Why are students at Azusa Pacific University required to purchase the Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV w/ Apocrypha)?
There are four reasons this edition of the Bible is chosen: • Students save money having to purchase only one Bible for all of their Bible/theology classes. • The contributors to the Oxford Annotated Bible are some of the most well-respected scholars in the world. • The NRSV of the Oxford Annotated Bible is a strong translation that takes into account the most recent scholarship on the ancient manuscripts. • Professors can assign readings from the important literature (the Apocrypha) written during the time between the Testaments—this literature was known, read, and referred to by New Testament authors. Moreover, this literature and its historical setting is important for understanding many of the terms that appear in the Gospel accounts, including “Sadducees,” “Pharisees,” and “the abomination of desolation,” among others.
