Bibles Bible Studies Books

If you are taking Greek, these are a must buy. Best $14 you'll ever spend on Greek especially if you use Mounce's text book.

Actually, I would recommend making your own vocabulary cards rather than buying pre-printed ones. This is because making your own cards provides your brain with one more channel through which to assimilate the material. However, if you are new to language learning, cards such as these can be a helpful start.

William Mounce has certainly done a competent job with these cards, so you can use them with confidence. The verb cards include the principal parts of the verbs. Be sure to learn them! A thorough knowledge of these will greatly enhance your ability to read Greek with ease.

The entire study package of Basics of Biblical Greek which includes the textbook, the study guide, the vocabulary cards, the summary sheet, and the lecture CD's is a blessed fruit of a long, thoughtful, meticulous, and high-tech labor of one of the world's best New Testament Greek scholars. I have to admit I have not studied Greek from other professors, but after studying Mounce, I simply can not imagine a better way to teach students an introduction to Biblical Greek than the one Prof. Mounce implements in this study packet. The structure and methodology are so impressively organized that I believe, without trying to diminish the role of an instructor, one can study by himself or herself without taking the class at a seminary. From start to finish, Prof. Mounce designs the lessons with solid exegesis skills as the goal in mind. He wastes no time but immediately exposes students with translation exercises using real Scripture passages in the study guide, even early in the first few chapters when he barely starts with nouns.

The lessons are divided into three major parts; nouns, adjectives and verbs. Each chapter begins with exegetical insights related to the topic being taught in that particular chapter. He then moves on by explaining the English and Greek forms. The nouns and adjectives are not too bad. They are usually divided into three types of declensions. While the nouns usually take on one of the three declensions, the most common configuration of adjectives is either 3-1-3 or 2-1-2 where the first, second and third numbers indicate the declension type for masculine, feminine and neuter genders, respectively. There are some discussions on special-case nouns having slightly abnormal endings; pant and ent, for examples. Now verbs are considerably more challenging because they not only have more numerous categories and rules, but the biggest obstacles are the tense stems and when they form the real verbs through a combination of augments, tense-formatives, connecting vowels, and personal endings. The trouble can be illustrated by comparing it to having to memorize the English present, past and perfect tenses of irregular and regular verbs which the Greek version has six; present, future active, aorist active and passive, perfect active and passive, instead of three in English. And each of these six stems has different forms not only depending on the person and number, but also on the voices; active, middle, and passive. On top of these, there is another parameter, called aspect, where these verbs take on other forms, the indicative covered in the early chapters of the verbs, subjunctive, infinitive and imperative. Some are similar if not the same as the indicatives, which make them even harder to distinguish which one is which. Here Prof. Mounce reminds students to always watch for the contexts. Context is your best friend when it comes to translation. There is no easy way of getting around this issue completely except in my view, to get the Greek Morphology text, also by Mounce. At the end of some chapters, there is coverage on extended materials that deal with special cases, additional rules in translation, contraction and morphology.

The summary sheet consists of all important rules involving word formation, verb-ending charts, and all the forms of frequently used verbs. It serves as a handy guide for students when doing the translation so they don't have to flip through the pages of the textbook. Some flipping of pages is inevitable, though, because the last few pages of the textbook has the list of major lexicons.

There are two types of drills in the study guide. The first is chapter-by-chapter review where students are asked to parse ten words in a table having the forms that have been covered up to that chapter. Next, there is a warm-up translation section consisting of seven short phrases or sentences to be translated before the real translation exercise begins with twenty sentences; some are long ones. From my experience, I sometimes had a headache after completing the translation work due to the intensity it involves in figuring out not only what the words mean, but also their forms, and how to restructure the sentence in English format that both are understandable and make sense. The second type of drill is the exam-type where the test materials are combined every five chapters. The tasks include parsing, grammar rules, and translations usually from a New Testament passage.

As in any other languages, learning Greek requires extra memory power, but not brute-force memorization of every single word indiscriminately. Prof. Mounce always warns students only to memorize special-case words and rules such as endings and contractions, instead of every single word with all its garden variety of forms. Excellent advise.

Needless to say, I delightfully endorse Prof. Mounce as your virtual Greek instructor. If you decide to homeschool yourself, you can purchase the complete combo set at teknia dot com. I don't think Amazon sell the lecture CD set. But even if you are taking the class at the seminary, I don't see any harm for you to buy the combo set anyway, though you probably won't need the lecture CD's provided you have an excellent instructor.

