Dictionary of the Bible

by W.R.F. Browning

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192116916
• ISBN13: 9780192116918
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 440 Pages
• Weight: 2.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Dictionary of the Bible

Good book - easy to follow - fairly basic but covers the majority of items needed.

Great resource for all but the most literal believer

Covering everything from Aaron to Zuzim, "The Dictionary of the Bible" is a useful one-volume reference work to the Christian Bible. "Dictionary of the Bible" offers over 400 pages of readable entries, quoting chapter and verse, on a wide variety of topics, from the sacred (Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection) to the mundane (on topics such as straw, footstool, and reaping), and includes numerous maps and charts. W.R.F. Browning bring his Anglican heritage to the task, and the result is entries that should satisfy all but the most orthodox Christians. Those who believe in the literal accuracy of the Bible will object to Browning's discussion of the various interpretations of such topics as healing, miracles, and the authorship of the books. He describes the book of Revelations, for example, as "an embarrassment to the Church. Its bizarre imagery has been incomprehensible or misunderstood. Apocalyptic sects have used it as a handbook to predict the future. Many Christians have found the apparent gloating over the defeat of the Church's enemies to be morally repulsive." But for the most part, Browning did not intend the dictionary to hew to a particular theology. On topics such as Jesus' reasoning behind his use of parables, he recaps the major controversies without showing a bias toward a particular position. "Dictionary of the Bible" is a valuable reference work that provides an excellent starting point for understanding the meaning of Christianity. It is clear, concise, and challenging to the intellect.

Excellent. A very worthwhile resource.

Hanging around in newsgroups like alt.atheism, one can easily come to the conclusion that apologetics is the domain of mad b****** fundies, whose grip of morality and reality is only slightly better than that of the Roman emperor Caligula. This book, written by mainstream theologians, who are, by and large, not mad, gives that lie to that experience based assumption. You get: Considerable historical fact and a critical approach to what we can know of historical truth combined with an excellent cross-reference and most importantly, a refusal to shy away from the difficult areas of Biblical history.Highly recomended as a reference work, even if the US cover is considerably more garish than the UK version.