Bibles Bible Studies Books

My order arrived and it is good. I am particularly glad that Amazon offerred to send a replacement when the first order did not arrive.
I recommend whoever intends to buy books online to always do so through Amazon.com.

The here presented new edition of Alfred Rahlfs's critical pocket-edition is not a fundamentally revised edition, but a moderate revision of the first edition published in 1935 by the Privileged Wurttemberg Bible Society in Stuttgart. Any potential buyer should be aware that this is a pocket-edition which has relatively small font, although its content(2200pages)largely retains an original Rahlfs's septuaginta in 1935 with a small revision.

As far as actually reviewing this version of the Septuagint (LXX), there isn't much more I can say than what the last reviewer mentioned. This volume is eminently readable due to the clear font and font size, it is portable, and it is the best available version of the LXX at this time (the Goettingen Septuagint, which is composed of more-recent [than Rahlfs] critical editions of most books in the LXX and is preferred by most scholars, is not readily available outside of the academic world).

I became interested in reading the LXX after mastering enough Koine Greek to be able to read the Greek New Testament (GNT). It took me only a few verses to realize that there are many more vocabulary words in the Septuagint than in the GNT. As this is the case, I recommend Lust, Eynikel, and Hauspie's "Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint" (available on Amazon). There are few LXX tools available at the moment, and this lexicon covers every word in the LXX; Muraoka's lexicon, for instance, only covers the Pentateuch and the Prophets. This lexicon is not to the LXX what BDAG is to the GNT, but it is the best there is right now.

The LXX has a mix of classical Greek, Semitisms, and (mostly) Koine Greek that makes it a more difficult read than the GNT. The versification is also different in some of the books than in English translations of the Bible (most of which are based on the Hebrew Masoretic Text [MT], which differs from the Septuagint in the just-mentioned instances). Karen Jobes and Moises Silva have written an excellent volume, titled "Invitation to the Septuagint" (also available on Amazon), that anyone should read before actually attempting to read the LXX itself. In addition, they supply a helpful appendix that gives the differences in versification between the LXX and English translations; the version of the LXX they use is Rahlfs' edition, which is why I mention the book here.

I believe the Septuagint receives short shrift in biblical studies circles. The usual assertion is that it is likely to be less reliable than the Hebrew text because there are so many different versions that were written and revised by so many different people (Jobes and Silva discuss the multiple texts of the LXX). However, the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) have shown that the Septuagint may actually be more reliable than people previously thought, since many passages in the DSS agree with the Septuagint over the Masoretic Text (that is, in cases where there is a discrepancy); it appears to be obvious that the Hebrew text underwent some changes as well before it was standardized into the Masoretic Text (although Jobes and Silva provide useful and necessary information about the dangers inherent in trying to use the LXX for textual criticism of the MT). If you are interested in this line of study, I recommend purchasing a copy of the "The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible" by Martin G. Abegg et al. (again, available on Amazon) and comparing passages from the DSS, the LXX, and a Masoretic-Text based English translation (or, better yet, the Masoretic Text itself, if you also read Hebrew).

Additionally, there is a group in Oregon that completed a new interlinear translation of the Greek Bible in 2006 that includes both the LXX and the GNT. Their "Apostolic Bible" includes both a Lexical Concordance and an English-Greek Index, which are invaluable tools for study of the LXX (they are currently working on an Analytical Lexicon, which also will be immensely useful since Bernard Taylor's "Analtyical Lexicon to the Septuagint" is no longer in print). This work does have two unfortunate shortcomings: 1) The LXX is missing the apocryphal books, and 2) They translated both the Old and New Testaments from the Complutensian Polyglot (rather than using Rahlfs' edition for the LXX and NA27/UBS4 for the GNT; the Complutensian Polyglot, like the Textus Receptus, contains many erroneous readings in the NT). Their volume (which is also available on disc) is only available on their website (sorry, Amazon, but I'm trying to help folks out here), which can easily be found through any internet search engine.

Other books which may be of varying degrees of usefulness are: 1) "Concordance to the Septuagint Versions of the O.T. (including the Apocryphal Books)" by Edwin Hatch and Henry Redpath (this concordance is in Greek only, so it is meant for those who are fully versed in the language); 2) "Grammar of the Septuagint Greek with Selected Readings from the Septuagint" by F.C. Conybeare and St. George Stock (see my review on Amazon); and 3) the newly-released "A New English Translation of the Septuagint" edited by Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright (see my review on Amazon). Of course, there is also the older "Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English" by Sir Lancelot C.L. Brenton to help the reader who wants/needs an English translation alongside the Greek text.

