So you’re buying a Bible…consider this one: the ESV Church History Study Bible.

In a previous post, I considered the main questions you need to ask when considering a new Bible:

1. Purpose: what are you using this Bible for?
2. Font: how big are the words, and what color are the words?
3. Size and Weight: how big is the Bible, relative to use?
4. Features: what does it include besides the text of Scripture itself?
5. Constitution: how robust are the materials?
6. Price: what can you personally afford?

Here, I’ll give a tour of a specific edition to see how it lines up with those main categories. For this review: the ESV Church History Study Bible.

Overview

The ESV Church History Study seeks to help readers “escape the tyranny of the present to see wisdom from the past,” as Stephen Nichols says in the Introduction. It’s not a traditional study Bible, with exegetical notes from current scholars. It’s a curated selection of writings from theologians throughout church history, meant to help the reader engage with both Scripture and history. It is a workhorse kind of a Bible, good for a college student, devotional reader, or ministry leader looking for some thoughtful additions for a Bible study. The content is solid. The presentation and packaging is lacking. It’s not my top choice overall. But there are some situations where it truly shines.

Considerations

Purpose

This Bible falls in the “everyday reader” category for me. It’s a great Bible to have on the shelf for your daily devotionals or for family worship. It won’t likely be the go-to for deep study, but the wide variety of quotes in the notes is excellent for augmenting a Bible reading plan or Bible study prep session.

Font

The Scripture text is printed in 9 pt. font, with the notes in something like 8 pt., meaning that the Bible is overall readable, but more uncomfortable for those who need larger print. The words are all in black ink. When I look at the font in this Bible, two things stick out. First, I like that there are two main fonts. Scripture is printed in serif; the notes are in sans-serif. This makes the biblical text stick out visually, while the smaller-print notes are aided by the cleaner lines. That’s the good. The bad: the cross-references are impossibly small. This is problematic, because there are literally thousands of them. So every page has a band of tiny print that, for many, will be unusable. The one saving grace: the cross-references are in a single column at the bottom, rather than taking up space in between the two main columns of text, like other Bibles.

Size and Weight

I classify this Bible as a larger hand-sized book. You can hold it open with one hand. You can travel with it. But you probably wouldn’t want to for long. It’s about the size of a larger hardback book, but still very comfortable for reading. Especially if you’re reading at a desk or table, this will be a perfect size.

Features

For a study Bible, this volume has tons of great resources. The cross-references are unfortunately small, but Bibles like this aren’t primarily about those. This is about Scripture and notes. For that, it’s great. According to Crossway, this Bible hosts over 20,000 notes from theologians spanning the globe and the centuries. Most of these notes come from big-name Western Reformed theologians, but several come from the early and medieval church. In addition to the notes, there is an author index, a strong concordance, a thoughtfully-worded one-page intro to each book, and the standard ESV collection of maps, which are excellent.

In use, I found the notes both helpful and frustrating. The wide range of writers makes it feel a bit “pick and choose.” For example, for Isaiah 64-65, the Bible includes quotes from Jerome, Matthew Henry, Cyril of Jerusalem, Martin Luther, John Owen, Isaac Watts, and others. This wide range makes it feel like some of the quotes, especially from the Early Church, were chosen for content that lines up with the Reformed authors, rather than giving a broader appreciation how the Early Church received Scripture. To put it another way, most of the Early Church selections feel “safe,” rather than challenging. I would have preferred this edition to simply focus on the Reformation era, rather than mostly Reformed theologians plus a smattering of the Early Church. As a user, it is very nice to open the Bible wondering “I wonder what Calvin might have said,” without digging up Calvin’s commentaries. However, since the range is so wide, it feels like the editors, at times, merely snagged the quotes that sounded the best, rather than giving a sustained historical argument. 

That criticism aside, this volume still offers an excellent taste of church history, and many devotional gems. Using it regularly alongside a Bible reading plan would certainly offer many wonderful occasions to stop and savor the gospel.

There’s one remaining feature to highlight: the articles. They’re excellent. Gerald Bray on the “history of biblical interpretation and exegesis.” Chad Van Dixhoorn on “creeds and confessions.” Joel Beeke on “the devotional use of Scripture.” Carl Trueman on “the role of tradition in Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.” And the list goes on. These short, 1-2 page resources frame the blessing and challenge of church history, pairing well with the “Reformation heavy” sources for the notes. They don’t take up much space overall, but these twelve articles are almost worth the price of admission by themselves, and do a fantastic job elevating the value of this resource.

Constitution

I’ll put this plainly. Like all general-use Crossway Bibles, the binding is solid, the paper is decent, and the ribbon is disappointing. The hardcover version of this Bible is robust, with solid endpaper and a decent dust-jacket. The paper is thin enough to have decent show-through depending on the light. But it’s smooth, pleasant to turn, and the words are line-matched, enhancing readability. But the ribbon? It barely serviceable. It will keep your place, but it’s short and thin compared to the thickness of the whole book, so using it to open the book is rough. But, like I said at the beginning: this is a workhorse Bible. It’s not luxury and isn’t trying to be. It’s trying to be a usable resource for Christians who want to appreciate some church history alongside their personal reading. On that, it succeeds and should last many years of moving from home to car to office, and back again. 

Price

Here’s the tricky thing. It’s $60 hardcover from the source, but with a free Crossway+ account, it’ll be 30% off. For something like this, I wouldn’t bother with the more expensive TruTone version. So, for $40ish, is the Bible worth it? My opinion: yes and no. If you’re looking for a deeper engagement with church history as such, I would recommend the CSB Ancient Faith Study Bible instead. It’s more consistent and better designed, for about the same price.

But, if you are a child of the Reformed faith but have only heard Calvin’s or Luther’s name, this is an excellent resource to help you go a bit further. Similarly, if you are an elder or a deacon, or if you’re looking for a gift for a church officer, this is an excellent Bible. Many pastors may have these resources already via commentaries or software packages. Most other church officers will not. For those without, or for those fitting ministry in alongside another full-time job, this is a wonderful volume. Lastly, if you are a committed Bible teacher, this volume will pair well with your Bible study guide or commentary, offering you valuable insights and pithy, memorable quotes. Sometimes, all we need is for someone to say the same truth more clearly than we can, and this Bible provides that in spades. The articles will enlighten, and the notes will deepen your devotion. And for that, Crossway is to be commended for this helpful addition to their publishing catalogue.

With gratitude to Crossway Publishing for this review copy.