NIV Archaeological Study Bible – A Review

Ever since I first read the archaeological supplement in my Thompson Chain Reference Bible I have found the subject of Biblical archaeology fascinating. For that reason I was delighted when Zondervan sent me a copy of the NIV Archaeological Study Bible to review.

The main feature of the Archaeological Study Bible is the inclusion of 500 articles of various lengths (200 words). These are placed under several thematic headings:

Ancient Peoples, Lands and Rulers

These include “The Location of Eden,” “Josiah, Zechariah and Neco II,” “The Annals of Sargon II,” “Babylon,” “Antiochus IV Epiphanes,”

Archaeological Sites

These include: “Beth Shemesh,” “Sheba,” “Hezekiah’s Tunnel,” “Gezer,” "Byblos,” “Thebes,” “Adullam,” “The Pool of Siloam,” “Masada,” “Crete,”

Ancient Texts and Artifacts

These include: “Ancient Creation Narratives,” “The Sumerian King List,” “Ugaritic Liturgy Against Venomous Snakes,” “The Teaching of Amenemope,” “the Apocrypha,”

The Reliability of the Bible

The include: “The Documentary Hypothesis,” “Alternative Theories About The Exodus,” “The Chronology of Ezra and Nehemiah,” “The Canonicity of Esther,” “The Problem of the Septuagint Version of Jeremiah,” “The Unity of Amos,”

Cultural and Historical Notes

These include: “The Golden Calf,” “"The Jewish Calendar,” “The Judges Period,” “Dagon,” “Siege Warfare,” “Idols and Idol Making,” “Baptism in the Ancient World,”

Ancient Voices

Short quotations of ANE writings showing a parallel theme to the passage next to which they are placed.

There are also some helpful charts, a glossary of terms used and the usual complement of maps.

I have to say that despite reading some of the negative reviews of this Bible on-line, I thought that the notes were generally helpful and balanced. They take a conservative view in most cases, presenting the argument well for an early Exodus, the unity of Isaiah and a 7th Century date for the composition of the Book of Daniel. There are obvious difficulties involved in reducing these complex arguments to a 200 word summary, but in most cases this has been achieved while still admitting the possibility of a different interpretation of the evidence. I say in most cases, because the notes take a strongly egalitarian view of the gender passages in the New Testament and do not admit any possibility that this might be not what the archaeological evidence points too, or indeed, that there is any other way of viewing the passages at all!

One of my favourite notes is found on page 1594: "The Legend of the Needle's Eye Gate". It correctly argues that the existence of a 'Needle's Eye Gate' in the wall of Jerusalem is based not on archaeology, but on a medieval legend. Far from illuminating one of Jesus' "Hard Sayings" the legend of the Needle's Eye Gate actually weakens its meaning. Preachers, take note!

So, on the whole, I would recommend this Bible to anyone with an interest in archaeology, as long as they use it to whet their appetite for other more detailed works on the subject. One final caveat: unless you are younger than me or have exceptionally good eyesight I would not recommend the use of the "Personal Size" Version without access to a strong magnifying glass!