HarperCollins Study Bible: Fully Revised & Updated – The Authoritative Ecumenical Edition from the Society of Biblical Literature

by Harold W. Attridge, Society of Biblical Literature

After 10 years of new archeological discoveries and changes in biblical studies, it was time for an overhaul of this classic reference work.

With the guidance of the Society of Biblical Literature, an organization of the best biblical scholars world wide, we have selected Dean of Yale Divinity School, Harold Attridge, to oversee the Study Bible's updating and revision.

Including up–to–date introductions to the Biblical books, based on the latest critical scholarship, by leading experts in the field

concise notes, clearly explaining names, dates, places, obscure terms, and other difficulties in reading the Biblical text careful analysis of the structure of Biblical books

abundant maps, tables, and charts to enable the reader to understand the context of the Bible, and to see the relationship among its parts.

In this new revised edition every introduction, essay, map, illustration and explanatory note has been reviewed and updated, and new material added. For instance,

There are newly commissioned introductory essays on

the archaeology of ancient Israel and the New Testament world,

the religion of ancient Israel,

the social and historical context of each book of the Bible, and

on Biblical interpretation.

There are completely new introductions and notes for many of the books in the Bible, plus a full revision and updating of all others.

Genres: Religion, Reference, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian, Theology, Mythology

7068 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 393

About the author

Harold W. Attridge, Ph.D., is Dean of Yale University Divinity School and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament. He has published many scholarly contributions to New Testament exegesis and to the study of Hellenistic Judaism and the history of the early Church. He also has served as the president of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having studied religion from an historical perspective for a number of years, I truly appreciate the comprehensive nature of the footnotes in the HarperCollins edition. Explanations of the spiritual or supernatural tones in the passages are often specific to particular branches of faith and would render many study Bibles invalid for anyone not approaching the text within that branch. This Bible discusses few of those issues, allowing individual readers their own perspectives and beliefs.

Being a highly ecumenical collaboration, this translation allows the texts their difficulties and acknowledges problematic passages. There are phrases that simply don't translate well, and there are other phrases that have lost their original meanings through multiple translations. Fortunately, the footnotes frequently clarify unusual phrases and sayings, repetitions, allusions, and direct references to former texts, which vividly bring out the literary aspect of the texts--an aspect that is often glossed over or ignored. It also provides introductions to the texts, discussing authorship, historical context, intended audience, and intellectual purpose.

If you want to read the Bible for your personal growth and edification, choose the version that is easiest for you to access. If you want to learn more about the structure of the texts, the historical significance, and the connotations behind the writings, this particular study Bible is, perhaps, the best choice you can make.

[Tommy Grooms · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a translation which manages to strike a very good balance between literalism and modern readability (at least, that's what I can tell from looking back and forth between difficult verses in different translations - I'm no scholar, and I certainly don't know Hebrew or Greek!).

What I was really using this Bible for, however, was the notes, of which there are quite a few (it's more like a collection of notes with a bible attached). The focus is very academic. The goal seems to be presenting the textual/literary/anthropological/cultural history of the Bible as objectively as possible, as comprehensively as possible. There's a lot we know about the Bible, but also a lot we don't know. The notes let you know when issues or points of fact are in contention, and what scholarly consensus (or majority, or plurality) exists, if any.

The focus is not theological, other than what it takes to tell the story of the text's development. This is a very good study Bible for those who want the text and its history, warts and all, without any agenda attached. As a new Christian I found it very helpful to have an authoritative source that wasn't whispering what to think in my ear the whole time. In my years-long journey to read the whole Bible I definitely read other things and I certainly favored some theological arguments over others (and I wouldn't recommend that anyone read this book alone if they're seeking to understand the Bible), but this book served as a neutral grounding for getting the text as is, for which I was continually thankful.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never read the Bible before, and this was a great intro to reading such a historically referenced tome. This version has tons of footnotes that clarify the customs of the ancient world, the Jewish world, and details about historical facts within the Bible. The translation was very clear, and this copy provided all the alternate translations that the Bible could be read with, as well as scholars' interpretations of the stories and their meaning. The only drawbacks to this book were that A) the Bible past Genesis is not really a rip-roaring read, and B) the Harper-Collins translation, while clear, didn't have the poetry of the King James, which is what I was expecting. The Lord's Prayer translation especially paled in comparison.

[Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very esteemed professor of New Testament, Dr. Jouette Bassler (who has recently retired) wrote the scholarly notes for a majority of the sections related to Paul's Letters and is an overall editor of this version. Anytime you can learn about Scripture from someone with her stature, it is truly humbling.

[Caterina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This seems to be a very good edition of the Bible both from a scholarly perspective and for the language itself. Of the dozen or so translations we have at the house, this is the one I prefer to read from. The only trouble is the binding - it's paperback and my copy has fallen apart into many pieces.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

***I finished reading the Old Testament cover-to-cover today (Sunday, January 3, 2016) perhaps for the fourth time in my life. The other three times, I read the King James Version (KJV); overall, reading the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) was not markedly different though it did cast some understanding on certain archaic phrases as well as demonstrate why some passages beloved by Mormons have a very different reading/understanding/interpretation in other denominations.

It is a remarkably complex collection of books with some fairly simple messages: remember God and what He has done for His people--honor Him, your parents, and love your neighbor as yourself. Surely there is more, but it really does boil down to those fairly consistent aspects. Some of the stories are baffling but nearly all of them are brilliant: great food for thought for literature classes and papers. Admittedly some portions of the chronicles and apocalyptic texts are redundant, dry, and less-than-inspiring, but overall, it forms a great lesson in thoroughness and human attempts at recording the divine. Even scripture, the word of God, is translated, transcribed, and interpreted through the human lens of culture. It should not surprise believers that there are human errors and ambiguities in the text. We struggle to understand the sacred text, and through that struggle (study and prayer) we find inspiration that helps us understand, trust, and follow God more clearly. It is a beautiful thing: the word of God illuminated by the Spirit of God.

***I finished reading the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament today (Tuesday, May 24, 2016). This was my first time reading the Apocrypha--biblical writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture (due to dubious authorship or otherwise questionable content). In the Mormon faith, as recorded in Doctrine & Covenants section 91, it is asserted that the Apocrypha is "mostly translated correctly" but contains "many interpolations by the hands of man" that are not true. Nevertheless, if read in good faith then the Spirit may enlighten and edify the reader of its contents. With this in mind, I attempted to study this collection of mainly first century stories that position themselves alongside other Biblical narratives and time periods with some strange and odd stories as well as some proverbial wisdom and profound insights.

I will share one part I particularly enjoyed. In 1 Esdras 3-4, there is a debate/competition among the three bodyguards of King Darius (who ruled the Persian Empire from 522-486 BC). The winner of this competition, Zerubbabel, was granted permission to rebuild the temple (Solomon's Temple was completely destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and the Israelites were still in captivity at the time of the competition). The competition asked what the strongest force in the world was. While the first bodyguard made a witty case for WINE and the second bodyguard chose the more obsequious answer of THE KING, Zerubbabel wins the day by first saying that WOMEN are the strongest force in the world but then craftily working in a second answer of TRUTH (especially concerning the one true God). This story explaining how the second temple came to be built by a Jewish man in exile brings up wonderful themes about the effects of strong drink, political governance/might, the important but unheralded role of women in society, and the more familiar theme of the supremacy and omnipotence of the Hebrew God. It was an enjoyable and edifying read, and there are several lessons akin to it in the Apocrypha if you are willing to dig in and weed through some of the more mundane filler (present in virtually all forms of writing).

***I finished reading the New Testament today (Thursday, January 12, 2017). This is perhaps my seventh time reading it cover-to-cover but my first reading of a non-KJV translation (NRSV). As with the Old Testament, I enjoyed new translations of familiar scriptures. Reading the footnotes along the way (the back cover asserts that the text is 60% scriptural text and 40% commentary/footnotes), I was struck by the quantity of quotation of OT scriptures that occurs in the NT. Surely early Christianity took Judaism in a new direction that split it from its predecessor, but it firmly establishes itself on the theological and cultural foundation of Judaism (much like Islam would do half a millennium later). With respect to the gospels, their four respective primary audiences were clear:

Matthew: primarily written for Jewish sensibilities (shows Christ's fulfillment of OT scriptures)
Mark: primarily spoke to Romans (highlights the power and actions of Christ)
Luke: written by a Greek for Greeks (happiness found in pursuit of truth: stories, songs, interviews)
John: written by an eyewitness of Christ's life, ministry, and resurrection for the broadest audience (makes a very strong case for the reality of Christ and the need for exercising faith in Jesus Christ)

Some of my favorite insights from Paul's epistles:

2 Corinthians 6:4-7 Adversity and virtue were closely linked in antiquity; the latter followed from exposure and experience from the former. So in modern times, we might well adopt that attitude of learning virtue from adversity rather than succumb to complaining.

