Oxford Encyclopedias of the Bible – serie

The field of biblical studies is dynamic, with new discoveries, new methodologies, and new perspectives continually enhancing the interpretation of the Bible. There is thus a need for an up-to-date, comprehensive, authoritative, and balanced series of reference works for biblical scholars and students.The two-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible is the first in this series of specialized reference works, each addressing a specific subfield within biblical studies. The series aims to produce high-level scholarly reference works that are accessible and in-depth, going beyond the basics to provide more specialized coverage.Books of the Bible provides a single source for authoritative reference overviews of scholarship on some of the most important topics of study in the field of biblical studies. The Encyclopedia contains almost 150 in-depth entries, ranging in length from 500 to 10,000 words, on each of the canonical books of the Bible, major apocryphal books of the New and Old Testaments, important noncanonical texts, and thematic essays on topics such as canonicity, textual criticism, and translation.Books of the Bible has extensive cross-references to other useful points of interest within the Encyclopedia, and comprehensive lists of abbreviations and an index for ease of use. Illustrations of various types supplement the text and enhance its appeal. Bibliographies for all entries further add to its usefulness.

Researchers in the field of the Bible and gender studies currently reach in diverse directions for resources. Feminist studies of the Bible appear in journals, monographs, dictionaries, and commentary series. Queer studies are found primarily in essays and in single-volume Bible commentaries. To learn how the gender theory developed in other disciplines has been applied to biblical studies, one must turn to journals and monographs. No single reference work brings all of this information together in one place.The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies provides a comprehensive and in-depth synthesis of this currently compartmentalized subdiscipline. Organized by keywords, this volume makes the vocabulary, insights, and debates within the field easier for researchers to consult. It is unique in including entries related to theory alongside those related to key biblical texts and characters. The 'Bible' of its title includes Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish Bibles--covering Old Testament/Tanak, New Testament, and the deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha.