Comments on: ESV Study Bible Arrives! http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2008/10/14/esv-study-bible-arrives/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=esv-study-bible-arrives Kingdom People - Living on Earth as Citizens of Heaven Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:38:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: simmmo http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2008/10/14/esv-study-bible-arrives/#comment-3172 simmmo Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:26:32 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/?p=2030#comment-3172 I own a copy of the ESV Study Bible. The maps and diagrams are terrific. However some of the commentary is woeful. For example, the first thing said about the famous text "God is love" in 1 John 4:8 is "God is not only love...." Is this really the first thing you want to say about this text? Nevermind those of us who actually think that love is not just another attribute of God along with wrath, holiness etc. Love is the essense of God's triune nature. Failing to recognise this, I think, represents a failure to grasp what Trinitarian doctrine is about. But anyways... after being elevated by John's text, you look down in the commentary only to find that the ESV contributors have diminished, diluted God's perfect love - indeed they have diminished God himself by arguing that he has many other attributes or emotions rather like a human being (perhaps one could argue that Reformed types have sort of anthropomorphised God?). The articles at the back are really really conservative. And I don't think there is fair treatment here. Many of the articles are based on American cultural wars over issues like capital punishment. I think most Christians outside America would be horrified that capital punishment is even being argued for here. The article on Eastern Orthodoxy is also misleading. It states that the Orthodox have the same view of heaven and hell as the Western church. This is simply false. Hell in Orthodoxy is not punishment inflicted on the wicked by God, but the sufferings of those who chose to reject God, whose love has now become all in all. This is a far different idea of the Western hell of God literally punishing the wicked. All in all, I have found some of the information in the ESV Study Bible helpful (the maps, archaelogical information etc). But a lot of commentary is not helpful and the articles at the back are really misleading and far too conservative. The problem with conservative position on social issues is that there often is a lack of love shown. Far too black and white. Unfortunately life is not so simple. And these articles are simply exercises in preaching to the choir and have the effect of alienating others. I own a copy of the ESV Study Bible. The maps and diagrams are terrific. However some of the commentary is woeful. For example, the first thing said about the famous text “God is love” in 1 John 4:8 is “God is not only love….” Is this really the first thing you want to say about this text? Nevermind those of us who actually think that love is not just another attribute of God along with wrath, holiness etc. Love is the essense of God’s triune nature. Failing to recognise this, I think, represents a failure to grasp what Trinitarian doctrine is about. But anyways… after being elevated by John’s text, you look down in the commentary only to find that the ESV contributors have diminished, diluted God’s perfect love – indeed they have diminished God himself by arguing that he has many other attributes or emotions rather like a human being (perhaps one could argue that Reformed types have sort of anthropomorphised God?).

The articles at the back are really really conservative. And I don’t think there is fair treatment here. Many of the articles are based on American cultural wars over issues like capital punishment. I think most Christians outside America would be horrified that capital punishment is even being argued for here. The article on Eastern Orthodoxy is also misleading. It states that the Orthodox have the same view of heaven and hell as the Western church. This is simply false. Hell in Orthodoxy is not punishment inflicted on the wicked by God, but the sufferings of those who chose to reject God, whose love has now become all in all. This is a far different idea of the Western hell of God literally punishing the wicked.

All in all, I have found some of the information in the ESV Study Bible helpful (the maps, archaelogical information etc). But a lot of commentary is not helpful and the articles at the back are really misleading and far too conservative. The problem with conservative position on social issues is that there often is a lack of love shown. Far too black and white. Unfortunately life is not so simple. And these articles are simply exercises in preaching to the choir and have the effect of alienating others.

]]> By: Trevin Wax http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2008/10/14/esv-study-bible-arrives/#comment-3169 Trevin Wax Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:54:46 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/?p=2030#comment-3169 Chas, The hoopla is not about the translation itself, but about the amazing amount of information included in this Study Bible. Still, I think the ESV is a terrific literal translation. It is much more readable than the NASB and NKJV, even if it retains much of the formal, biblical language. Chas,

The hoopla is not about the translation itself, but about the amazing amount of information included in this Study Bible.

Still, I think the ESV is a terrific literal translation. It is much more readable than the NASB and NKJV, even if it retains much of the formal, biblical language.

]]> By: Chas http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2008/10/14/esv-study-bible-arrives/#comment-3171 Chas Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:21:55 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/?p=2030#comment-3171 Trevin, Please forgive my cynicism, but I am not understanding all of the hoopla. I have used the online version quite a lot here lately and it is no doubt a fine translation, leaning heavily toward the more literal side of the pendulum. All well and good. But what real advantage does it have over say the NASB or NJKV? They are all pretty literal translations and none of them are very readable. The ESV still has plenty of "Thus says'" and "Woe unto yous", so the language itself has not been updated to speak of. Anyway, I'm confused. Trevin,

Please forgive my cynicism, but I am not understanding all of the hoopla. I have used the online version quite a lot here lately and it is no doubt a fine translation, leaning heavily toward the more literal side of the pendulum. All well and good. But what real advantage does it have over say the NASB or NJKV? They are all pretty literal translations and none of them are very readable. The ESV still has plenty of “Thus says’” and “Woe unto yous”, so the language itself has not been updated to speak of. Anyway, I’m confused.

]]> By: Liam http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2008/10/14/esv-study-bible-arrives/#comment-3170 Liam Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:57:49 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/?p=2030#comment-3170 OK Im sold, I just went a ordered it (on preorder from Amazon), if only by saturation Im sold! OK Im sold, I just went a ordered it (on preorder from Amazon), if only by saturation Im sold!

]]>