(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best christian bibles
We found 2,255 Reddit comments discussing the best christian bibles. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 702 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
21. Catholic Study Bible
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
Specs:
Height | 6.3 Inches |
Length | 9 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 3.27606921332 Pounds |
Width | 1.7 Inches |
22. The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version With the Apocrypha
- System: AMD FX-6300 6-Core 3. 5 GHz (4. 1 GHz Turbo) | 8GB DDR3 RAM | 1TB HDD | Genuine Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 1GB Dedicated Graphics Card | Display Connectors - Dual Link DVI-D, HDMI, & VGA
- Connectivity: 2 x USB 3. 0 | 2 x USB 2. 0 | 1x RJ-45 Network Ethernet 10/100/1000 | Audio: 7. 1 Channel Keyboard and Mouse
- Special Add Ons: 802. 11ac Wireless Wi-Fi | iBUYPOWER Gaming Keyboard & Mouse
- : 1 Year Parts & Labor + Free Lifetime Tech Support | Assembled in the U. S. A | *Optical Drive Not Included*
Features:
Specs:
Height | 9.75 Inches |
Length | 7.25 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 3.77872317068 Pounds |
Width | 2 Inches |
23. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (with Cross-References): Old and New Testaments
- Used Book in Good Condition
Features:
Specs:
Release date | February 2011 |
24. JPS Hebrew-English TANAKH, Student Edition
Specs:
Height | 9.4 Inches |
Length | 6.3 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 3.1 Pounds |
Width | 1.8 Inches |
25. Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament
- Oxford University Press, USA
Features:
Specs:
Height | 9.2 Inches |
Length | 6.1 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | September 2005 |
Weight | 1.1 Pounds |
Width | 0.9 Inches |
26. HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version (with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books)
Specs:
Height | 9.19 Inches |
Length | 6.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | December 1993 |
Weight | 3.51857770152 Pounds |
Width | 1.75 Inches |
27. God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible
Specs:
Height | 8.02 Inches |
Length | 5.32 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | August 2005 |
Weight | 0.67 Pounds |
Width | 0.84 Inches |
28. The Other Bible
- Great product!
Features:
Specs:
Height | 9.25 Inches |
Length | 6.12 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | September 2005 |
Weight | 1.93565866036 Pounds |
Width | 2 Inches |
29. NIV Study Bible, Personal Size, Paperback, Red Letter Edition
- Bibles
- Study Bibles
- NIV
Features:
Specs:
Height | 8.50392 Inches |
Length | 5.39369 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2011 |
Weight | 3.15 Pounds |
Width | 1.9685 Inches |
30. The HarperCollins Study Bible: Fully Revised & Updated
HarperOne
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 9.19 Inches |
Length | 6.25 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | August 2006 |
Weight | 2.92332959412 Pounds |
Width | 1.56 Inches |
31. The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (The Schocken Bible, Volume 1)
Specs:
Color | White |
Height | 9.7 Inches |
Length | 7 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | February 2000 |
Weight | 3.37527723122 Pounds |
Width | 1.8 Inches |
32. The Bible: Authorized King James Version (Oxford World's Classics)
- Oxford University Press
Features:
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 5.05 Inches |
Length | 7.73 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 0.2425084882 Pounds |
Width | 2.26 Inches |
33. The Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha
- Bookcloth Cover
- Debossed Emblem on Cover
- Ribbon Bookmark
Features:
Specs:
Color | Other |
Height | 6.61 Inches |
Length | 9.05 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 2.45374497606 Pounds |
Width | 1.57 Inches |
34. The Jerusalem Bible: Reader's Edition
Doubleday Books
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 8.7 Inches |
Length | 5.7 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | February 2000 |
Weight | 2.4 Pounds |
Width | 1.7 Inches |
35. The Apologetics Study Bible: Understand Why You Believe
Specs:
Height | 9.35 Inches |
Length | 7.1 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 3.3 Pounds |
Width | 1.84 Inches |
36. NIV Study Bible, Hardcover, Red Letter Edition
Zondervan
Specs:
Height | 9.64565 Inches |
Length | 7.00786 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2011 |
Weight | 4.25 Pounds |
Width | 2.24409 Inches |
37. The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-Greek-English (English, Hebrew and Greek Edition)
- Conveniently includes the entire Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible in one placeOffering a concise, literal translation of each Greek and Hebrew word, it's a great jumping off point for in-depth Bible study and text analysis.-5-point Print
Specs:
Color | Multicolor |
Height | 1.9 Inches |
Length | 11.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | July 2005 |
Weight | 5.44982711664 Pounds |
Width | 8 Inches |
38. The Didache Bible with Commentaries Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Ignatius Edition Hardback
- Obsidian Series High Performance Case
- Minimalist Style, Maximum Potential
- High Airflow Front Mesh Design
- Maximum GPU Length : 450mm, Maximum PSU Length : 220mm, Maximum CPU Cooler Height : 170mm
Features:
Specs:
Color | Green |
Height | 9.3 Inches |
Length | 6.3 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 3.19890742162 Pounds |
Width | 2.1 Inches |
39. The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People (Selections from the New International Version)
- Zondervan
Features:
Specs:
Height | 8.88 inches |
Length | 6 inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | April 2011 |
Weight | 1.31836432676 pounds |
Width | 1.63 inches |
40. The English Bible, King James Version: The Old Testament and The New Testament and The Apocrypha (First Edition) (Norton Critical Editions)
Specs:
Height | 9.2 Inches |
Length | 6.9 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | November 2013 |
Weight | 7.08565710068 Pounds |
Width | 3.8 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on christian bibles
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where christian bibles are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?|
Tell me, if you have understanding.|
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!|
Or who stretched the line upon it?|
On what were its bases sunk,|
or who laid its cornerstone|
when the morning stars sang together|
and all the heavenly beings^a shouted for joy?"|
^a Heb sons of God|
The Israelite religion is heavily based off of the pantheon of the Canaanites:
Excerpt from HarperCollins with added notes:
>“By a remarkable act of theological reduction, the complex divine hierarchy of prior polytheistic religion was transformed into the authority of a sole high god in classical Israelite religion. YHWH…was not, however, the only god in Israelite religion. Like a king in his court, Yahweh was served by lesser deities, variously called “the Sons of God,”^a “the host of heaven,”^b and similar titles. This “host” sometimes fought battles of holy war…^c and were also represented as stars…^d These lesser deities attended Yahweh is heaven…^e Another category of divine beings consists of the messenger gods or angels. The angels carry Yahweh’s messages to earth…^f In later biblical books, the sons of God and the angels merge into a single category and proliferate…^g ”^2
The high God of the Israelite religion by no means served alone. This triple hierarchy (YHWH, the Sons of God/heavenly host, and messenger gods/angels) “derives from the earliest structure of Canaanite religion.”^2
The differences: the Canaanites worshiped El and his wife Asherah as the high gods. YHWH took on most of the traits of El, and Asherah was no longer worshiped, “although there are hints in some texts that she was worshiped as a goddess in some times and places.”^2 While El was highest authority in the pantheon, some the children of El were prominent deities. On the other hand, the sons of God in the Israelite religion are “demoted to a class of relatively powerless beings.”^2
On the subject of polytheism, the text also seems “to acknowledge that gods of other nations exist.”^2 Each nation has its own God that it worships, "but Yahweh is Israel’s god and is the greatest god.”^2 See Deuteronomy 32
Deuteronomy 32:8⌂|
When the Most High apportioned the nations,|
when he divided humankind,|
he fixed the boundaries of the peoples|
according to the number of the gods|
as an instance of God "delegating authority [to the heavenly beings] to govern other nations". ^3 The Israelites would then originally be monolatrists, meaning they worshiped one high God without denying the existence of others. Re-read the First Commandment
|Exodus 20:2-3⌂
|I am YHWH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before^a me.|
|^a Or besides
for a different understanding of God’s commandment. This is by far the greatest difference in my opinion between the early Israelites’ understanding of God and modern Jews and Christians.
---
Notes:
|^a see Gen 6:2-4; Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7; Psalm 29:1 (list here)
|^b see Deut 4:19, 17:3; 1 King 22:19; 2 King 17:16, 21:3, 21:5, 23:4; 2 Chr 18:18, 33:3, 33:5; Neh 9:6, 24:21; Isa 34:4; Jer 8:2, 33:22; Dan 4:25, 8:10, 1:15 (list here)
|^c see Josh 5:13-15⌂
|^d see Judg 5:20⌂; Job 38:7⌂
|^e “I saw YHWH sitting on his throne, with all the host of heaven standing beside him” (1 King 22:19⌂)
|^f see Gen 28:12⌂
|^g “a thousand thousands served him” (Dan 7:10⌂)
---
Works Cited:
|^1 H. W. Attridge, ed., The HarperCollins Study Bible, (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006), p. 13, annotation to 6:1-4.
|^2 Ronald Hendel, "Israelite Religion, God and the Gods", The HarperCollins Study Bible. H. W. Attridge, ed., (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006), p. xliv-lv.
|^3 B. M. Metzger, ed., The New Oxford Annotated Bible, (New York: Oxford UP, 1991), p. 261, annotation to 32:8.
---
Further Readings:
"Israelite Religion", HarperCollins Study Bible
A History of God by Karen Armstrong
Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Elliott Friedman.