There are additional books available that look at the history of the Septuagint and its use by both Jews and Christians, but there is a still a dearth of study resources on the LXX at this time (unless you are a professional scholar and have access to all of the scholarly literature); however, there are some helpful websites that are available to all. Again, internet search engines will enable you to locate such sites. I hope that both LXX websites and this review will be of help to those interested in studying the Old Testament in Greek.

This is an excellent copy of the Septuagint. Excellent font. Beautifully bound. I concur what the other reviewers stated. It is indeed another masterpiece from Stuttgart, Germany. If you want an excelent copy of the Greek Old Testament to study, or want a deeper understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, this is the one! Praise God for such gifts!

The books produced by the German Bible Society (marketed in the U.S. by Hendrickson) are always superbly well made, and this LXX edition is no exception. It is also small enough to easily take with you, though a bit thick for pocket carry. Unfortunately, the efficiency of size has been taken to an extreme where I believe it defeats the purpose. If all you want is to use the LXX as a reference, to look up how a particular Hebrew word was translated, this will do fine. If however, you want to _read_ the LXX (and yes, you should), the font is too small and dense for comfortable reading. Yes, they use quality paper, good font, and crisp contrast, but that only goes so far. I dislike criticising such a fine work and valuable resource, but I recommend instead finding the older two volume set. It is sized at 9x6" rather than 7x5", and uses thicker paper as well.

Approximately 20 copies of this study guide were purchased for our church's womoen's group. This group collectively found the study guide useful, interesting, and worth the small cost. Additional books in the series will probably be purchased.

I needed an easy woman's bible study for summer that would allow for it to be completed during a lunch hour. I started this one at my office 3 weeks ago and it has been well-received by the ladies who come for bible study. I love how it is written, and I especially like how organized it is as far as searching scripture when you are doing your lesson.

Although it isn't a hard study, there is a leaders guide in the back of the workbook so if we are stuck on a question we can refer to the answer. I also enjoy the weekly, imaginary "Trinkets to Treasure" and had fun finding the items to display as our reminders.

I plan to continue on with the Woman of Faith Study Guide Series and have already decided on which one. "Encouraging One Another".

Our women's group of 9 are enthused about this book. It is showing us great, God-given tools for "managing our moods". It has lots of Bible verses to look up, and the comments by the Women of Faith are personal and encouraging. We also like the Leaders Guide in the back, for adding to our own comments on the study questions.

Perhaps I'm used to Bible studies that dig deeper into scripture, but I felt I was trying to discuss partial truths. We never stayed on one verse long enough to discuss its full meaning,let alone the context of what was around it. I enjoyed being with a group of women once a week, but I'd rather spend my hour on a more in-depth study. There are no questions that spark discussion of different ways of looking at a thought, a value, or an insight. I can't grow if everyone agrees on everything! This felt like a surface-skimmer to me.

this book is comprehensive and informative to the scholarly and lay person alike. I highly recommend it for anyones study into the truth of god and his word.

Excellent, in depth look at how the Bible was put together and passed down through the ages. Lots of church history included that shows how some of the divisions of Christendom came to be.
This book should be part of every person's reference library.
There are tons of footnotes and references to other works on both biblical and non-biblical subjects.
This book is much more comprehensive than other volumes out there that give a brief overview of biblical development.
Must reading "to give an answer for the hope that lies within you..."

Christians should have a good reference book at arm's length on the subject of bibliology (the study of the nature, origin and reliability of the Bible). A General Introduction to the Bible by Geisler and Nix does a great job in filling this need.

The book is not a small book (it weighs in at a healthy 724 pages). However, it is a great resource. In addition to the chapters themselves, there are plenty of charts, photographs, indexes, a glossary, and a well annotated bibliography.

The book is divided up into four major parts,

Part one: Inspiration of the Bible

Part two: Canonization of the Bible

Part three: Transmission of the Bible

Part four: Translation of the Bible

You will find the authors articulating the traditional evangelical view of verbal plenary inspiration. Their chapters on the claims of inspiration in the Old and New Testaments are particularly helpful. They also interact in some detail with the divergent views on revelation and inspiration.

