The Companion Bible

http://www.our.homewithgod.com/biblepaths/index_6.html#companion

 

Welcome to the Baptist Board. :wavey:

However, I have no clue to the Companion Bible, not owning one.

Ed

 

I assume that you mean the Companion Bible by E.W. Bullinger?

I have this Bible. It's value is I guess depends on what you want it for. There is a lot of interesting information and a lot of stuff that will make you scratch your head. It will not replace your MacArthur or Ryrie Study Bible that is for sure.

I hardly use mine. If you can find one cheap on ebay (like I did) or used somewhere and you collect Bibles (like I do) then it is worth having. Try to get the large type edition, the standard type edition is very hard to read, the notes are crammed in where ever they will fit on the page. There is a learning curve in the proper use of this Bible, it is not as user friendly as the Study Bibles of today.

 

Isn't Bullinger the hyper-dispensationalist? If so i would avoit his comments like the plafue. Of course , as much as I enjoy MacArthur's books, I would not use either his or Ryrie's Study Bibles.

Your description of this Study Bible sounds a lot like Dake's Bible, hard to tell wher inspired text stops and Dake starts.

 

Yes, OldRegular, Bullinger is the hyper dispensationalist. He is mentioned in Ryrie's book Dispensationalism Today shown in a negative sense.

I assume that the OP knows his theology that is why I didn't mention it. It is very difficult to see his hyper disp in the Companion Bible but it is there. Some of the weird stuff is actually in the appendix of the Bible, not the notes. Another of his books, titled Figures of Speech in the Bible is also very good and devoid of the hyper stuff. Say what you will, but Bullinger was very smart.

I don't know about Dakes SB. I have heard the negative press, probably the same thing you have heard, but I've not read any of the Dakes Bible.

One other thing I want to point out, while I respect your decision OR to reject MacArther's or Ryrie's SB, that doesn't mean that they are not without merit or not worth owning. I guess it all depends on the purpose the reader intends for it. I have over 30 (close to 40) study Bibles of all kinds of theology. I personally do not struggle with personal internal disputes over major doctrinal issues and most study Bibles don't really have enough in the way of notes to radically effect one's personal beliefs. Even with my collection of Study Bibles at hand, I usually take a regular readers edition Bible to church and most of my personal Bible study involves use of a regular reference Bible with no notes.

Having said that, I generally agree with MacArthur and Ryrie although I perfer the MacArthur and Criswell and (believe it or not) the NIV SB over all others. I'm sure my collection includes a copy of a study Bible that you would approve of unless you don't approve of study Bibles at all, which is of course your right. I hope the tone of my post doesn't come accross negative, if it does please accept my appology.

Tom

P.S. one of these days I'm going to take my copy of the Spirit Filled study Bible to church to see if anyone notices and says anything. I got this very cheap at a yard sale. I will take Bullingers notes over Hayford's anyday, they are not in the same league, not even close.

 

I don't own Dakes and would not. I have thumbed through one. His notes completely encircle the Biblical text which is utterly confusing.

I own a few study Bibles. As far as i am concerned the best is the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. I like the New Geneva [now Reformation] Study Bible.

It is certain that no single individual has full understanding of all Scripture. Therefore, I believe Study Bibles can be useful for the mature Christian and by mature I don't mean an old one but one who had spent time studying Scripture. I believe it is unwise for a novice in the Scripture to use any Study Bible, the Thompson Chain Reference Bible being an exception.

 

We must be total opposites OldRegular. I never use my Thompson Chain (I use it less than the Companion Bible) and My least favorite (of the currently popular Study Bibles) is the Reformation SB (ESV). When I read the Reformation SB, I get the feeling that the authors of the annotations and articles are trying to indoctrinate me, not teach. Probably just me, but that's the feeling I get.

I agree with you to a point. I've been saved for 35 years and yet not sure if I'm what you would consider a mature Christian. I have to constantly remind myself to keep the study notes separate from the text of Scripture. But, if I'm in deep study or really struggling to understand a passage I will usually go directly to a commentary, word study or other work.

Getting back to the OP question, The Companion Bible notes as a rule don't completly surround the scripture text but they are not consistant in their placement on the page and to my eye make it difficult to keep track of where you are on the page. As I mentioned before, it is not a user friendly study Bible.

Take care OldRegular,
Tom

 

Trivia: Anyone know which study Bible editor mentioned in this thread was associated with Aimee Semple McPherson (Angelus Temple, Church of the Foursquare Gospel, L.I.F.E. Bible College)?

 

No, which one?

Are you talking about Dakes?

 

I think he also wrote "Witness in the Stars" and propagated that gospel in the stars nonsense (don't get me started!).

