The E-Book edition of the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NOAB) 6th edition is now available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. This edition includes the NRSVue biblical text, and the study notes and materials have been “substantially updated” from the 5th edition. It looks like the paperback and hardcover editions are still expected to be available in November of 2026, although the Oxford University Press website lists a different publication date than Amazon. The genuine leather edition is currently scheduled for publication in January 2027.
The Schuyler Personal Size Quentel ESV with Apocrypha is now up for preorder at Evangelical Bible
Oh, thanks for the heads-up! This warrants a separate post. I’ll publish one.
I’m interested in where they’ve gone with the new notes and other materials. It seems like there’s a move in academic biblical studies to treat early Christian sources on the New Testament as actual sources and not just dismiss them as either sophisticated propagandists or uneducated rubes. I’m hopeful some of that tone will seep into this 6th edition.
This. While I hope it doesn’t follow the SBL Study Bible in its more cringeworthy stuff, I’m curious if the SBL’s more moderate tone on the Synoptic Problem makes its way into the NOAB 6th edition. Probably won’t preorder, but I will be on the lookout for the early reviews. Also have the Jewish Annotated New Testament 3rd edition in my cart.
Also on the Kobo store: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-new-oxford-annotated-bible-1.
I am curious how people here use resources like the NOAB. I’ll probably pick up a hardback 6th edition when it comes out although I confess I’m not entirely sure why. For context, I’m a convert to Catholicism who grew up in a Southern Baptist church and spent almost 20 years as an Episcopalian before I made it to the Catholic Church about three years ago. “I read my way into the Church” is a decent description. I have been focused on reading patristics and popes, although I have an old RSV NOAB 3rd edition and an NRSV 5th edition around here somewhere and pull them out now and then.
I ask here because I can tell from the comments sections on the blog that there are quite a few “faithful Catholics” who seem to get a lot out of the more academic-focused stuff like NOAB and SBLSB and others that many would label “secular” or “academic.” What do you find useful in them? (That’s a serious question, not a rhetorical one.)
For me, because I’ve read a lot of “conservative” scholars and apologetics, I like the challenge from the “other side,” especially when you reach a point where you feel that you can sufficiently answer much of the “secular” or “academic” material based on your own prior reading and study. Another factor is that, even granting some of the “secular” or “academic” material, it would be much more challenging to a Sola Scriptura Protestant than to a Catholic. As an example, pretty much anything these kinds of sources say on the issue of the biblical canon or book authorship practically becomes a series of moot points if Sola Scriptura isn’t your guiding principle.
That’s interesting. I was raised Baptist, but converting to Roman Catholicism in my high school years. Recently, I’ve considered becoming Anglo-Catholic (Anglican, essentially), but am doing some research on papal developments. More than likely I’ll stay Roman Catholic, though.
It’s great to hear you were able to find your way home, Robby. I find the more secular/academic notes and commentaries helpful as reference material, particularly for historical-critical questions. But that’s the extent of my use of it. The only Study Bible I regularly use and trust is the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. Having it on the Verbum app is great because you can pair the ICSB commentary with whatever translation you want, and all of the Bible and CCC references are linked and pop up right there when you click on them.
For more in-depth commentary on the New Testament, my favorite by far is the multi-volume Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. As with the ICSB, having it on Verbum is great because all of the references are linked, and you have portable access to all of the volumes. We will have to keep waiting for the IT as only theee volumes are released so far)
For more in-depth Old Testament commentaries, I like the Bergsma/Pitre single-volume “A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament” and the essays in “The Catholic Study Bible,” third edition, published by Oxford University Press.
Those are all fantastic resources that are faithfully Catholic (with perhaps some exceptions in that last resource). If I were a professional Scripture scholar or weren’t a Christian, I imagine I would find the secular material more appealing. As it is, I have my sights set elsewhere and prefer resources that help me keep my lamp burning as I await the Master’s return.
Did you sneak into my library? I’m anxiously awaiting the Bergsma/Pitre NT, but I think we’ve all learned that Ignatius will get stuff out when they get it out. I only have the Romans volume of the CCSS. I have the whole set of Navarre Bible hardcovers, so the CCSS will have to be in Verbum or else my wife will….make me sell something to make room…we’ll go with that. Somehow I ended up with a digital copy of the Oxford Catholic Study Bible. I keep meaning to dig into the reading guide.
The timing couldn’t be better for you to get the CCSS on Verbum because I just checked and the complete 21 volume set is 50% off right now. It looks like they released Genesis as the fourth OT volume a few months ago. Make sure you search for the 21 volume set because it is $165 less than the 17 volume NT set because of the sale.
A commenter on the Facebook group “Fans of the NRSV Bible” posted several screenshots and excerpts of the NOAB6 e-book.
From the Editor’s Preface:
“… While continuing to focus on the historical-critical method and historical and geographical information for readers with different level of expertise, this edition gives more sustained attention to issues of ethnicity, race, gender, and class. Another important change is substantive treatment of the reception history of the Bible, including the importance of specific texts in various religious traditions, in art, literature, and popular culture, and in contemporary debates. …”
From the notes of the Gospel of John:
“… In recent years, the distinct character in the Gospel known as the “Beloved Disciple” has been an important figure for queer interpretations of the Bible, where the intimate portrayal of Jesus and the disciple whom he loved is understood as life-affirming for same-sex relationships.”
From “Interpretation” at the beginning of Micah:
“… Micah’s theology of blame, however, raises concerns for those who reject the idea that God punishes populations with violence, including claims made by some religious leaders that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were divine retribution for the progressive values and politics of the United States. …”
From the annotation for Micah 2:1-5:
“… The passage resonated with the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011, where parallels were drawn between 2:2 and banks’ illegal seizures of homes in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The passage has also appeared in accusations of the rich and powerful stripping away the rights of people of color, indigenous groups, and members of the LGBTQIA community. …”
Facebook AI summary of the discussion:
“Commenters criticize NOAB6 annotations for being US-centric and overly interpretative, with some feeling they’re more suited to an application study Bible for Americans rather than an academic one.”
That strikes me as so totally off the rails that I assume I either shouldn’t waste my time or might just have something to learn. Curiosity will win in the end, no doubt.
I will keep using my NOAB3 for now and wait for a gently used NOAB6 in the second hand market. We should start seeing some after the spring semester 2027.
I hope NOAB6’s mandate to its contributors is from the NOAB editors and not from Oxford University Press. I hope the editors of the Oxford Catholic Study Bible will have freedom to follow their own directives for their 4th edition.