A Dictionary of the Bible Book

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.Read More