{"id":579,"date":"2008-10-31T01:01:21","date_gmt":"2008-10-31T01:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html"},"modified":"2008-10-31T01:01:21","modified_gmt":"2008-10-31T01:01:21","slug":"an-outstanding-new-study-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html","title":{"rendered":"An Outstanding New Study Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u00e2??ve just seen a copy of the newest study Bible. The ESV Study Bible<\/em>, published by Crossway, is a work of excellence in both scholarship and beauty. Truly, I don\u00e2??t know of any study Bible that shows such attention to the quality of its presentation as well as its content.
\nIn the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that Crossway published my latest book, Can We Trust the Gospels? <\/em>So I do have a strong appreciation for Crossway, its mission, and its people. But, if you read my blog very often, you know that I\u00e2??m not solely devoted to Crossway\u00e2??s translation, the English Standard Version, though I think this is an excellent \u00e2??more literal\u00e2?\u009d translation. It is one of the three English translations I consult and use most often.
\nIf you\u00e2??re familiar with the ESV and\/or with Crossway, you won\u00e2??t be surprised to learn that the ESV Study Bible<\/em> represents conservative evangelical scholarship of a broadly Reformed strain. And you won\u00e2??t be surprised to learn that the notes and essays in this Bible represent the very best of this kind of scholarship. Crossway\u00e2??s commitment to excellence is as evident in this Bible as its rock-solid commitment to biblical authority.
\nIf you line up with conservative evangelical scholarship of a broadly Reformed strain, then this Bible is a must for your library. But even if you find yourself on a different place in the theological spectrum, as do many of my blog readers, I would still recommend this Bible to you. It will help you get a balanced perspective on the meaning and application of the biblical text. Moreover, I have checked the study notes in many passages, and found them to be insightful, helpful, and thorough (given space limitations, of course). They reflect solid, well-informed biblical scholarship. You can check out a representative passage<\/a> online, if you wish.
\nIn addition to the notes on the text, the ESV Study Bible<\/em> includes a compendious collection of theological and scholarly essays, all written by experts for lay readers. This is really a study Bible and a Bible dictionary in one volume. You\u00e2??ll find top-notch articles on such topics as: The Reliability of the Bible Manuscripts, Biblical Ethics, The Roman Empire and the Greco-Roman World at the Time of the New Testament, and The Time Between the Testaments.
\nOne of the most impressive features of this study Bible is its collection of illustrations. You\u00e2??ll find several hundred maps, charts, and pictures. For example, check out this illustration of Solomon\u00e2??s Temple. (You can see it in much more detail here<\/a>.)
\nEven more impressive to me, however, is that fact that this entire Bible is accessible online. If you buy the print edition, you automatically have access to the ESV Online Study Bible. Everything in the print version appears in the online version, plus some extras as well. Crossway continues to lead the Christian publishing pack with their wise and extensive use of the Internet and other technologies. (For example, my book published by Crossway, Can We Trust the Gospels?<\/em> is available in a Kindle edition<\/a>. I\u00e2??m sure this made Oprah happy.)
\nCrossway explains its goal and vision for the ESV Study Bible in this way:<\/p>\n

The goal and vision of the ESV Study Bible is, first and foremost, to honor the Lord\u00e2??in terms of the excellence, beauty, and accuracy of its content and design; and in terms of helping people come to a deeper understanding of the Bible, of the Gospel, and of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry and all receipts from the ESV Study Bible go directly toward the support of this ministry goal around the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In my opinion, the ESV Study Bible<\/em> has more than fulfilled this goal and vision, and I am grateful for this powerful new biblical resource.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u00e2??ve just seen a copy of the newest study Bible. The ESV Study Bible, published by Crossway, is a work of excellence in both scholarship and beauty. Truly, I don\u00e2??t know of any study Bible that shows such attention to the quality of its presentation as well as its content. In the interest of full…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Outstanding New Study Bible - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Outstanding New Study Bible - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u00e2??ve just seen a copy of the newest study Bible. The ESV Study Bible, published by Crossway, is a work of excellence in both scholarship and beauty. Truly, I don\u00e2??t know of any study Bible that shows such attention to the quality of its presentation as well as its content. In the interest of full…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2008-10-31T01:01:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/esv-study-bible-4.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An Outstanding New Study Bible - Mark D. Roberts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"An Outstanding New Study Bible - Mark D. Roberts","og_description":"I\u00e2??ve just seen a copy of the newest study Bible. The ESV Study Bible, published by Crossway, is a work of excellence in both scholarship and beauty. Truly, I don\u00e2??t know of any study Bible that shows such attention to the quality of its presentation as well as its content. In the interest of full…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html","og_site_name":"Mark D. Roberts","article_published_time":"2008-10-31T01:01:21+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/esv-study-bible-4.jpg"}],"author":"Mark D. Roberts","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html","name":"An Outstanding New Study Bible - Mark D. Roberts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/esv-study-bible-4.jpg","datePublished":"2008-10-31T01:01:21+00:00","dateModified":"2008-10-31T01:01:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/esv-study-bible-4.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/esv-study-bible-4.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/10\/an-outstanding-new-study-bible.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An Outstanding New Study Bible"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}