I got an email from the fine folks at Amazon, encouraging me to review a recent purchase... it was Greek vocabulary cards... Well, the box is nice... sturdy construction... The cards are nice... tells you what chapter the word is from... The fonts are readable... Just an all around pleasure in what the author of the related text calls the "fog" of learning Greek...

There just has to be a special place of punishment for Alexander the Great for foisting all of this upon us...

So how about that... I just pioneered a review of a set of vocabulary cards. Who says you can't make history???

These cards are great for learning vocabulary. However, William Mounce, as part of his "system" for learning verbs, stresses the exact memorization of verbal roots as the key to recognizing all the different tense stems. For verbs, these cards list all the different tense stems that occur in the NT, but no verbal roots. In fact, "Basics of Biblical Greek" (the textbook) does not include the verbal roots for any verbs other than those occuring more than 50 times in the NT. Maybe memorization of the roots is not really essential. While it's not a show stopper by any means (you can usually figure out the root) if you are really trying to use the Basics of Biblical Greek "system" for learning verbs these cards lack a key component. Perhaps this is a way to get us all to purchase the Mounce morphology book.

This is the Newest edition of the classic Hebrew dictionary that is arranged by word root. It seems that the publishers of this new edition wanted to give it the classic antique look, as it is so famous. Although the cover looks nicer than the older edition, inside it is a different story. The typeface in the inside looks like it was typed with a typewriter a century ago, and is therefore very hard to read, even to those who are familiar with Hebrew. Also, the fact that it is arranged by word root makes it harder to find the words in it. For those looking to own their first Hebrew dictionary, I recommend "The Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew" by Van Pelt and Practico. Also, for those wanting a readable version of BDB, I have found that the one included in BibleWorks is pretty readable.

Didn't shop for this item - it was refered to me -- took a little long on shipping.

This review is for 4 Hebrew lexicons in common use: Brown-Driver-Briggs, Koehler-Baumgartner, Holladay, and Langenscheidt.

The sizeable Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon is a development of Gesenius' historic work, and a long-time standard in English speaking countries. However, it has become dated, and now is used mostly because Hendrickson put out a cheaply constructed version keyed to Strong's concordance. Oxford's Clarendon Press edition is superior if you are required to get BDB. In addition, organizing entries by verbal root rather than alphabetically makes it difficult to use "BDB" for those without intimate knowledge of Hebrew. Fortunately, there is an alternative.

The Koehler-Baumgartner lexicon is superb and thorough, and based on the latest Hebrew and Aramaic scholarship. The authors also took into account cognates from Ugaritic and Akkadian, so users of this massive work have a goldmine of information to draw from. By massive, I mean it is over 2000 pages in 2 large volumes. This plus its $190 asking price means it might be better to let the university or seminary library bear the brunt of purchasing and housing it unless you are an Old Testament specialist.

Most readers will be best served by the work of William Holladay, a reasonably sized 426 pp lexicon based on the latest scholarship. Holladay abridged K-B by removing bibliographic references and other information most needed by specialists. It is well organized (alphabetically), and the font is clear. Entries also have references (not exhaustive) to use within the Old Testament, meaning it can be used as a poor man's OT concordance. While Holladay is manageably sized enough (9.75" x 6.875" x 1.25") to be pleasant to read and easily portable in a bookbag, it is not the smallest resource available.

Some may be tempted to go a step further for the ultimate in compactness with the Langenscheidt pocket dictionary. This item is 6" x 4" x 1" and quite lightweight - in its 1959 iteration anyway. Its definitions are limited in scope and scholarly foundation, but still, what else fits in your coat pocket?

My overall recommendation: Holladay for everyone, supplemented by Koehler-Baumgartner for those who need and can afford it.

BDB: 3 stars
K-B: 5 stars
Holladay: 5 stars
Langenscheidt: 4 stars

BDB is recommended at the end of a Hebrew primer for adults that I often consult. I agree with other reviewers that BDB requires a fundamental knowledge of Hebrew. If you already have a familiarity with Hebrew, and if you enjoy deep reading of the Tanakh, BDB is an essential resource.

As an example, I used BDB to research the etymology of the root "bet-kuf-resh". BDB led me on a fascinating journey that led me eventually to Psalms and the Shulchan Oruch! At the end of it I had a fair amount of good material for a devar torah.

I have one reservation on BDB. As with many of the older lexicons, BDB was written before the discovery of Ugaritic (i.e., prior to 1930). Study of Ugaritic etymologies has added enormously to our knowledge of obscure Hebrew words. I anxiously await the arrival of a single-volume biblical lexicon that incorporates Ugaritic!

