“The Westminster Study Bible (NRSV Updated Edition): With the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal Books”
Published by Westminster John Knox Press, 2024.
It is hard to summarize all of the things that I am excited about in this new Westminster Study Bible, but let me try.
First, I am excited to see the NRSV translation in another study Bible. Like any good translation, the NRSV is not without its debates and controversies. It has its strengths and weaknesses. Still, I find it to be a solid translation for any 21st Century English Bible reader. Published in 1989, the NRSV was intended to serve both devotional and scholarly needs. It was to be readable to the average person and attentive to manuscript discoveries and advances in scholarship. I have found it to be both of these things.
Of course, the Westminster Study Bible is not simply the NRSV, but the Updated Edition of the NRSV, which makes it even more exciting! As of 2021, the NRSV has done a fresh update of language, translation and important textual notes, improving upon the excellent work done in the 1989 edition. In other words, this is an accurate and modern translation for both reading and studying the Scriptures.
Second, the Westminster Study Bible is simply a fantastic study Bible. It actually happens to be the first study Bible to utilize the NRSV Updated Edition, but even as others undoubtedly follow in its path, it will continue to stand out. The explanatory notes in the bottom third of each page are some of the most consistently helpful notes that I have seen in a study Bible, providing aid for, again, both devotional and scholarly aims. The editors dig into the linguistic, historic and cultural context of the most significant, debated, and perplexing verses, while providing cross-references for each as well.
Along with explanatory notes, each book begins with at least two pages of meaningful introduction, covering the theological purposes of the book, the authorship, date and major issues, and ending with a reading guide. The reading guide is perhaps the most unique part of the introductions, and it is what I expect will be one of the most helpful tools for both new and seasoned Bible readers.
On top of the explanatory notes and the introductions, the Westminster Study Bible ends with a dense index, that includes a catalogue of mini essays on immediately relevant issues, like the Bible and Science, the Bible and Gender and the Bible in public life, as well as a massive reference list to subjects and themes throughout the Scriptures, and finally eleven of the most biblically important geographical maps.
Finally, the inclusion in this Bible of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal books, and with study notes, is for me a great thrill. It is no mystery that Judaism and the early church recognized that some of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal writings were valuable. They are included in enough ancient lists of inspired writings, that we know even if they weren’t considered scripture, they were considered helpful to faith formation. As Jerome puts it, even if not canonical, they were edifying. This means that almost certainly the New Testament writers were influenced theologically by these books. And that means that at the very least that they are valuable books for gaining deeper insight into the hearts and minds and actions of the early Christians. So, how exciting to have those resources included in your study Bible and with study notes to better understand them! It is yet another resource that instead of having to go find elsewhere, you have included in your study Bible.
In terms of weaknesses, there are not many. One though would be the very thing I have already counted as a strength. The inclusion of the Deuterocanonical/Apocryphal books could be confusing to evangelical readers who are unacquainted with them. If you are passing this Bible on to a new believer, some conversation and explanation around this would be important.
But apart from that I have only positive things to say about this Bible. I am excited to continue using it, and I completely and sincerely recommend it to anyone looking for a new Study Bible. I expect this will prove to be a valuable resource in the world of Study Bibles for many years to come.