Product Description

The Concordia Self-Study Bible provides deeper understanding of God's Word. It combines the easy-reading language of the New International Version with Lutheran interpretive notes. As a study-enhancin

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43036 in Books
• Published on: 1986-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 2200 pages

Customer Reviews

Explanation of a Must-Have Bible
Amazon.com really should provide a better explanation of what this Bible is. I'll do it for them. :-)

It's actually a Lutheran version (not just Missouri Synod--it's for all Lutherans, even ELCA like myself) of Zondervan's NIV Study Bible. There are quite a few study notes in Zondervan's NIV Study Bible that I didn't agree with, but this version fixes that. This is pretty much my favorite Bible. It has all the features of the NIV Study Bible, plus lots more, like quotes from Martin Luther, etc. It's a wonderful Bible, unless you're a Catholic. :-) They would do well to read it too, though. (Hey, I have two Catholic Bibles. Let's be ecumenical, people.)

This Bible is an absolute must-have for all Lutherans, and would be great for any other Protestant as well. Honestly. (Also check out the New Oxford Annotated Bible.)

One of the better Bibles on the market . . .
This "Concordia Self-Study Bible" was written by pastors in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It was an expansion of the "NIV Study Bible."

What the writers of this Bible have attempted to do is to put a confessional Lutheran slant on an already fairly-good work. Additions made by the Concordia men are marked by a cross, so it is very easy to see where they have made improvements.

Two helpful features were added to the preface of each biblical book. The first is a paragraph or two entitled, "God's Grace in _[title of book]_" This gives a quick overview of the Gospel content in that particular book. The second good feature is a similar paragraph "Luther on _[title of book]_" which gives a referenced Luther quote on that book that you are studying.

If I could, I would probably give this edition of the Bible four-and-a-half stars. While the notes are quite helpful, there are places where a more confessional Lutheran position could have been taken. For example, during the first plague in Exodus, the notes say that the Nile wasn't really turned to blood, but it instead some red sediment made it only appear as blood (Exodus 7:17). This is adding to what the Bible plainly says.

It is these few evidences of the historical-critical approach to biblical interpretation that makes this Study-Bible less than ideal. However, there is still a wealth of helpful information here. Reading this Bible with a careful eye will benefit you greatly.

Great Bible
I notice another reviewer recommended the New Oxford Annotated Bible. I already had that one, so I can say that the introductions, notes, and other study aids of the Concordia Self-Study Bible are much more in-depth. Even without the Aprocrypha, it's noticably larger. Modifications from the original NIV Study Bible are clearly marked, so I would recommend this for any Protestant, not just Lutherans. I do, however, wish they included the apocrypha in this Bible (as did Luther in his own translation).