Zondervan Bible Background Commentaries: OT and NT and Zondervan Encyclopedia

My question is about the pictures and maps in these resources, if can I see them in Biblical Places and Biblical Things. Other thing, I own the IVP Background Commentaries OT and NT, and ISBE and Anchor Yale Dictionary. Do you think that I need these Zondervan resources? Thanks in advance for your answers.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Mark Smith

can I see them in Biblical Places and Biblical Things

Yes.

Do you think that I need these Zondervan resources?

No you don't. That isn't to say you might not like them. Zondervan's are heavy on illustrations which IVP lacks. However the notes from both cover virtually the same names and places and practices. I often feel IVP is better in what it says. That's pretty subjective, however. With IVP and two good dictionaries you are in good shape for background studies.

Felix Brito

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/316466#Comment_316466

Thank you Mark for your answer.

Mark Barnes

My question is about the pictures and maps in these resources, if can I see them in Biblical Places and Biblical Things. Other thing, I own the IVP Background Commentaries OT and NT, and ISBE and Anchor Yale Dictionary. Do you think that I need these Zondervan resources? Thanks in advance for your answers.

I really like the ZBBC, and they're a bit more detailed than the IVP ones and much better referenced. They probably don't have any additional information that AYBD and ISBE, but it's easier to find that information when you're studying a particular passage. Perhaps surprisingly, often their content doesn't overlap that much with IVPBC. The pictures are also great, and you do get them in Biblical Places/Things.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of IVPBC and ZBBC:

David Carter

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/316521#Comment_316521

I really like the ZBBC, and they're a bit more detailed than the IVP ones and much better referenced. They probably don't have any additional information that AYBD and ISBE, but it's easier to find that information when you're studying a particular passage. Perhaps surprisingly, often their content doesn't overlap that much with IVPBC. The pictures are also great, and you do get them in Biblical Places/Things.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of IVPBC and ZBBC:

Thank you for posting the comparison. I don't own either the IVPBC or ZBBC but for quite some time have been considering the IVPBC due mainly to the glowing reports it always gets here in the forums.

I must admit in the basis of this comparison I think I would benefit much more from the ZBBC, it does seem to be a little more down to earth and more aimed at the everyday layman than the IVPBC

Felix Brito

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/316552#Comment_316552

Mark, thank you for posting the comparison. I can see the difference in these two resources.

May be you or somebody else can help me in this, please:

I own Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, ISBE Revised, IVP Dictionaries and Zondervan Pictorial Bible Encyclopedia in the old Pradis. Do you think that I must buy the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, or what I already own is ok?

Thanks in advance for your answer.

Mark Barnes

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/316702#Comment_316702

I own Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, ISBE Revised, IVP Dictionaries and Zondervan Pictorial Bible Encyclopedia in the old Pradis. Do you think that I must buy the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, or what I already own is ok?

The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible is an updated version of the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Encyclopedia. I used to own Pictorial in print, but I've sold it so don't have a copy to hand for comparison. Here's an extract from the introduction to the ZEB so you can understand what the changes are:

Since its initial publication in 1975, the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible has provided a treasury of knowledge for anyone interested in the biblical text and the historical context of Scripture. With its breadth of coverage, detailed treatments, reverent approach to the text, and profuse illustrations, this work has met the needs of scholars, pastors, and serious students of the Bible for over three decades. The present revised edition seeks to preserve the original contributions as much as possible, while at the same time updating the material to serve a new generation.
Accordingly, hundreds of brief new articles have been added, making it easier for the user now to obtain quick information on a broad range of relevant topics, including Judaism (e.g, “Akiba, Rabbi”; “Mishnah”; “Tosefta”), the ANE (“Aleppo”; “Lagash”; “Parthians”), Greco-Roman culture (“Acropolis”; “Epictetus”; “Marcus Aurelius”), extrabiblical documents (“Adam, Testament of”; “Execration Texts”; “Shem, Treatise of”), early Christianity (“Epiphanius”; “Irenaeus”; “Nag Hammadi Library”), and assorted items (“amanuensis”; “linguistics”; “rhetorical criticism”).

Moreover, some twenty new in-depth articles have been commissioned, including “Apologetics” (William Edgar), “Cartography, Biblical” (Barry J. Beitzel), “Ebla” (Richard Hess), “Deuteronomistic History” (J. Alan Groves), “Ethics in the Old Testament” (Steve Voth), “Ethics of Paul” (Alexander Cheung), “God, Biblical Doctrine of” (John M. Frame), “Land, Theology of” (Carl G. Rasmussen), “Pseudonymity” (Stanley Porter), “Type, Typology” (Grant R. Osborne), “Union with Christ” (Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.), “Warrior, Divine” (Tremper Longman III), “Wars, Jewish” (J. Julius Scott, Jr.).

