Religion 121C: Belonging as Blessing and Challenge
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Research Librarian
E-resource for bible texts
Translations and Editions
The Complete Parallel BibleRolvaag Ref: BS125 .B5 1993
Contains 4 translations of the bible side by side: NRSV, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and tne New Jerusalem Bible
The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (4th Edition)Rolvaag Ref: BS191 .A1 2010 N43 2010
One copy in the reference room and a second copy at the Rolvaag Research Desk
The Peoples' BibleRolvaag Ref: BS191.5 .A1 2008b M56 2008
A unique edition of the NRSV translation that contains accompanying essays that focus on the bible and culture
The Jewish Study BibleRolvaag Ref: BS895 .J4 2004
Click on title for electronic version
Translation by the Jewish Publication Society using the traditional Hebrew text.
Working with bible texts
Reading Across Translations
It is always a good idea to read your passage in more than one translation. Since most students do not have the language skills to get at the original texts in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, the best we can do is see how various translators have rendered words and phrases into English. Reading across translations gives the reader a sense of the underlying nuances of the original vocabulary. The Complete Parallel Bible (see left panel) is the most convenient way to do this since it lays out 4 translations side by side.
New Oxford Annotated Bible
Most Religion 121 classes use the New Oxford Annotated Bible. Rolvaag Library has three copies that you can use in the library. Two copies are located in the Rolvaag reference room, and one in the book shelf at the Rolvaag Reference desk.
The People's Bible
The People's Bible is a unique edition of the NRSV translation published by Fortress Press. It includes accompanying essays that focus on the bible as a text for cultures (African American, Latinas/os, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Euro-Americans). Other essays include: "The Bible as an Instrument of Reconciliation", "The Bible and Empire", "Women, Culture, and the Bible", and "Jesus and Cultures".