Canaanite religion (Wikipedia)
So as some have noted, because it is your dad's side and not your mom's you aren't halachically (by Jewish law) Jewish, but you certainly of course have Jewish ancestry and that is a big discovery! Just an FYI, you should let the rabbi know if you go to a synagogue so they don't ask you to do stuff reserved for people who are halachically Jewish, but that should not mean you are unwelcome or anything at them. If they make you feel unwelcome, they're wrong, not you. As others have mentioned, to get back into the Jewish community would require a conversion, but I can personally testify that while its hard, its very possible, very rewarding, and thank G-d the Dallas community is very welcoming.
There is a wealth of information out there, and so many books. I'd definitely recommend looking up books by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin like his Jewish Literacy and Biblical Literacy. There's also a couple popular ones by Rabbi Hayim H. Donin, To Be a Jew and To Pray as a Jew. I also recommend to everyone to get a good Tanakh (Jewish Bible) and Chumash (The first five books of the Bible with commentaries). I like the Koren Jerusalem Tanakh and the JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh personally, and the Stone Edition Chumash. Is there any area in particular you want to read more about.
Since you're in DFW too, feel free to message me if you want suggestions, and I can definitely get you the info for that shabbos meal at Chabad at the end of the month. They also have one every week, both dinner and lunch, and I know people in several neighborhoods who could have you by them.
In addition to what others have said, use many different translations and study bibles.
Personally, I find the ESV, NIV, and NLT to be a great mix. ESV offers the closest "word for word" translation, NLT offers the best "thought for thought" translation without straying to far from the original words, and the NIV is a great middle ground between the two. Occasionally I use the NASB as well which a professor recommends as another "word for word" translation.
As for study bibles, I own many but the three I use most often are The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, The Reformation Study Bible, and the NIV Study Bible. I have also found Audible audiobooks to be a great service. The NIV Listener's Bible is excellently performed and well paced. I was able to listen to the whole bible in a little over a month using this audio version!
Prayer will help you properly interpret scripture. Often I find picking a particular book to spend lots of time with can be very helpful. I usually recommend starting with Luke, John, or one of Paul's Letters. Go through the book with a fine tooth comb, paying close attention to the cross references and footnotes. The bible is beautifully interconnected and studying one book closely will help you learn other scriptures as well!
You'll want an approved Catholic translation, but there's a bit of variety among those. Some are more readable than others for modern aesthetics, but there's a certain beauty in some older translations (with thees, thous, and such). If you haven't done any Bible studies before, a good reading guide is crucial.
The Bible is 73 books, rather than one, and each one has a lot of context that has to be understood in order to extract the most meaning from it. A reading guide that can provide that context and some chapter-by-chapter analysis will unlock the texts, all of which are thousands of years old, and some are thousands of years older than others.
So, my personal preference is The Catholic Study Bible. The one I linked to is the 3rd edition. There's a newer edition that was just released last year, but I haven't read any of that one, so I can't speak to it. The one I linked uses a translation called the New American Bible - Revised Edition (NABRE or NAB-RE). It's not a perfect translation, but no translation is. A lot of theologians, including some Catholic bishops, worked on this translation. It's much more on the readable end of the spectrum than the beautiful, but for your first Bible, that's probably a good thing.
It comes with built-in reading guides. The first 500-ish pages of the one I linked is a reading guide. It breaks down each book of the Bible. It provides the historical and cultural context I mentioned above, but it's also really good about cross-referencing things that relate to other Bible books. This becomes very important when you get to the New Testament.
Before each book of the Bible is a short introduction. It boils down the reading guide for that book into a hyper-condensed overview. Within the books are footnotes which can, if I'm being honest, be less-than-helpful. I like them, but if I were reading the Bible for the first time, I'm not sure I'd benefit from them.
My advice would be to search through this subreddit for people's favorite Bibles to help you compare and contrast them before choosing one. I'm partial to this one, but others have some very good experiences with other translations and reading guides.
> Also my history background on the Church is probably way to weak to even pose this question, but were there any books rejected from the canon by the "Church" (what exactly is meant by that, the Catholic church?). If so, was there ever subsequent debate on those decisions, especially during the development of protestantism etc? I do have some very cursory knowledge of The Apocrypha, but not much else in that realm.
Yes, there were many books in circulation in ancient times that were regarded by some people as sacred. Two very early books which are appealed to by some Church Fathers as authorities, and which are included in Codex Sinaiticus (one of the oldest surviving manuscripts of the Bible), are the Epistle of Barnabas and The Shepherd of Hermas. There were apocryphal gospels in circulation in antiquity, such as the Gospel of Thomas that was discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945, there were apocryphal acts like the once very popular Acts of Paul and Thecla, there were apocryphal epistles like Paul's supposed correspondence with the Roman philosopher Seneca, and there were apocryphal apocalypses like the Apocalypse of Peter, where Peter is shown visions of heaven and hell. Sometimes, these books come with stories to explain why they were unknown until now, like "a man who lived in Tarsus was ordered by an angel to dig under his house, and he discovered this letter by Paul..." Many of these are collected by Bart Ehrman in his book Lost Scriptures.
When I say the Church, I recognise that people have different opinions about things like whether the Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church is to be identified with the unified Church of the 4th Century, or whether institutional continuity is essential to the Church. But the Church, or the assembly of believers, is such an important concept in the New Testament that all Christians need to have some concept of the one Church. I would suggest that wherever people believe the Church is found, they should agree its acceptance of the canon is important.
The canon developed gradually through the use of these books in the liturgy. The first person to list all 27 books of our New Testament and say that only these books should be used is St Athanasius of Alexandria in Letter 39. Thirty years later, it was this New Testament canon that was accepted as authoritative by the Third Council of Carthage in 397. Although no ecumenical council necessarily decided the issue definitively for the entire Church (until the Catholic Council of Trent in 1546), the canon was stable by the 5th Century.
There was some questioning of the New Testament canon early in the Reformation. Martin Luther held a very low view not only of the Old Testament Apocrypha (or deuterocanon), but of Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation. When he published his German translation of the New Testament, he placed these books apart at the end, with prefaces denying their divine inspiration. They ultimately survived in Protestant Bibles, though.
So first off, just because someone put a Masons label on that version of the KJV doesn’t reflect on the KJV as a whole. The overwhelming majority of KJV Bibles have zero ties to Freemasonry (in fact it’s going to be a statistically insignificant percentage of KJV Bibles DO have ties to Freemasonry), and are probably the single most commonplace translation in the English speaking world. That being said, KJV would NEVER be my recommendation. We have learned too much about ancient culture and language since 1611 to consider it viable for study. NKJV is significantly better, but there are far better options.
That aside, there is no such thing as the single “true” translation. We are wholly unable to provide such a translation, even if you have complete knowledge of ancient Hebrew and Koine Greek (which is impossible to obtain) due to the context of the written Word spanning over 6000 years itself.
The most accurate English translation for academic theological study across the spectrum (not only by most individual denominational backgrounds but by secular academia as well) is widely accepted to be the New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV). Second most accurate is the most recent version of the New International Version (NIV). I would recommend a good study Bible in either translation (in other words, not a “specialized” study Bible such as the Wesley one that I really like a lot!) over anything else. If I had to pick a third best, I would probably say ESV for ease of understanding, but I would never use it for serious study, and it’s such a distant third for my own use behind the other two in my opinion that it’s hardly worth mentioning.
My personal approach is to use NRSV for academic and personal in depth study as well as sermon preparation and NIV for personal reading and readings during services
Edit to include a link: this is an outstanding NRSV study Bible on Amazon
I like to recommend this reading plan for those who are completely new to the Bible.
It's organized into "days", but each one is like 5 minutes; you could easily knock it out in a single weekend.
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Versions:
King James' Version (often abbreviated KJV, though sometimes called the "Authorized Version" or AV) has had the largest cultural impact in the English Speaking world. It was the de facto Bible of the English-speaking world for the last 400 years. It's only really been the last hundred years that we've had (popular) competing translations.
If you're super-interested in the Bible and its impact on Western (and particularly English) literature and culture, there's a Norton Critical Edition that's highly recommended.
The KJV, though, is written in Early Modern English, which is mostly intelligible to speakers of Modern English (me and you), but is not completely. Some words have changed meaning so as to be incomprehensible—or worse, to give some alternate (occasionally opposite!) meaning than what was intended in 1611. So I don't really recommend it to people looking to understand the work so much as to appreciate its beauty.
Among modern translations, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is the academic standard used in most colleges (be they secular or religious). The New American Standard Bible plays a similar role in conservative academia. Either is great.
The NRSV is a little more "dynamic" and the NASB a little more "formal" in its translation—that is, the NRSV might translate idioms into a similar meaning or their intended meanings. The NASB might just keep the original words, even though their cultural meaning is nil.
There are other modern translations of varying quality. The NIV or CEV are probably fine, for example (although I think the CEV is targeted at a pretty low reading level). All Bibles have problems, though, so don't stress over getting the perfect version.
(One example of formal equivalence in the KJV is the phrase "one that pisseth against a wall"—it's just an idiom for "a man", not trying to say something about actually peeing on things. Almost everyone else just translates this as "a man").
"Catholic" Bibles have a few extra books, and some of their books are longer in parts (there's an extra prayer at the end of Esther, for example. The Protestant version of the book is actually quite irreligious).
