

A wonderful addition to my bible library.

For further information, please see: http://www.zondervan.com/niv-first-ce....

http://mysteriesetc.blogspot.ca/2014/...

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The NIV First-Century Study Bible has a beautiful cover and is very attractive sitting on the shelves of stores everywhere! I thought this would be a really neat study Bible since it focuses exploring Scripture in its Jewish and early Christian context, but some of the notes, I'm just not sure about. There are a lot of interesting study tools in this Bible, the maps would be very helpful in studying the Early First-Centry, and I really enjoyed the pictures and drawings throughout. But I am just not sure this would be a Bible that I would use in my studies. But each person really needs to make the decision for themselves, so pick up a copy for yourself and see what you think!