Review of the Bible Introduction Part II

Review of/Introduction to the Bible – Part II
In Part I of my review/introduction to the bible I noted that the bible was not a book but a library.  I also shared some things to keep in mind when purchasing a bible and reading it.  I mentioned that in studying the bible it is important to use a “translation” rather than a “paraphrase” because a translation uses as its source the original languages in which the bible was written, Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament.  In Part II of this review and introduction I want to offer a few other suggestions relative to studying the bible.
In Part I I noted that there are a number of very good English translations of the bible, i.e. the New Revised Standard Version, the King James Bible, the New American Bible, etc.  It is a good thing to have two or more translations available so that you can compare them.  Now you can buy two different translations of the bible, but a valuable resource for this is a parallel version of the bible.  It contains several translations in columns next to each other showing their different takes on a passage.  Two options are The Layman’s Parallel Bible and the Complete EvangelicalParallel Bible.   But this is where my second suggestion comes into play.
Form or become a part of a study group and have fellow participants have different translations so that comparisons can be made in the group’s deliberations of a passage.  Garnering insights from other students of the bible is always valuable and lends to additional insights of one’s own.
Finally, there are any number of resources to assist in one’s study.  When my father became interested in the bible, I bought him a volume that has always been a part of my biblical exploration, The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible.  There is a “New” version.  It goes verse by verse through the entire bible.  It also has a wealth of articles that expand one’s knowledge of the scriptures and related topics.  This is not the only one-volume commentary.  There is the Harper Collins Bible Commentary, the Zondervan Bible Commentary, One-volume Illustrated, the New Jerome BiblicalCommentary, and more.  Before you expend the big bucks for any of these, though, check several out at the library and see which one is more to your liking.  This latter recommendation would also go for any commentaries on individual books of the bible.  Check them out at the library before spending the money.  There are few things more frustrating than spending money on something and then finding out it wasn’t what you were hoping for.  Thus the beauty and value of our local library!
And I will end on that note, the beauty and value of our local library, and another.  I do wish you well in your exploration of this best-selling book of all time, the bible.

Written by Richard Dick, Library Assistant, O’Kelly Memorial Library



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