AYBD or ISBE, Revised?
Ok, so, with the new collection sale, I like two collections. The deciding factor for me is whether to opt for the one with AYBD or the one with ISBE Revised.
So, which one should I go for?
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Both. Not that big of a deal. For sure, both. You will probably end up with both anyway.
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Thanks for the heads up, Bill. I got the Factbook Collection for half of my normal dynamic price.
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I would get first AYBD. I own both, but this is always my first choice
"No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying." Leonard Ravenhill
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One more vote for AYBD.
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Each one has its own assumptions. AYBD is the more critical, and ISBE Revised is the more conservative ("reverent critical") work.
AYBD (The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary), proudly published by Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. (666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY), has in its introduction:
"Every generation needs its own Dictionary of the Bible. Within its pages one can expect to find presented the essence of critical scholarship on subjects pertaining to the Bible, as those subjects are understood by students of that generation. [...] It has been thirty years since the last major Bible dictionary appeared in America. The Biblical Theology movement was in its heyday, and a certain “consensus” on matters pertaining to the history and literature of both testaments had been established. [...] One critic at the time noted this and lamented that more attention was not being devoted to the critical issues of methods and assumptions. [...] The Anchor Bible Dictionary is no less a product of its time. In some respects, the situation since the 1960s is now reversed: scholars now tend to be more preoccupied with considering how we know something to be a “fact” than in assembling those “facts” into a meaningful whole." Gary A. Herion, “Introduction,” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992).
On the other hand, ISBE (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) from W. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI) has in its preface:
"The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, popularly known as ISBE, has served the Church well over the past generations. [...] It should be emphasized that, in spite of the necessary changes, ISBE has by no means lost its identity. [...] Furthermore, great care has been taken to maintain what the preface of the first edition described as the attitude of “a reasonable conservatism.” Freedom has naturally been allowed to individual contributors to express their views on debatable matters. At some points divergent approaches may thus be found. A hearing is also given to hypotheses and theories which cannot finally be adopted. Nevertheless, the general “attitude of mind and heart” is still one “which reverently accepts a true revelation of God in the history of Israel and in Christ.” Indeed, while the high level of biblical scholarship has been retained, some of the unnecessarily mediating views of the first contributors have been eliminated, so that the new edition is, we believe, at once more scholarly and more conservative than its predecessor. This demonstrates the change from an earlier period of sharp confrontation between “criticism” and “faith” to one when the possibility grasped by the original editors has been more fully realized and “reverent criticism” is making a constructive contribution to faith." Geoffrey W. Bromiley, ed., “Preface,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988).
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My vote is for the more conservative ISBE
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Both are valuable. If I had to choose one, I would go with the ISBE because I think it is more valuable for pastors. If I were doing academic work, I would go with AYBD.
"In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church," John Wesley0 -
Michael Childs said:
If I had to choose one, I would go with the ISBE because I think it is more valuable for pastors.
I would almost always recommend Anchor, it is just a much better product, that said I understand what MC is saying and indeed if you have limited resources the ISBE is more versatile. Offering quick lexical info for many entries that sort of information is not found (many have said it's not appropriate) in Anchor.
Here is a very quick look from one of the smaller entries (Bibliography from Anchor is not included in this sample):
ABEL (PERSON) [Heb hebel (הֶבֶל)]. Second son of Adam and Eve (Gen 4:2). Abel was a herdsman who gave as a sacrifice to the Lord the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. Yahweh’s acceptance of this sacrifice and the rejection of the gift of Abel’s brother, Cain, set the latter at enmity with him, prompting Cain to murder Abel in a field (Gen 4:8). The subsequent birth of Seth to Adam and Eve is understood by Eve as a replacement for Abel (Gen 4:25). In the gospels, Jesus assigns the guilt of all righteous blood—from that of Abel to that of Zechariah—to the Pharisees of his generation (Matt 23:35; Luke 11:51). The writer of Hebrews notes that by faith Abel brought a more acceptable sacrifice than his brother, Cain (Heb 11:4). The next chapter of Hebrews argues for the superiority of the blood of Jesus to that of Abel (Heb 12:24). Three issues surround the figure of Abel in the Bible: the question as to why God looked with favor on the offering of Abel; the meaning of the phrase “the blood of Abel” as it is used in the NT; and the meaning of the name “Abel” and its usage in the story of Genesis.
The biblical text gives no explicit reason for God’s preference for Abel’s offering. This has given rise to speculation. Even the writer of Hebrews does little more than observe the offering as characteristic of faith. Explanations which focus on the difference in the type of offering of Cain and Abel (Gunkel Genesis HKAT, 37; Skinner Genesis ICC, 105) or on the difference in their disposition, like those which emphasize the inscrutable choice of God (von Rad Genesis OTL, 104; Westermann Genesis 1–11 BKAT, 403–4), rely upon suppositions not explicit within the text. Nor is there any support for a rivalry between farmers and herdsmen (as disputed by Sarna 1970: 28). Note that minḥāh, “offering,” can refer to a grain offering as well as to a meat offering. The text makes a distinction between Abel’s offering of the “first” and Cain’s offering of “some” (Cassuto 1961: 206–7; Sarna 1970: 29; Waltke 1986; Wenham Genesis 1–15 WBC, 103–4). In offering the firstborn, Abel’s act parallels that of Israelite sacrifices in which the firstborn represents both that which belongs to God as well as the entirety of the flock. By giving the firstborn and the best of the animal (i.e., the fat), Abel would be understood as having given everything to God.
