Reddit reviews NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture

As with the history, a rigorous approach to the Bible threatens some dearly-held doctrinal interpretations and thus is avoided because it's uncomfortable.

I wish the author would have persevered and enhanced the OT curriculum rather than just quitting and leaving somebody less informed to teach the class. There are many wonderful resources available for the Bible, why not bring some into the classroom?

It's not a full commentary, but there is a pair of volumes, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament, put out by some BYU ancient scripture professors who actually seem to know stuff about the ancient world. They have their "eyes open" a bit more than the average LDS volume, even confronting hairy issues like the golden calf representing Jehovah, the documentary hypothesis, etc.

In general though, I think Mormons avoid a more robust approach because their theology is not yet robust. The naive acceptance of various prophetic statements on the bible over the centuries---combined with what amounts to belief in prophetic infallibility---has created a minefield that sustained inquiry will inevitably set off. The authors of the books I mentioned seem aware of the trap the church is currently in. They are fairly responsible in trying to introduce difficult topics. But on some of them, there's just no sugar-coating it. Either the modern revelation is wrong, or the best biblical scholarship is wrong, take your pick, is often what it comes down to.

For example, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament, p. 27, has an infobox titled "Flood Stories" which compares the Bible and Epic of Gilgamesh versions of the flood story. At the end they say,

>Scholars noting the similarities between the biblical flood story and those extant in Mesopotamia have suggested two possibilities to explain this phenomenon: (1) both stories derive from a common, ancient source; (2) the Israelites adopted the story from the Mesopotamians. Most scholars accept proposition two as the more likely explanation, suggesting that the Isaraelites became familiar with the story during the Babylonian captivity and inserted it into their scriptures. Because the flood story is also alluded to in the book of Moses, Latter-day Saints tend to accept the first proposition.

Because Mormons are defending unique doctrinal commitments such as that Moses composed the flood story, they end up isolated from good commentaries because the best Christian commentaries out there will take option (2) rather than the less satisfying option (1). My own Study Bible ("NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture") does this.

Taking a more complex approach to Joseph Smith's revelations makes it possible to access a world of great information about the Bible. But right now that's not on the table for the mainstream church, so they will have to continue to rely on their own resources for biblical commentary, which means compared to what's available they will always kinda suck.

That said, they can be so, so much better than what's currently in the manuals.

I recommend the Cultural Background Study Bible and Exploring my Strange Bible podcast and The Bible Project YouTube channel

In my opinion, single volume commentaries are always going to be frustratingly brief. I usually advise people to study one biblical book and buy one or two good commentaries on that book. Buying a whole series is more expensive and will put books on your shelf you may not use for a while (like that Obadiah commentary....)

Sometimes you are better off with a serious Study Bible, and there are plenty of those. I often recommend the ESV Study Bible, which is mostly conservative. There are many essays in the appendices which are with the price of the book. If you are interested in background material, try the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Also on the conservative side of the spectrum, but it has good notes from John Walton and Craig Keener.

If you insist on a one voume commentary, the venerable Jerome Bible Commentary edited by Raymond Brown (and others) is very good, with a Catholic perspective. It is one of the larger one volume commentaries and can be found used inexpensively.

Hopefully someone else can add their voice to the conversation.

Everyone has their doubts from time to time. The book of Ecclesiastes, for instance, focuses exclusively on an existential crisis. The author determined that life was meaningless as everything would eventually pass away. If death is inevitable, what then is the point of living?

I'm in no means an expert in apologetics, but I do reccomend that you perhaps study the culturalal contect of the Scriptures. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible may be of great help. Of course, there are other teachers online who should be just as capable of answering any questions that you may have.

Lastly, when I ever get discouraged, I usually listen to calming music. Two songs that I like in particular are from Tenth Avenue North. They are Beloved, which speaks of Christ's love for the church, and Hold My Heart, which conveys more of what you are experiencing right now.