Canonization tends to be a bit of a blind spot for evangelicals. The authors do a terrific job in articulating a God-centered and historically consistent view of canonization. This is obviously quite helpful in light of the contemporary fascination with Gnostic writings. One quote that is particularly helpful:

"Canonicity is determined by God. A book is not inspired because men made it canonical; it is canonical because God inspired it. It is not the antiquity, authenticity, or religious community that makes a book canonical or authoritative. On the contrary, a book is valuable because it is canonical, and not canonical because it is or was considered valuable. Inspiration determines canonization, and confusion at the point not only dulls the edge of authority but it mistakes the effect (a canonical book) for the cause (inspiration of God). Canonicity is determined or established authoritatively by God; it is merely discovered by man." (p. 221)

A General Introduction to the Bible is a great resource to further equip and encourage you as to the ways and means by which God has given us his world.

I have had to study this book in depth as part of an MDiv program. It is extremely detailed and covers many things in depth. For example the list of English translations runs to over 30 pages. The authors view the current Holy Bible as the end of a chain involving the divine inspiration of scripture, the collection of inspired autographs (Canonization), the transmission (covering textual criticism) and finally translation.

The take a strong, conservative approach to scripture that should satisfy all bible believing Christians and they give more than enough detail to act apologetically towards any that have doubts as to the accuracy of the information in our hands.

One caveat: the authors are extremely pro modern (lower) textual criticism and the Nestle-Aland text. Those that prefer the Majority or Textus Receptus text and especially those that favor the KJV are likely to find much of the latter two sections to be at variance with thier beliefs. That doesn't mean the work doesn't have value - but some of the blatant denigration of the KJV and Textus Receptus can get a trifle old.

All in all a good book for those interested in how the Word of God came to us today.

This book claims to be a general introduction of the bible. It is general in the sense in cover everything in general about how the bible was put together. It has nothing to do with the bible doctrines but with the canon.

Peterson does a great job of explaining where the different Bible translations came from. He also tells his motivation for writing the Message. The Message uses the "ordinary", "everyday" Greek that folks in Bible times used to make a grocery list. Some of the more "scholarly" translations introduced additional Greek words that obscure the true meaning of the Scripture.

This atlas pays accute attention to detail and history. It is THE BEST Bibllical Atlas I have ever used. Carl Rasmussen has definitely set the standard.

I am a student at the college where Dr. Rasmussen teaches; I can profess with great confidence that he has extensive first hand knowledge of the Bible and the Holy Land. This knowledge shines through gloriously in this book; the information is presented thoroughly and networked within the pages of the only NIV Atlas of the Bible you will ever need!

I deplore shoddy workmanship on some of the maps. One good example is page 25: I can't readily see the difference among the same color family. Considering I'm a color expert, this is a big drawback. Soft yet vivid water-color technique may help improve the quality. Well, the problem may be with the printer rather than with the author.

The layout of the book in general, i.e., text and graphics, lacks good aesthetic quality. Better fonts and generous margins would help improve it by a great measure.

All in all, the book doesn't live up to its price. By the way, I must add that I have not read the text closely yet and am not disputing the scholarship of the author.

This the the best church manual I have found as a professor at the seminary level for many years.

It is concise yet comprehansive; useful for sermons and teaching materials. conservative in his view point. Despensational in his Theology. interact with other theologians.

People that want to learn about the nature and work of the church should consult this book.

If you're looking for a good and informative book on ecclesiology from a conservative evangelical perspective then Saucy's book will be the one for you. Though the book is slightly dated (first published in 1972) it is still useful for pastors, seminary students, and even laypeople if they want an informed book on ecclesiology. Not only is the book informative and comprehensive, it is easy to read.

The perspective given by Saucy is mildly dispensational, cautiously congregational, and strongly baptistic (though he opts for the Reformed view of the Lord's Supper). He argues quite convincingly for the congregational and baptistic view, but I believe he falters slightly in attempting to put a rigid distinction between the OT and NT, Israel and the Church (chap. 5). However, I believe that he totally got it right when he argues that the Church did not begin until Acts 2 (non-dispensational scholars like D. A. Carson, Walter Kaiser, and George Ladd have also argued that the Church began in Acts 2). Covenant theologians, on the other hand, argue that the Church (in spiritual form) began with Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc. This view, however, is nowhere found in Scripture and seems to be an imposition from a Reformed view of redemptive-history.