2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation, but worldly grief produces death." Guilt can crush the soul, but with faith in Christ, it can help one become better in this life and "saved" in the next.

Hebrews 2:10 and 12:2 Whereas in the KJV it reads "captain of their salvation" and "the author and finisher of our faith," in the NRSV it translates "captain" and "author" both as "pioneer." I find this very fitting and meaningful, especially to Mormons who revere pioneer ancestors with a state holiday in Utah: Pioneer Day--July 24. As a pioneer, Jesus Christ not only blazed the trail for us to follow in salvation specifically, He also set the example of pioneering more generally. In other words, we are each pioneers in our individual lives. We look to Christ for salvation, but the particulars of our journey will vary and require us to make unique decisions. These decisions ought to be informed by faith, but the path is not entirely "set in stone." We walk by faith and pioneer the path as Christ did before us.

Although it took me a long time (28.5 months), it was a great experience to read the Bible from cover to cover with footnotes and introductory texts along the way. It can be a challenging book for its length, diversity, and repetition, but it has moments of pure clarity and profound beauty that makes it worthy of being considered a classic, widely read text of the western canon as well as an obvious choice for anyone who takes up the mantle of discipleship and wishes to wrestle with the scripture and exercise faith in Jesus Christ. I love the Bible, and I enjoy reading, pondering, and discussing its ambitious scope and literary richness.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

November 4, 2013:

I finished reading the NT last night from this Study Bible. With the help of my "8 Translations" book, I feel like I have learned a TON about the NT after reading it in this book. The notes are very helpful, and the introductory essays are quite good, although I prefer Raymond Brown's essays on each NT in his "Introduction to the New Testament." The level of skepticism about the authenticity of the NT books from the authors of the introductions in the Study Bible varied quite a bit. Some seemed willing to acknowledge the distinct possibility that a letter or book in the NT was authentically written by the purported author. Others seemed to start with the assumption that a book was NOT authentic and that, because there was no evidence for its authenticity, it must be pseudepigraphal, even though there is no good evidence against its authenticity. Critics do the same with the Book of Mormon, and that, frankly, bothers me quite a bit. Brown, on the other hand, started with the assumption that the books were legitimate and let strong textual clues and other evidence influence his final conclusion about authenticity. Of course, in addition to being a brilliant Bible Scholar, Brown was a practicing Catholic Priest, so I would expect nothing less from him.

Two years ago, when I started reading this Study Bible, I began in Genesis, after completing Exodus, I decided to jump ahead to the NT, which I have now completed. I plan to now go back to Leviticus and plow through the OT. Once I'm done with that, I might even read the Apocrypha, just to say that I have done it. My goal is to complete the OT by the end of 2014.

So I am finally done with the OT. I did not finish by the end of 2014. Life got in the way. But I am so glad that I read this book. It has opened my eyes to the world of bible scholarship, and I love it.

[Daniel Chaikin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do have a quirky reviews of the first five books, the OT and the NT. Not posting here, but message me and I can point you there.

[freddie]

i mean it’s the bible. i had to read for class. it’s fine. i enjoyed studying it i thought the documentary hypothesis was really interesting but the content itself is not interesting to me sorry

