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Monday, October 13, 2014
A Re-Opening: New Oxford Annotated Bible 4th Edition (Genuine Leather)
Back in August, south-east Michigan was hit with some terrible flooding. My town received over 5 inches of rain in a short period. Needless to say, our basement flooded with two feet of sewage. It was not a pleasant smell. Among the many things that were ruined or lost were a decent number of Bibles and other biblical works. I am not going to be getting most of these things back, some of them are out of print while others are too expensive. I did, however, re-order one Bible since I loved the overall package. So, here, is my re-opening of the New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (4th Edition) in black genuine leather.
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13 comments:
Hi Tim. Sorry about your loss! If I for some catastrophic reason lost my Bible collection, there would probably just be a handful I would really want to replace. Part of that is due to getting so many before I had internet and devices with Bible apps... and part of that is just hindsight seeing how often I actually used some of them.
One of my favorites is an Oxford Study Bible wrapped in black genuine leather, and I have an interesting story about it. I bought my wife a copy just like mine at the end of 2013. It came as mine did, wrapped in plastic inside of a glossy, decorative cardboard box. We read from these for a while, and they took their turn as all others do on the shelf as we read and study our other favorites. Mine went back in my handy to-go case, and hers back inside the box it came in. Now fast forward about 8 months, and by circumstance it is turn to use these particular study Bibles together once again. Much to my surprise, upon opening her box I find that somehow the box and the leather have reacted to produce quite an interesting smell. This smell was so poignant, in fact, that my wife could not bear to read it! I can't explain the smell, but it kind of reminded me of a He-Man skunk toy I had as a kid! I have let the thing air out for a week now on a top shelf, and it is a little better... but I don't think I will be placing it back in the box!
Tim,
I have this edition (thanks to a link you provided for a sale Oxford was having), and like the overall product very much (quality of paper, binding, leather, page lay-out). It's a beautiful volume. My question is about the intros and notes.
As one who suffers some scrupulosity with exegesis matters (wanting to avoid some of the post-enlightenment biblical skepticism we've seen in recent decades and instead embracing mature Catholic exegesis--- like that of Pope Emeritus Benedict---that on one hand allows for God to be God--- i.e. miracles, etc.--- but on the other refuses to retreat into narrow minded biblical fundamentalism, even of the Catholic kind), and respecting your formation in the biblical disciplines, I would appreciate if one day you would review this Bible and most specifically its notes. I have heard it is used in Catholic education, but... There's such a wide range when it comes to Catholic scholarship it's hard to navigate one's way.
I know the NOAB 4 was put together by a wide variety of scholars, including Catholic and Protestant, and was edited by the Catholic scholar Michael Coogan. While I don't doubt his credentials, I am not certain of where he stands in terms of the solid Catholic scholarship tradition, which seems to be currently led by people like Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, among others. I have read a few things he has written that raised my eyebrows a bit. But ask any two Catholics and a great such as Fr. Donald Senior might either be a brilliant scholar or he will lead you astray!
I am just curious how reliable and how faithful this edition is considered by the heavy-hitters in the world of Catholic scholarship. Any thoughts? Are you in the "know?" Any possibility of a review sometime?
But is it waterproof?
Tim,
As a fellow bibliophile, I feel your pain and empathize with you. Yu know, you suggested this same book to me and I enjoy referring to it. I hope you did not lose your Baronius breviaries!
JIM
Anon,
Too soon man, too soon! ;)
Printed and bound by Joengblod in the Netherlands, currently considered the best Bible printing company in the world by many serious collectors of fine modern Bibles. Even better - Oxford does not boast about that, like some of the other publishers that are turning to Joengblod for production.
Just for info Timothy, the Jerusalem Bible will be available on kindle 10-15-14. I pre- ordered it.
The He Man skunk toy? You mean Moss Man? LOL I bet I haven't thought about that guy in 25 years.
Biblical Catholic, I was referring to an actual skunk man toy: Stinkor. Great name, right? :)
You have to read this article about how Mattell made this toy and the Moss Man you referred to have a permanent smell:
http://m.fastcodesign.com/1672873/why-this-vintage-he-man-action-figure-still-smells-bad-30-years-later
I found it hilarious that the cartoon producers refused to write him in an episode because he is a "walking fart joke!"
Now I don't think I can venture too much farther off topic here, but if anyone has an ideas of how to deoderize my wife's Bible I am open to suggestions!
Man, I loved He Man as a kid, I thought they were all awesome, it is only an adult that I came to realize just how stupid and ridiculous most of the toys really were... :-) Remember the Slime Pit?
Sorry to take the discussion off topic, the lure of childhood nostalgia is very strong. :-)
Ressurrecting an old thread here, but I'm recently interested in the fourth edition of this Bible after acquiring an ESV Study Bible, personal size but growing disappointed with the lack of Apocrypha. Just wondering how the size and portability of this Bible fares and if you reccomend giving up the convenience for the sake of its contents. Desparately searching for a quality bound and presented Catholic-friendly study Bible in one volume and hoping this is it. Thank you!
Anon,
As a product; it may be the nicest quality NOAB. Binding is good, gilded pages, and soft genuine leather. It is really quite nice to hold and read from. The annotations are going to be more academic than found in the ESV. Yet, there are a ton of essays and other resources that make this one of the best study bibles that includes the apocrypha. Feel free to email me if you have an particular questions about it. I believe it is available at a really great price on Amazon or Christianbook.com
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