Lutheran Study Bible (Paperback)

This is a review for the hardcover "Lutheran Study Bible" from Augsburg Fortress, ISBN 978-0-8066-8059-0I do thoroughly enjoy this Bible. It is packed with information. I paid $35.00 (US) for it so I am not expecting super high quality paper and other such bells and whistles that you may find on higher end Bibles like your Schuylers and Allans. For example, the pages of this Bible are not gilded and there is no ribbon marker. However, for the price, this Bible is of a nice quality. Like many Bibles, the paper on which scripture is recorded is thin and if you're too rough with it you'll likely leave wrinkles or a crease on the paper. Some sections of the Bible, for instance non-scripture writings detailing Lutheran history and theology, is on a thicker, glossier paper that feels very high quality.It is not a smyth sewn Binding or anything like that, but the glued binding seems to be of a good quality. Please do bear in mind I am especially gentle with some of my Bibles (this being one), and I cannot vouch for how the glued binding would stand up if put to rough use. I will say, however, that I have owned some glued binding books that have lived through some serious punishment, so don't necessarily let a glued binding put you off. This Bible is a hardcover and it feels very sturdy. It has a matte finish to it and feels good to handle. This Bible is thick and pretty heavy. It's not a Bible that I'd regularly carry to church or on my travels. Before you buy it make note of the measurements.The font throughout the Bible is clear and enjoyable to read. I do enjoy that much of the Bible is in color, with gentle pastel blues used on chapter numbers and introduction to study notes/questions, and other such material. In the study sections you'll find full color photos of all sorts of things related to scripture and theology. It all comes together and is really beautiful and engaging in terms of both presentation and quality content to read through.Each book of the Bible has a nice introduction and gives a great background on the scripture that follows. While there are some study Bibles out there with more notes, the notes that are in this particular Bible are still very nice to read, educational, and thought-provoking. I've only had the Bible for a couple of days and have learned so much from it. One thing I do not like is how in the study sections they use B.C.E. and C.E. and instead of B.C. and A.D. It just makes the writing seem like a more secular history textbook which triggers a little conservative streak I have in me, but it's not a deal breaker in my opinion.Speaking of such, the study notes in this Bible and the translation itself (NRSV) are what many would consider more liberal-leaning, so if your scriptural interpretation/hermeneutics or what have you is more liberal you may well enjoy this Bible. As a more liberal-leaning Christian I sure do enjoy it, and I think many of you out there would as well. Even if you are more conservative-leaning, I do believe this Bible could still be an interesting addition to your bookshelf and a boon to your personal study. That said, and for the sake of openness, I am a newer Lutheran so I cannot go into detail about the finer particularities of this and that with respect to theology so please do not take my word as an authority, but I did see a copy of this very Bible (albeit softcover) well-read on my pastor's bookshelf. I asked her opinion on the Bible and she spoke well of it which is what prompted me to buy it for myself.I have included some pictures with this review with brief explanations provided in each picture. I hope that you can read what I included with the pictures, but if for whatever reason you cannot, I do offer my apologies.In the end, personally I really do enjoy this Bible and I highly recommend it.

Great first bible for a teen

Based on this sample, the seller rates books fairly. The book was advertised as "acceptable" and it only had a little pink discoloring (I think it's powder makeup) on some page edges and a few folded/wrinkled pages (probably happened in manufacturing; there were sharp creases and they're thin pages.) I have no problem with this, because it was a good price for an expensive book, and it's easy to use as intended, although someone who wanted only perfection wouldn't like it.Shipping was fast.

I got this for my son for Christmas. This bible contains the Lutheran Study that is needed to assist him in life.

