What are the best Dictionaries / Encyclopedias?
I was wondering if there was a website similar to Best Commentaries that rates the different Biblical dictionaries and encyclopedias?
Thanks
Comments
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I was wondering if there was a website similar to Best Commentaries that rates the different Biblical dictionaries and encyclopedias?
Thanks
Ronald, this may not completely answer your question, but Best Commentaries does have a section that will give you ratings on some dictionaries and encyclopedias. If you click either the OT Books or NT Books section you will get a drop down list. You will see a section called background with a number of additional links. The NT Books section has a link to best dictionaries and encyclopedias. I believe that this area is being developed and so you will not find as many resources as you wish.
Hope this helps
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Of course I couldn't help looking at the screen-copy of Best Commentaries. I recently purchased the IVP Essentials. I have a clear bias against 'evangelical' (don't go crazy; I attend a conservative evangelical, it's just I don't want theology in the data; ditto on the liberal side).
But after Tom mentioned Craig Evans at the Pastorial something or other, I got to reading the NT Background dictionary. Quite good. I already had the OT/NT background commentaries and the 2 theology volumes. Very nice collection, especially if you do your homework on 'shopping'.
I notice the New Interpreters is up there too. It's good. Of course Anchor is still my favorite, if only due to the article depth.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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If I may put in another plug for the Anchor.... Admittedly, it is so eclectic that you should evaluate the conclusions, no matter what your theological views are, but it is a wealth of information on just about everything related to the Bible. Finding things in it can be hard with the print version, but with searches - not a problem. When I look things up, Anchor is always included.
Heck, I got into this software because I was tired of going to the Library to look things up...
The Gospel is not ... a "new law," on the contrary, ... a "new life." - William Julius Mann
L8 Anglican, Lutheran and Orthodox Silver, Reformed Starter, Academic Essentials
L7 Lutheran Gold, Anglican Bronze
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Thanks for the information.
I have over 50 dictionaries and encyclopedias and I am trying to figure out which will be most useful to me.
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Thanks for the information.
I have over 50 dictionaries and encyclopedias and I am trying to figure out which will be most useful to me.
I would concur that the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary is the best of the lot. There are specialized dictionaries which can be used to supplement it such as the Dictionary of Dieties and Demons in the Bible. For coverage of Catholic subjects the Catholic Encyclopedia is a must and the Jewish Encyclopedia for Judaism. While not covering the material as exhaustively as the AYBD, there is still a place for other dictionaries such as Eastons where it is sometimes easier to find a quick answer to a question when exhaustive coverage is not necessarily desired. Also, some of the older dictionaries such as Hastings' (both 1 volume and 5 volume) are good for historical purposes since they have signed articles (like AYBD). Some of the old classics such as Schaff-Herzog are still referenced and will hopefully be released in Logos—put in a bid.
I must note something we were all probably told in school: The encyclopedia is only the beginning of study on a subject—at least in most areas. If you really want to know about a subject you need to go deeper.
george
gfsomselיְמֵי־שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ בָהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְאִם בִּגְבוּרֹת שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְרָהְבָּם עָמָל וָאָוֶן
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The InterVarsity Press The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, has always been my favorite, but I do like other ones. If you are looking for deeper works, then there others that I like. I am guessing from the question, you are looking for general dictionaries, correct?
Remaining in Him (1 John 2:28), Robert
Mac Book Pro, Windows 7 Professional, iPhone 4S, iPad 1
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I wasn't so much looking for general dictionaries, but to get the input of others on what they considered to be the most useful. Since there are so many different dictionaries and encyclopedias available in Logos I don't want a "top-notch" one to become lost in my library.
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Start with the ones above in Best Commentaries. All of them are solid.
I, too, have quite a few dictionaries/encyclopedias. I've made some collections to aid in searching: Bible, Theological, History, Christian, Religious (includes The Christian category plus Judaism).
Of theological dictionaries (not those which are really language resources with that name) I would recommend The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., and The Dictionary of Historical Theology. Skip the Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible (a big disappointment). For Biblical Theology, the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology and the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology are both helpful.
Of Religious Dictionaries, the Oxford Dictionary of Christianity in America is a must-have, along with the Encyclopedia of Judaism, and The Encyclopedia of Christianity.
The IVP Dictionaries of the OT are must-haves. We're still waiting for a few to be published for us. I have found some good content in the Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (somewhat to my surprise).
Pastor, North Park Baptist Church
Bridgeport, CT USA
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Agree on Mark's Theological Interpretation of the Bible; it's definitely 'thin' on content and weaves this way and that. The title suggests a book that could have been SOOOOO good too.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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