I remember one of my academic mentors used to always say, “The only thing better than a short book is a cheap book!”  Well, this one is neither!  It’s quite thick and will cost you about $40.  Nevertheless, this new NIV Archaeological Study Bible is a “must have” for the library of anyone who enjoys watching the archaeologist’s spade turn, or being enlightened by the historian’s explanations of cultural customs within the Bible.

Study Bibles are such a useful tool.  The work that goes into the footnotes & sidenotes allows the reader to more easily step into the shoes of the 1st century reader (in the case of the New Testament), inorder to hear through their ears and see through their eyes.  This study Bible, which was the brainchild of a partnership between Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Zondervan, boasts of more than 8,000 study notes at the bottom of the pages, 500 full-color photographs, and more than 500 in-depth articles sheding light on (1) Archaeological sites; (2) Cultural & historical notes; (2) Ancient peoples; (3) Lands & rulers; (4) The reliability of the Bible and; (5) Ancient texts and artifacts.

Many times people have asked me if I know if a great resource which would allow them to dig deeper into the background of the reading in the Bible.  And I’ve pointed to various atlases and dictionaries.  But this is a many of those resources into one terrific study Bible.  I’ve really enjoyed and appreciate the critical study and research that went into this new Bible.

Let me know what you think about it!