This dictionary is an old standard, and still very helpful. It is organized by roots. This means that all words are listed under the consonantal root (usually three consonants), regardless of what additional consonants or vowels have been added at the beginning or elsewhere. When I was a beginner in Hebrew, I found this system difficult to follow. However, with practice I started to get used to which roots lost their first consonant in derived or conjugated forms, and which ones had unstable second and third consonants. Now I can use this dictionary without much difficulty.

If you are a beginner in Hebrew, this dictionary is definitely a good one to plan to get, but you would be better served initially by A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament: Based upon the Lexical Work of Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner. This dictionary organizes words alphabetically rather than by roots, a feature which saves beginners a lot of frustration. As you progress, you should also consider getting a much more recent comprehensive lexicon of Biblical Hebrew, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 2 volume set. This dictionary is based on much more recent scholarship that Brown-Driver-Briggs, but it is considerably more expensive, so BDB is an economical choice for good, if not cutting edge, scholarship.

If you are advanced enough in your study of Hebrew to be using Brown-Driver-Briggs, you really should have no need for the Strong's numbers included in this edition. I find such ornaments to be no more than clutter. If you want the uncluttered edition, it is A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament.

NIV Application bible is really good
to helps us understand more about bible.
And encourage us to practice the value from God into our life.

I was introduced to this bible through a friend and it has been a Godsend! I am not too familiar with the information of the bible because I did not understand what I was reading. This NIV bible has eliminated that issue. It is easy to read and follow the book chapter to chapter. The concordance at the end of each page is the best tool to learn what you have just read. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone! Happy reading!

The NIV Life Application Study Bible is great BUT this is not the 'best' one ... The 'best' one has a genuine leather cover (rather than a hard cover) AND indexed thumb tabs to make finding the books of the Bible easier. The 'best' one is available here on Amazon although it's about twice the cost of the hard copy version -- it, and my full review, is at: NIV Life Application® Study Bible (New International Version)

The application bible was exactly what I needed to give me a more in-depth look at what the word of God has to say. A great study tool.

You know how sometimes you order an item and it is even better than you anticipated...it happened to me with this product. I highly recommend that you order your own Life Application Study Bible and I am certain you will be pleased as punch!

I never thought of Babylon and the book of Daniel in comparison to the way we live today. Beth once again does an amazing job at bringing Scripture to light, and causing you to want to dig in and learn...grow...and change!

There's a lot of talk nowadays about end times, and most of the information comes out of the Bible's book of Daniel. Like any book of prophecy, Daniel can make your head spin as you try to put the pieces together. Beth Moore does a really great job of bringing understanding and depth to this hard-to-understand book. With her usual great scholarship and humor, Moore sure makes you understand why people are talking about the imminent return of Jesus. You'll either get excited or get your socks scared off, but you'll have the knowledge you need to understand how it goes. I also watched the DVD's that go with this book, and I would recommend that approach.

This is another amazing study by Beth Moore. She opens up our eyes to Biblical history in a way that makes it possible to understand, and to make sense of what scripture speaks about the future. It is imperative to understand this section of Biblical history if one is to study and understand the Book of Revelation. Beth Moore makes Biblical history interesting and fun!

We did this study with our women's group at church. The weekly DVD sessions are phenomenal and not to be missed. The daily lessons for the women to do at home were fairly short (15 to 25 minutes each day)and easy to understand. They lent themselves well to discussions when we returned as a group each week. I enjoyed the whole study and learned so much from it that I am leading the study again for a group of women who missed out on the first one!
Beth Moore is an excellent teacher and makes the book of Daniel easy to understand. The first six weeks were on Babylon and the correlations with today's society. The last six weeks were on end times prophecy. As with all prophecy interpretations there are differing views, premillenial, postmillenial, and so on. If you have a strong bent towards one side or the other you will find issues with the last six weeks of the study; as one reviewer of this book did. If you do not know much about prophecy then Mrs. Moore does a good job explaining her stance and how the last six chapters of Daniel fit.
A reveiw is just my opinion of a particular book. As such, I believe this study is worth 5 stars! Enjoy!

Although the majority of Beth Moore's studies are very good, in the area of Daniel's prophecies, this one is woefully inadequate. Moore teaches the dispensational premillennial view, a theological system that was created in the 1800s. There is no attempt to "study" what the Scriptures say regarding the prophecies. She simply states her theology with very little biblical support and provides no balance from historical millennial positions held by the church fathers. I got the impression that she was simply regurgitating what she had read somewhere. I don't believe she even mentions historic premillennialism and it was clear from her uninformed comments regarding the amillennial and postmillennial positions that she hasn't done her homework there either.

