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From: speaker@umcp-cs.UUCP (Animals)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: The best little bible in the world (summary)....
Message-ID: <1518@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 1-Dec-84 14:24:37 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1518
Posted: Sat Dec  1 14:24:37 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 05:28:43 EST
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Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
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The repsonse has been overwhelming....


From: allegra!ulysses!smb (Steven Bellovin)

Let me know what you hear on this.  A (secular Jewish) religion
professor I knew recommended the Jerusalem Bible; based on my own
checking, it seems that it and the NIV are good.  In either case, make
sure you get the one with *lots* of footnotes; both have simpler
editions out.  Finally, there's the 8-translation New Testament I
mentioned a few weeks ago.


From: seismo!harvard!godot!mit-eddie!genrad!bolton!pat (Pat Clayton)

The best Bible I've found is the New Amplified Bible.  It is easy to
read and is supposed to be very close to the original Greek.  I also
have a Thompson Chain Bible which I've used for years.  It is really
a matter of personal preference, but I think you'll really like the
Amplified.  It really helps the Bible to come alive.


From: seismo!allegra!ihuxj!humbert

If you want a `sc[h]olarly research Bible' which is `as close to the original'
as possible, why on earth did you post to net.religion.christian?  You should
have posted to net.religion.jewish, and perhaps also to net.nlang.greek.  The
Bible, remember, was originally written in Hebrew.

All serious scholarship requires serious effort.  Why not learn Hebrew?


From: seismo!ihnp4!ihuxj!dob

Check out a New American Standard Bible. The NIV has some failings
in the translation as compared to the NAS.


From: allegra!ihnp4!vax135!gks (Ken Swanson)

For a Bible that is close to the original text, get

1) an interlinear Bible - contains RSV or NIV translation (see 
Zondervan) plus Greek text (usually Nestle's collection of texts)
plus literal English translation of Greek words written immediately
below (interlinear) the line of Greek text, and/or

2) a critical commentary on the Greek text - this contains the Greek
text and variant readings as found among various manuscripts,
writings of early church fathers, other translations, etc. -
this often includes comments on Greek grammatical constructions
and word usage (these commentaries don't usually contain the
English translation) - see the Greek New Testament published by
the American Bible Society or Nicoll's Expository Greek New
Testament or Metzger's Critical Commentary on the Greek New
Testament (contains only variant readings and Metzger's reasons
for preferring a certain reading.)


From: seismo!hao!hplabs!amd!qubix!lab (Q-Bick)

For textual exactness, the New American Standard is probably the best.
The New King James Bible would probably be next.

They come in a variety of wrappings, Ryrie Study and Thomspon Chain
Reference predominating. (Scofield's notes are distracting to me,
although others find them helpful.) A concordance appropriate to the
version you use is very valuable.

				The search continues...
				- Speaker