The Leather edition will be released first in February or March.
The hardback edition will be released in summer 2008.

What kind of help does it provide? (I do not mean to be agreeing with criticisms, but I was wondering how a student would be helped with the Study Bible.)

It offers background, explanations and information about things, people and places that wouldn't be necessarily commonly known. The same reason many study Bibles exist. There is also some patristic commentary mixed in, along with explanations from an Orthodox perspective on certain passages. What does Orthodoxy believe about justification and the like.

I guess the response I would give to those who want a completely literal English translation with no words wrong, faithful to the correct texts, no "bad icons" or replete with patristic commentary or whatever is twofold:

- One is they should fund and oversee the translation, production and printing of such a Bible since it doesn't exist now.
- Two, realize that if that Bible existed many people couldn't or wouldn't use it. The church is not a collection of academics or intellectuals. Many, many people need something accessible and readable. I'm sure this would lead to shrieks of "you're dumbing it down", etc.; but it's reality. I use it to help with my sixth to eight grade Sunday School kids. My wife would never pick up a Bible like the one described in scenario one. It's just reality.

Maybe the church in its life has been two used to the idea and fact that the Bible is largely not in the hands of the laity, and that reflects much of the criticism leveled at the OSB. I don't know. What I do know is there isn't much else out there, and the OSB was a good effort to fulfill a need that existed.

In the end there are people who will not be pleased no matter what. I personally have read the criticisms of the OSB and though they certainly have some merit; I also in large part find them pedantic, unrealistic and just ridiculous in different measures.

My own humble opinion.