I wouldn't bother with Dakes. It has all kinds of heresies in the notes. This is the Bible the Word Faith teachers get some of their stuff from (God has a body, Jesus went to hell to fight Satan, etc.)

 

Actually there are two:
Jack Hayford (Spirit Filled Life Study Bible) is an alumnus of L.I.F.E. Bible College and a leading figure in the Foursquare denomination.
Frank C. Thompson (Thompson Chain-Reference Bible) was a member of Angelus Temple. He was dean of Sister Aimee's L.I.F.E. Bible College.

 

Thanks for the info. I know Hayford is highly regarded but I heard him on the radio years ago and was bothered by some things he said. I can't recall what they were now, but the above info makes me feel like it wasn't just me.

 

Here I agree with you 100%, I would never own a Dake Study Bible and in fact I would love to see them go out of print and be forever forgotten. They are full of wicked heresy. Mr. Dake even said that he didn't study the Bible, but received his notes via "special inspiration." I am not sure where his "inspiration" came from, but I am sure it was NOT from God.

Here I respectfully disagree. I have owned a Thompson's for about 20 years and find it almost useless. For one thing the chains are based on the English rather than the Hebrew and Greek. Because of that they often take the reader in odd directions (like finding the Church in the OT).

Another popular study Bible that I do not like is the Scofield. Although the Scofield was the father of the modern study Bible and has had a large impact on many Christians and on Baptists in general, Mr. Scofield is just plain wrong in too many areas for me to feel comfortable with this Bible. Even where he is right he goes into so little detail and the notes are so sparse that this study Bible is not a very useful tool. In addition the chronology, given at the top of each page is badly off. While further off in the OT than the NT, it starts out incorrect and never rights itself. The maps are also very dated and not all that useful.

As far as study Bibles I find helpful go, I like the Ryrie Study Bible best overall. The book introductions are great as are the outlines. Ryrie's notes are good and generally sound, but often fail to go into enough depth for my taste. The helps in the back are good and the Moody maps are the best in any Bible I have seen. If I were only going to own one study Bible, it would be a Ryrie.

I also like the New Defender's Study Bible. While the book intros and outlines are not as good as Ryrie, I like the notes much better. While I don't agree with all of them, I find that they make me think and study more. I do not like the layout of this Bible as well as Ryrie, and the maps are not as good, but the weakness is more than compensated for by the quality notes.

 

The Thompson Chain Reference Bible was initially published in 1908 well before any possible association with Aimee Semple McPherson.

Dr. Frank Charles Thompson was a young preacher in the late 1800s when
he became disappointed with the reference Bibles being sold to preachers. Dr. Thompson believed the Bible should be presented in a simple, but scholarly way. He saw the need for a well-organized reference Bible that would be of practical use to the layman as well as a minister.

In 1890, Dr. Thompson began the work he would continue for the
rest of his life. He completed the "thought suggestions" opposite the verses
throughout the Bible. These are what became the "chain-links" that are the
heart of the Thompson system. Some of the men in Dr. Thompson's church saw his Bible and told him this would be a great help to them in their Bible study too. They encouraged Dr. Thompson to have his Bible, with marginal references, published so that everyone could enjoy the blessing of this helpful study
tool.

In 1908, the first edition of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible®
was printed by Methodists Book Concern of Dobbs Ferry, New York. It became known as the most helpful, trustworthy and unbiased study Bible available. The Thompson® Bible continues to have that reputation today.

In 1913, Dr. Thompson joined with B.B. Kirkbride in Indianapolis,
Indiana to form the Kirkbride Bible Company. This was to assure the constant improvement of this remarkable study tool, and the widest distribution possible.

From Here

 

Jack Hayford

 

Yes, and also the editor of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible was affiliated with Sister Aimee:

"Among the most avid admirers of the Thompson Bible was Aimee Semple McPherson, who offered a warm endorsement for the publisher's advertisements. When Thompson retired to California, he taught at McPherson's L.I.F.E. Bible College and held the title of honorary dean." ---Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, s.v. "Frank C. Thompson".

 

Blessed Lady, it depends on what other study Bibles you may have, and the purpose for which you want a Study Bible.

I have both the Companion and the Dakes, but I collect Bibles.

Both seem to support the "gap theory" in Genesis.

The Companion Bible has a lot of interesting structural analysis stuff in it, and some Greek and Hebrew stuff, but I would not want it as my only study Bible.

What are you looking for in a study Bible? Explanitory notes? A good cross-reference system? Doctrinal explanations?

 

Yes.

The Thompson Chain Bible AV is the best study bible in the World.I have had many but always come back to the Thompson.The numbered topics that ties the Bible together is what I like about it.You can get it in a regular print to
medium to large.The large print is kind of heavy but worth the work out.

God richly bless you all.

Steven.