What I found particularly upsetting was that in the second DVD lesson, Moore reads an excerpt from a 1969 sermon by Ray Stedman entitled "The Last Act" which contained so many inaccuracies about American and European history that I was embarrassed for my church showing it. (You can find this sermon on the internet if you "google" it.) Stedman tries to make the case that America and Europe are part of the fallen Roman Empire. (This is required by the dispensationalist view.) At one point Stedman claims that because German leaders are called "Kaisers," that this is evidence that the Roman Empire was the foundation for the government of Germany! I was disappointed that Moore would use this material as a part of her study.

Although the analogies Moore draws between sinful Babylon and modern-day America are very good, I found them to be overshadowed by the poor exegesis and lack of balance in the prophetic side of the study.

This book is a great tool for anyone, pastor or lay person, who wants to enhance their methods for studying the Bible. Even if you fell like you already know all there is to know about Bible study, you are sure to find some valuable techniques within the nearly 400 pages of study discipline that this book presents.

The many reviews on this book are already excellent, but I would like to add my own experience both with the book and with Prof Hendricks. I remember reading this book a few years back then had the privilege of having Prof in class last Fall in 2007. He teaches just like the book he wrote with his son, Bill. In a time when the majority of books simply tend to give you content or fluff, this book not only gives you foundational methods, but gives you priceless examples of how to put these methods into a consistent practice. Prof supplies us with biblical passages to test out these methods for doing personal bible study, which is three-fold: observation, interpretation, and application.

I cannot fully explain what it is like to learn from a man of the Word who has taught bible method and exposition for more than 50 years. The command he has over the subject, the illustrations and examples he conjures up, the accessibility he gives the listener/reader to the scripture is priceless over and over again. In a school like DTS, where it is easy to get caught up with everything BUT theological method and life applications, Dr. Hendricks shows how invaluable bible study method is for every Christian, whether a professional minister/pastor, a layman, a scholar, etc. This is something we were all meant to do and to be engaged in. Growth is accomplished by learning how, through the power and filling of the Holy Spirit, to engage in the foundational bible study methods of observation and interpretation, which are then to be lived out through daily application. This is a must-read for every Christian to grow and mature in their faith.

I'm not a member of any church and I don't consider myself religious but I've always been interested in what the bible says. However, I found it hard to make a start reading the bible when I really know nothing about it. I found this book invaluable in helping me get the most out of my bible reading. It taught me lessons that I can use not only with my study of the bible but with study of other literature as well.
My only problem with the book is that the authors sometimes fail to distinguish thier dogmatic beliefs from what the bible really teaches but, thankfully, the indepth lessons they include in the book will help anyone to see these errors for themselves.
I also didn't like the "one interpretation, many applications" rule. Some of the scriptures quoted in the book and then interpreted by Hendricks ended in conclusions I just could not comprehend. I think the bible can be interpreted many different ways and it's up to us to be able to discern the true message of what we're reading. With the interpretations I didn't agree with I just completed my own study following the rules set out by Hendricks and it gave me a whole new light on what can be found in one simple verse - and what can be lost if even one word is misinterpreted.
I can honestly say that this book is essential to anyone wanting to learn more about what is really in the bible. And it would also make a valuable contribution to any student wanting to get more from their everyday reading.

Living By the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible -- At Last! Someone who knows how to read the bible and is willing to reveal his secrets to us. Why don't church bible studies start with this book? This book should be the first book of the bible study curriculum. I praise God for finally leading me to Howard Hendricks book.

Howard Hendricks is outstanding at revealing how exciting reading the Bible can be, but even more important was how he explains how to accurately determine what the writers were saying to the original hears, but also to us now. His directions reveal tried and true methods to "rightly divide the Word of God" that many other books on how to read the Bible just never see. I have been reading the Bible for more than 30 years and have seen truths that I missed over and over, just like when Sherlock Holmes looks a crime scene and understands all kinds of details that the untrained just can't see.
Reading this will open up the Bible and God's revelation like never before.

Ehrman follows up on his 2003 study of The Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew by turning his eye for Biblical criticism on those books that did make it into the canon.

Ehrman talks briefly about textual criticism as applied to New Testament source manuscripts, suggesting that the currently accepted canon has been revised inadvertently and intentionally over in over 30,000 places. He provides a handful of examples, and provides a very elementary introduction to the discipline.

Not that compelling. Most interesting is his introductory biographical essay, telling of his boyhood in the Lutheran faith where Bible study wasn't encouraged, to a teenage born-again experience, to his scholarly studies which have made him pull back and refer to "born again" in quotes.

The most interesting question he raises is how to square Biblical inerrancy with textual revisions, some of which have surely taken place, although none of his main examples are faith-shattering. His point, well taken, is that if you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, then having the actual words of the original writers is vitally important, and needs to be considered seriously as a theological question.

This book is well worth reading if you are interested in the subject matter. Perhaps most refreshing about this book, despite its rather provocative title, is that Ehrman is very objective in his review of early Christian writings. I read a lot of books on the topic of religion that have been written by atheists and, while I enjoy most of these books, I have to admit that many of these authors have a tendency to be sarcastic (some might even say smarmy) when referring to the faithful. Ehrman, a former fundamentalist Christian turned agnostic, appears to respect the religious convictions of others, even if his own research caused him to change his beliefs. His interest in the subject matter seems genuine to me. I didn't get the impression that he had an agenda, other than a genuine scholarly interest to discover, to the degree possible, the truth about early Christianity and the evolution of the New Testament.

It is because of Ehrman's objectivity that I was surprised (although I shouldn't be really) that there is a book called Misquoting Truth that disputes Ehrman's research. I guess this indicates that Ehrman, who has been writing books on early Christianity for years, has achieved a level of success that brings with it a degree of notoriety.

Because I've read a number of books on early Christianity, not everything in this book was new to me, but I found quite a bit of information that I hadn't heard before. It has a very logical flow, is accessible to a lay person, and is well researched and very objective.

It is unlikely that fundamentalist Christians will read this book with an open mind, but I think a lot of Christians could find it very enlightening to read. I know that as a child, attending Catechism, I was either taught (or just assumed) a lot of things that I suspect many Christians believe. I always assumed that the gospels were written by men who knew Jesus (or at least had first-hand knowledge of his life) shortly after his death. I assumed that the four gospels in the New Testament were the only gospels, that they were consistent with one another, that the gospels never changed, and that we had the originals somewhere. I assumed that all of the followers of Jesus had the same beliefs about his life, death, and resurrection.

I have come to learn that these assumptions are likely false. The gospels were written decades after the death of Jesus and its unlikely that they represent first-hand accounts of his life. There were many very different variations of early Christianity and numerous gospels and writings circulated at this time, reflecting a wide range of interpretations of who Jesus was. These writings reflect the different theological interests and competing agendas of early Christians. The four canonized gospels contradict each other (quite significantly at times) and no originals have been found. Most interesting (and the focus of this book) is how the gospels and other writings of the New Testament were altered by scribes over hundreds of years. Some changes were accidental, but many alterations were likely deliberate. Ehrman objectively analyses the probable motives behind many of these changes.

This is a very well written, well researched, discussion of this topic. I recommend this book to anyone interested in early Christian history.

Ehrman has masterfully succeeded in putting together a piece of academic scholarship on the writing and construction of the New Testament, which is easily accessible to the lay reader. I recommend it for those interested in a readable starting point in the field of "who (wrote) and how" the Bible was written. While Ehrman prefers the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, his book demonstrates that all Bibles are based upon an incomplete and often times erroneous interpretation of our earliest Biblical texts. We do not even have the original texts, as the Gospels themselves were written a generation or two after Christ's death. Ehrman suggests also, however, that all readers of the Bible need not despair for despite these changes many scholars believe that the meaning and intent of the Bible been preserved. What Ehrman challenges most squarely is the Fundamentalist reading of the Bible that asserts it is the Word of God without error. Ehrman himself believed this at one point, and went to the Moody Bible Institute, then proceeded on to Princeton Theological Seminary in pursuit of the deepest understanding of the Bible, so his credentials and ability in this field are well-established. He has concluded that, while the Bible's meaning may in many places be intact, there are some significant revisions and alterations to the text that have taken place, and that should give us great caution in making inflexibly dogmatic statements based upon it. Anyone wishing to understand the New Testament and the message of Christianity better would do well to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Many of the conclusions that Ehrman comes to about the textual accuracy of the Bible, were ones which I have pondered myself. He takes it one step further in this book and discusses the contradictions and textual inaccuracies in the Gospels, of which I was unaware, in some depth. It is a must read for anyone wavering on the issue of whether or not to accept the Christian Bible as inerrant.

I also appreciate the fact that Ehrman was a born again indoctrinated into the school of thought which says that the Bible IS the inerrant word of God and that he managed to overcome this belief to write this wonderful textual analysis and perhaps come to some personal gnosis himself.

I highly recommend it!

I'm not sure how I came across this title. Quite likely I was drawn by the controversy around "Misquoting Jesus: The story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why". The sub-title is very imporant, for it sets forth Ehrman's basic theme - the New Testament is the work of men, not of divine authorship. The contention has angered many.