Protestants have long held that the books they removed were still books worthy of reading and study, though many don't today. So they might be worth looking into.
The other thing to know is that it's many books, compiled into (usually) a single volume. You don't have to read it from back to front. It's not organized chronologically (except in parts). The majority of the organization is by genre and then by author and length.
The chapter and verse numbers are modern inventions. It started out as writings meant to be read aloud in church. It was written mostly in Hebrew (the Old Testament—events from Creation, then following Abraham and his descendants, Israel) and Greek (the New Testament—from the events of Jesus' life and death and the next 70 or so years of the Church's history). There's bits of Aramaic in parts, too (another language of the region, similar to Hebrew).
Well, let's unpack all of this. First off, the basics. "Tanakh" is an acronym for the Hebrew canon of Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). The source which Jews use for the Tanakh is the Hebrew preserved in the Masoretic Text. The Masoretic Text is a textual tradition of very similar versions of the Jewish canon which were meticulously copied by the Masorete scribes in the early Middle Ages. The Masoretes invented a system of writing vowels (Hebrew is not, in and of itself, a language with written vowels) to assist in properly reading the Tanakh without affecting the actual written text of the Tanakh. Jewish translations of the Tanakh likewise are translations from the Masoretic Text.
There are two versions of the JPS Tanakh, the 1917 JPS Tanakh (old JPS) and the 1985 JPS Tanakh (NJPS). If you're interested in obtaining a copy of one of these texts, make sure it is the 1985 JPS Tanakh (also known as the New JPS Tanakh or NJPS Tanakh). The 1917 edition is largely a Jewish revision of the Revised Version (a Christian translation). The 1985 edition is an original translation undertaken by the Jewish Publication Society. The NJPS is a quality, modern translation which is regularly used by the Jewish community and is also used in more academic settings involving Judaism.
Most modern Christian translations of the "Old Testament" are also translations from the Masoretic Text (KJV, NIV, ESV, NRSV, NASB, NLT, etc.). Thus, the NJPS and most Christian translations of the Old Testament are both translations of the same source (however Catholic translations will include a few additional books not found in the Masoretic Text). There are still some differences between the NJPS and Christian translations. One notable difference is that the NJPS follows the structure of Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim while Christian translations arrange their Old Testament in a different order. Christians have historically relied on the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate in understanding the Old Testament. Some Christian translations will rely on this legacy more than the NJPS. Christians also typically understand the Old Testament in light of the New Testament; the NJPS does not give undue preference to the New Testament or Christian theology. Thus the NJPS translates some verses in ways somewhat differently than Christian translations might.
A regular copy of the NJPS will include the Tanakh translated into English with occasional footnotes (mostly noting instances where the Hebrew is unclear or where other ancient sources have differing readings). You can also obtain a copy of the NJPS English translation alongside the Hebrew. If you'd like to peruse the NJPS translation without purchasing it, you can find the translation online here and here. Another great option is the Oxford University Press' Jewish Study Bible which contains the NJPS translation alongside more in depth commentary and references to Jewish literature.
You state that your interest is reading what Jesus read. Unfortunately we do not know what Jesus read. We can conjecture about what a Judean Jew might have read though. Two thousand years ago, people did not have a single book containing the Torah, the Neviim, and the Ketuvim. Instead communities had individual scrolls for different religious books. Different communities would have different books on their bookshelves (they would have different canons); either due to ideological differences or simply because they happened to have access to different books. Generally there seems to have been some agreement on texts. Sirach from the 2nd Century BCE affirms as scripture the Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim; but he does not elaborate on what was contained in these categories. Josephus, a Judean Jew from the 1st Century CE who claims to be affiliated with the Pharisees, states that Jews affirm the Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim. Josephus affirms that this Jewish canon contained 22 books. The current Jewish canon contains 24 books. So either two books were in dispute during Josephus' time, or Josephus regarded two books now regarded independent as being a part of two other books of the Hebrew Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran contain every book of the modern Jewish canon except for the Book of Esther, and they also contain other books not found in the modern Jewish canon. We can't really draw conclusions from this though; it is possible they had a canon which excluded Esther and included additional books, it's possible they had a canon which included Esther (just it wasn't persevered) and did not include the additional books (merely having or valuing a book does not mean you regard it as canon), or it's possible something else is true.
From the sources of the time, it seems that the canon of the average Jewish community would largely be the same books as the modern Jewish canon. So using the NJPS (or any other translation of the Old Testament) works fine. However different textual traditions existed; there were slightly different versions of the canonical books. The Dead Sea Scrolls are largely in agreement with the Masoretic Text, but differ in some regards (largely incidentally). The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek Septuagint also have instances where they disagree with the Masoretic Text. However, we have found evidence of the Masoretic Text tradition likewise existing in antiquity. Considering that Jesus was not Greek, not a Samaritan, probably not part of Qumran, and he probably was Pharisaic-inclined (as most Jews were), then it seems your best bet probably is using the Masoretic Text. Regardless, differences in the text traditions are not major.
Another important consideration is that Jesus likely did not speak Hebrew in his daily life. The colloquial language spoken in Judea at the time was Jewish Aramaic. The extent to which Hebrew was used and known is debatable. What seems clear though is that when texts from the Tanakh were read, there would be an accompanying reading of the passage in Aramaic. This may have simply been the reciter of the Hebrew text (being bilingual) providing an 'on the fly' Aramaic paraphrase of the text. Eventually this tradition of Aramaic paraphrases was collected and preserved in the 'targumim'. So what Jesus may have heard and understood would not simply be the Hebrew text, but also the Aramaic paraphrases. You can't exactly read the targumim, there are not readily available English translations of them and it would be a burden to read each one in addition to reading the Tanakh. I'd recommend again the Oxford University Press' Jewish Study Bible as it contains commentary which reference and discuss what the targumim say.
So, ultimately, if you're interested in simply reading the Masoretic Text, you can accomplish this by reading either the NJPS or the Old Testament most Christian Bibles. If you're interested in reading the Masoretic Text in the traditional order of Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim, then this order will be preserved in the NJPS while it will not be preserved in most Christian Bibles. If you are interested in reading the Masoretic Text without undue bias toward the Greek Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, and Christian New Testament, then the NJPS is a good option. If you're interested in reading a copy of the Masoretic Text with commentary referencing Jewish literature (including the targumim), then the Oxford University Press' Jewish Study Bible is a good option.
All of the major English translations are extraordinarily accurate. I don't think you really want something that's been "altered as little as possible." That would be something like Young's Literal Translation, where Jn 3:16 reads: "for God did so love the world, that His Son -- the only begotten -- He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during." It's virtually word-for-word from the Greek...but enormously awkward to actually read.
For general reading and study, I recommend a good study Bible, something like the NRSV Study Bible or the NIV Study Bible.
However, if you just want to read the Bible and absorb the big picture, you can't beat the New Living Translation for sheer readability. It sacrifices literalness in favor of ease, so if you really want to study the theological nuances of a passage you'd want to cross check it with other versions. But I think if you're looking to read the Bible more like a book and grasp the major and themes and messages of the text, it does a superb job.
I'm in a Biblical Christianity class for my bachelor's as is required by my university. I was raised in an ELCA Lutheran church but never connected that much with it either. I discovered while taking this class that it was because I didn't really understand it. I never really READ the Bible. I'd pick it up here and there, try to read it, but never understood fully what the actual messages were behind the stories.
Here's the thing. If you're not used to reading the Bible, it's like reading Shakespeare. I still feel this way about the NKJV I bought after going through confirmation. However, this class required me to buy a NIV study Bible and I'm totally in love with it. Everything makes so much SENSE. It's worlds easier to read, has tons of pictures, as well as provides notes underneath about almost every verse explaining it further. I'm actually excited to get done with the class so I can just read the rest of it on my own. Embarrassingly enough, I feel I've learned more in the mere two weeks I've been in this class than all of my confirmation.
Honestly, it's your own path. It's really a personal relationship. You can't rely on others to forge it for you. Not to be discouraging, but most professors or pastors will tell you that you need to just read it and discover what is there yourself.
Good luck!
There are numerous resources that I could suggest, but these are a good start.
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Read it because it's a good read. Don't see it as a holy book, but just a regular novel. Few authors can add mystery, horror, suspense, romance (Songs of Songs is like the bible's guide to oral sex) together and make it good.
If you just want the bits that calls out hypocrisy, proceed directly to the Sermon on the Mount and Plains, where twice the sermon can be Tl;Dr'd into "Hey, be nice to one another, don't be an asshole."
P.S.
KJV is the best version, but there's a modernized version of the KJV if old ond is too hard to work through. Also, to help see it just like a regular book, there's an Oxford World Classics edition of the KJV, which includes the Apocrypha.
What sort of budget are you working with? I've been very fond of my Didache Study Bible in the RSV-2CE translation, alongside the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Your best, most traditional Catholic Bible would probably be to get the Haydock Commentary version of the Douay-Rheims, but that one is expensive/hard to come by, and maybe not the most readable for the new convert.
In short, I recommend the Didache Bible in RSV-2CE translation:
The commentaries are heavy on referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church -
Good luck, and please keep asking questions. :) And welcome to the Church!
It's typical "thousands of textual differences" stuff. It quotes Ehrman. Thing is it references ALL, or nearly all, the biggest legitimate discrepancies.
You know, the ones any modern bible will bracket off and tell the reader "not in earliest manuscripts". At least it mentions the woman caught in adultery is dubious just like the longer ending of Mark.
The article also dishonestly implies that other textual differences, a placement of a reflexive pronoun, or a change or past perfect verb to past imperfect (minor changes as most of them are) are similarly massive by saying something like "there are thousands of discrepancies like these". Putting a minor word order change next to the 2nd ending of Mark and saying "These are the same thing: massive errors!" is disingenuous.
The media just doesn't "get religion".
Never mind the fact that the way we tell what the original texts may have sad by comparing disparate strands. If strands hundreds of years apart in totally different locations say the same thing, it is UNLIKELY the bible changed so totally as to be totally incomprehensible from the originals--as is often claimed.
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Are there variants? Yes. Are they sometimes serious, yes (see the brackets in your bible). Is it impossible to tell what the Bible writers most likely wrote down? No. The Bible is the most textual analyzed collection of books the world.
Ehrman is good where he's good: I have his NT book. Read that. I don't bother with his sensationalized popular stuff. Other places he just rides his hobby horse into the noonday sun and puts on what's nothing more than a pony show.
If you want to know more about textual criticism, I suggest looking at the textual commentaries that /u/Turretopera recommends in a recent post he made on this forum.
More simply, I've found the "New Interpreter's Study Bible" to be good for some textual/ background discussions as well--even if, as /u/turretopera has told me, it's not quite as thorough as a straight textual commentary.
Look at those I mentioned above, because I'm pretty sure Bruce Metzger is rolling in his grave with this understanding of textual transmission the author of Newsweek puts forward.
The beginning was just normal "stupid fundie cafeteria Christian" tropes. I could have written that in my sleep. The hypocrisy of American Christians is self evident. Tell us something INTERESTING about the Bible!
TL;DR : Just another article assuming Christians are the staunchest sort of biblical literalness, devoid of journalistic integrity or of anything interesting to say about the bible.
It seems a segment of those at Newsweek are surprised to know there are faithful Christians knowledgeable on some biblical criticism, literary interpretations, who recognize different parts of the bible have different purposes (and degrees of historical reliability) and still find Jesus the Christ in a very real, even supernatural, sense. Crazy, right? Some of them are even--gasp--biblical scholars.
To what level are you familiar with Greek and Hebrew? What are you wanting to use it for? I have this one: The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-Greek-English (English, Hebrew and Greek Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1565639774/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PAVrxbKDVD7PB
And it's not too bad, though I don't use it a lot because of its size. I have an older Greek interlinear NT from 1950 that doesn't have the most up to date text, but is easier to carry around that I use more. But mostly I use online tools to help with translation and preaching. I'll use blue letter bible online or biblewebapp.com/reader to get the root/stem and go to a lexicon or a commentary that I trust to get a good meaning for it.
It really depends on what you want to use it for and what your end goal is on what's the best tool for you, but that interlinear I linked to isn't bad.
Though not an academic history I found this book enlightening on the early days of the COE. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060838736/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0060838736&pd_rd_r=JYZZ0GA7B9YR2T616PC4&pd_rd_w=SOm8I&pd_rd_wg=Zf2WD&psc=1&refRID=JYZZ0GA7B9YR2T616PC4
>The King James Bible remains the most influential Bible translation of all time. Its elegant style and the exalted cadences of its poetry and prose echo forcefully in Shakespeare, Milton, T.S. Eliot and Reynolds Price. As travel writer Nicolson points out, however, the path to the completion of the translation wasn't smooth. When James took the throne in England in early 1603, he inherited a country embroiled in theological controversy. Relishing a good theological debate, the king appointed himself as a mediator between the Anglicans and the reformist Puritans, siding in the end with the Anglican Church as the party that posed the least political threat to his authority. As a result of these debates, James agreed to commission a new translation of the Bible as an olive branch to the Puritans. Between 1604 and 1611, various committees engaged in making a new translation that attended more to the original Greek and Hebrew than had earlier versions. Nicolson deftly chronicles the personalities involved, and breezily narrates the political and religious struggles of the early 17th century. Yet, the circumstances surrounding this translation are already well known from two earlier books-Benson Bobrick's Wide as the Waters and Alister McGrath's In the Beginning-and this treatment adds little that is new. Although Nicolson succeeds at providing insight into the diverse personalities involved in making the King James Bible, Bobrick's remains the most elegant and comprehensive treatment of the process.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
You might try
Technically these deal with mythology, but they're sufficiently enlightening on the meaning of myth symbolic myth content to serve you for literature.
One other thing worth reading: the Bible. Particularly a literary Bible like this or this.
Much of the symbolism in literature hearkens back to religion or mythology (which is just old religion). So it's never a bad idea to study the most read religions in their own right. Snake, Apple, Water, Flood, Rain, Fire, Smoke. These are all fairly omnipresent symbols with a wealth of genesis in books like the Bible.
>Its quite absurd how they believe some 1500 years after Jesus God finally got around to giving mankind the TRUE word of God
Not only that, when the KJV first came out, it was almost universally rejected, due to its authoritarian tone- no one alive at the time actually spoke that way, with all the "Thou shalt" and such. It was only about a century later that it became widely adopted.
There's a book called God's Secretaries about the committee of 70-ish people who worked to make the KJV at the King's request; it's a pretty good read if you find that sort of thing interesting- it has a secular tone and isn't written with the intent of praising the divine word of gee-oh-dee. ;)
Recent Christian convert here.
I purchased the NIV Study Bible and have used it as my main daily reading Bible. The articles, maps, charts and notes have been very helpful. With the study bible and internet as backup, it helps me to really understand what I'm reading and put things together.
I study at home on my dining table, so I like it to be hardbound, with nice readable text size. This particular study Bible is available with red letters although mine is not.
I also recommend starting a good structured reading plan. I used a 60-day plan from Zondervan which was like a selection of the "greatest hits", and once I finished that I moved on to a 1-year, "read the whole Bible" plan.
Regarding translations: I like the NIV fine, and it is the version most often used in my Church. I also like the ESV (which is slightly more formal or "old-timey", but still very readable) and the NLT (which is a bit looser, some would say "dumbed-down" although sometimes easier to understand in complex passages).
I think as a beginner, picking the perfect translation does not make a huge difference, just get reading! You will probably want more than one Bible in your life after you get started.
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.
Hello! I do not personally have the bible but I'd recommend checking the Zondervan Amazon page they have a few NIV bibles from 2011 but they list the dimensions for all of them if you scroll down to the product details! Here's hoping you find the one your sister has there! This is such a lovely idea for a Christmas gift!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310438926/ref=emc_b_5_t
I'm not one to defend quite409, but in this I have to agree. I never felt the exact pronunciation was important for the same reason that we say Jesus. We don't say Yeshuah or Yehoshuah and are not ever certain if had 2 or 3 syllables in his day. And yet "there is not another name under heaven by which we must be saved."
Yahweh is not accepted by all bible scholars. Everett Fox, who wrote the Five Books of Moses ( https://www.amazon.com/Five-Books-Moses-Leviticus-Deuteronomy/dp/0805211195 )- an amazing translation that tries to pay attention to the word play, puns, and onomatopoeia that came from listening to the words, which was the experience most of it's audience had.- in his forward, discussed which version of the name was best and his was Yahve I think.
In any case, I don't think it matters from a biblical standpoint.
And I especially dont think it matters since I don't believe in the bible or in Jehovah in the slightest. No skin off my back.
Even if I did, I'd never serve him. He is a sociopath.
I was gonna say something to u/quite409 about birthdays and pagan origins. But, eh. Not worth it.
The US Catholic Church uses the New American Bible, so that's the translation you'll be hearing at Mass if you're in the US. So, just search New American Bible and go with that. I would even recommend getting a study Bible to help you understand what's happening and how things relate to other parts of the Bible, because it can be confusing. Just as a recommendation, this one is fantastic.
There are quite a few sources on understanding the Mass. I would look up the Order of the Mass and maybe try reading through that and following along during Mass, so you understand what is being said and also know what to say.
The Catechism is fantastic. Here is a pretty safe bet on getting started with reading that and something to use as reference.
If you're interested in reading the Summa Theologica, there are shorter versions like Summa of the Summa, which, while still not too short, condense down the most important information and make it easier for somebody without as much time to at least get the general idea.
Good luck on your journey, as I am currently doing the same and am in RCIA, but I've been doing my research for quite a while and am very excited for the coming year!
I read two different bibles, the NIV Study Bible which is really good for understanding the broader cultural and historic context that the biblical narrative takes place in. It's full-colour with illustrations, archaeological artifacts, maps, timeline charts, etc. and really a pleasure to read.
I also have the newer (and, in my opinion, under-represented) NET Bible for the voluminous translation notes and study notes added by the translators. It is like sitting beside the translators as they explain each of their decisions. To me, the linguistic complexity of the bible's translation is among the more fascinating parts of reading it, and this is definitely the version to have if you are the same way. But it's a big, heavy tome, no color, no diagrams, and as much (or more) focused on the art of the translation as the actual message itself--which, by the way, takes on interesting new meaning when compared side-by-side with other versions, like the NIV.
Hope this helps!
