Oxford Catholic Study Bible - Second Edition

[windingroad]

Hello all,

Has anyone gotten a chance to check out the newly updated Oxford Catholic Study Bible - Second Edition yet? It’s new this March and has some handy tools.

Here’s a description from their website (Oxford University Press):

“…The study notes have been completely rewritten, there are new and expanded essays (including ones treating Catholic traditions of biblical interpretation) and sidebars on special topics in the study materials and biblical text. The heart of the CSB’s ancillary materials is an extensive Reading Guide that leads the reader through the Scriptures, book-by-book. Helpful marginal references in the biblical text point to specific pages in the Reading Guide, easing the retrieval of important background information. Also included are the complete lectionary readings (for Sundays, major holy days, and weekdays), and 36 pages of authoritative, full color New Oxford Bible Maps (with index).”

All this and a concordance too all in one book.

Seems nice to have this stuff all together but I’m kind of uneasy at getting another NAB translation (not too fond of wording choices in some key passages & typical NAB footnotes are puzzling at times).

I favor an Ignatius / RSV Catholic edition rendering but those bibles usually don’t come with a lectionary calendar, concordance, and all the other bells and whistles.

And while the commentary / footnotes of the RSV (esp. the new 2nd edition) are solid and decent, if you want a serious RSV commentary you either have to get the Ignatius Study Series or the Navarre Bible Series which is only offered in individual volumes (i.e. one book for Pentateuch, one book for Gospel of Mark, another book for Gospel of Matthew, etc.) and not in an all-in-one easily totable edition.

But if the Oxford study notes on this new edition NAB are good, then it might be worth getting at least for the sake of comparison?

I dunno.

Thoughts? Anyone?

 

[mccorm45]

I purchased the 2nd edition, thinking that the notes were different, but they aren’t. Perhaps there is some tinkering with the reading guides in the front of the study Bible, but for the most part the notes are the ones you find in any typical NAB Bible. So, I feel kind of cheated for buying it.

Another problem I have with the 2nd NAB Catholic Study Bible is that they have reduced the margins so much so that there is barely room to write notes. Also, they have retained that terrible cross-referencing system.

On the good side, some of the articles are informative, and the inclusion of the concordance and expanded lectionary part is nice to have included. Also, and probably the top thing for me, is the inclusion of more maps throughout the text. These are in addition to the standard Oxford maps in the back. They are quite good!

Overall, however, I am very dissapointed!