Despite the one criticism of promoting dispensationalism, Saucy does a very good job presenting his case in other topics of ecclesiology. One will find his chapter (8) on the worship of the Church quite good and useful. He provides the reader with a good understanding of the nature and purpose of worship. Considering the contemporary controversies surrounding what constitutes biblical worship, readers will find this chapter helpful to say the least.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a book on ecclesiology from a conservative, evangelical, and baptistic point of view. The only reason why I only gave it four stars is due to the out-of-dateness and Saucy's dispensationalist agenda.

Saucy wrote this book a number of years ago, but it is still a frequently used text in a number of seminaries, particularly those of a dispensationalist bent. It's a good book that will expose the reader in a pretty summarized fashion to the major issues in ecclesiology, or the study of the church.

Among the strengths of the book are that most every traditional ecclesiastical issue is covered in this book - church government, ordinances, discipline, church officers, and how the church figures into the study of eschatology. Saucy's analysis of these areas is sufficiently detailed to be pretty thorough, while presenting many of the distinctives in summary fashion. Saucy provides a very good bibliography at the end for readers to conduct further studies on particular areas of interest.

There are a few weaknesses which compel me to give the book a 4 star rating. First, the book is frankly pretty dry. Thus, it is not likely to be the kind of book that a casual reader would pick up and read. Ecclesiology may not be the most riveting theological topic in existence, but there are many issues in this area of study that are important and interesting. But it is very difficult to find any book emphasizing ecclesiastical issues that has captured the attention of casual readers and lay Christians. It would be nice if such a book existed, but this book by Saucy isn't it. Secondly, because the book is an ecclesiastical summary, it is uniquely positioned in the realm of ecclesiastical studies. The purpose of the book may have been to present these issues in a way that lay readership could understand, while also being a useful tool for more advanced studies. As indicated, I don't think the book particularly succeeds in speaking to the lay reader, and because it's a summary oriented book, it's usefulness to the scholar is also somewhat limited (although again, the bibliography is quite helpful in this regard), although I think it's very useful to seminary students. Lastly, Saucy is a progressive dispensationalist and his eschatological treatment of the church in this book is decidedly dispensationalist. For readers who reject dispensationalism, this area of Saucy's book will be a disappointment.

However, it is a good book with sufficient amounts of material to help seminary students as well as lay readers who are interested in getting their feet wet in ecclesiology, although the material tends to be presented in a rather dry fashion here.

The Greenleaf Guide is an excellent resource to help you teach your children ancient history and Old Testament history. For each lesson, you read a chapter or so of the Old Testament. The guide then gives you questions to discuss, explanations of the historical setting, as well as suggestions for how to handle "complicated" readings from the Bible. The guide is helpful even if you want to read it to study Old Testament history yourself.

My 8 year old son and I read through the Old Testament's historical books using this book as our guide to discussion topics. The Shearer's have presented some interesting questions and comments on the Old Testament scriptures and I found myself learning almost as much as my son did! I would recommend this book for parents with children in elementary school, or even older.

As we have used this guide through the past year I would say that it is fairly simple & straight forward in style. It uses a question format that's easy to use. Read a few passages of bible text & pose the questions from the guide. Even our 4 & 6 year olds like to give a try at answering the questions though it is geared to older children!

Excellent product. Book is informative and easy to read, with helpful summaries at the end of each chapter as well as review questions to highlight key ideas and insights.

This book is succinct and replete with information. Lightfoot addresses most of the major questions pertaining to the process of Scripture being written, copied, preserved and transmitted through the course of history. He is very economical with his words, avoiding pedantry and maintaining a readable style. While this book will lead the serious student to do further reading, one cannot ask more from an introductory text on this topic. Highly recommended.

This is a good basic introduction to how the Bible was passed down. While not as scholarly (or as long)as Geisler and Nix's work (A General Introduction to the Bible), there is plenty of information presented in an easy to read manner.
The summaries at the end of each chapter give an excellent overview of each chapter.
Even though this is the fifth printing of the third edition it does feel dated from time to time. This is true especially in light of recent developments such as the Monastery of St Catherine's Library preservation project.
Overall the book gives an evenhanded treatment to a topic that can raise strong feelings in a lot of people.

