Oxford University Press breaks exciting new ground in the field of study Bibles with The Jewish Study Bible. This innovative volume will, for the first time, offer readers of the Hebrew Bible a resource that is specifically tailored to meet their needs. The JSB presents the center of gravity of the Scriptures where Jews experience it--in Torah. It offers readers the fruits of various schools of Jewish traditions of biblical exegesis (rabbinic, medieval, mystical, etc.) and provides them with a wealth of ancillary materials that aid in bringing the ancient text to life. The nearly forty contributors to the work represent the cream of Jewish biblical scholarship from the world over. The JSB uses The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation, whose name is an acronym formed from the Hebrew initials of the three sections into which the Hebrew Bible is traditionally divided (Torah, Instruction; Nevi'im, Prophets; and Kethubim, Writings). A committee of esteemed biblical scholars and rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism movements produced this modern translation, which dates from 1985.Unlike other English translations based upon such ancient versions as the Septuagint and Vulgate, which emend the Hebrew text, TANAKH is faithful to the original text. Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, professors, students, rabbis: indeed, anyone interested in acquiring a fuller understanding of the riches of the Hebrew Bible will profit from reading The Jewish Study Bible.

Reviews

This study Bible will guide anyone desiring a fuller understanding of the Bible and its interpretations, as well as of the history of Jewish tradition in general and some of the insights of the Torah in particular. It's a full Bible (the Jewish Publication Society's Tanakh translation), with accessible introductions, annotations, and background and interpretative essays that provide a guide to the meaning of the text, the history of its Jewish interpretation, and the historical contexts in which it was redacted. All its contributors are distinguished scholars from a wide range of academic institutions; they employ state-of-the-art methods of interpretation but are sensitive to classical Jewish interpretations and the place of the Bible in Jewish life. This work contains material about the languages of the Bible, chronologies, tables and charts, full-color and line drawing maps, and a full glossary of technical terms. The index to the entirety of the study materials, keyed by page number, facilitates pursuing particular topics through the full range of the study materials. A much-needed resource, this study Bible will form a core reference work of any library, and circulating copies should be made available for the public. Highly recommended without reservation for all libraries.-David B. Levy, Charles E. Smith Jewish Day Sch., Rockville, MD Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

"The Jewish Study Bible encompasses a monumental assembly of critical learning and acumen, representing the achievement of an entire generation of Jewish scholars. The commentaries are not only erudite but purposeful and theologically alert. A heroic undertaking, brilliantly conceived and executed with panache."--Jacob Neusner

"Serious students of Judaism will want to have a copy of this outstanding and surprisingly affordable study Bible, which stands in the tradition of Oxford's great study Bibles."--Publishers Weekly, Religion Bookline

"Another superb holiday gift, especially appropriate for non-Orthodox Jews, is The Jewish Study Bible from Oxford University Press, which finally stands alongside the many verse-by-verse commentaries for Christians. This work also is recommended for serious-minded Christian readers."--AssociatedPress