The NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition includes thousands of new or updated study notes based on historical discoveries, cultural findings, and thematic insights; over 100 new commentary articles; and the NIV Comfort Print® typeface.
In this Q&A, Bible scholar Dr. Craig Blomberg talks about the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition (Zondervan, 2020) (website).
Tell us a bit about yourself and your work.
Dr. Craig Blomberg: I’ve taught New Testament studies at Denver Seminary for the last 34 years. I’ve authored, co-authored, or edited 26 books and written over 150 articles for journals or other multi-author works. Two of my books are textbooks that together introduce and survey the entire New Testament, but my greatest interests and numbers of publications have been about 1) the reliability of the Gospels and the New Testament more generally; 2) interpreting parables; 3) what the Bible teaches about material possessions, and 4) Mormon-Evangelical dialogue.
How is the process of working on a study Bible unique from other scholarly collaborations?
Dr. Craig Blomberg: The most obvious answer, at least given the process we utilized, is that we all work on all parts of the Bible. So each of us needs a fair amount of background and expertise (and willingness to learn and research more) about Genesis through Revelation and, parallel to that, the ability to work with both the Hebrew and the Greek.
[Read the New International Version (NIV) Bible translation on Bible Gateway]
Sign up to receive the NIV Daily Devotional, a daily Scripture reading along with a brief inspirational reflection to help you think through and apply what you’ve just read
<!– –>
By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateway’s emails at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com.
Array
(
[template] => /mnt/www/blog_biblegateway_com/releases/20200615184423/wp-content/plugins/harpercollins_silverpop_wordpress_plugin/public/partials/form.php
[vars] => Array
(
[attr] => Array
(
[headline] => Sign up to receive the NIV Daily Devotional, a daily Scripture reading along with a brief inspirational reflection to help you think through and apply what you've just read
[background] => #952004
[image] => placehold.png
[text_color] =>
[template] => /mnt/www/blog_biblegateway_com/releases/20200615184423/wp-content/plugins/harpercollins_silverpop_wordpress_plugin/public/partials/form.php
[code] => bgblog-lezon-interview-em-d-51bf0ca11c
)
[fields] => Array
(
[name] => lezon-interview
[list] => niv_365_day_devotional
[blog_form] => Yes
)
[content] =>
[site_key] => 6LdMkEkUAAAAAGd5aGH1cwku1OFyHwKYW_QUDZxm
[form_number] => 1
[domain] => biblegateway.com
)
[template_path] => /mnt/www/blog_biblegateway_com/releases/20200615184423/wp-content/plugins/harpercollins_silverpop_wordpress_plugin/public/partials/form.php
[attr] => Array
(
[headline] => Sign up to receive the NIV Daily Devotional, a daily Scripture reading along with a brief inspirational reflection to help you think through and apply what you've just read
[background] => #952004
[image] => placehold.png
[text_color] =>
[template] => /mnt/www/blog_biblegateway_com/releases/20200615184423/wp-content/plugins/harpercollins_silverpop_wordpress_plugin/public/partials/form.php
[code] => bgblog-lezon-interview-em-d-51bf0ca11c
)
[fields] => Array
(
[name] => lezon-interview
[blog_form] => Yes
)
[content] =>
[site_key] => 6LdMkEkUAAAAAGd5aGH1cwku1OFyHwKYW_QUDZxm
[form_number] => 1
[domain] => biblegateway.com
[value] => Yes
[name] => blog_form
)
Since this is a revision to the 2011 NIV Study Bible, can you think of a specific study note or feature that you personally helped refine on account of better cultural or thematic understanding of a passage?
Dr. Craig Blomberg: Oh my, there were so many it’s hard to know where to start. Perhaps one that was particularly satisfying was a sidebar addressing the whole issue of apparent genocide in certain parts of the Old Testament. My colleague, Dr. Richard Hess, has done quite a bit of cutting edge work in this area, especially in his work on Joshua, and I was able to summarize and reflect a fair bit of it, which I think is of genuine help to people wrestling with this issue.
[The NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition is available in the FaithGateway Store, the Bible Gateway Store, and ChurchSource]
How has your involvement with the Committee on Bible Translation, the group that oversees the NIV text, helped you as you were working on the NIV Study Bible?
Dr. Craig Blomberg: We were all friends already and respected each other’s scholarship highly. We knew each other well enough to recognize each other’s passions and areas of particular expertise. By meeting twice a year for three years for a week at a time each time and working together in the same location, we considerably deepened those relationships and mutual understanding and respect. This allowed us to know when to defer to certain people on certain topics, but also gave us the freedom to express our opinions and at times challenge each other’s views, ask for clarification, or suggest rewording without feeling like we had to walk on eggshells the whole time.
What is your hope for this study Bible?
Dr. Craig Blomberg: There are numerous excellent study Bibles on the market, both on the NIV and on other translations. But the NIV is the best all around translation for greatest number of purposes, and the NIV Study Bible is the best all around Study Bible on the NIV for the greatest number of purposes without overwhelming the reader at times with too much information. It deserves to be the most widely read and used Study Bible of all.
Read interviews with the other editors of the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition:
The NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.
Study the Bible with confidence and convenience by becoming a member of Bible Gateway Plus. Try it right now!
The post NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition: Meet the Editors—Craig Blomberg appeared first on Bible Gateway Blog.