>Should I learn Greek and Hebrew to understand the Bible without the influence of these translations, just like how Muslims are encouraged to learn Arabic so that they can understand the Quran for themselves?
I mean, it will help but it's not exactly necessary, even in pre-internet days. My parents have a special Bible that has the words of the original text and then has their individual word written below it. The sentences are choppy and not like your typical Bible translation is, but it helps in situations like this where you want to know the true translation behind a word and not rely on someone's interpretation. The book they have is called The Interlinear Bible https://www.amazon.com/Interlinear-Bible-Hebrew-Greek-English-English-Hebrew/dp/1565639774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541491886&sr=8-1&keywords=the+interlinear+bible.
Now, it's not as good as actually learning and understanding the language, but that can take years, if not decades, to do and even then, you still won't get the full meanings behind everything due to differences in culture, slang, and tone of voice that we wouldn't easily or always pick up on.
It's okay if you feel confused about which version to read. Christianity is very diverse. On top of that, there are dozens and dozens of English Bible translations of varying quality. The NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) is the kind you'd commonly see in a classroom setting, so I will start with that one. The Access Bible (NRSV) is a beginner's academic study Bible designed for undergrad college students, and I think it's quite good.
For something simpler, there is the CEB Navigation Bible, designed for people completely new to the Bible. The CEB (Common English Bible) is a newer translation that is designed for a simpler reading level.
A simple abridged version of the Bible is The Story. It's in the NIV (New International Version), by far one of the most popular English translations, and feels somewhere between the CEB and NRSV in reading level. The Story shortens the Bible and divides it into chapters like a novel to covers key events of the biblical narrative.
In terms of companion books - The Abingdon Introduction to the Bible is good for a beginner. And so is A Reader's Guide to the Bible.
An online resource that I like quite a bit is Enter the Bible, which was created by scholars for students. In terms of material it would be most similar to the Access Bible because it tries to distill academic insights for students. https://www.enterthebible.org/
> What are some good Christian texts and Roman Catholic texts that I can read to further my curiosity into the word.
If you are just getting started, I would recommend the catechisms. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), depending on your background, may be a bit heavy. I have given people in RCIA the New American Catechism #3 and they love it. Direct and simple explanations of the dogmas of the faith with references back to the CCC and Vatican II.
Also, you should look into getting a good Catholic Study Bible. For beginners, I recommend the Catholic Bible, Personal Study Edition. For the more advanced, the Catholic Study Bible.
There's a staggering amount of material on this. The biblical scholars I know generally prefer the New Revised Standard Version translation. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is a good, solid annotated version. The Harper Collins Study Bible is good as well. It's often assigned in courses -- I believe because it's sometimes a bit cheaper.
The problem is that neither book is able to give you a comprehensive picture of biblical scholarship. If they tried, the books would be too heavy to lift. For that, I like the Anchor Bible Dictionary. It's huge -- and in fact Anchor has put out much more than just the dictionary -- but it has everything you need to know.
The best strategy would probably be to use the Anchor books as a reference to look up intriguing passages from the original text. Plenty of scholars -- like Bart Ehrman -- also publish survey texts that introduce the practice of biblical analysis and give an overview of the bible as a whole.
Congrats on your mission call, and double congrats on going to Central America.
As far as understanding and following the New Testament, you really can't do better than getting a good study bible. In addition to the text of the scripture, you also get scholarly essays that introduce each book, as well as notes running parallel to the text that help clarify and contextualize the tricky parts, written by academics from a variety of faiths. Either of the following two are great:
The New Oxford Annotated Bible
The HarperCollins Study Bible
You might also check out the next book, which is a standard text in divinity schools.
The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings
I don't know how much any of these are going to help you in 87 days, but I respect your ambition in trying to tackle the scriptures in such a short span.
Since you went to seminary, I'd say Bart Ehrman's books would very likely strike a chord with you. I'd recommend reading Misquoting Jesus, Jesus Interrupted, and Forged, in that order. The Other Bible (not Ehrman's work) makes a great companion to these; you get to delve into exciting non-canonical works like the Gospel of Nicodemus, and see what other (non-canonical) churches and ideas were around at the time the surviving gospels were written. Far from there being one truth which later splintered into many, you'll find there were many truths from the very beginning, only one of which became "official" by being in bed with the state.
I think so but I find religion fascinating. I would highly recommend that after you read the bible you read some of the other versions, it's important to stop thinking of the bible as a singular book, different sects of christianity use different versions and I think this is the source of many of the differences. The gnostic bible or the alternative gospels like the gospel of mary or judas are good places to start. Also highly recommend this book blew my freaking mind.
NIV is fairly easy to read, if that's what you're after. I recommend NRSV if you like lovely language. More importantly, though, I recommend getting a study bible. There's commentary "below the line" that provide context, alternate translations, and other important info that help clarify and explain difficult passages/verses/words. Also note that Protestant Bibles have fewer books than the Catholic and Orthodox bibles (and a couple others). If you get either a Catholic bible or a Protestant one with the apocrypha, you'll get those extra books.
I'm currently doing a bible study using this one which you can get delivered for $12 and it's by far my favorite. Even if you don't read it, it's hefty enough you could kill a puma with it, so you could justify it as a self-defense expenditure.
Hey, check out this site: http://www.str.org/site/PageServer
It is ran by a man named Greg Koukl. He is a Christian Apologist based out of California. His main goal is to make "christian ambassadors" and prep them to give clear, precise answers to some of the hardest challenges we face today. The site has great articles and study materials about almost anything that you could need. He also airs a weekly radio program called "stand to reason" which is on 2-5 Sundays. I believe he has been on the air for more than twenty years and the back catalog of free podcasts is astounding. I can tell you from personal experience that my faith has grown leaps and bounds since discovering this ministry as well as my ability to reach out to non-believers.
I was tired of only being able to give answers like "well, the Bible says" and "i was told in church that"...these arguments will get you no where. I strongly recommend checking out the site and the podcast archive as well as some of the books that they recommend.
Other than that, i saw someone mention Lee Strobel's books which are very good and worth the read. I also would suggest getting an apologetic study Bible. Here is the one I use: http://www.amazon.com/Apologetics-Study-Bible-Understand-Believe/dp/158640024X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292216686&sr=8-1 , but that is just one of many that you can choose from.
After doing some real studying the last couple of years, I can honestly say that a lot of the "hard hitting arguments" that you mentioned, hold no water
Hope this helps.
For entry-level Hebrew insights into scripture? a year, maybe. For serious hardcore academic exegesis? A PhD.
I just finished two semesters of Hebrew at university. I would be totally willing to sell you my textbook "Beginning Biblical Hebrew" It's a wonderfully accessible entry point to Biblical Hebrew. If you are even casually interested in learning a little Hebrew. You might also consider buying a good Hebrew-English parallel Tanakh
If not, you could always just read articles and scholarship published by people who do study Hebrew exegesis. You can find a lot for free on the webs.
I started with this but as I started to read more, I found better articles to put up.
> and the period prior to the failed Jewish revolt to gain political and religious independence from Rome that lasted from A.D. 66 to 70
>Qumran, the guides say, was home to a community of Jewish ascetics called the Essenes, who devoted their lives to writing and preserving sacred texts. They were hard at work by the time Jesus began preaching; ultimately they stored the scrolls in 11 caves before Romans destroyed their settlement in A.D. 68
Map
I'm honestly interested in the Greek writings myself, apparently the area prior to the Maccabees revolt was under a Greek king.
~ 150 BC Macabean Revolt as a possible cause to the Qumran community leaving to protect their work from the new Priest Class (religious oligarch imo). I found this interesting book, 1 Macabees, some sort of written record talking about the historical context of the kingship that came down over the Jewish sect. Qumran timeline
I should say there is a lot of conjecture over these claims, even in this article it goes back and forth...
Hmm... seems the Jewish Temple was destroyed in ~ 70 AD by Romans. It could very well be that Jewish sects hid these scrolls from Roman onslaught.
I've heard that the greatest influences on Western culture are Judeo, Roman, and Greek ideas around this time in history. Specifically Egypt was not mentioned. I have a quote by an author Jorge Luis Borges who worked on compiling the Dead Sea Scrolls, he put in his foreward to his book, The Other Bible which include commentary work on the Dead Sea Scrolls. I wonder if he is alluding to the burning of the Library of Alexandria?
> Had Alexandria triumphed and not Rome, the extravagant and muddled stories that I have summarized here would be coherent, majestic, and perfectly ordinary.
It seems to fit in line with the narrative that these texts were hidden from Roman occupation?
> John the Baptizer, Jesus’ teacher, probably learned from the Qumran Essenes—though he was no Essene,” says James Charlesworth, a scrolls scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary. Charlesworth adds that the scrolls “disclose the context of Jesus’ life and message.” Moreover, the beliefs and practices of the Qumran Essenes as described in the scrolls—vows of poverty, baptismal rituals and communal meals—mirror those of early Christians. As such, some see Qumran as the first Christian monastery, the cradle of an emerging faith.
