Bible Study Tools and Resources

Bibles Information on Bibles and Bible versions most useful for serious Bible study or casual reading, including notes on Study Bibles and various Bible study tools and resources. Selected Bibliography for the Search for the Historical Jesus A selected bibliography with links to purchase many of the books from Amazon.com. Bible Study Tools A reader's quick guide to resources to use in Bible study, including some suggestions no how to use them. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary Brief review. Includes links for several other Bible Dictionaries.

Escape from the Flames
Alden Thompson discusses inspiration with special emphasis on the case of Ellen White and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. While I am an ex-SDA with no particular desire to return to that church, I believe that Thompson has some things to say about inspiration that are relevant to the larger church.

Revelation: A Participatory Study Guide
Coming soon (within two weeks) from Energion Publications, this study guide by Henry Neufeld will add new zest to your Bible study as well as helping you to get new clarity from your study of Revelation. This is the second of our participatory study guides. Currently on pre-purchase.

To the Hebrews: A Participatory Study Guide
Coming soon (within two weeks) from Energion Publications, this study guide by Henry Neufeld will add new zest to your Bible study as well as helping you to get new clarity from your study of the book of Hebrews. This is the first of our participatory study guides. Currently on pre-purchase.

What's in a Version?
For years students have been collecting Henry Neufeld's handouts from his class on understanding Bible versions. Now these notes have been expanded and made available in book form. This book will help you make more intelligent and practical choices about which Bible translation you should use.

How to Study the Bible for Yourself
A very basic book on Bible reading and study. I have many complaints about this book, but the early chapters are excellent.

How to Study the Bible for All Its Worth (Fee & Stuart)
This is a conservative and evangelical standard on basics of Bible study. You'll find it's more comprehensive than LaHaye, but is much more than a basic guide. Those who want something deeper and more complex should look at Fee's New Testament Exegesis and Stuart's Old Testament Exegesis.

Handbook of Basic Bible Texts
This is a book that is simple in concept but extremely useful in practice. Bible texts are arranged by topic, including selections for differing views on some controversial topics.

Exegesis to Exposition: A Practical Guide to Using Biblical Hebrew
This is an excellent guide to Old Testament exegesis using Biblical Hebrew.

How to Read the Bible Book by Book
Fee and Stuart provide introductions, outlines and key points about each book of the bible.

Old Testament Exegesis
An excellent handbook on Old Testament exegesis, primarily designed for those who know Biblical Hebrew.

Authors

Marcus Borg
A listing of books which are not yet reviewed. Marcus Borg is a New Testament scholar heavily involved in historical Jesus research. He is a member of the Jesus Seminar.

Raymond E. Brown
Raymond Brown is a moderate Roman Catholic scholar.

D. A. Carson
Carson is a conservative scholar.

John Dominic Crossan
A listing of books which are not yet reviewed. John Dominic Crossan is the co-chair of the Jesus Seminar.

Luke Timothy Johnson
A listing of books which are not yet reviewed. Dr. Johnson is a professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

George Knight
A Seventh-day Adventist author and editor. Included here for The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier, which a number of folks have recommended to me. I have not yet had time to check it.

Robert H. Stein
Robert H. Stein is a conservative evangelical scholar who has done considerable research and writing on the historical figure of Jesus.

Alden Thompson
A selection of books by my undergraduate professor of Old Testament Studies. Dr. Thompson has some interesting and challenging insights on the Bible and Biblical inspiration.

David Wenham
David Wenham is a conservative scholar.

James R. White
James R. White is a Christian apologist and writer who has written on 'cult' issues and on the King James Version Only controversy.

Books

General Biblical Studies

These Things are Written: An introduction to the religious ideas of the Bible. by James M. Efird.
A general overview of ideas taught in the Bible. This is a good book to read after you have done some Bible reading and working with Biblical handbooks.

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origins of the Bible
Review of this collection of essays by Eugene Ulrich.

Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls
An excellent work by Lawrence Schiffman.

The Dead Sea Scrolls: Forty Years of Research
A collection of scholarly articles on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Requires knowledge of Biblical languages and a good acquaintance with various disciplines involved in scrolls research.

Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)

Exodus (Old Testament Library) by Brevard Childs.
Brevard Childs is an exceptional and well-known exegete. His key focus is canonical criticism which takes into account various source, redaction and tradition history information but combines it in an effort to get a better understanding of the text as it appears in its canonical form. Contrary to some popular opinion, his canonical criticism does not assume unity of authorship or a lack of sources; rather, it assumes that the final form of the book had an intended meaning, so that simply untangling the sources does not accomplish the job of the exegete. As a result, a pastor or teacher will find much more benefit from this commentary than from many critical commentaries. I strongly recommend this work. (See also Childs's commentary on Isaiah.)

The Book of Numbers (NICOT) by Timothy R. Ashley.
This commentary is a good evangelical commentary that covers critical issues. I'm reviewing it as representative of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament.

Anchor Bible: Leviticus (3 Volumes) by Dr. Jacob Milgrom.
A review of this excellent commentary on the book of Leviticus.

The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Think and Feels (Hinges of History, Vol. 2)
Review of the book by Thomas Cahill.

New Testament

Listening to the Spirit in the Text
Review of the book by Gordon D. Fee.

The First Epistle to the Corinthians from the New International Commentary on the New Testament.
Review of the book by Gordon D. Fee.

Revolution: The Story of the Early Church (30-47 A. D.)
Review of the book by Gene Edwards.

The Birth of Christianity
A very short review of this serious work by John Dominic Crossan.

The Original Jesus
Popular book on the life of Jesus and the search for the historical Jesus by Tom Wright. Wright is a conservative scholar.

Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ by Robert H. Stein
A strong conservative evangelical attempt to respond to historical Jesus scholarship. More conservative than Tom Wright; not your ordinary simple affirmation of faith.

Prayer

Intercessory Prayer
Subtitled How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth this book will provide some different and interesting reading for my more liberal readers! I think this is a good and challenging book on prayer, written with good humor and a fine spirit.