First of all, I wish to point out that the four-star review is a tad on the generous side. I would choose 3.5, but that's not an option.I would not call this a "Study Bible" in the mould of the Oxford Annotated, Concordia Self-Study, ESV Study or NIV Study Bibles. It does not have colums of annotations and cross-references. It does have some interesting insights in the side-column notes, some much better than others.I am currently using this Bible, and I am glad I got it, despite some initial reservations. There is much to be commended in the pages of this Lutheran Study Bible. The "slick pages" parts about Luther, "Lutheran Insights," etc. are all quite good and written from a much more centrist viewpoint than might be expected from the stereotype of the current ELCA leadership.The NRSV is not my preferred translation, despite its quasi-official status in the ELCA. If it hadn't gone overboard with the "gender-neutrality," I would like it a lot better. But no translation is perfect.The scholarship in this Bible is generally quite good. It was, after all, compiled by some of the ELCA's best and brightest.BUT (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) - there are some egregious errors, which are not new to those of us within the ELCA who have been watching such things.Probably the worst, most irritating, and downright heretical gaffe is the dogged refusal to assign a male pronoun to God in the notes. In addition to the aforementioned gripes, this makes for very awkward reading. "God loves all humanity and because God does so, God sent God's only Son to die for the sins of the world, and now he is in heaven at the right hand of God, where he reigns with God forever" (exaggerated paraphrase mine). Yet there is no corresponding attempt to remove "Father" from Trinitarian exposition (thank God!). The ELW hymnal shares this, incidentally.Other errors are well-documented; i.e., the "universalist" interpretation of Matthew 28 and the avoidance of anything critical of homosexuality. I won't get too deeply into cosmetics, but suffice it to say that the "slick pages" could have been better placed, and I am not a fan of the pastelish colouring.As I write this, the ELCA's 2009 Churchwide Assembly is next month. There, it is to be finally (?) decided what to do with the issue of sexuality. Ever the cynic, I predict a split of some sort, and this Bible will most likely be held up as a memorial of the trying-to-please-everyone mentality that has dominated the ELCA.There is no real "centre" to American (or Canadian?) Lutheranism now. ELCA and ELCIC move further left, LCMS, LC-C stay to the right, and WELS/ELS are really to the right.Some of the centrist commentary in this Bible would do well for study and action by the ELCA...but it probably won't be. And that's a shame.

Condition of book was as described on the site and arrived in excellent condition. Shipping was super speedy. Recommend this seller.

This is a gift, so I don't know if she likes it. I purchased a leather one for me. I do like the explanations in the margins and bottom of the pages.

The Bible itself was in mint condition. I've now baptized it with a cup of coffee and marked it as mine.I love the annotations in the margins; they help clarify tricky passages and give historical insights that add new depth to my devotions. Having quotes from Martin Luther included proves to be an also enlightening tool, both showcasing Luther's theological point of view on certain parts of scripture and breaking down the passages themselves into short, concise points that bring the meaning in the scripture home.Not to mention.....super cheap! A bargain for a resource that is helping deepen my faith every day.

Lutheran Study Bibleのタイトルで販売されているものが2つあり、ひとつはこのAugsburg Fortressから出版されてるものと、もう一つConcordia Publishing Houseから出版されているものがある。このページのキンドル版をクリックすると、後者のキンドル版へと接続される。両者は別ものであるのにこのような仕組みになっているのは宜しくない。見たところAugsburg Fortress版には電子版はない模様。Augsburg Fortress版は聖書本文はNRSVで、それに対するELCA（アメリカ最大のルター派）の注解。もう一方Concordia Publishing House版は聖書ESVに、MSLC（二番手の保守系ルター派）の注解。別物なのにキンドル版だとつながっているのはこのページを作った担当者が良くわかってないということかな。内容は、ルター派の聖書見解や、それぞれの書のバックグラウンドや各ページの両脇に注解がついている形。他にもルター派の聖書観みたいのがフルカラーで３０pくらい、ナホム書とハバクク書の間に入ってる（なぜここに位置してるの？）。注解の量は他のスタディ・バイブル（ESVとかNIVのスタディバイブルとは比べ物にならない）。質はまちまちかな。良いこと書いてるところもあれば、ただの本文と同じようなことしか書いてなかったり。ルター派見解は少ないながらあるが、もう一つのLSBに比べる少ない。そんなに注は重用じゃないかな。ルター派スタディバイブルということに拘らなければ最新のNRSV update Edithonを買っても良かったかも。ただNRSVの文体は結構好みだった。ジェンダーニュートラルに過ぎる感じはやっぱりするけど。NKJVを持ってたけど遥かに理解しやすかった。本のデザインはいかにも聖書！って感じじゃなくてお洒落で好き。2024/06/22追加。円安の現在で1000円の投げ売りｗ売れないから日本で在庫処理任されたのかな？1年ちょっと使ってきたけど後ろの方のページが剥がれた。耐久性は低い。本体サイズとか全然気にせずに買ったけどやっぱり重すぎる。あれから色々と英訳聖書を見比べてきたけどNRSVはやはり良い。もっと使い勝手の良いサイズのを買いたい。