New Interpreter's Bible Volume I: General & Old Testament Articles, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus

There are many commentaries of the Bible out there on the market. In fact, the market seems so glutted with them it is hard to know what to choose. Every Christian bookstore usually has three or more shelves filled with commentaries, but as the old saying goes, quantity is not quality. One thing I found very dissapointing with previous Bible commentaries and study bibles is the authors were very unwilling to actually question the Bible and what occurs in it. "It is right, because it is God's infallible word, and because it is God's infallible word, everything in it is right" is basically the sort of philosophy I came across in Evangelical and other commentaries which seem to dominate the stores here. But does this philosophy make sense when so many religions have their own book(s) and claim them to be the infallible word of the Deity or Deities that dictate them? What about the complex historical and literary questions surrounding the four canonical gospels, and the nature of the historical Jesus? What about the terrible violence and rapine we see in so much of the Old Testament, much of it seemingly ordained by God? What about the extra-canonical books from which the composers of the Bible drew inspiration (especially the New Testament and the emphasis on a coming apocalypse, or Jude's quoting by Enoch?) On what authority do we judge the Bible to be authoritative? This commentary has answered all of my questions to my great relief and satisfaction, without destroying my faith. The great thing about this commentary is it tackles these problems head on without sticking their heads in the intellectual sand and resorting to empty sophistry to defend the authority and canonicity of the Bible. The writers of the commentary are also not averse to critical historical scholarship, which instead of destroying the Bible's integrity and beauty, actually reinforces it and sheds much greater light on issues that seem strange. For example, the account of a world-destroying flood makes little sense if it is understood to be a single, global historical event (as many fundamentalists insist) but makes perfect sense when compared with the common stock of Near Eastern myths, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, which the writers of Genesis appropriated and used to tell an important theological truth - the terrible sinfulness of the human heart and its dark, world destroying consequences. One only needs to think about the human invention of the atom bomb out of the scientific quest for truth and beauty and motivated people like Dirac, Einstein and Schrodinger to develop the beautiful mathematics of quantum mechanics as a real world example of this theological truth. The commentators build on this critical approach, along with a wealth of other information they use to put the Bible in a historical and cultural context. My favourite part of this set is the 'reflections' section. After each passage is quoted, the reader is challenged to reflect on what the

The New Interpreter's Bible is a twelve-volume series, updating the popular Interpreter's Bible from a few decades ago. There are several key features common to all of the volumes of this series. First, each includes a two-column, double translation of the Biblical text (NIV - New International Version, and NRSV - New Revised Standard Version) arranged by topical unit or story. Then, they provide commentaries that look at the passages as a whole, as well as verse-by-verse. Third, interesting Reflection pieces that relate the passages to each other, to history, and to current concerns occur at the conclusion of each passage. Fourth, introductory articles for each book are provided that discuss transmission, historical background, cultural setting, literary concerns, and current scholarship. Finally, there are general articles about the Bible, each Testament, and various types of literature (Narrative, Gospel, Wisdom Literature, etc.) are provided to give general placement and knowledge about the text overall.The list of contributors, editors, and consultants on the project is a veritable Who's Who of biblical and theological scholarship, representing all major traditions and schools of thought liberal and conservative. Leander Keck, of the Yale Divinity School, is the primary editor of the series.The volumes were published individually, and can be purchased individually, which is a good thing, given that they are a bit expensive. But for any serious biblical scholar, preacher, student, or enthusiast, they are invaluable. --Volume I--The first volume of this twelve-volume set naturally has the book of Genesis. However, before getting into the text itself, this volume provides a generous collection of essays and articles. In the General Introduction to the series, editor Leander Keck wrote, `The Bible has its own way of commending itself to those whose careful reading opens understanding. The NIB will have fulfilled its purpose when it helps that happen.' This first volume is divided into several major sections: (I) the General Introduction to the Series, (II) How We Got Our Bible, (III) How the Bible is Read, Interpreted, and Used, (IV) The Background of the Old Testament Texts, and (V) Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus.In the second section, `How We Got Our Bible', scholars Daniel Harrington SJ and Keith Crim provide essays on the formation of the canon, and on modern English versions of the Bible. These deal with historical issues as well as translation and transmission issues; there are controversial elements here, and the writers provide a fair appraisal of differing ideas.In the third section, `How the Bible is Read, Interpreted, and Used', there are thirteen articles that deal with such diverse issues as why the Bible has authority, how the bible is interpreted in Jewish tradition and in Christian tradition, how the Bible is used in preaching, and a series of essays looking at issue of interpretation from specific backgrounds, such as Afric

I have been a student of the bible most of my life, and have compared numerous commentaries and translations over and over, without finding very satisfactory explainations for most of the passages. I just acquired the complete set of The New Interpreter's Bible, and have read some of the general articles and the Genesis commentary from Vol. 1. I am extremely picky- but absolutely love the commentary, and find it right on the mark with my independent thoughts (I had lost hope that anyone would ever see it the way I do; most commentaries seemed to me not to ring of the truths in the passages). In addition, many more things are brought to light that I had never thought of in detail before, as well as things I had overlooked. I have renewed faith in the Bible due to this very enlightening commentary. The author is exceptionally good- my only complaint is that there are a few too many 'seminary' terms the general public is not familiar with.

Most people understand that the study of Scripture is an enormous task; and that there is a considerable theological heritage to even the most benign of passages. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to translate that understanding into a willingness to genuinely delve into the vast pool of material out there. In addition, it's hard to know whom to trust. You can trust the New Interpreter's Bible series. All of the scholars who contributed are the best in their field. In addition, the layout (which includes two complete translations - the NIV and the NRSV) is conducive to both scholarly and spiritual study of the texts. Each text is broken down into discrete units followed by general commentary on the passage, verse by vers analysis of key issues, and then an overview of study questions. The commentators address issues of authorship, historical setting, translation, theological history, and personal application. In addition, they graciously point to excellent sources for further reading. Speaking as a pastor, it is my strong opinion that every English-speaking Christian who is serious about Bible study should own the complete set.