Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical Interpretation by
This work fills a crucial need in the field of biblical studies by providing detailed, comprehensive treatments of the latest approaches to, and methods for, interpretation of the Bible. Entries are written by expert practitioners and collectively provide a single source for authoritative reference overviews of the scholarship on some of the most important topics in the field of biblical studies. As with all high quality reference works, the Encyclopedia provides a solid foundation that students and scholars can use to orientate themselves before venturing into original research.
The Encyclopedia contains entries ranging in length from 3,000 to 5,000 words. Each entry is signed by the author, contains a bibliography for further reading, and is cross-referenced to other useful points of interest within the Encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia also features a topical outline of contents.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible by
The field of biblical studies is dynamic, with new discoveries, new methodologies, and new perspectives continually enhancing the interpretation of the Bible. There is thus a need for an up-to-date, comprehensive, authoritative, and balanced series of reference works for biblical scholars and students.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible, published as a two-volume print work and made available digitally through Oxford’s Reference Library, is the first in this series of specialized reference works, each addressing a specific subfield within biblical studies. The series aims to produce high-level scholarly reference works that are accessible and in-depth, going beyond the basics to provide more specialized coverage.
Books of the Bible provides a single source for authoritative reference overviews of scholarship on some of the most important topics of study in the field of biblical studies. The Encyclopedia contains almost 120 in-depth entries, ranging in length from 500 to 10,000 words, on each of the canonical books of the Bible, major apocryphal books of the New and Old Testaments, important noncanonical texts, and thematic essays on topics such as canonicity, textual criticism, and translation.
Books of the Bible has extensive cross-references to other useful points of interest within the Encyclopedia, and comprehensive lists of abbreviations. Illustrations of various types supplement the text. Bibliographies for all entries further add to its usefulness
The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible by
This essential guide offers 325 articles that describe the people and places that appear in the New Testament and Old Testament of the Bible. From prophets, apostles, and groups (such as Hebrews and Angels) to kingdoms and countries, cities and mountains where Biblical events took place.
Written by an international team of noted biblical experts, it is a useful, reliable resource for scholars and students.
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology by
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology represents a new way of conceiving of the relationship between archaeology and biblical studies that allows the results of a wide cross-section of excavations and regional studies to contribute to the interpretation of the biblical text through an elucidation of the lifeways of the ancient world.
The connection between archaeology and the Bible was forged by the discoveries of the nineteenth century, and archaeological finds became the primary catalyst for changes in biblical studies throughout the twentieth century. A distinct subfield, "Biblical Archaeology," as conceived by William Albright, arose to cope with the explosion in information recovered from expeditions of importance for biblical studies.
For many years, under Albright's influence, the hybrid field of Biblical Archaeology had a life of its own in the United States and was considered a coherent discipline. But many outside of Albright's sphere were unsure whether this field was a division of biblical studies or part of the broader world of general archaeology and saw these two pursuits in some disciplinary tension. At the same time, biblical scholars grew increasingly skeptical that archaeology could provide context for the specific events of the biblical text. Individual excavations persisted, but work ceased to be framed by research designs derived from the questions of "Biblical Archaeology."
Yet archaeologists of the last twenty years have continued to produce material for biblical studies that is too critical to be ignored: inscriptions such as the Tel Dan stele or Khirbet Qeiyafa ostracon, debates on the chronology and stratigraphy of the 10th century BCE or the stratigraphy of the Shechem temple, and publications such as those of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem or Herodian Jericho. Shifts in archaeological theory and biblical scholarship now present new potential for rapprochement between archaeology and the Bible. Recent archaeological work has uncovered the lifeways of the biblical world and begun to suggest how understanding these lifeways transforms the reading of the biblical text.
By going beyond mere architecture and chronology into the social organization of biblical society, the Encyclopedia is an important methodological breakthrough for the study of the Bible and archaeology.
Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls by
When Bedouin shepherds discovered the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, one of the most fascinating mysteries of ancient history was exposed. Embedded in the 850 manuscripts eventually uncovered were questions about everything from the Qumran community that produced the scrolls to their impact on our understanding of biblical studies. Why were the scrolls preserved in caves? What do they reveal about such contemporary events as the life and death of Jesus, the rise of Talmudic Judaism, and the flourishing of the Essenes, Pharisees, and other Second Temple groups?
These questions are identified and explored in Lawrence Schiffman and James VanderKam’s groundbreaking Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Featuring 450 articles by an international community of 100 distinguished scholars, the Encyclopedia is the definitive account of what we know about the scrolls—their history, relevance, meaning, and the controversies that surround them. The works are viewed in historical, linguistic, and religious contexts, with archaeological evidence providing a clear basis for dating and preservation of the manuscripts.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology by
Exploration of the Bible’s theology is an ever-changing endeavor. While some issues are clearly rooted in the Bible’s historical context like theological perspectives on the creation of the world, covenant, sin, sacrifice and atonement, grace and forgiveness, other issues are rooted in the modern world, where both the secular and religious raise questions biblical authors may not have anticipated. For example, biblical perspectives may critically inform contemporary concerns about market economics, global climate change, wealth and poverty, and gender/race discrimination. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology situates itself inside this tension, classically defined as the intersection between what the Bible meant and what it means, with the objective of providing a resource for constructive theological reflection in the market place of public discourse.