LibGuides: REL 244: Creation & the Bible: Bible Dictionaries

Featured Works

Women in Scripture
Call Number: Ref BS575 .W593 2000
ISBN: 0395709369
The Anchor Bible Dictionary
Call Number: Ref BS440 .A54 1992 v. 1-6
ISBN: 0385193602
Harpercollins Bible Dictionary
Call Number: Ref BS440 .H235 2011
ISBN: 9780061469060
Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period
Call Number: Ref BM50 .D525 1996 v. 1-2
ISBN: 0028972929

Bible Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias provide background information on biblical events, geographical places, people, and theological concepts. The articles found in these sources summarize relevant biblical texts and provide an overview of current research. These sources often contain lists of works cited that point you toward other reputable scholarship on your passage.

Multiple Volume Works

Anchor Bible Dictionary - Ref BS 440 .A54 (6 vol)
This definitive and current work covers not only names, places, and events of the Bible, but also includes cultural history, social institutions, archeological sites, and other topics of particular interest to Biblical scholars today.
Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) – Ref BR 440 .E46 2009
A comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. It also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.
New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible - Ref BS 440 .N445 2006
A solid five-volume alphabetical set offering short scholarly articles on topics, people, and parts of the bible.
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible - Ref BS440 .O93 2011
This 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.

One Volume Works

HarperCollins Bible Dictionary - Ref BS 440 .H235 2011
More than four thousand entries present information on the Old Testament, Apocrypha, and New Testament.
Oxford Companion to the Bible - Ref BS 440 .M434 1993
A handy reference volume for key people, places, events, concepts, institutions, and circumstances of biblical times.
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible - Ref. BS440 .E44 2000
Women in Scripture : a Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, and the New Testament - Ref BS575 .W593 2000

Ancient Near East and Jewish Sources

Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period - Ref BM 50 .D525 1996 (2 vols.)
Brief entries provide overviews of topics related to the era when the sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity were formulated, from about 450 B.C.E. - 600 C.E.
Civilizations of the Ancient Near East - Ref DS57 C.547 2000
Essays on the culture and history of Egypt, Syro-Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia. Includes some coverage of the Arabian peninsula, northeast Africa, and Aegean and Anatolian cultures. Provides excellent background papers on culture and society, with extensive bibliographies.
Encyclopaedia Judaica - Ref DS 102.8 .E496 2007
An excellent source for information on the Jewish people and religion, offering scholarly and in-depth articles, recently updated to include current research on historical and contemporary topics.