Bible Translations

By Barry Huff, Joan Snipes, Caryl Krueger, Genelle Austin-Lett, and Mary Jane Chaignot

Question

I would like to get my husband a Bible translation or a book about the Bible that he can read on the plane, etc. He often complains that he doesn't know Bible history as well as others and would like to get to know it better. Since he sits in front of the computer all day, I don't think Power bible or something like it is a solution. I also know it would be too cumbersome to have a big translation at his side while he's on a plane. Is there something that will take him through it to get names, stories, the history, etc. straight?
Laura Alford

Answer

RECOMMENDED BIBLE RESOURCES from Barry Huff, Joan Snipes, Caryl Krueger, Genelle Austin-Lett, and Mary Jane Chaignot:

Anderson, Bernhard et al. Understanding the Old Testament. 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006.

This standard introduction to the Old Testament is now in its fifth edition. Anderson, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, provides a literary, historical, and theological overview of the Old Testament. If your interest is primarily historical and archaeological, see Miller and Hayes' A History of Ancient Israel and Judah (1986). If your interest is primarily in the literature of the Old Testament, see Brueggemann's An Introduction to the Old Testament (2003).

Duling, Dennis C. The New Testament: History, Literature, and Social Context. 4th ed. Wadsworth, 2002.

This comprehensive introduction to the New Testament provides an overview of the social, historical, cultural, and religious contexts of the New Testament as a whole prior to introducing the historical context, literary structure, and theological message of each book of the New Testament. For a less advanced introduction to the New Testament, see Stephen Harris' The New Testament: A Student's Introduction (5th edition, 2004).

The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. Ed. Wayne A. Meeks et al. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.

This superb study Bible was created in association with the Society of Biblical Literature. It includes introductions to each book of the Bible and footnotes throughout the biblical text that provide context, alternate translations, and meanings of words. Other strong contemporary study Bibles include The New Oxford Annotated Bible (3rd edition, 2001) and The New Interpreter's Study Bible (2003).

Telushkin, Rabbi Joseph. Biblical Literacy: The Most Important People, Events, and Ideas of the Hebrew Bible. Morrow William and Company, 1997.

Although encyclopedic in scope, dynamic and original in its observations and organization, Biblical Literacy makes available in one volume the Bible's timeless stories of love, deceit, and the human condition; its most important laws and ideas; and an annotated listing of all 613 laws of the Torah for both layman and professional. There simply is no other reference work or interpretation of the Bible quite like this.

Buck, Pearl S. The Story Bible. Bartholomew House, Ltd., 1971.

Stories from both the Old and New Testament are retold in a straightforward and engaging style. No illustrations. This book has been reissued several times since its original publication. An example is a 1997 edition published by Random House Value. This book is out of print, but still available on the internet.

Landis, Benson. An Outline of the Bible: Book by Book. HarperCollins, 1994.

Students and general readers will benefit from using this as an aid to understanding the Bible. Included is a summary of contents with information on authorship, historical background and literary style of each book of the King James Version. Maps and a glossary are also included. Each of the 66 chapters is rather short, and one can quickly get an overview of a particular book of the Bible. This is not a book to read straight through on a plane, but to have handy while reading passages and wondering about their context.

Keller, Werner. The Bible as History. William Morrow, N.Y., 1980.

Keller has an informed-but-not-stuffy approach to the history and archaeology of the Old and New Testaments of the bible. He devotes twenty-eight chapters to the Old Testament, ten to the New, and six to the Inter-testamental period. Although the book is slightly dated now, it is still filled with excellent information. It is simply a good read. He also did "The Bible in Pictures" which is interesting, not juvenile.

Fenton, Ferrar. The Complete Bible in Modern English. Destiny Publishers, MA. Originally published 1853, reprinted.

This unique version contains the complete Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, translated into English directly from the original Hebrew, Chaldee, and Greek languages, bringing out a translation that is a completely accurate rendering of the Scriptures into our modern English language. He claimed that he was extremely careful in editing to maintain the spirit and sense of the original text. Thus, we have an edition of the Bible that is of inestimable value to the sincere student engaged in Scriptural research, who desires to come into a deeper understanding of the great truths of the Holy Writ.

Carlson, Erma Wood. The Everlasting Light -- The King James Version of the Bible Chronologically Condensed. Thomas Todd Company, Boston. 1965.

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