Jesus’ observation on the blood of Abel refers to the murder of Abel, which is interpreted as similar to that of a “prophet”; and to that of a martyr, apparently due to its association with the worship of God (Hill, Matthew NCBC, 315; Marshall, Luke NIGTC, 506; Légasse 1982; Fitzmyer, Luke 20–24 AB, 946, 951).
The focus of Heb 11:4 is on the faith of Abel. He represents the first example of the righteous who are put to death for their faithfulness. In Heb 12:24 Abel’s blood represents the murder of an innocent victim. It cries out for vengeance (Gen 4:10). The blood of Jesus could also represent the murder of an innocent victim. However, instead of a cry for vengeance, the blood of Jesus provides mercy before God (Le Déaut 1961:30–36; Moffatt, Hebrews ICC, 163–65, 218–19; Hughes 1977: 453–57, 551–52).
Attempts to trace the meaning of the name “Abel” to the Akkadian aplu, “heir” (IDB 1: 4) or the Sumerian synonym, ibila (Landersdorfer 1916: 67–68), seem to be speculative. This is true despite the occurrence of these elements in Mesopotamian personal names. Nor is a relationship with the names Jabal and Jubal at the end of chapter 4 clear from the text (contra Skinner, Genesis ICC, 103). A simpler origin for the name can be found in the Hebrew root hbl, those meaning, “breath,” reflects the more basic idea of that which is transitory (Cassuto 1961: 202; von Rad, Genesis OTL, 104; Westermann, Genesis 1–11 BKAT, 398; TWAT 2:337–38; Wenham, Genesis 1–15 WBC, 102). In the narrative of Genesis 4, Abel represents a figure whose life is cut short before its full time is accomplished. Although one may argue that Abel’s name was intended to signify the general condition of humanity as subject to death, it is better to see the name as an anticipation of Abel’s premature death.
Richard S. Hess, “Abel (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 9–10.
Abel āʹbəl [Heb. hāḇel; Gk. Abel]. The second son of Adam and Eve (Gen. 4:1–9). His name may be derived from Akk. aplu, “son,” and is perhaps generic in nature.
A herdsman, Abel presented to God a more acceptable sacrifice than his brother Cain, and was subsequently killed by the latter in a fit of jealousy. Why Abel’s offering was more suitable is unknown, and there is no evidence that at this period animal sacrifices were deemed superior to cereal offerings. The LXX diélēs of Gen. 4:7 suggests that Cain’s real offense was a ritual one, the offering apparently not having been presented in a proper manner. Even so, strict ceremonial regulations applied only to animal sacrifices (cf. Ex. 29:17; Lev. 8:20; Jgs. 19:29). He. 11:4, however, implies improper spiritual motivation as the real reason why the offering was rejected. Well-doing consisted not in the outward offering (Gen. 4:7) but in the right state of heart and mind.
Abel ranks as the first martyr (Mt. 23:35), whose blood cried for vengeance (Gen. 4:10; cf. Rev. 6:9f) and produced despair, whereas that of Jesus appeals to God for man’s forgiveness and brings cleansing from sin (1 Jn. 1:7). Abel’s death is a prototype of Christ’s death (He. 12:24).
R. K. Harrison
R. K. Harrison, “Abel,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 4.
-dan
PS: I do realize the irony of my choice in that lexical information is included in the Anchor article here but generally it will only be touched on in cases where it is very important where as in ISBE it is almost always there (even when like above the lexical background is more than a little suspect, yet the work doesn't delve into the lexical issues usually).
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[Y]
Thumbs up to what Dan Francis said.
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I agree with Michael, and then Dan.
And the question is relative to a sale currently.
But if you read Eerdman's 2nd Temple dictionary (under Cain and Abel), you're more likely to land in the NT period (versus either modern scholars or modern churchmen).
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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If you are a pastor or Bible teacher, hands down the ISBE is the better choice. Also the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible is an outstanding work.
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Greg Corbin said:
If you are a pastor or Bible teacher, hands down the ISBE is the better choice. Also the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible is an outstanding work.
I agree, and as someone who has both I’d say that AYBD is probably better for academic work, ISBE for Bible teaching/preaching, or for looking something up more quickly. The more evangelical/conservative you are, the less likely you are to be satisfied with the AYBD.
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GregW said:
I agree, and as someone who has both I’d say that AYBD is probably better for academic work, ISBE for Bible teaching/preaching, or for looking something up more quickly. The more evangelical/conservative you are, the less likely you are to be satisfied with the AYBD.
I agree, in principle, but let me add a caveat. Nothing beats Anchor for information on people and places (where, often, it doesn't matter whether a dictionary is conservative or not). See my two example entries on Anak and Bediah.
As I said, there:
Mark Barnes said:You'll get lots in ABYD of things only loosely related to the Bible, but which can be very useful if you need to do background work (e.g. 'Egyptian Literature', 'Mark Anthony', 'Cynics'). What you won't get in ABYD is theological stuff like the long ISBE article on 'Patience'. There's not even an article on prayer, though these is one on 'Prayer in Early Judaism', and another on the Lord's Prayer. But for people/places, and background study, AYBD is hard to beat.
So the question from me would be do you need more help the the theological aspect to Bible study, or more with the background. If the former, go with ISBE. If the latter, go with AYBD.
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
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Thanks to all.
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