I have no stake in the argument and, for that matter, no interest either. What does intrigue is the scope of Ehrman's research and his textual criticism. I cannot determine if Ehrman is accurate or not. I'm not about to do any research on the issues, so I take what Ehrman says as true.

The sheer number of scraps, remnants, partial and whole renderings of the evolving New Testament came as a surprises. Ehrman painstakingly analyzes the text and demonstrates how it has evolved over the centuries. In seven broad chapters, Ehrman covers the beginnings of Christian scripture, the earliest copiests and the changes they introduced, a review of the texts of the New Testament, the quest for origins, the originals that matter, theologically motivated alterationsa of the text and the social worlds of the text.

It will come as no surprise to the reader that Ehrman does not believe the New Testament is divinely inspired. In fact, Ehrman acknowledges that his journey has taken him from a form of fundamentalist Christianity to his current agnosticism.

"Misquoting Jesus" is a fascinating exercise in textual criticism. I doubt that believers will find it satisfying, for those of us coming from a secular perspective, it is indeed quite interesting.

Jerry

It is so great to have a study Bible that has historical information and liturgal information that the Protestant Church is missing out on so much of today.

A wonderful study bible. In depth witout being so technical as to be inacessible to a lay person.The Catholic Study Bible

The best adult Bible for anyone that is not familiar with Scripture. I give a copy to everyone in my Catholics Returing Home Series

I am not going to get into the discussion about the positive and negative features of the NAB, but rather focus on a couple things about this 2nd Edition of the Catholic Study Bible.

Two things stand out to me:
1) I really don't see the need in revising the older edition. To be honest, much of the material remains the same as in older versions. The textual notes, which come with all NAB's, is exactly the same. In addition, the inclusion of expanded reading guides and the terribly bland looking in-text maps seems to be hastly arranged.

2) I dislike the visual format of this edition. Personally, the original 1990 version of the Catholic Study Bible is much better. Does anyone else find the print too light? Also, the cross-referencing apparatus I think is not helpful, as well as the divide between the Sacred Text and the notes, which seems to similar.

While there are other study Bibles for Catholics in the process of being developed, like the Ignatius Study Bible, I am not sure this version is going to stand the test of time. I would rather use an older edition of The Catholic Study Bible or the much better HaperCollins Study Bible.

The NAB and the Catholic Study Bible appear to be a competitive attempt at more thorough Study Bibles decades in the making, (Scofield, Ryrie, NIV Study Bible, etc.). Although the attempt is genuine, the content is lacking both linguistically and in historical scholarship. The translation itself is lacking and shows only a basic understanding of the Hebrew/Aramaic sources. Also, an an odd isogetic bent is found throughout the NT in translating the Koine sources. The commentary is cold, overly literary, and lacks the true warmth and personal nature of the Holy Scriptures as they are found in the original sources, (Hebrew/Aramaic, Greek, and possibly Syriac). My hope is that a revision of this text will reveal a true desire to communicate the Sciptures accurately. Unfortunately, as a scholar of the Scriptures I cannot recommend this volume.

I had to purchase this book for a Master's level course. It is the most complicated, wordy, unclear text I have ever read. I am a TEACHER and I have never even seen many of the words used in this book, much less understand their meaning! Addtionally, many passages use such complex ideology and terminology that you really have no idea what the authors are trying to say. Unless you HAVE to buy this book, DON'T!

This was one of the texts for a recent seminary course and it's perhaps one of the most boring texts I've encountered in my academic studies. Not only do the authors fail to hold the reader's interest, the layout of the text on the page is hard on the eyes. Overall it's just a chore to read. There are so many better textbooks out there (and that's what this is in the worst sense of the word) I can't imagine why anyone would choose this one!

This book is extensively footnoted and articulated by the best NT scholarship available. Douglas Moo and Donald Carson have given the church a profound a valuable gift. Especially helpful are critiques of liberal, neo-conservative, and post-conservative speculations and assertions which would seek to decompose the canonical NT documents. This book is full of thoughtful common sense and articulate scholarship for the average pastor, Bible student, or advanced layperson. I found the Introduction to be a tremendous help.

The book gives great details on each book of the new testament. I actually transferred some of the information over into my bible. I really enjoyed the read. I had to read it for a class, but really enjoyed it once I got started.

This is one of my text books for school. I have to hand it to the authors they really did some research to put this book together. So why did I give it such a low rating? It was a mind-numbing read. Though I was able to glean some interesting stuff from it, it was mainly all academic knowledge. If that's your cup of tea then you will love it. For me, I prefer books that will help me grow closer to God in righteousness, love, and truth. This just didn't do it for me.

