Who's Who in the Bible: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary (Reader's Digest) - Hardcover

Reader's Digest Association

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0895776189 ISBN 13: 9780895776181

Publisher: Readers Digest, 1994

Synopsis

An A-to-Z biographical biblical reference furnishes in-depth portraits of some five hundred important biblical personalities, as well as concise identifications of nearly four thousand individuals from the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

From Booklist:

Described here are more than 500 men and women from the Bible (Hebrew and Christian Scripture and Apocrypha of the Revised Standard Version) or important to biblical history, but not mentioned by name (Alexander the Great, for example). The individuals are in alphabetical order by Anglicized spelling. Most have a paragraph or two, but several need many pages (Abraham gets 10, Moses 11, Peter 7, Paul 12, and Jesus 17). Each entry includes pronunciation and original name (Hebrew, Greek, Latin) as well as a literal meaning, if there is one. Analysis of the person's importance to Judeo-Christian history is offered in many cases, and chapter and verse from the Bible are cited. Cross-referenced names are in bold print. If a name is used for more than one person, they are entered in chronological order as best as can be determined. The index covers topics as well as people. It is preceded by a complete list of every name (more than 3,500) in the Bible. This section has some interesting facts placed throughout ("Jesus is mentioned 990 times, second only to David at 1,100; Moses is third with 870 citations"). Each name is followed by a reference to the Bible passage in which it first appears.

The color illustrations are taken from classical paintings, illuminations, stained glass, and photographs of objects, plus 50 drawings original to this work. Ten maps show the Middle East in Biblical times, some tracing journeys through the area (e.g., Moses, Jesus, Paul). All the illustrations are sharply reproduced. Sidebars with important information are scattered throughout. They cover such varied topics as the Sermon on the Mount, rabbis, child sacrifice, and the Babylonian Noah.

There are many reference works providing biographies of biblical figures-- Who's Who in the Bible (Bonanza, 1980), Harper's Bible Dictionary (1985), etc.--but this new biographical dictionary will be an asset to all public and high-school libraries. It is readable and full of beautiful illustrations that will please the browser and be helpful to the researcher. This should be on libraries' A list for purchase; consider getting a second copy for the circulating collection.

From Library Journal:

Covering about 500 of the more important names in the Old and New Testaments, this alphabetical dictionary/encyclopedia is a good basic reference source. The entries vary in length from a short paragraph to several pages. References to the biblical context as well as additional information from scholarship and tradition are included. A pronunciation guide and meaning is provided for each name, as are cross references to other entries. In addition to the main section, the book also has an appendix called "Everyone in the Bible" that lists every name found in the Bible along with a brief description and biblical reference to the place where the name first appears. Entries are designed for the lay reader but might be of some use to scholars in the field as well. Lavishly illustrated and clearly written, this book is recommended for public and undergraduate libraries.
C. Robert Nixon, MLS, Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Readers Digest
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0895776189
• ISBN 13: 9780895776181
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 480