On Golb
> If that’s the case, then Qumran was likely a secular—not a spiritual—site, and the scrolls reflect not just the views of a single dissident group of proto-Christians, but a wider tapestry of Jewish thought
Schiffman
> The notion that the scrolls are “a balanced collection of general Jewish texts” must be rejected, he writes in Biblical Archaeologist. “There is now too much evidence that the community that collected those scrolls emerged out of sectarian conflict and that [this] conflict sustained it throughout its existence.” Ultimately, however, the question of who wrote the scrolls is more likely to be resolved by archaeologists scrutinizing Qumran’s every physical remnant than by scholars poring over the texts.
Michael Hunt - agapebiblestudy
> However, the intellectual influence of Pythagoras in the fields of mathematics, music, and mysticism was strong throughout the classical age. He founded a philosophical community known as "the Pythagorean Order" which became the prototype of many such institutions (11). It was as much an intellectual and religious community as it was a center of scientific study. Some of the "community rules" resembled not only Christian monastic communities founded in the Middle Ages but the mysterious 1st century BC-AD religious community at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered: the members own property in common, lived under community rules which were both ascetic and ceremonial, and observed a rule of silence within the community.
I'm totally in disagreeance with Michael's summary [not quoted here], but the insight was worth noting; I've come to a similar conclusion. A secretive cult like society that preserves knowledge in some way. Here comes an invading army that want to enslave and steal all your good stuff and possibly burn everything... what is the obvious course of action? Hide it in the hills.
I actually have a bible called the Apologetics Study Bible haha. It doesn't give all the answers, and sometimes the answers aren't the best I think, but it does give many good answers and is a great resource to have with you.
http://www.amazon.com/Apologetics-Study-Bible-Understand-Believe/dp/158640024X
Link if you wanna buy it by any chance.
Also, for some other names, look at Ravi Zacharias, Lee Strobel (The author of the Case for Christ book I think), Norm Geisler, and John Lennox.
If your son is academically up to it the Revised English Oxford Study Bible(blue cover) is an amazing resource with very detailed footnotes written by historians and theologians, introductions to the context/history/genre/etc of each text, and a long section of academic articles on different topics.
While some things might be a bit beyond his years the translation is excellent and understandable, and the wealth of knowledge in it will be relevant as he continues to learn and deepen his own understanding.
EDIT: amazon link - http://www.amazon.com/The-Oxford-Study-Bible-Apocrypha/dp/0195290003
Look at what's available to you. Read some things. Attend churches that focus less on it being a religion and more so it being a relationship with God. Talk to the pastors there about your issues with Christianity. Make it a priority in your life to find truth. Go where the evidence takes you. No matter where it does, you're going to have to take a leap of faith since no side can be proven totally 100% true.
I recommend Lee Strobel's Case for a Creator, and Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek's I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, The Apologetic's Study Bible, The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics, Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace, and really just Apologetics in general
Not exactly what you are looking for, but you may want to check out The Five Books of Moses, a translation of the Torah by Everett Fox. This is my personal favourite translation. It's unique in the English language in that Mr Fox's primary goal in translation was to keep the poetry, vocabulary, and syntax of the Hebrew as closely replicated as possible. It's really quite a beautiful read, even apart from it being the Torah, and gives a huge amount of insight as to recurring themes, wordplay, and historical contexts that have been lost in translations aimed to make it more 'easily understood'. There are also many, many footnotes involved.
https://www.amazon.com/Interlinear-Bible-Hebrew-Greek-English-English-Hebrew/dp/1565639774
This looks like a decent one. As with everything occult, the best version for you is the one that resonates with you the best. Even with all of its technical flaws I use the king James version.
It's called the New Interpreter's Study Bible. It's a multi-denominational, highly annotated copy of the bible, full of commentary and historical references. The books it contains are translated into English from various original texts, with oodles of footnotes about the translations and minor variations seen in various transcriptions. It contains all of the aprocrypha and lists which books are "accepted" in the various churches throughout the world. (ie, which books are "apocrypha" to whom)
Frankly, it's an awesome scholarly achievement. Reading Genesis in that bible is an eye-opening experience. I like to think of it as the unabridged version of The God Delusion.
I did a 40 day plan and went through the NT to get in a good study habit. Then spent 5-6 months going through The Story. Finally, spent another year going through the whole Bible chronologically. I felt that going through this way was manageable and most importantly the focus was learning rather than just trying to get through.
There really is no wrong way to read through just make sure you gear your plan around what you hope to get out of reading rather than just reading it for the sake of making it through.
Good Luck!
You have to go with the NRSV. This version is used by most Biblical scholars and is used very often in Mainline Protestant churches. Good all around translation. This might be a good one. That's what I've been using for my work in the academy and church for the last six years.
Edit: I might add that the Jewish Publication Society Bible is great for the Hebrew texts.
it was falling out of fashion at the time of publication, from what i understand... with the exception of a few regional dialects, and as /u/CRCulver said, the quakers.
i wrote a paper that needed me to research the making of the kjv 1611 and what i found most interesting was that comparative studies show that a large majority of the kjv 1611 (upwards of 70%, in the new testament!) was taken from william tyndale’s 1526 translation... you know, when thou/thee/thine was really a thing. so that's one reason why those forms are still found in the 1611 translation, i guess? (if you're interested in this sort of thing, i highly recommend this book, though it definitely isn't a linguistic text, obviously.)
There is a book called The Story. I haven't read it, but I hear it is like the bible, assuming you don't want to read an actual bible. I'd recommend NIV, myself, so you can read the thing straight. Jesus calls people to discipleship, because just reading the text can be hard to make sense of it and what is going on. Read and talk with learned people about it.
The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People (Selections from the New International Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/031095097X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_5kEXDbB99TGTD
Alter is wonderful. If you have the time, I'd also highly recommend the available Everett Fox translations. His Genesis, particularly, is breathtaking.
Oh man, I hope you're in for a mind-fuck.
The Apocrypha are a collection of books that didn't make it into the official Bible. Essentially, they were books and gospels that were left out for social, political, or dubious-authorship issues when the Bible was "finalized" (a long process) in like 300 CE or something.
Joseph Smith owned and was familiar with the Apocrypha. Some BoM names are found in the Apocrypha, and there are some story parallels. There are also "idea" parallels, for example in the Books of Enoch.
If this is your first time hearing about this, I cannot recommend Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament, by Bart Erhman, enough. Erhman is a biblical scholar that has written a number of books that have a good layman's introduction into what biblical scholars have known about the Bible for almost 200 years.
For example, did you know that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were almost certainly not written by the claimed authors? Similarly, the Pentateuch was not written by Moses, and the Book of Isaiah was probably written by 3 groups of people over literally hundreds of years.
Crossway's ESV Bible is free and has been specially formatted for Kindle.
This isn't just some pdf converted to epub. There's a ton of cross references, and it is formatted so that you can jump directly to chapter and verse from the index menu:
mt 5 10 for instance is Matthew 5:10.
If you enjoy the free version and want more detail I recommend the Study version that is available for $17.
Would this be the Didache you're talking about? https://www.amazon.ca/Didache-Bible-RSV-Commentaries-Catechism-Catholic/dp/1586179721
It looks beautiful and I love what you've said so far about the commentary, etc.
Definitely go ESV. The ESV has a nice readability while also being very accurate. I've checked the Greek several times (went to school for Theology/Greek), and I've so often been pleased with the results.
My recommendation for something fun/different has to go to Lattimore's translation of the NT.
If you're interested in a more accurate translation, I have 2 recommendations.
The Great Adventure Bible just came out and is pretty good if you want to focus on the big picture of the Bible and understanding the overall story arch.
If you want more detailed study, I'd suggest the Didache Bible, which has cross references to the Catechism.
I would start by reading Dei Verbum. Also, the first 500 pages of this are a wonderful introduction to understanding scripture written by some of the best biblical scholars there are.
If you have a more specific question (and I know something about it) I will attempt an answer.
On my first visit to an Orthodox church the priest asked me what version of the Bible I was using and I admitted that I was using the NAB (Roman Catholic). He said he preferred the Jerusalem Bible and actually gave me the one out of his office. I've primarily used that Bible since then. I also occasionally turn to the Douay-Rheims. Like others I use the Eastern Orthodox Bible New Testament as well. I guess I there isn't one single translation I think is perfect.
I use the New Oxford Annotated Bible w/ Apocrypha, and the JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh. I use the Bible because I enjoy the annotations/ footnotes (and it includes the deuterocanon.) The Tanakh I have primarily because I'm learning biblical Hebrew but also because I like to have biblical sources in the original languages whenever possible.
Bible | Tanakh
I say get something pretty scholarly, in readable English, that's physically comfortable to read. My old Harper Collins Study Bible has thousands of pages of notes, highly recommended.
You can always check different translations at the Online Parallel Bible.
I read the Jerusalem Bible (http://www.amazon.ca/The-Jerusalem-Bible-Readers-Edition/dp/0385499183). I saw one in my friends possession and liked how it wasn't split into columns. Now that I've used it for a few years, I like how the verse numbers are on the edges of the pages, so the books read more fluidly.
> I've never seen a printed version with it.
Weird. Here's one, if you are interested. Many large libraries will have a first edition KJV on display - it's pretty neat to take a look at if you have the time.
All good but not really beach reads.
>so if there are versions with extra books, I'd like to know
Then your best bet may be a Catholic Tranlation such as the Jerusalem Bible or the New American Bible.
Ignatius Bible
Didache Bible. This one is keyed to the Catechism.
I've got a Douai-Rheims and Challoner Revision of the DR, both of which have the excellent Haydock Commentary.