Throckmorton's parallel is a good resource for comparing the Synoptics. There are so few volumes like this one that it is recommended even if it could be improved. First, the NRSV is not really the best translation. I wish this were updated with the ESV. Second, the Infancy Narratives would be more logically organized with the Lucan Narrative first (although I understand the desire to keep as close to the canonical order as possible). This resource is best used with a good commentary or two. One such resource is Gleason Archer's *New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties* which will especially help the inexperienced exegete.

I would be happy to review this purchase; however I have not received the order. Originally I was told it wold ship with 2 to 3 weeks. Now, I am told it will be more than 2 months with no assurance. All in all, I cannot recommend anyone to purchase on Amazon and I certainly will not.

This is an important reference book for those who are interested in the differences and parallels one finds in the three synoptic Gospels. This book has a wealth of knowledge one may not have known without it!

It is a very useful resource for comparing and contrasting the synoptic gospels.

Gospel Parallels is a serious work indexing and comparing the first three New Testament books (Matthew, Mark and Luke) so that those interested in the study of the Gospels can see exactly the similarities and discrepancies in the stories.

But the book is more than that. Given the increasing interest in recent years in the non-canonical works, Greek and other manuscripts that are not easily found in the local library are cited as a way of further illuminating the path toward further understanding of early Christian writing and thinking.

This is not a book that offers a lot of commentary. In fact, it offers virtually none. It simply lines up in a table such offerings as Accusations Against Jesus and then gives us Matthew (12:22-24) against Mark (3:19-22) and Luke (11:14-16).

One benefit of this style is that we're able to quickly see the differences in accounts. Those wanting an explication of the significance in choice of language or details included or excluded will have to look elsewhere for enlightenment. That makes this very thorough book a study aid accompanying other works that might provide more understanding; it is not a freestanding help to those curious about why accounts of Jesus' life or teaching vary so radically.

I used the fourth edition of this book in a New Testament course years ago and had forgotten its seeming limitations. But for those interested in serious exploration and in need of help tracking down New Testament and other texts, this book is invaluable.

It offers us a decent who's who of church fathers, and a short but terrific explanation of the different versions of texts in the Bible, which helps account for differing interpretations and changes in language. The fourth edition is in conformity with the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

For those wondering, the Gospel of John is not included in this book because of the extensive differences in content between it and the three synoptic gospels covered by this book. Among them:

John doesn't include a lot of the material about the temptation of Christ, his transfiguration and the Lord's supper, the Sermon on the Mount. John offers virtually nothing in the way of narrative parables. John's account of Jesus' ministry is also at odds with the three synoptics.

The many differences make a side-by-side comparison just about impossible, though certainly extensive scholarship exists on this topic.

What this book will do is shed light on the ways in which some of the same events and thoughts are reported. You'll see quickly which author appears to exaggerate or at least report events in their most extreme, and which basic themes, such as concern for the downtrodden, draws the most attention in each gospel.

I'd recommend this to anyone studying the New Testament and in need of a quick guide to where to find a specific verse or theme.

The BDAG is about the best lexicon out there in my opinion. Yes, it is expensive, but it's got the scholarship behind it, has MORE words than the Greek New Testament has in case you need to study extrabiblical literature, and also has expansive definitions.

Highly recommended.

It is the best lexicon of the Early Christian Literature (NT included) available, because its entries are characterized by excellent classification of the meanings, because it gives sound grammatical-syntactical information of the words, it gives plenty of examples with proposed renderings of specific passages, it discusses difficult cases, it refers briefly to the origin of the Early Christian Literature words and it adequately presents their contemporary extra-Biblical usage. Something else very important is the rich and updated bibliography that is provided.

In other words, it is a great improvement and expansion of the Grimm-Thayer lexical tradition, but, comparing to Grimm-Thayer, it gives lesser attention to the LXX usage and the Hebraic background of the NT words. Allow me to consider this an imperfection of the BDAG that forces the reader to buy also a LXX lexicon or a theological one (such as the TDNT abridged or the EDNT) in order to have a more spherical view of NT Greek, but I have to admit that nothing vital is missing. The second drawback is the price. Finally, a couple of times I have noticed mistakes in the etymology; but, of course, this is not an etymological dictionary, neither does it claim to be one.

This review willl cover four Greek New Testament lexicons: Bauer, Abbott-Smith, Thayer and Souter.

