Black Dictionaries – serie

The Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its development follows the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters as the third in a celebrated series of reference works on the Bible. Picking up where the previous volumes left off, this volume includes in its scope the book of Acts, the general epistles of Peter, James, Jude and John, and the books of Hebrews and Revelation. This Dictionary is without peer in its in-depth coverage of the most neglected books of the New Testament.In addition to its coverage of this New Testament literature, a unique and valuable feature of this Dictionary is its extended coverage of developments in early Christianity through AD 150. Some articles, such as those on each of the apostolic fathers, focus exclusively on this postapostolic period. But nearly all topical articles take into consideration the writings of the apostolic fathers. Readers will enjoy a deeper and expanded understanding of how orthodox Christianity continued and developed in the years just following the New Testament era. No other single-volume reference work provides comparable coverage and assessment of the early patristic era and its theology.The Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its developments is a timely response to post-Enlightenment Christians who are seeking to rediscover their ancient roots in the soil of the first two centuries of the Christian era. And it lays the foundation for budding students of the New Testament who are now being challenged to expand their field of vision to include the broader crucible in which the Christian tradition developed.

The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters is a one-of-a-kind reference book. Featuring 208 articles written by numerous experts, it brings the very latest in Pauline scholarship and theology to students, teachers, ministers and laypeople in an accessible and easy to use layout.No other single volume reference work presents as much information focused exclusively on Pauline theology, literature, background and scholarship. This second edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters has been completely revised and updated, to ensure that it contains the very best and most recent developments in Pauline thought.With articles organized in alphabetical order, it is easy to browse through and find exactly what you need - whether you are a student, preacher or simply interested in better understanding Paul's writings. Part of the IVP Reference series, the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, Second Edition, is committed to the authority of Scripture, utilising the best of critical methods, and maintaining dialogue with contemporary scholarship and challenges facing the churchThose who have enjoyed and benefited from the first edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters will find this second edition an equally indispensable companion to study and research, while those who are new to the study of Pauline theology will find this an incomparable resource.

The 'Dictionary of New Testament Background' joins the 'Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels', the 'Dictionary of Paul and his Letters' and the 'Dictionary of the Later New Testament and its Developments' as the fourth in a landmark series of reference works on the Bible. In a time when our knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean world has grown, this volume sets out for readers the wealth of Jewish and Greco-Roman background that should inform our reading and understanding of the New Testament and early Christianity.'The Dictionary of New Testament Background', takes full advantage of the flourishing study of the Dead Sea Scrolls and offers individual articles focused on the most important scrolls. In addition, the Dictionary encompasses the fullness of second-temple Jewish writings, whether pseudepigraphic, rabbinic, parables, proverbs, histories or inscriptions. Articles abound on aspects of Jewish life and thought, including family, purity, liturgy and messianism. The full scope of Greco-Roman culture is displayed in articles ranging across language and rhetoric, literacy and book benefactors, travel and trade, intellectual movements and ideas, and ancient geographical perspectives.No other reference work presents so much in one place for students of the New Testament. Here an entire library of scholarship is made available in summary form. The Dictionary of New Testament Background can stand alone, or work in concert with one or more of its companion volumes in the series. Written by acknowledged experts in their fields, this wealth of knowledge of the New Testament era is carefully aimed at the needs of contemporary students of the New Testament. In addition, its full bibliographies and cross-references to other volumes in the series will make it the first book to reach for in any investigation of the New Testament in its ancient setting.

The 'Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books' is the second volume in IVP's Old Testament dictionary series. This volume picks up where the 'Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch' left off - with Joshua and Israel poised to enter the land - and carries us through the postexilic period. Following in the tradition of the four award-winning IVP dictionaries focused on the New Testament, this encyclopedic work is characterized by in-depth articles focused on key topics, many of them written by noted experts.The history of Israel forms the skeletal structure of the Old Testament. Understanding this history and the biblical books that trace it is essential to comprehending the Bible. The 'Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books' is the only reference book focused exclusively on these biblical books and the history of Israel.

The Old Testament books of wisdom and poetry carry themselves differently from those of the Pentateuch, the histories or the prophets. The divine voice does not peal from Sinai, there are no narratives carried along by prophetic interpretation nor are oracles declaimed by a prophet. Here Scripture often speaks in the words of human response to God and God's world. The hymns, laments and thanksgivings of Israel, the dirge of Lamentations, the questionings of Qohelet, the love poetry of the Song of Songs, the bold drama of Job and the proverbial wisdom of Israel all offer their textures to this great body of biblical literature. Then too there are the finely crafted stories of Ruth and Esther that narrate the silent providence of God in the course of Israelite and Jewish lives.This third Old Testament volume in IVP's celebrated "Black Dictionary" series offers nearly 150 articles covering all the important aspects of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Ruth and Esther. Over 90 contributors, many of them experts in this literature, have contributed to the 'Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry and Writings'. This volume maintains the quality of scholarship that students, scholars and pastors have come to expect from this series.Coverage of each biblical book includes an introduction to the book itself as well as separate articles on their ancient Near Eastern background and their history of interpretation. Additional articles amply explore the literary dimensions of Hebrew poetry and prose, including acrostic, ellipsis, inclusio, intertextuality, parallelism and rhyme. And there are well-rounded treatments of Israelite wisdom and wisdom literature, including wisdom poems, sources and theology. In addition, a wide range of interpretive approaches is canvassed in articles on hermeneutics, feminist interpretation, form criticism, historical criticism, rhetorical criticism and social-scientific approaches.The 'Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry and Writings' is sure to command shelf space within arm's reach of any student, teacher or preacher working in this portion of biblical literature.

The writings of the prophets make up over a quarter of the Old Testament. But perhaps no other portion of the Old Testament is more misunderstood by readers today.For some, prophecy conjures up knotted enigmas, opaque oracles and terrifying visions of the future. For others it raises expectations of a plotted-out future to be reconstructed from disparate texts. And yet the prophets have imprinted the language of faith and imagination with some of its most sublime visions of the future - nations streaming to Zion, a lion lying with a lamb, and endlessly fruiting trees on the banks of a flowing river.We might view the prophets as stage directors for Israel's unfolding drama of redemption. Drawing inspiration from past acts in that drama and invoking fresh words from its divine author, these prophets speak a language of sinewed poetry, their words and images arresting the ear and detonating in the mind. For when Yahweh roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem, the pastures of the shepherds dry up, the crest of Carmel withers, and the prophetic word buffets those selling the needy for a pair of sandals.The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets is the only reference book of its kind. Not only does it focus exclusively on the prophetic books; it also plumbs their imagery of mountains and wilderness, flora and fauna, temple and Zion. It maps and guides us through topics such as covenant and law, exile and deliverance, forgiveness and repentance, and the Day of the Lord. Here the nature of prophecy is searched out in its social, historical, literary and psychological dimensions as well as its synchronic spread of textual links and associations. And the formation of the prophetic books into their canonical collection, including the Book of the Twelve, is explored and weighed for its significance. Then too, contemporary approaches such as canonical criticism, conversation analysis, editorial/redaction criticism, feminist interpretation, literary approaches and rhetorical criticism are summed up and assayed. Even the afterlife of these great texts is explored in articles on the history of interpretation as well as on their impact in the New Testament.