Catena Aurea Online is free, kindle version is inexpensive, leather bound is spendy.
I have been told by many that the Fox translation is the most faithful to the poetry and the meaning and it keeps as much of word play of the original as possible.
I would start in Mark its a quick read and covers the minsitry of Jesus well.
I would get a good study Bible like
The HarperCollins Study Bible, while not an atheist study bible strictly, is a seriously academic approach to biblical commentary. It's about as seriously scholarly as a mass-produced Bible can get. As one Amazon reviewer points out, its annotative approach is often historical before theological, a feature I think is useful to anyone trying to tackle the apparent inconsistencies between fact and text. Also, the NRSV is a solid translation.
I have the first edition, linked above. The second edition may well be a better choice.
If you're interested in a hardcopy version, Bart Ehrman's collected a number of early texts in very readable translations in Lost Scriptures. Be aware that this stuff runs the gamut from very respectable to basically being Jesus fanfic, but a lot of it is interesting to read anyway.
That is it based on byzantine texts is foundational, and some even argue that the king imposed personal translation rules, I can recommend this book as a good but not extremely heavy reading on the subject. If one think the byzantine texts are corrupt, well, all serious scholars I've heard or read think so. Here wlc takes a clear stance on the matter.
Here's a free Bible on Amazon (Kindle) for anybody who would like one:
ESV
As in the religion or as philosophic thought?
Either way, Stephan Hoeller is a good place to start for modern day Gnostics. Also see The Other Bible by Willis Barnstone for a good collection of historical Gnostic texts.
Get yourself a New Revised Standard Edition of the Bible, and a copy of The Other Bible, and a copy of the Gnostic Bible, and then start going to Temple on Shabbat so the rabbi can get a decent look at you every now and then, and eventually start asking about the Talmud.
Thing is, the Old Testament is kind of only half the point. You're only ever gonna see half the picture until you're one of God's Chosen People. Just make sure you know when God calls, and answer respectfully.
Or, y'know, just work for that other guy.
As far as translation accuracy goes, I would put the NRSV and the NJB (New Jerusalem Bible) at the top for both readability and textual faithfulness. The NJB Study Bible is a handy volume, with some very good academic level commentary. The NRSV Interpreter's Study Bible is also really good.
As far as commentaries go, the Anchor Bible series is usually regarded as one of the best by academics (Fundamentalist Christians, obviously, will not touch it). It is a pretty long series (somewhere between twenty and thirty volumes), so you may want to check your local library unless you have a lot of spare cash lying around.
The KJV is a fairly poor translation. It uses an outdated text, contains numerous translation errors (especially in the OT - Hebrew was not as well known as Greek in the 17th century), and has a strong Christian bias in the OT. The NIV is only marginally better. The text has been updated, and most of the translation errors corrected, but the Christian bias in the OT is nearly as bad as the KJV.
I have been an atheist for a little over twenty years now. I still read the Bible regularly. It's a fascinating document, once you strip off the Christian veneer and see the actual mythology underneath.
Yeah, I used the Harper Collins Study Bible when I was in school (I did a double major in English and Religious Studies in a Canadian University) but I believe the Oxford Annotated Bible is also popular when studying the bible academically.
Edit: I also used Ehrman’s The New Testament as a companion when studying the Bible in school.
> I haven't had much luck, except Elaine Pagels,
If you have read her, surely you've read Bart Ehrman. He's technically an atheist, but his "attacks" are really against the mainstream church. He does a nice job of expanding on the gnostics and heretical sects that the mainstream tried to kill. If you haven't read him before and you're only interested in gnsotics, then you can start here: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Scriptures-Books-that-Testament/dp/0195182502
You'll probably also enjoy Walter Veith, so start here with him: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL95B1BB23B7A3C795
Something like The Story might interest you.
Well they do exist but I want to know if they exist with an NASB translation and a commentary. I can sacrifice one of these three requirements but I would like to see if all three exist in one book.
as flawed as it is, the most accessible translation out there of the Hebrew Bible is the JPS: this one is the newest.
for a fascinating, sometimes awkward, but totally totally literal translation of the Torah (only the first give), check out Everett Fox's translation
lastly, got to put a plug in for a Jewish translation of the NT recently published called The Jewish Annotated New Testament - it may help clarify Jewish readings of Christian scripture and vice versa.
I haven't read these books, but I like their author, Bart Ehrman. I have heard several interviews with him.
Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew
Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament
Nominally, the full KJV contains the Apocrypha too. It was one of the first bibles edited to also include a set of apocryphal writings. However, no surprises here, there is a lot more 'apocrypha' than that included in the KJV (and often, it is categorized under a different title). I recommend, for its breadth rather than its depth, http://www.amazon.com/The-Other-Bible-Willis-Barnstone/dp/0060815981 to those interested.
I'm a fan of the Jewish Publication Society's Hebrew and English version. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0827606974?pc_redir=1409997493&robot_redir=1
The Hebrew is necessary for exploring gematria, and the English translation is clear.
This is because she has somehow become involved in vampire stories. The Apologetics Study Bible has a brief bit on Lilith and vampires: "Modern-day vampires trace their origins to this verse and the mythical figure of Lilith, who was supposedly created before Eve. The legend of Lilith derives from a theory that Genesis has two creation accounts (this verse [1:27] and 2:7, 20-22). The two stories allow for two different women. Lilith does not appear in the Bible (apart from a debatable reference comparing her to a screech owl in the Hb [Hebrew] text of Is 34:14). Some rabbinic commentators, however, refer to Lilith as the first created woman, who refused to submit to Adam and fled from the garden. Eve was then created to be Adam's helper. After their expulsion from the garden, Adam reunited for a time with Lilith before finally returning to Eve. Lilith bore Adam a number of children, who became the demons of the Bible. According to kabbalistic legend, after Adam's reconciliation with Eve, Lilith took the title Queen of the Demons and became a murderer of infants and young boys, whom she turned into vampires."
This link leads to Isiah 34:14 in all English translations, because it easily shows the wide variance in translation for this verse. This variance is likely caused by different translations following different textual schools. Specifically note the rendering of "night monster."
I've never heard that in my life, and assuredly, the Holy Spirit would aid you as much as anyone else should you desire it. The proper way to read and interpret the book of Revelation (or any book), its exegesis, would be to obtain a study Bible (Personal recommendation), read the historical context, precursor to the book, footnotes, commentary, and of course the verse(s). If everyone followed such guidelines, many questions and misunderstandings would be rendered obsolete.
I would add to that list, the Bible, God's brilliant construction of everything.
/devil's advocate
I find the books written by Bart D. Ehrman to be both informative and interesting. I have read three of them: Forged: Writing in the Name of God - Why the Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are
Misquoting Jesus
Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them)
All three of them are solid reads.
Online Bible Links:
http://www.blueletterbible.org/
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/
https://www.biblegateway.com/ (over 100 versions and 50 translations of the bible, including audio.)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (with Cross-References) [Kindle Edition] [free]
(edit:formatting to make it easier to read)
In my college, we typically read the NRSV in the classroom. A required book for freshmen coming in is the New Interpreter's Study Bible. I love using it when I have a question about a strange cultural passage. Check it out!
I actually have two other study bibles: the Harper-Collins Study NRSV Bible and Oxford Study Bible: Revised English Bible with the Apocrypha -- think those would be okay?
I'm not sure if I need anything more than that, but I wanted to make sure I was getting everything I needed to get out of reading it. I'm kind of afraid of trying to interpret everything myself without expert advice backing me up.
I don't know about a list, but there are resources. Cuck mentioned study bibles, and those are great. When I started taking religious studies classes in college, I got the Oxford Study Bible, and the essays in that were quite helpful.
If you don't want to put out that kind of money, though, use an online Bible and Wikipedia. If you start with Genesis, read this first. If you flip to Chronicles, try this. Not sure what constitues a gospel? Who was Paul writing to in Galatia?
Some would disagree, but I think just picking up a Bible and starting to read it all by itself is rather useless. You need context. That means putting in a lot of work.
It looks like you have a lot of questions about the bible and most of them see to revolve around contradictions, wording and interpreting the couture of that day from the standpoint of the culture of our day.
You may want to get The Apologetics Study Bible: Understand Why You Believe. It explains and adds context to a lot of the tricky parts of the Bible. And if you don't like it, then at least your better understanding of the Bible will help you make arguments that can hold some water and stand up under scrutiny. ;)
When I needed a Bible for one of my classes, we were assigned The Oxford Study Bible. It is pretty extensively annotated and provides a lot of background info.
Any Study Bible by Zondervan is very good.
They have many different ones. Cultural Backgrounds, Faithlife, Life Application, Question and Answer, Early Jewish context, Theology, etc.
NIV Study Bible, Hardcover, Red Letter Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310438926/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sFgsDbYCY55K9
NIV, Quest Study Bible, Hardcover: The Question and Answer Bible https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310941482/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VGgsDb42X0ZWK
http://www.amazon.com/HarperCollins-Study-Bible-Apocryphal-Deuterocanonical/dp/0060655801
Really good extra-scriptural info (like historical context for the books). Buy a used copy.
If you are interested enough to delve into this topic, and other ephemera of early Christianity, Ehrman's Lost Scriptures and Lost Christianities are good sources that cover a wide range of topics, but especially focusing on early Christian Gnosticism.