For many years, I had resisted purchasing a copy of Bauer, et al's mammoth (7 ¾" x 10 ¼" x 2 ¼") Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Yes, it had a great deal of data. Yes, it shared insights from contemporary literature which shed light on word meaning for words used rarely in the New Testament. However, it was an absolute pain. The layout made it difficult to find what was needed, and it seemed quite easy to lose the forest for the trees in Bauer's 1st and 2nd English editions. Frankly, I preferred George Abbott-Smith's Manual Lexicon, and availed myself of Bauer at the seminary library only as needed. Now the available choices have changed, and for the better.

Bauer's 3rd English edition is a marvel. Everything the other reviewers write about its clear typeface, and intelligent use of bolding and spacing is true: it's a joy to use. A bit heavy, but it's worth it. The actual definitions as opposed to glosses are also a plus. All of this combined means that all of the data produced by scholarship is far more useable. Thank you, University of Chicago! I was willing to shell out the not insubstantial price for it, and have no remorse, it was money well spent.

Have I kicked Abbott-Smith to the curb? No. His Manual Lexicon is older (1937), but still makes use of the bulk of the papyri discoveries. He provides a quick reference for the Hebrew words underlying the Greek when that word is used in both the New Testament and the Septuagint (LXX) translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. He also provides numerous though not exhaustive Scripture references for each entry, making this lexicon reasonably functional as a concordance. With all this, I can still tote around Abbott-Smith (8 ¾" x 5 ¾" x 1 ¼") in my bag. It has yielded pride of place in my study, but for now at least, it's still a keeper.

Two others are worth mentioning. Thayer is old but still in common use because Hendrickson has put out a very cheaply made version which is keyed to Strong's concordance. Of course, if you're using Strong's as the basis for exegesis, you might want to wait on a large lexicon and invest in some Greek training. Thayer wrote prior to the papyrus finds that really altered our understanding of Koine Greek usage, and so is not as good a choice as the others reviewed here.

Finally, there is Souter's little gem of a pocket lexicon. He is post-papyri (1917), and offers pretty accurate glosses for the words listed. Hard not to like Souter, it's quality made from Oxford, red with gilt lettering, and is roughly the same size as the NA-27 Greek New Testament, meaning it fits in your pocket easily. While you don't want to use it for serious exegetical work, you also don't want to tote Bauer around with you everywhere. There is another small lexicon from the United Bible Societies which is nicely made, but not as worthwhile as Souter. As a Greek expert pointed out, it basically uses the RSV translation as the lexical definition.

Bauer, et al: 5 stars
Abbott-Smith: 4 stars
Thayer: 3 stars
Souter: 4 stars

I purchased the second edition of this volume when I was studying Greek at Denver Seminary, back in 1989 as it was highly recommend by my Greek professor. And I used it quite a bit during seminary and even after that in my personal Bible studies.

When I began work on my Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Third Edition (ALT), I got the BibleWorks 7 software program. That program has several lexicons that come standard with it, and it is a lot easier to use those lexicons than to look up words in this volume. But even with that program, with wanting to be exact as possible in my translations, I would still check Baur on occasion as it contains information that is not found in BibleWorks. Most especially, this volume indicates how words were used in extra-biblical literature. And this info can be a great help in getting an idea of how a particular word was used at the time the NT was written.

For instance, I depended on information in Baur to decide how to translate the plural of "adelphos." Most lexicons give definitions like "brother, fellow Christian, fellow believer" (Friberg on BibleWorks). But Baur's lexicon indicates "The plural can also mean brothers and sisters" (p.16). It then gives specific examples of this usage in extra-biblical literature.

This concurs with what I was taught at seminary that "adelphoi" was used to refer to a group of only men and to a group of both men and women. So I decided that the best way to render this word was to use "brothers [and sisters]." This rendering indicates the term definitely includes men but might also include women (e.g., Rom 1:13).

So this lexicon can be very helpful in pinning down the exact usage of words. But it is very expensive, and I see it is now available as an add-on for BibleWorks. Given the expense of the new third edition and of the BibleWorks add-on, since I already own the second edition, I won't be getting either of these. But if you don't own a previous version and intend to do in-depth Greek word studies, then either this hardcopy version or the BibleWorks add-on would be worthwhile.

Briefly, this lexicon is a scholarly lexicon. Some of the other reviews have criticized that its definitions are inappropriate for beginning students, and that is true becasuse this is the most advanced and comprehensive lexicon that does justice to the imprecisions within the greek language. More often than not, a Greek word cannot be exactly equated with an English equivalent. This lexicon does justice to the broad semantic ranges of even the most obscure Greek word. This is recommended for scholars and serious students of Koine Greek. This lexicon is also an outstanding reference for scholarly publications concerning the Greek text. There is also a version available for the Logos software suite.