Various existing articles have been totally rewritten (e.g., “Greek Language,” “Septuagint”). Others have received substantive updating, such as “Archaeology” (Richard S. Hess), “Biblical Criticism” (Grant R. Osborne), “Dead Sea Scrolls” (Martin G. Abegg, Jr.), “Versions of the Bible, English” (Mark L. Strauss). All other articles have been carefully reviewed and, when necessary, corrected; frequently, new material has been added alerting the reader to developments in the field.

Special effort has been expended to make bibliographical references more current. Many hundreds of new titles have been included, with emphasis on publications from 1990 through 2005; works published in 2006 have been added less systematically. To aid the user in finding relevant material, thousands of new cross-references have been added (indicated with small caps; in the electronic version, these are hypertext links); a large proportion of them are new entries that guide the reader to the relevant article(s). Within the body of the articles, cross-references are normally marked only upon first mention.

The original edition of ZPEB was based primarily on the KJV and the RSV (with frequent reference to the ASV). Because of the historical significance and continued use of the KJV, some of the attention given to this translation has been preserved; for example, all of its distinct name forms (including those in the Apocrypha) still receive a separate entry, with a cross-reference to the form used in the NIV (or in the NRSV Apocrypha). On the other hand, articles that summarized the biblical data on the basis of renderings from the KJV (and RSV) have been rewritten. All biblical quotations, unless otherwise noted, come from the NIV (with selective references to changes in the TNIV, which appeared after most of the revisions had been completed). Frequently, however, alternate NRSV renderings are included; other translations, such as the NJPS, are referred to on a more selective basis. Quotations of the Apocrypha are taken from the NRSV.

Although scholars will continue to find the ZPEB a useful resource, this new edition seeks to make the material more accessible to a broad readership. Accordingly, the use of Hebrew and Greek script is, with few exceptions, reserved for the initial parenthetical information in articles dealing with names (see also below, “Proper Names”); elsewhere, standard transliteration is employed. (Users of the electronic version can choose to display either the foreign scripts or transliteration.) For the benefit of readers who are not proficient in the biblical languages, the Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbers are included with individual Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words. For several reasons (including constraints associated with the electronic version of this work), Hebrew verbs in their basic form are vocalized as qal perfect 3rd person masc. sg., even when that particular form is not attested. Thus, for example, the Hebrew verb meaning “to bless” is given in the unattested form בָּרַךְ H1385 (this verb normally occurs in the piel stem; in the qal, only the pass. ptc. is attested).

Instead of including at the end of each article a list of works cited, bibliographical information is whenever possible incorporated into the article itself at the appropriate points. Many entries, however, still include at the end a substantial list of titles (mainly in English), guiding the user to further reading. While these titles occasionally refer to articles in scholarly journals, the focus is on books that either survey the field broadly or offer in-depth treatment of selected topics. Because commentaries are a major source of information for most of the material covered in this work, articles dealing with books of the Bible include more extensive bibliographies, with emphasis on commentaries that treat the biblical text in the original languages.

A special effort has been made to bring about greater consistency among the articles. Some of this revision applies simply to matters of format (e.g., the use of a standard outline system within the articles). Content is also involved, however. For example, the brief descriptions of less significant persons and places now follow a regular pattern, making it easier to compare the material. Again, when articles appear to give discrepant information, the data have been double-checked to ensure that no factual error is involved; if the discrepancy reflects a difference of opinion, the user is often alerted to the alternative view.

Except in the case of articles that bear a new signature, all differences between the original and revised editions of this work are the responsibility of the revising editor. In many instances, the differences are substantial, yet insufficient to justify removing the name of the original contributor, and readers should not assume that the person whose name appears in the signature is fully responsible for the contents of the article. On the other hand, the revising editor, out of respect for the integrity of individual contributions, has retained many comments and opinions that were more persuasive thirty years ago than they are today. As a result, certain articles may come across as somewhat dated in their concerns or in their manner of expression, but most users of the encyclopedia will appreciate hearing the authentic voice of the contributors. Moreover, the new material that appears in these articles, including recent bibliographical titles, should adequately alert readers to changes in biblical scholarship during the past several decades.

Of course, there's an advantage of having things in Logos, rather than Pradis, but in terms of content at least, I would think you would have most of the bases covered with the dictionaries you already own. In your shoes, I would only consider buying ZEB if either (a) you think that you can never have enough Bible dictionaries, or (b) you want to start to move from Pradis to Logos and this is a logical step.

Felix Brito

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/316730#Comment_316730

Thank you Mark for your commentary. I was very helpful.

Felix Brito

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/316753#Comment_316753

Thank you Mark for your commentary. It was very helpful.