Which version of the Bible should I buy?
- Thread starter Snigger
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- Nov 8, 2021
Buy? Don't hotels have free bibles?
Only get the one that is black and has all the magic spells in it.
To be more serious though, the Bible will teach you absolutely nothing about modern Christian culture. What makes modern Christian culture is the history of Christianity not the book.
To be more serious though, the Bible will teach you absolutely nothing about modern Christian culture. What makes modern Christian culture is the history of Christianity not the book.
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- Dec 30, 2018
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For academic/cultural purposes I would recommend the 1977 Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha, Expanded edition New Oxford Annotated Bible. This is the most comprehensive bible in English as a single volume that I’ve been able to find.
Other versions of the bible just don’t hold up from an academic viewpoint. Most of them are translated for spiritual use (i.e., they are not literal), lack footnotes and commentary, omit books and verses, and other features that make them smaller, but make them lacking from a cultural sense. This version of the Oxford bible has every book used by the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches.
The NRSV version of the Oxford bible is, in my opinion, botched.
There are other bibles (mainly KJV and NKJV) that would do well if you specifically have an interest only in the bible’s culture related to the English-speaking world and English-dominant denominations, so if you only care about that, one of those should suffice.
In addition I would recommend art history or humanities textbook(s) covering at least the Middle Ages and a general history on the Levant in the Antiquities, depending on what you already know. That should be enough to fill in the missing cultural gaps and historical contexts the bible doesn’t cover but assumes knowledge of.
Other versions of the bible just don’t hold up from an academic viewpoint. Most of them are translated for spiritual use (i.e., they are not literal), lack footnotes and commentary, omit books and verses, and other features that make them smaller, but make them lacking from a cultural sense. This version of the Oxford bible has every book used by the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches.
The NRSV version of the Oxford bible is, in my opinion, botched.
There are other bibles (mainly KJV and NKJV) that would do well if you specifically have an interest only in the bible’s culture related to the English-speaking world and English-dominant denominations, so if you only care about that, one of those should suffice.
In addition I would recommend art history or humanities textbook(s) covering at least the Middle Ages and a general history on the Levant in the Antiquities, depending on what you already know. That should be enough to fill in the missing cultural gaps and historical contexts the bible doesn’t cover but assumes knowledge of.
- Joined
- May 9, 2017
What are you asking God to do? Puppet the scribes so they never mistake a single letter?
What makes the KJV special? It wasn't the first English translation, and it's certainly not the most accurate.
I'm a relatively conservative Christian, but we have to play the hand we're dealt. Sorry to tell you, there's no dispute that there are differences in various manuscripts, and the originals are gone. Entire passages that appear in one manuscript but not another. Now I don't want to oversell it, most variations are spelling mistakes and such that don't matter at all. But some of it it significant.
I don't know why textual differences should be a problem, theologically. We have plenty of material to reconstruct everything important with extremely high confidence. Even most non-Christian textual critics will admit that the text itself is very secure. It's not been preserved letter for letter, but it's been preserved well enough, far better than any other book before the advent of the printing press.
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- Dec 29, 2020
It's simple: the Bible said God's word would be perserved. If it wasn't, he sucks and is a liar. There's no point in bowing to a deity who can be so easily foiled by the mistakes of men.
The KJV is the only translation that wasn't created for profit. As it stands, it is not copyrighted and that unique quality is protected by the British throne. The NIV, ESV, etc., are all subject to their copyright holders. You must pay if you wish to use verses from their versions for commercial purposes. Bear in mind, these newer translations had to change enough so that they may be copyrighted. On that front, the KJV isn't part of a monetary agenda and it earns my respect for that.
The KJV receives as much vitriol as it does because of its content. It's unwavering, convicting, and cannot be argued with. It doesn't cater to modern-day sensibilities, it doesn't support the teachings of these newfangled cults, wayward denominations popping up in recent decades. It doesn't glorify men and, instead, glorifies God with its every word.
When it was the primary bible used in American churches, society was not worse off. There's been an observable moral disintegration in our culture, including Christian culture, because so much confusion has been sewn via these corrupted translations. While a KJV is being read at the pulpit, your church can't ever bend to progressivism or false doctrine. You're not going to embrace sexual immortality, idolatry, and all the other vices plaguing the country. There have been relentless attacks on the KJV in particular because its messages are everything the world hates.
My point is, you're not going to be led astray if you stick to this one version. You're not going to Hell if you use a different bible (that'd be absurd and wrong to say), but I like the KJV 'cause it's firm in its message and unerring.
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- Feb 5, 2022
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- Apr 1, 2019
Unironically the best English version.
It actually has been. You just need to be able to read Aramaic, ancient Greek, and Latin to be able to read the perfect version. God can do this easily, most men can not, therefore it is not God who is incompetent.
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- Jun 28, 2021
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I prefer King James version. They are the most convenient due to wide availability. Dollar stores got em. The Living Bible version is...interesting. If you already know the Bible well, it's amusing to check out TLB.
My favorite benchmark for bible version quality is Ezekiel the cherub part.
My favorite benchmark for bible version quality is Ezekiel the cherub part.
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CAPTAIN HAPPY
kiwifarms.net
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Just read what's available of the Dead Sea scrolls if you want the most authentic copy of the bible. KJV will work for all day-to-day reading and then you can supplement it with the Apocrypha if you want to look into the more esoteric side of the faith, or learn about the history of Mesopotamia.
just make sure you don't read the translations if you look at the Dead Sea scrolls, same as if you were reading anything by Tacitus or Herodotus; stuff will always get cut out or misinterpreted by the middle man no matter how hard they try to stay accurate or not, it's up to you to dig into the OG source material if you want the whole picture.
just make sure you don't read the translations if you look at the Dead Sea scrolls, same as if you were reading anything by Tacitus or Herodotus; stuff will always get cut out or misinterpreted by the middle man no matter how hard they try to stay accurate or not, it's up to you to dig into the OG source material if you want the whole picture.
