Books in Brief

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Several recently published handbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries offer fresh perspectives and plenty of helpful information for readers of the Bible. Here’s a selection of reference works from the editors of BR.

Who’s Who in the Bible

Peter Calvocoressi
(New York: Penguin, 2000) 200 pp. 70 color, 71 b-&-w illus., $19.95 (paperback)

The Bible presents a daunting cast of characters, numbering in the thousands. Peter Calvocoressi’s fairly straightforward directory contains biographies of more than 450 members of this cast. Since Calvocoressi does not mine the historical and archaeological record for additional details, the information for his biographies comes almost exclusively from scripture. Yet each entry is vivid and succinct—a deftly executed résumé of family history, personal experience and, where applicable, enduring claims to fame.

The book’s most interesting feature is Calvocoressi’s attempt to connect the biblical characters with the history of western art. For centuries, artists, composers and writers in the West have drawn inspiration from the deeds of the men and women whose stories are told in the Bible and the Apocrypha. Calvocoressi acknowledges the fruits of this inspiration by identifying key works in the visual, musical and literary arts that have brought these stories to life. This emphasis on the arts is further supplemented by the publishers, who have enhanced this new edition of Calvocoressi’s book by adding 141 illustrations not found in the 1988 original.

Dictionary of Biblical Imagery

Edited by Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit and Tremper Longman III
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998) 1,058 pp., $39.99 (hardback)

“Your hair,” we read in the Song of Songs, “is like a flock of goats moving down the slopes of Gilead” (Song of Songs 4:1). For anyone who has ever been intrigued, entertained or just plain puzzled by the figures of speech employed by the biblical writers, this single-volume dictionary will bring the literary qualities of the Bible into sharper focus.

The usefulness of a literary guide to such symbol- and simile-rich works as Psalms, the Song of Songs and the Book of Revelation is obvious. But the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery doesn’t stop with the obvious; it gives a summary of the literary characteristics of every book in the Bible, covering everything from the symbolism of cleanliness and fire in the Book of Leviticus to the rhetorical devices employed by Paul in his epistles.

Contributors to the volume also trace the major themes, metaphors, character types and plot motifs that recur across the range of biblical books. In bringing this material together, the editors hope to alert readers to literary merits often lost in translation and, as they put it in the preface, to “open up new avenues of reading and appreciating the Bible.”

Chronicle of the Old Testament Kings: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Ancient Israel

John Rogerson
(New York: Thames & Hudson, 1999) 208 pp., 100 color, 160 b-&-w illus., $34.95 (hardback)

The title of this handy, information-packed book is a little misleading. Contrary to expectations, the work does not begin with Israel’s first king, Saul; nor does it end with Judah’s last pre-exilic monarch, Zedekiah. Rather, John Rogerson’s chronicle spans roughly 1,500 years—from the time of the patriarchs down to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. And instead of applying the words “king” and “ruler” narrowly, Rogerson tells the story of the accomplishments, aims, policies and failures of each figure who rose to great authority in Israel during this millennium and a half—not only monarchs such as Solomon and Ahab, but also, for example, Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, the judges, Ezra, Nehemiah and Rome’s puppet kings.

To create his continuous, “reign-by-reign” account, Rogerson supplements the biblical record with archaeological evidence and extrabiblical references. His goal is to create a recognizably historical portrait of each leader within his or her actual social context. Obviously, this is easier to do with Herod than with Joseph, but Rogerson’s effort to interpret biblical narratives in light of archaeological and historical scholarship consistently enriches the reader’s understanding of the political challenges that faced ancient Israel’s leaders.

Numerous informative sidebars accompany the text, which is richly illustrated with photos and drawings of artifacts and works of art. Time lines, charts and maps further enhance the book’s value as a reference tool for readers interested in the social and political realities behind the narratives of scripture.

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible

Edited by David Noel Freedman
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000) 1,472 pp., $45.00 (hardback)

Several years ago, Eerdmans developed a plan to update and revise the 1987 edition of its Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. But under the guidance of biblical scholar David Noel Freedman, the project quickly assumed a more ambitious set of goals. 047The result is an entirely new reference work that accurately and comprehensively reflects the current state of biblical research.

Freedman has assembled an impressive list of nearly 600 contributors, each of whom writes on topics relevant to his or her area of expertise. Besides providing a summary of key factual data, the contributors (who represent a broad range of opinions) also attempt to provide a fair-minded overview of recent developments in their fields. As a result, the dictionary is not only a compendium of factual information about biblical persons, places, events and concepts; it’s also a window on the world of contemporary biblical scholarship.

The single-volume work contains approximately 5,000 entries, including articles that discuss the methods and terminology of archaeologists, sociologists, text critics and biblical theologians. Although the dictionary is only sparsely illustrated, the publishers do include a helpful selection of color maps. Those who wish to dig deeper into the topics will appreciate the brief bibliographies provided with many of the entries.

Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible

Edited by Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking and Pieter W. van der Horst
2nd Edition
(Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999) 998 pp., $120 (hardback)

Asherah, Baal Zebub, Dagon, Satan: Where do the names come from? And who are the deities—or demons—behind the names? In this expanded and thoroughly revised version of a dictionary first published in 1995, van der Toorn and his coeditors have assembled a comprehensive set of scholarly articles dealing with more than 400 divine names that appear in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocrypha and the Greek New Testament.

A typical entry offers a linguistic and etymological analysis of each name, then summarizes its religious and historical significance—both to the culture of origin and to the culture in which the biblical texts were written and passed down. Each entry also contains a list of relevant biblical passages and a bibliography of pertinent scholarly articles. The catalogue will be particularly useful to readers who seek a deeper understanding of the way the Israelites and early Christians interacted with the broader religious culture of their Mediterranean and Near Eastern context.

Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters

Edited by Donald K. McKim
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998) 643 pp., $29.99 (hardback)

The Bible influences each new generation in a fresh way. At the same time, each new generation brings a different set of interests and perspectives to bear upon its interpretation of the Bible. The contributors to this handbook escort the reader through nearly 1,900 (years of biblical interpretation by summarizing the key ideas of more than 100 major scholars and theologians. From Athanasius and Origen in the early Church to such 20th-century scholars as W.F. Albright and Phyllis Trible, each of the biblical interpreters included in this volume has shaped the doctrine and ministry of the Christian church by illuminating the ongoing relevance of scripture to the people of their time.

Editor Donald McKim has organized the book into six historical periods. Each section is introduced by a general essay, which relates the concerns and methods of these influential thinkers to the prevailing intellectual and cultural trends of their own day and age.

Several recently published handbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries offer fresh perspectives and plenty of helpful information for readers of the Bible. Here’s a selection of reference works from the editors of BR.

Who’s Who in the Bible