Coogan, et al, “The New Oxford Annotated Bible [Fully Revised Fifth Edition]” (reviewed by Dale E. Luffman)

Review

Title: The New Oxford Annotated Bible [Fully Revised Fifth Edition]
New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha
Editors: Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, and Pheme Perkins
Publisher: Oxford University Press, New York, NY
Genre: Non-fiction
Year Published:2018
Number of pages: 2386
Binding: Hardback
ISBN: 978-0195289558
Price: $45.00

Reviewed by Dale E. Luffman for the Association for Mormon Letters

The Oxford Annotated Bible and its successors have established a rich tradition that has served both students and readers of the Bible. With the newly revised Fifth Edition readers are met with a significantly enhanced volume. Retaining the basic format and features of earlier editions, the Fifth Edition of the New Oxford Annotated Bible has enhanced the text with features that are sure to be deeply appreciated by its users.

New introductions to the biblical texts, maps and charts, annotations, and study materials at the end of the book have been added. These materials have been prepared by contributors who have been chosen by the editors in order to bring a wide diversity of backgrounds as well as scholarly approaches to the texts under consideration. Of note is the addition of a new essay, “The Languages of the Bible” as well as a table “Calendars.”

Other features in the Fifth Edition include materials representing “Parallel Texts” of the Gospels that now include the Gospel of John, as well as a table of “Chapter and Verse Differences” between standard English translations and the Hebrew Bible’s numbering.

Footnotes to the New Revised Standard Version printed at the bottom of the pages continue, along with divergent textual readings and alternative translations. In addition, Introductions to the larger units of the Bible, e.g., “The Pentateuch,” “The Historical Books,” “The Prophetic Books,” etc. have been retained and enhanced.

Two features are introduced into this publication, the result of scholarly consensus. Firstly, the adoption of the convention in calling what in the past has been referred to as the Old Testament as “The Hebrew Bible,” with the title page of that section of the Bible being introduced with: “The Hebrew Bible: The Hebrew Scriptures Commonly Called The Old Testament.” Secondly, the editors cite dates and notes as BCE and CE rather than BC and AD. These are two significant contributions.

The study materials provided at the back of the volume are superb! With the comprehensive subject index to all the study materials, the reader is accorded a wonderful one volume resource of significant value. Also, to the credit of the editors, they have continued to include in the introductory materials an article, “To The Reader,” a part of the New Revised Standard Version Bible translation, by Bruce M. Metzger. This is important as the four page article frames the translation process of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible commissioned by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A, the holders of the copyright to the NRSV, contributing to an understanding of the biblical text.

Latter-day Saints could find this volume to be very helpful in contributing to an understanding of the Hebrew Bible and the Newer Testament. The collective insights regarding these texts from the ecumenical Christian community have the potential of assisting LDS members in moving beyond the limitations of the King James translation, benefiting from not only one of the best translations available in English, but also a translation supported by so many resources. Students and readers alike will be blessed with this fine volume.

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