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this translation. The text is clear, and on the "dynamic-literal" spectrum, it falls slightly literal of center but without sacrificing important dynamic elements that more literal translations sometimes lose. The notes are extensive and relevant.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this Bible for my studies in college. It includes the books of the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. The Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books aren't in standard Protestant Christian Bibles, but are found in the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and/or Slavonic Orthodox Bibles. These include Tobit, Judith, The Additions to the Book of Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, Baruch, The Letter of Jeremiah, The Additions to the Book of Daniel (The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews), Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon), 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh, and Psalm 151. The lists of names and order of books of the Bible in the Jewish, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions provides a handy reference for ecumenical and interfaith discussions. This Bible includes several color maps I found useful in my studies: Physical Map of the Land of Israel and Surroundign Area in Biblical Times, The Ancient World in the Late Bronze Age, Settlement in Canaan and the Tribal Areas, The Empire of David and Solomon, The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, The Assyrian Empire, Judah After the Fall of Israel, Great Empires of the Sixth Century B.C.E., Israel Under Persian Rule (After the Return from Exile), The Empire of Alexander, Israel's Boundary Under the Maccabees, The Roman World, Judah, Samaria, and Surrounding Areas in New Testament Times, Jerusalem of David and Solomon, Jerusalem After the Exile, Jerusalem in Jesus' Time, The Eastern Mediterranean World at the Time of the New Testament (First Century C.E.), and Archaeological Sites in Israel and Jordan.

[T Crockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels odd to write a review of the Bible, but this is the most helpful version of the Bible I've ever used. It was recommended to me by my priest when I admitted I really all that familiar with the Bible aside from the stories I remembered from Sunday school. This is just what I needed. Each book begins with historical information about who is believed to have written it, any scholarly disagreements and the general historical context. The bottom of each page is rich with supplemental information.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good Study Bible to have if one wishes to interact with modern higher-critical scholarship. Evangelicals won't find the notes to be particularly spiritually nourishing, but it is well worth having in order to have a well rounded collection of study bible and to be aware of alternative views. The fact that this Bible includes the Apocrypha with notes is an additional bonus that one won't find in most orthodox Protestant study Bibles.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's the thing: the Bible itself is a difficult and time consuming read. Some of it is entertaining, some of it is sad, and some of it is boring. It is filled with stories and sometimes has multiple versions of the same story. This version is wonderful though; it has different interpretations and explains parts that otherwise would be quite difficult to understand. My religion professor in college recommended this particular version to me.

[Bradley Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I am a religious person, I tend to be more interested in religion as a scholar. This translation is generally regarded as the most accurate and up-to-date by academics, and the footnotes help to put what can otherwise be a VERY confusing tome into context. If you can't read Koine Greek, this is the Bible you should own.

[Patti McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of several bibles I read intermittantly. It is my favorite to date. I would have preferred the hard-bound version, the the host was prohibitive. Maybe one day. This was recommended to me by one of the nuns working in the catholic bookshop I went to. She uses this version as her study bible.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow...that took 5 years to read every word a few pages every day. As an avowed atheist, I thought I should read the bedrock of Western history and faith and it certainly did not sway me.

[Solihin]

Amongst the synoptic Gospels, the Gospel According to Matthew could be readily characterised by both its distinctly Jewish outlook and its extensive denouncement of Jewish leadership at the time. Though these two salient features are firmly established especially during the account of Jesus’ ministry, they continue to worm themselves well into the Passion narrative – a testament to the sustained slant Matthew’s author adopts. Paying particular attention to Matthew 27:1-42 highlights the imperialistic implications of Matthew’s portrayal of Pontus Pilate, the prophetic underpinnings of the charge against Jesus, and the necessity of villainising the Jewish leaders.

In addition, Jesus of Nazareth’s birth is an account unique to only Matthew and Luke amongst the four canonical Gospels. Although the two narratives appear to share similarities to the point where they are often conflated in contemporary Christmas contexts, key differences in characterisations and narrative structure reflect the respective authors’ divergent overarching emphases. The esteemed New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman provides a useful distinction as he proposes that Jesus, the protagonist in both Gospels, is portrayed either as “the Jewish Messiah” (Ehrman 129) in the Gospel According to Matthew or “the Saviour of the World” (Ehrman 149) in the Gospel According to Luke. Ehrman establishes that both texts serve as biographies of Jesus but the former is characterised by its overtly Jewish standpoint preoccupied with the notion of the Messiah (already inviting multiple interpretations in itself) whereas the latter asserts that the good news of Jesus does not end with the Jewish people and was intended to be spread on a larger, even global scale. The disparities found in the New Testament Nativities’ treatment of class, divinity and gender can thus be broadly explained by Matthew’s esotericism and Luke’s exotericism.

