Bible Study Tools: Recommended Resources Rather than assigning a specific textbook (which you will use for Bible Journey and then donate to the rummage sale), this course is encouraging you to build your own library of resources (print or digital) that you will continue to use whenever you read the Bible. It is suggested especially that you invest in a good study Bible or a resource that similarly provides an introduction to and overview of each book of the Bible. Study Bibles A good study Bible will include an introduction to each book that addresses authorship, date, audience, historical context, genre, content, and similar issues. It will also include study notes for most verses or units to give helpful linguistic, cultural, biblical, or other relevant information to help the reader better understand the text. Some study Bibles also include sidebars or additional articles to provide deeper understanding of specific topics. NIV (or NRSV) Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, ed. John Walton and Craig Keener (Zondervan, 2016). Angle: Moderately conservative. Strengths: Focuses on archaeology and the cultural background, giving insights otherwise difficult for a modern reader to know. Also includes articles, images, maps, and a concordance. Other info: The introductions are briefer than in other study Bibles. The NIV text is the 2011 NIV, which is an update from the 1984 NIV and uses more gender-inclusive language. This study Bible also has recently been published in an NRSV version, which is the translation used at St. Matthew. The CEB Study Bible, ed. Joel Green (2013). Angle: Mainline. Strengths: Good introductions and study notes that are from various denominations and attempt to present a range of views. Includes some visuals. Other info: The CEB (Common English Bible) is a recent translation, intended to be read in mainline churches. In an attempt to be understandable in modern English, it has some quirky or less-familiar readings. This study Bible is recommended for its study materials, not for its base translation. It is suggested that you read this alongside another translation. The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, ed. Walter Harrelson (2003). Angle: Mainline; multiple traditions. Strengths: Good introductions and study notes, with sidebars. Attempts to present a range of views. Other info: Uses the NRSV translation, the version used at St. Matthew. Includes the Apocrypha (part of Catholic Bibles, but not Protestant). Has some overlap in study content with the CEB Study Bible, but the two are not identical. This Bible has a slightly more scholarly feel of the two and lacks the visuals. Book-by-Book Introductions This kind of introduction or overview is like a collection of the introductions to each book of the Bible that you would find in a good study Bible (addressing authorship, date, audience, historical context, genre, content, and similar issues). In that sense, it makes a good supplement to a regular Bible, especially if you do not have a study Bible. Similar resources can be found both in print and online. Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book (Zondervan, 2002). Angle: Moderately conservative. Strengths: For each book of the Bible, it provides background information, an overview, and advice for reading the book; similar to a collection of Cliff’s Notes. Other info: Written as a companion to their popular book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, which addresses each genre in the Bible and focuses on interpretation. Diane Jacobson and Robert Kysar, A Beginner’s Guide to the Books of the Bible (Augsburg, 1991). Angle: Lutheran (ELCA). Strengths: Provides a brief introduction to each book of the Bible, addressing background and content. Other info: This doesn’t provide much more than a good study Bible, and in some ways less. Similar information can be found online. 1 Enter the Bible (https://www.enterthebible.org/). Angle: Lutheran (ELCA). Strengths: Provides background information, overview, and outline for each book of the Bible, as well as some articles and videos on specific topics. Other info: Written by professors at Luther Seminary. Format is not phone friendly, but increase in size for better viewing. NIV Study Bible (https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/). Angle: Moderately conservative. Strengths: Provides introductions to sections and books of the Bible, from the NIV Study Bible. The Bible Project (https://thebibleproject.com/). Angle: Moderately conservative. Strengths: For people who are more visual, this provides a video and poster giving an overview of each book of the Bible. There are also videos and podcasts on specific themes and passages. Other info: Made locally in Portland. The project is funded through crowd funding, so some videos include an advertisement at the end. Bible Handbooks A Bible handbook is similar to the study materials found in a study Bible, but in one volume and without the biblical text. A good handbook will include valuable information for each book of the Bible as well as additional sidebars and articles on specific topics. Like study Bibles, handbooks can tend to be very heavy books, so they are better as reference works that you consult at home. Commentaries If you have moved past an introductory level for a given book of the Bible and want to dig deeper than you can go with the notes in a study Bible, you should consult a commentary. There are endless commentaries available on every book of the Bible. There are some in St. Matthew’s library, as well as in the public libraries and in local religious or university libraries (which you usually must use in the library rather than being able to check out). There are also some one-volume commentaries available, which include the entire Bible in one volume; these are necessarily less detailed and are similar to the content of a study Bible, although sometimes more cohesive and linear. Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Concordances, and Other Reference Books With the advent of the internet, it is less important for readers to own a copy of dictionaries and similar reference works, since so much information is available online. For the average reader, the content available online is sufficient for reading and understanding the Bible. For the more advanced reader or teacher, however, it is helpful to have access to the best and most recent resources, which are often not available for free online. See the list of online resources for more information. A general overview: • Bible dictionaries typically do more than simply define words; they are similar to encyclopedias by including full articles on different topics, sometimes with bibliography or discussions of most occurrences of the term in the Bible. • Bible encyclopedias are therefore similar to dictionaries but often include more extensive articles, sometimes more selectively, on fewer topics than a dictionary. • Concordances list out the occurrences of a given word in the Bible, but the same can be accomplished for English Bibles by doing a word search at a Bible website. Thus, concordances are most valuable when they are based on the Hebrew and Greek, such as Strong’s Concordance (available at Blue Letter Bible and Logos websites/apps). • Another helpful resource for reading the Bible is a text on interpretation that discusses how to read the Bible or different ways of interpreting it. (How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart is a standard text on genre and interpretation.) • Textbooks can also function similar to a Bible handbook by providing a basic overview of different books or parts of the Bible. 2 Electronic and Digital Bible Versions and Resources About Free Online Resources An important thing to know about Bible commentaries, dictionaries, and so forth that you can find for free online is that these typically are rather old, and out of date in the sense that newer research and scholarship has brought newer insights into the biblical text. Because of copyrights, only books in the public domain (that is, published prior to a certain date) can be offered for free. (In some instances, however, publishers have made newer resources available for free, such as the IVP NT Commentary at Bible Gateway [https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/ivp-nt/toc/], the NIV Study Bible at Biblica [https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/], or the Faithlife Study Bible through Faithlife [https://bible.faithlife.com].) There are many, many resources available for the Bible, from over 2000 years of study, so be discerning, and be gracious when you disagree with their point of view. If you encounter a resource or teacher with whom you are unfamiliar, it is helpful to do an online search and find out some background information. Bible Websites These websites, similar to the apps, provide Bible translations along with other study resources. (For study resources alone, see information under “Book-by-Book Introductions.”) Site Bible Versions Study Resources Other Bible Gateway Includes most of the recent Limited resources available for Recommended; also has an English translations (and older free through Bible Gateway Plus; app ones), as well as a number of several study Bibles available foreign languages; also audio through paid version Blue Letter Bible Several recent (and older) This is a good site for Greek and Resources lean conservative; versions and translations in Hebrew word studies; other also has an app other languages resources are dated Bible Study Tools Many recent (and older) Study resources are dated, but Advertises articles on versions and translations in this site allows for easily parallel Christian topics, and some other languages comparison between versions lean conservative Bible Software If you’re likely to invest in the best Bible texts and study resources, but you prefer to have them on your computer rather than on a bookshelf, then Bible software programs can allow you to purchase major reference works on the Bible and theology in digital format.