Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Abingdon Press (1976), Edition: Supplement, 987 pages
Description
Since its publication in 1962, The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible has established itself as an indispensable reference work. During these years, however, scholarly work in all areas of biblical knowledge has moved forward. The publishers of IDB, recognizing the need for keeping the work as nearly up-to-date as possible, decided in 1973 to prepare a supplementary volume that would make necessary additions to articles in areas where new knowledge had been gained and that would present new articles on topics not treated in the original four volumes. - Editor's preface.
User reviews
LibraryThing member waltzmn
Age cannot wither, and all that.
At the time this set was published, it was the best Bible dictionary available, and the fifth, supplemental, volume just made it better. That is perhaps no longer true, now that works such as the Anchor Bible Dictionary have been published -- but it is still a great
There are several types of articles in this compendium. Perhaps the most common are the biographical. Want to know who Ahimelech was? There is an entry. (Several, in fact, since there were several Ahimelechs.) The articles give the origin of the person's name (e.g. Ahimelech is assembled from the parts Ahi- and melech, "brother" and "king," so "My brother is king"). Then comes a short biography. And a list of references, which are usually complete for people who aren't mentioned too many times.
There are also historical and chronological entries, containing the best archaeological information available at the time of writing. And then there are broad entries -- topics such as "Christianity" or "Theology" or "Textual Criticism." These have to be somewhat limited to keep the publication within reasonable grounds, but they will often serve as a good starting point that will let the reader seek more detailed information.
The only caution about this set is that it is based on all sources, not just the Bible, so it often disagrees with those who believe in inerrancy. As long as you're willing to deal with all the data, this can be an incredibly useful reference, even today.
At the time this set was published, it was the best Bible dictionary available, and the fifth, supplemental, volume just made it better. That is perhaps no longer true, now that works such as the Anchor Bible Dictionary have been published -- but it is still a great
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work.There are several types of articles in this compendium. Perhaps the most common are the biographical. Want to know who Ahimelech was? There is an entry. (Several, in fact, since there were several Ahimelechs.) The articles give the origin of the person's name (e.g. Ahimelech is assembled from the parts Ahi- and melech, "brother" and "king," so "My brother is king"). Then comes a short biography. And a list of references, which are usually complete for people who aren't mentioned too many times.
There are also historical and chronological entries, containing the best archaeological information available at the time of writing. And then there are broad entries -- topics such as "Christianity" or "Theology" or "Textual Criticism." These have to be somewhat limited to keep the publication within reasonable grounds, but they will often serve as a good starting point that will let the reader seek more detailed information.
The only caution about this set is that it is based on all sources, not just the Bible, so it often disagrees with those who believe in inerrancy. As long as you're willing to deal with all the data, this can be an incredibly useful reference, even today.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
10.25 inches
ISBN
0687192692 / 9780687192694