Something interesting on this topic.
https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Scriptures-Books-that-Testament/dp/0195182502/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549921924&sr=1-1&keywords=lost+scriptures+books
Here is a really interesting book about how the KJV came into being:
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Secretaries-Making-James-Bible/dp/0060838736/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376153086&sr=1-1&keywords=god%27s+secretaries
When you say "study bible" do you mean a concordance or something academic?
I've had my Oxford Press Catholic Study Bible for years now and I've just about worn it out. I can't speak enough about its thoroughness There's a footnote about nearly every other verse and an essay on every book.
However, while it takes spirituality seriously it belongs to the "historical-critical" school of scriptural studies. The scholars will give you great information on the ancient world, controversies in translation, maps, and other things to help you understand the bible academically. That said, there are also notes about how modern scholars believe years of jubilee weren't conducted as proscribed, or that Jericho was not a walled city at the time the walls were supposed to have fallen at a trumpet blast. It doesn't discount the existence of miracles, just makes mention of when the bible seems to be in conflict with archeology or something and why the authors may have written it as they did. On the whole I recommend it.
For a theological meditation on scripture you probably want a commentary.
This is a popular version for academic use: http://www.amazon.com/HarperCollins-Study-Bible-Apocryphal-Deuterocanonical/dp/0060655801
these look nice:
https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Study-Bible-Second/dp/0199978468/
https://www.amazon.com/Hebrew-English-Tanakh-Jewish-Publication-Society/dp/0827606974/
(supply your own NT)
This can keep you busy.
https://www.amazon.com/Other-Bible-Willis-Barnstone/dp/0060815981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501553677&sr=8-1&keywords=the+other+bible
I bought this 4 months ago and I highly recommend it.
If you have time or are interested read God's Secretaries. Its the background story as to how the King James Bible came about. Lot of intrigue.
The Bible used by the US conference of Catholic Bishops is the New American Bible. You could probably borrow one from the library or a church, if they're nice they'll let you keep it. You can find it online as well LINK or if you have a kindle (not the same version but free).
Apologies if I haven't been clear in my previous points. I would encourage you to read through the entire Jewish Old Testament (the TaNaKh) and see if you find a different emphasis in the flow of the text vs. the christian old testament. It would be very hard to understand my argument without really getting a sense for how the order of the books can shape the focus of the text. The key here is you have to read it all. Most christians like to read snippets from a book in the bible and then find some applied truth for themselves but these books (for the most part) were not written as fortune cookies (exception of psalms proverbs and songs of solomon) but were written as books that should be read in their entirety. My point rests heavily on understanding how editing the order of these books alters the narrative and philosophical emphasis, so I would encourage you to really look at the TaNaKh or for starters even Everrett Fox's The Five Books of Moses which is a transliteration of the Torah and see what these texts were to the people who wrote them.
As for your requests, there are many other gospels from different sects of christianity. The two that come to mind for me are the gospel of thomas and the gospel of judas. For further contrast look into the church of ethiopia to get a sense of what a non-western christian church is and how it differs theologically from the christianity that originated in Rome.
Don't read the New Jerusalem Bible. Read the original Jerusalem Bible from 1966. That's what I own and it really speaks to me.
This one served me well when I, too, decided to read the whole thing front to back. It's a huge paperback KJV version (which I insisted on for its more literary quality), but it's got everything you need including the apocryphal books. You can read a list of all the books included in any 'authorized King James version' here. There are even some handy appendices that give context to the verses in the back of the book that I've referred to occasionally.
I mean, exodus IS the bible, so beyond finding a version/translation you like I'm not sure what to suggest? Maybe check out the Harper Collins Study Bible. https://www.amazon.ca/HarperCollins-Study-Bible-Revised-Updated/dp/0061228400
The aptly-named Catholic Study Bible contains a very accessible translation, and good footnotes that explain historical context and some doctrinal points. There are a few questionable comments, but not so many that I wouldn't recommend it to you. It's on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Study-Bible-Donald-Senior/dp/0195297768
Thank you so much for this! I will definitely be picking up those books as there is no religion program at my university.
edit:What do you think about just getting The HarperCollins Study Bible for a shorter study with the study notes already on the page you want. It's the NRSV translation.
edit: Or The New Oxford Annotated Bible
I actuall wanted to get this bible as one reviewer said "If Bertrand Russell had ever published an edition of the Bible, it could not have been more forthright in its atheism than this one is." But it's in the King James Version which may be too hard to understand.
Or the Oxford Study Bible if you want a print version.
I would recommend "The Story" which is the scriptures, but arranged in a story book format. You start at the beginning and read it to the end. I highly recommend it for a new believer
http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-NIV-Continuing-People/dp/031095097X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396973306&sr=8-1&keywords=The+story
http://www.thestory.com/home
I do not agree with those saying to skip the Old Testament or to return to it later. The Book of Genesis lays out the foundation of sin.. why we need a Redeemer to begin with.. Without Genesis, the rest of the Bible is nonsense.
Read "The Story"
I've got one, they're not hard to come by, but most people don't speak ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek.
Here's one:
The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-Greek-English (English, Hebrew and Greek Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1565639774/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5CofzbZTPZMP9
maybe this book?
That's the commentary selection - I'm talking about this: https://www.amazon.com/New-Interpreters-Study-Bible-Apocrypha/dp/0687278325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467457724&sr=1-1&keywords=new+interpreter%27s+study+bible
Bible: https://www.amazon.com/Douay-Rheims-Bible-Burgundy-Premium-UltraSoft/dp/1935302027/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1S6EDTQPMCYQX&keywords=douay+rheims+catholic+bible&qid=1562475135&s=gateway&sprefix=douay+r%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-5
Or maybe: https://www.amazon.com/Didache-Commentaries-Catechism-Catholic-Church/dp/1586179721/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=ignatius+bible&qid=1562475186&s=gateway&sr=8-6
Rosary: https://www.cordbands.com/collections/battle-beads/products/kc-wwibb-silver
Smaller ones: https://www.cordbands.com/collections/pocket-rosaries
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version With the Apocrypha
You could also choose one of the free ESV versions in Kindle format:
This already exists. I own it.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Apologetics-Study-Bible-Understand/dp/158640024X
Allright. Do you know anywhere i can read it online, or a pdf file of the bible?
Edit: i think i found it here: https://www.amazon.com/Bible-English-Standard-Version-Cross-References-ebook/dp/B001EOCFU4/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481496034&sr=1-3&keywords=The+holy+bible
I use the JPS one.
FTFY
I know this doesn't exactly help you in the short term but http://www.amazon.com/Interlinear-Bible-Hebrew-Greek-English-English-Hebrew/dp/1565639774. I can't find an online equivalent.
The Gospel of Judas gets a good deal of action in academic circles devoted to the study of ancient Christianity, as /u/anoldhope mentions. (Take a look around JSTOR or Google Scholar, for instance.) In fact, it gets just as much scholarly attention as any of the many other ancient, non-canonical gospels.
As for GosJudas' lack of "impact" in modern religious practice, that depends on several factors. (N.B.: I am a Christianity scholar, so I will limit my discussion to modern Christianity.)
In Christianity, the focus has historically been placed on the canonical New Testament, and any books outside that canon were treated with scorn and condemnation.
Many modern Christians (specifically those from conservative traditions) maintain the same scorn towards these other Christian texts. Other modern Christians (usually, those who are more progressive) do not actually feel any animosity towards ancient, non-canonical Christian literature, but still neglect it, because of the longstanding focus on the canonical NT. Finally, a somewhat smaller portion of modern Christianity actively embraces non-canonical literature (as exemplified by the New New Testament.)
Further reading:
-On the varieties of ancient Christianity, see Bart Ehrman's books Lost Christianities and Lost Scriptures.
-For a conservative Christian reaction to the Gospel of Judas, which typifies the tradition's views on non-canonical gospels in general, see Albert Mohler's blog post, "From Traitor to Hero? Responding to 'The Gospel of Judas.'"
EDIT: Fixed a typo.
Non-religious publisher of bibles? Possible for something as old as the KJV which is out of copyright. I would look for an Oxford university press edition of it. They aren't exactly atheist publishers inc, but they aren't like say Zondervan either. For all real intents and purposes they're a secular publisher as far as I know.
For example:
https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Authorized-Version-Oxford-Classics/dp/0199535949/
or
https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Bible-James-Version-Quatercentenary/dp/0199557608/
There are others. Look for university press published editions.
"Come in and I'll get my Interlinear Bible and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance."
The Other Bible - The Other Bible gathers in one comprehensive volume ancient, esoteric holy texts from Judeo–Christian tradition that were excluded from the official canon of the Old and New Testaments, including the Gnostic Gospels, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Kabbalah, and several more.
Awesome! I did not know this existed. Thank you!
If you haven't yet, look into apologetics, the study of explaining seeming inconsistencies and offenses in Christianity and the Bible.
here it is, if your lazy. This reminds me, my parents have two copies, I should pilfer one.
There is a collection out there called The Other Bible that has texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as other stuff that was deliberately excluded from the Bible during the Nicean council.
Once you read it, you kind of understand why. In modern English, stripped of all the usual picking aparts that exist in modern annotated Bibles, a lot of it reads like fanfiction.