Study Bibles

I got an ad in the mail today for the newest study bible: a literary study bible based on the ESV. A literary study bible? Seriously, how many study bibles do we need? It actually doesn’t look too bad, and the ESV is a very good translation, but I get a little cynical of study bibles after awhile. I used a NIV study bible when I was in high school, but I eventually had to stop using it because I realized that I was spending more time reading the notes than the Bible. There is a clear danger about study bibles that we can learn from church history. The early church used the Greek Bible, since they spoke Greek. But the Greek Bible included other books than the ones in the canon, and since the Greek Bible was used in the church these books eventually came to be viewed as canonical as well: our Apocrypha. Practice becomes theology. The same process can happen with study bibles: the notes become more authoritative than the Bible. On the other hand, we need to be sure that we are not reading the Bible as individuals. If all we have is the text of the Bible, we will make mistakes in interpreting the Bible. We need the input of others, especially scholars. So there is a place for study bibles, as long as we are careful in how we use them. Someone suggested me once that the ideal would be a “naked” Bible and a one-volume commentary on the Bible. But it is difficult to carry around two books and to find a small one-volume commentary that is worth reading.

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