Author Description

This new work is an authoritative and accessible guide to the books of the Christian Bible. As well as providing helpful information about important places and personalities, the dictionary is particularly concerned to expound the themes and doctrines of the Bible and to indicate their status in the light of modern scholarship. The book is ideal for students of the Bible, whether at school, college, or in church or community study groups, or those who simply wish to improve their biblical knowledge. With over 2,000 entries, from Adam to Zechariah, it ranges from the earliest period to the beginning of the second century CE/AD. The entries cover the books of the Bible, people and places, customs, religions and worship, history, and theology. There are clear explanations of technical terms, methods of interpretation and critical analysis, as well as notes on leading biblical scholars and their contributions. In addition to maps, the appendices include tables of weights and measures and important dates in biblical history.. Full references are provided to the text of the Bible and W. R. F. Browning gives alternative views on current disputed and controversial issues, taking into account the work of both Christian scholars of all denominations and Jewish scholars. The wide scope of the dictionary allows entries from earthquakes and mice to allegory and the Dead Sea Scrolls, making this a lively and absorbing reference work for all readers of the Bible.