Dictionary of the Bible - Hardcover

Browning, W. R. F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0192116916 ISBN 13: 9780192116918

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1996

Synopsis

Authoritative, comprehensive, and written for a broad readership, Oxford's Dictionary of the Bible is an invaluable guide to the books of the Old and New Testaments. In addition to providing helpful information about the important places, people, and stories of the Bible, the Dictionary gives straightforward explanations based on the most current scholarship of overarching themes and controversies that are still important today.
With over 2,000 entries, from Adam and Antioch to Yahweh and Zechariah, the Dictionary of the Bible ranges from the earliest period to the beginning of the second century CE/AD. The entries, each with full reference to the text of the Bible, cover the books of the Bible, people and places, customs, religions and worship, history, and theology, with clear explanations of technical terms (such as exegesis, halakah, henotheism, logos, and shekhina) and methods of interpretation (Reader Response Criticism, liberation theology), as well as with profiles of leading biblical scholars and their contributions to the field. We learn, for instance, that Yahweh occurs nearly 6,000 times in the Old Testament as the name for God; that sabachthani is the Aramaic word uttered by Jesus from the cross meaning "you have forsaken me;" and that the word Bible derives from the Greek biblia, meaning "books," and the plural witnesses to the fact that the Bible is not a unity but a collection. In addition to maps of the biblical world, Oxford's Dictionary of the Bible includes appendices for important dates in biblical history and a conversion table for weights and measures.
With its balanced approach and wide scope, this is a lively and absorbing reference work, an ideal choice for students of the Bible, whether at school, college, or in church or community study groups, or those who simply wish to improve their knowledge of one of the central books of Western culture.

About this title

About the Author

About the Editors:
Rev. Canon W. R. F. Browning was Canon Residentiary of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, from 1965 to 1987 and has been an Honorary Canon since 1987. He was formerly a lecturer in New Testament Studies at Cuddesdon College, Oxford. Graham Stanton is Professor of New Testament Studies at King's College, London. Richard Coggins is former Senior Lecturer in Old Testament Studies at King's College, London.

From Library Journal

In the field of biblical studies, the past ten years have seen continuing archaeological discoveries, new trends in biblical criticism, and the release of the full corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Thus, it is entirely fitting that a new edition of a standard Bible dictionary appear. The first edition of The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (under the title Harper's Bible Dictionary, LJ 1/96) was well received by scholars, students, and lay readers. This edition has been expanded and revised, with approximately 25 percent of the material either new or updated. The number of contributors has also increased, from 179 to 193. The work has retained the two-column format, with 16 single-column articles interspersed throughout (including "Art in the Biblical Period," "Jesus Christ," and "The Temple"), and it is well illustrated. Many of the longer articles include a brief bibliography (most of which have been updated from the first edition). Though not a flawless work (e.g., the article "Manasseh" treats only the 14th king of Judah but neither the patriarch nor the tribe of Israel that also bear that name), it is outstanding in terms of scholarship and writing. All biblical studies collections should have this new work (balanced by New Bible Dictionary, InterVarsity, 1996. 3d ed., which represents current evangelical scholarship), even if they already own the previous edition. Browning's (New Testament studies, Cuddleson Coll., Oxford) dictionary is different in several ways. It is the work of one person. Few of the articles are more than a page long (though "Jesus" merits two and a half pages). The only illustrations are four two-page black-and-white maps at the end of the volume, and the bibliography is limited to a one-page select list of titles. The tone of the writing is at times casual, and Browning makes rather blunt statements. For instance, he declares the Bible's report of the number of Israelites who left Egypt in the exodus?600,000 men plus women and children, according to the book of Exodus?"unbelievable." Browning is certainly knowledgeable regarding the Bible and biblical studies, and he offers some interesting observations: "Paul's converts were often on the margin of society...and women were attracted by being valued as persons." A good choice for libraries that need to round out a comprehensive collection.?Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Birmingham
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0192116916
• ISBN 13: 9780192116918
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 440
• Editor: Stanton Graham