Subjects: Theological Studies, Classics and Archaeology, Biblical Studies
Description: Background Information database containing full text. Mainly focused on ancient Israel (Palestine) and related parts of the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean region. Definitions and scholarly overviews related to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and New Testament. Multiple Bible translations (NRSV, NAB, JPS, etc.), concordances (NRSV, NAB), and a few commentaries.
Contents: Book Chapters; Primary Sources; Primary texts in translation; Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Handbooks More info
Addresses a range of traditions, including iconographic, martyrological, ecclesiastical, and Christological traditions, as well as cultic phenomena, such as the veneration of saints. The history of the transmission of texts and the attention to recent scholarship will play an important role. The BEEC focuses on early Christianity from a historical perspective in order to uncover the lasting legacy of the authors and texts until the present day. Its content is intended to bridge the gap between the fields of New Testament studies and patristics, covering the whole period of early Christianity up to 600 CE.
Entries summarize contemporary scholarship on a comprehensive range of topics from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Apocrypha, and from contextual studies of the ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman worlds and their literatures. Over 8,000 entries by 900 scholars.
In-depth discussions of key Hebrew and Aramaic words in the Hebrew Bible, focusing on word origin and use and on their theological significance in biblical texts. (Hebrew and Aramaic words are transliterated.)
In-depth discussions of key Greek words in the New Testament, focusing on word origin and use and on their theological significance in biblical texts. NOTE: Headwords are in Greek script (not transliterated).
Use this link to search for commentaries by using the Library of Congress subject term (Bible Commentaries).
Narrow the search by adding:
(1) the name of a book of the Bible as a subject AND/OR
(2) a group of people, region of the world, or method you want to focus on as a keyword (examples: women, African, rhetorical analysis).
In this new fully revised edition the entire content of the commentary has been revised to bring it up to date with the very latest scholarship, featuring the leading Catholic scholars of our day. Whilst based on the historical critical method of Biblical study, the contributors draw in a range of more modern approaches to the biblical texts.
Core Commentary Series in Print
Below are some standard commentary series that can serve as good starting points for your research.
Call Number: various (Main stacks, basement storage, & electronic)
Publication Date: 1900s-
T&T Clark International's long-running series accessible to those without Greek and Hebrew language skills. Detailed analyses of archaeological, historical, hermeneutical, and theological questions relating to the text.
Academic biblical commentary series geared toward religious leaders and educators. Cover essential historical, sociocultural, literary, and theological issues. Includes application and theological reflection sections.