This is an excellent introductory level work on how we came to have the Bible. A word of caution: if you don't like reading about ancient manuscripts and how they were translated or found then you will find this a bit dry and boring. However, if you are willing to follow the evidence of these ancient clues then you will be rewarded for your hard work reading about some of the Bible's fascinating history. The strengths of this book include a very helpful introduction to the history of writing materials and their significance for the Bible's own transmission. The treatment of the Old Testament and New Testament documents in separate chapters helps readers understand the different issues related to their reliability and preservation. Vignettes on significant manuscripts adds helpful narrative surrounding their discovery and the effects these had on Bible translation. The personal stories of significant translators in the history of the Bible also add to the richness of its history of translation and preservation. The textual criticism section provides a helpful introduction to the issues related to translation and taking into account ancient witnesses. The brief description of major modern translations provides some insight into why we have various translations today and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Overall the book is very strong in its communication of the methods of transmission and preservation over time of the Bible and provides a more accessible description of the issues related to these phenomena. The footnotes in the back of the book seem especially helpful for pursuing future topics in more detail. The only weaknesses if you can call them that is there is not as much detail on the particular types of errors committed by Scribes that would be relevant for a more in depth look at textual criticism. There are better works on this subject but the book does a good job of highlighting a few that can be seen with relative ease. Also, some attention is given to describing the order of the books we have today but mostly reasons are given for the Old Testament. The New Testament receives some attention but there could be a little more description given on why we have the books in their particular sequence. A great read for those who are interested in the subject. I highly recommend it.

We are using this book in our church school class for adults and are into chapter 2. At this point, we like the readability and organization of text. The discussion questions at end of chapter are good.

This was an eye opener for me. It does not only give history of well known women in the bible, but those that were obscure.

I ordered eight of the books, all of them were in good condition. I had the book for a class I took in college and was already familiar with the book and pleased that I could get them at such a good price. I received them quickly. I'm using them for a Ladies Bible Study which will start in September.

This is an outstanding book that gives a complete overview of every woman in the Bible, named and unnamed. You will enjoy the deep insights Lockyer gives as you read the in-depth viewpoints. Must have for any Bible teacher.

This is a MUST HAVE with you when you tour the Holy Land..either by yourself or with a group. Keep the book with you as you travel the Holy Land. In it the author tells you a short historical description and more importantly gives you Bible verses where it is mentioned in the Bible so that you can really get into the meaning and feelings of the Holy Land. The book is set up in alphabetical order by the name of the locations... very easy to follow and locate your area. I highly recommend this book as a carry along book on your trip to the Holy Land. It will add more meaning and insight into the experience.

This is a wonderful little book that contains scriptural references for virtually all of the traditional Christian sites in Israel. It is invaluable to take along when viewing the various religious sites so that their biblical mention can be easily found and read. When I lead tours to the Holy Land, this book is one of three that I advise visitors to consider taking with them (the others are, "Holy Land" by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, and "The Millennium Guide for Pilgrims to the Holy Land", by James H. Charlesworth.

As a traveller to the land of Israel twelve times I have been privileged to see first rate the expertise that went into the pages of this book and I have had many positve comments from those I have shared the book with. A preacher's son describes the part on the "Ark of The Covenant" as an exceptional writing done by an expert in her field. The book is a must for anyone going to the Holyland.

I recently returned from a trip to Israel and I had purchased this book before the trip as a guide. I never opened the book even once 1) because we had an excellent tour guide, and 2) because it includes way more places than what is necessary. The information in the book is quality but if you are going with a tour I wouldn't bother with it. If you are exploring on your own I would recommend it. I would like to see maps in this book to show where these locations are and perhaps organized by region rather than just alphabetically. If you want a great resource to take with you purchase the "DK Eyewitness Guide of Jerusalem and the Holy Land." I thoroughty enjoyed it.

This is a handy little guide book that could travel with you as you visit the sites mentioned. It lists the history of each place and other interesting facts. It has several useful lists of information at the back of the book. Mrs. Crown-Tamir knows her stuff and has put together a useful, inexpensive guide. I found myself wishing for a large foldout map to see all the places named, however that would probably make the book too expensive.