Whatever you decide, peace be with you.

Stay away from Scofield! Super biased, dispensational. Consider this one. Your third choice is a good one too. As is the Lutheran Study Bible, which is your third choice with additional Lutheran notes on church history and grace and sacraments. I'd also recommend the Orthodox Study Bible and the Ignatius Study Bible (Orthodox and Catholic); you'd get a good, well rounded perspective if you cross-used a few of these.

Context is what you are missing out on. Life is vastly different today than it was in biblical times.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310431581?aaxitk=Sg0pijqQ8SEasKqkZsS.4g

> Thank you for saying that. You seem sincere, and I misinterpreted some things you said as well. When you said "You have much to learn", that came across as arrogance to me. Like "Buckle up, Junior, let me take you to school." Clearly, I misread that and I apologize, for the misunderstanding and the harsh words.

I can see how it came across that way, but yeah, I assure you that is very far from my intention. Trust me, I'm a fellow learner with you.

> It's going to take some time and effort to wade through this. Christianity really did a number on me. If you've never experienced it before, losing your religion is a gut-wrenching, world-shattering process. And I really do have this tremendous fear that I'll pour my heart out into this project only to have Christians tell me that I was "never a real Christian" or I just "didn't get the heart of the message" like they have so many times before. So I'm harboring a little hostility, I'm sure, but I do want to learn the truth about the Bible to the best of my ability. Thanks for understanding.

Aside from being a great INXS song, I've never lost my religion, because I didn't grow up with one. I imagine it's something like the reverse of what I felt when coming to trust in Christ? If so, yeah, it sounds harsh and unpleasant. Like losing a friend I guess, yeah?

I see from your other posts that you live in the "Bible belt", and if I'm totally honest, I don't know if I'd be a Christian if I grew up there. I'm very fortunate to live in a place where churches are filled with people who are a lot more level headed, love and incorporate science into faith, and aren't scared of living for Christ in a place where that isn't the norm. For me, evolution is a fact, as is an old Earth. I would reject any faith that told me to choose between it and science.

Anyways, I'm glad we could sort this out.

As an actual practical suggestion, I respect both authors to the NIV Cultural Background Study Bible: https://www.amazon.com/NIV-Cultural-Backgrounds-Study-Bible/dp/0310431581

They both do some seriously good work in investigating the ancient world. One thing I've recently realised is that while it's obvious we need linguistic translation to read the Bible, we don't realise we also need cultural translation. I understand from this thread that you've already purchased a Bible? If you're willing, we could work out a way for me to shout you this book and get it delivered to somewhere near where you live. I think you'd find it helpful in your journey.

Uhhhhh. I'm not sure. The only one I have is the Orthodox Study Bible which I find useful for a variety of reasons, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it for your situation.

I definitely think study Bibles have their use, but it's not something I personally use much. If I were to get another one it would be the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible or the Biblical Theology Study Bible, so take your pick. A lot of people like the Reformation Study Bible, so that could be a good option as well.

In addition to what others have said, use many different translations and study bibles.

Personally, I find the ESV, NIV, and NLT to be a great mix. ESV offers the closest "word for word" translation, NLT offers the best "thought for thought" translation without straying to far from the original words, and the NIV is a great middle ground between the two. Occasionally I use the NASB as well which a professor recommends as another "word for word" translation.

As for study bibles, I own many but the three I use most often are The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, The Reformation Study Bible, and the NIV Study Bible. I have also found Audible audiobooks to be a great service. The NIV Listener's Bible is excellently performed and well paced. I was able to listen to the whole bible in a little over a month using this audio version!

Prayer will help you properly interpret scripture. Often I find picking a particular book to spend lots of time with can be very helpful. I usually recommend starting with Luke, John, or one of Paul's Letters. Go through the book with a fine tooth comb, paying close attention to the cross references and footnotes. The bible is beautifully interconnected and studying one book closely will help you learn other scriptures as well!