Library Reference Materials (Module II)

Introduction to the Library: Module I
Library Reference Materials: Module II
Library Non-Reference Materials: Module III
Library Research Strategies: Module IV

Navigate this page:
Bible Dictionaries
Bible Concordances
Encyclopedias
Bible Commentaries
Bible Lexicons
Bible Atlases

Reference materials

• Non-circulating materials used for research such as:
  - Dictionaries
  - Encyclopedias
  - Commentaries
  - Concordances, etc.
• They are only for library use.

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Bible Dictionaries

• Provide brief definitions and descriptions of biblical words.
  
  Examples:
  - Anchor Bible Dictionary
  - Dictionary of Bible and Religion
  - A Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation

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Bible Concordances

• Provides all biblical passages that contain a specific key word such as: woman, Jesus, gospel, leper, etc.
  
  Examples:
  - New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
  - The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

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Encyclopedias

• Provide an introduction to a topic and a general understanding of it.
  Can be field specific (Encyclopedia of World History), or general ( Encyclopedia Britannica).
• Field specific encyclopedias provide more in-depth and greater coverage of a topic.
  - Example:
  - New Catholic Encyclopedia

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Bible Commentaries

• Provide more in-depth "comments" on a specific biblical passage to give reader a greater understanding of its context and meaning.
• Are usually written by experts in the field of biblical studies.
• May cover a specific book of the Bible (1 or 2 volumes), or include the entire Bible (usually composed of several volumes).

Examples :
- Word Biblical Commentary
- New Century Bible Commentary

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Bible Lexicons

• Provide a list arranged alphabetically or in another systematic form of the words used in a biblical language, their definition, and their use in biblical times.
• Two common lexicons for biblical studies are the Greek and Hebrew.
• Greater in thoroughness than a dictionary.

Example:
- Greek & English Lexicon of the New Testament

Bible Atlases

• Provide a definition of territorial boundaries between different states, countries, and regions at specific times in biblical history.
• Regions included in Bible atlases are considered of particular importance to the understanding of the biblical history.
  
  Example:
  - Barrington Atlas of the Greek & Roman World

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