By Ray Van Neste | Associate Professor of Christian Studies, Director of the R.C. Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee
Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters, ed. Donald K. McKim (IVP, hb., 1106 pp.) is a revised and greatly expanded version of
Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters. The first 100 pages contain a history of biblical interpretation and the last approximately 900 pages contain an alphabetical listing of entries on major biblical interpreters in history. This is a valuable resource for preachers helping you to know the background and orientation of the authors on your shelf.
The
New International Bible Commentary has been updated under the title
Zondervan Bible Commentary: One-Volume Illustrated Edition (hb., 1685 pp). This will probably be a useful tool for the church library or for bible study leaders, but pastors will have all the information contained here in better commentaries they already possess.
Reformation Heritage Books has published an English translation of J. Douma and J. P. Tazelaar’s
Teacher’s Bible Commentary with one volume for the Old Testament (pb., 345 pp.) and one for the New Testament (pb., 456 pp). It is interesting that the New Testament volume is longer than the Old Testament volume, but the aim is to cover the scope of biblical history. The books are intended for teachers of youth and children though they can be useful more broadly in surveying both testaments.
LanguagesZondervan has just released its
Reader’s Hebrew Bible, a counterpart to the successful
Reader’s Greek New Testament. It is nicely done with footnoted glosses of all Hebrew words occurring 100 times or less, stem-specific glosses for verb forms and other features. For anyone working on their Hebrew (beginning or refreshing) this will be a very useful tool.
Hendrickson, steadily advancing their range of original language texts, has republished an edition of the
Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament. This is very interesting for the scholar, but probably only a curiosity for others.
Ken Berding has produced
Sing and Learn New Testament Greek (Zondervan; CD & booklet) which provides simplified paradigms to be sung to 11 tunes from common children’s songs and folk songs. The usefulness of this sort of tool depends on one’s learning style. I think this will be useful to a number of people.
