I
was so excited to receive The Study Bible for Women: Christian
Standard Bible (CSB) produced by Holman Publishers. I've never had a
study Bible and I liked the idea of having one written specifically
for women as the last few months I've been seeking to glean truths
from studying women in the Bible. This hardcover Bible is well-made.
It lays flat when open and has two built-in bookmarks. Without the
dust cover, it is a bit plain, so I hope the cover holds up for
awhile.
I
have heard really good things about the Christian Standard Bible
version. The introduction discusses the translation method of
“optimal equivalence.” Basically, they stick to a literal
translation as much as possible, but if the literal translation would
be confusing to a modern day reader, they strive to translate the
original thought while staying close to the literal translation.
I
won't try to review each part of the introduction because this review
would be too long, but to summarize, there are family trees, a
marriage contract (ketubah), family milestones, reading guides,
information about this translation, and charts of weights and
measures.
The
CSB Study Bible for Women is comprehensive. There is so much
information. I will probably use this Bible most often when I can be
alone and sit down for awhile. I estimate it takes at least three
times as long as normal to read a chapter, if you read all the word
studies, footnotes, commentary, character profiles, hard topics,
personal application, maps, charts, etc. It is a lot of information
and good if you want to dive deep. But not something I can read when
my young children are awake. Sometimes the commentary notes,
profiles, etc. are more concentrated near the beginning of books
because they are introducing people, families, concepts.
So
far, I feel like I have learned a lot. I have not had time to read
this entire Bible before writing my review. Overall, I feel the
translation itself is solid and I expect to learn a lot. I also
expect to disagree with the editor on a few issues (as is probably
the case with any study Bible).
Other
things to consider when deciding if The CSB Study Bible for Women is
for you:
The
underlying worldview and editorial commentary (often titled as
Biblical Womanhood or Hard Topics) are very “evangelical”
Christian. If that isn't for you, you might want to try a CSB Bible
without all the study features.
There
is anti-feminism bias. I haven't yet seen any definition of what they
consider “feminism” but the writer(s) blame it for negative
things/situations and expect the reader to accept their perspective.
Regarding
the complementarian v. egalitarian debate about marriage roles, the
Biblical Womanhood sections seem to fall heavily on the
complementarian side.
The
managing editor, Dorothy Kelley Patterson, is the wife of Paige
Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Mr. Patterson is accused of perpetuating domestic abuse through his
teachings / counseling and there is a huge debate / uproar at the
moment about this. His wife may hold similar views and her personal
view may filter into the commentary.
Again,
I have not had time to read The CSB Study Bible for Women all the way
through before writing this review. I think the translation is solid.
I have enjoyed reading the Biblical text and many of the features are
informative. I disagree with some of the commentary, but I can still
learn from this Bible.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this Bible free from the publisher. I was not required to
write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I
am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s
16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and
Testimonials in Advertising."