[Johann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished a reading of the NRSV of the New Testament. This is the translation recommended by Bart Ehrman and Dan McClellan, and one we had at home. The text was clear and easy to read. Some of the phrases have been modernized (like changing “brethren” to “brothers and sisters” throughout).

I would have liked more from the footnotes—I don’t need to know for the thousandth time that “Christ” can also be rendered “Messiah,” or that “Christ” has been used to replace “he” in various places. Verses that I would have liked more information on, such as verses that seem inconsistent with current Christian thought, would often not have a footnote or say something like, “The meaning of this verse is unclear.”

The book has a long list of contributors, and I noted that none of them were LDS or from BYU. I found this amusing and indicative of the seriousness (or lack thereof) that Mormon theology is given outside of a Mormon context.

[Ronald Barba · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bible is one of my favorite books and this version is the better one out there honestly if you really want to try understanding the book's and Christianity's overall relevance. IMHO people who judge The Bible and/or Christianity (oftentimes liberals) without having actually read The Bible or tried to understand Christianity's roots are as arrogant and ignorant as the people they often ridicule.

Disclosure: I am not religious whatsoever (atheist-under-weak-ass-agnostic-label) and consider myself a liberal (with some progressive leanings).

[HarrietHH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars given for THIS EDITION of the Bible, not the content of the Bible itself. Based on the latest archeological findings and most authentic sources available, this translation is arguably the most credible English version accessible at this time. Scholarly, non-theological introductions to the edition, and to each of the individual Old Testament, Apocryphal and New Testament books, maps for the various periods of history, as well as detailed annotations throughout help to inform any student of the text.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Bible a use regularly. Both for my own personnel devotion to the Word of God and as a preacher in the PCUSA. I find the NRSV (and the NRSVUE for the matter) to be an excellent translation that is faithful to the original languages of Greek and Hebrew and tries to provide different options on the page for understanding passages where the words matter and there might be some ambiguity in the original text. I love the study notes on each page the contextualize each passages for the reader.

[Susan Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say I read the entire thing. My copy was a library copy and there was no way it was going to get done. And to be really honest, I didn't read that much. I was more glancing through it so I can't give an accurate review. I will say that it helped with my understanding of Isaiah, set as poetry, if nothing else. And I'm sure if I had a copy and could really spend the time with it I would enjoy the insights.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I can say is that I’m done with it. A year and a half from “Let there be light” to the whore of Babylon and the end of the earth, including all the Apocrypha and chapter notes, etc. I cannot say that I feel any wiser or more spiritual for the experience. I’m still the same old reprobate that I was when I started.

[Ænesidemus]

Korisno englesko izdanje Biblije s obzirom da sadrži većinu ako ne i sve deuterokanonske knjige poput Tobija, Judita, Makabejske knjige, itd. Jezik je lakše za razumeti od pompeznog stila Biblije Kralja Jakova. Ponegde prevod je suviše modernizovan, nije idealno za deljenje citata. Fusnote dosta pomažu u razjašnjavanju nekih ambigviteta u tekstu.

[P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I find this version of the Bible is clearly my preferred translation and this, set alongside a good series of textual and historical analysis articles, makes it even better. What I really like about this volume though is that it is on Kindle

[alana ･ﾟ*｡★･ · Rating 3 out of 5]

the synoptic gospels go crazy

[Jillian]

ive read better

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have!

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

With so many other decent study Bibles out there, there is not really a good reason to get this one. Really the only reason is if you want one that includes the Apocrypha (though the New Annotated Oxford NRSV is probably better).

Format issues: The typeface is light and difficult to read. I don't know if it comes in better binding, but the hardcover format I used was not as comfortable and attractive as most leather Bibles.

Content: The notes are less extensive than some other study Bibles (for example, NIV Study Bible) and are mostly just annotations. The contributors have all decided against the validity of much of what the Bible reports and advocates. They are far too critical, and as a result the usefulness of this book is diminished. Unlike, say the NIV Study Bible or the Reformation Study Bible, the HarperCollins Bible would not be very helpful for personal devotionals, small group studies, etc. It spills too much ink trying to show how the Bible isn't really accurate and trustworthy before the user can start trying to make application to their life. Highly skeptical Biblical criticism has its place, but for a study Bible it seriously handicaps the work.