Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools

Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools: Greek NT Eclectic Texts

Kirk E. Miller

This post is a re-blog of my post at Rolfing Unshelved.

This post is part of a series entitled Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools. This series seeks to provide one with an introduction to some key Biblical and theological reference tools. In this series one will find basic explanations, significant examples, and other information about these reference tools.

Basic Description of Greek NT Eclectic Texts

The main Greek New Testament texts used in New Testament studies are eclectic. That is, their ‘finalized’ forms are compositions of various readings from a variety of manuscripts as opposed to being equivalent to one complete New Testament manuscript. Because the texts of various manuscripts differ at points (these differences are known as ‘varients’), methods are used to conclude which reading is most likely the original one. (This process of determining the most likely reading is known as ‘text criticism’).

Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS)

Kirk E. Miller

This post is a re-blog of my post at Rolfing Unshelved.

This post is part of a series entitled Key Bible and Theological Reference Tools. This series seeks to provide one with an introduction to some key Biblical and theological reference tools. In this series one will find basic explanations, significant examples, and other information about these reference tools.

Basic Description of BHS

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) (BS 715 1990) is an edition of the Masoretic Hebrew Old Testament text. It is based on the Lenigrad Codex B19A (the oldest known manuscript of the complete Hebrew Bible), includes a textual apparatus (provides information relevant for textual criticism), and is the most widely used scholarly text of the Hebrew Old Testament.

Best Commentaries

Kirk E. Miller

The following was originally composed for publication at Rolfing Library. I have added here a brief note of introduction.

Introductory notes:

  • The following list of commentaries was composed using a variety of reliable sources. Therefore, this final product is the result of a collaboration of various reliable opinions. I have only interacted with a small percentage of these commentaries. My opinion and experience is a factor at times. But for the most part, I relied on the opinion of others.
  • I composed the following list for my reference job at Trinity International University’s (of which Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is a part) Rolfing Memorial Library. In other words, this list was created for academic use. Priority was given to commentaries which are more technical in nature. Although I am an evangelical, priority was not necessarily awarded based on evangelical conclusions. Quality commentaries of more liberal bent are also included. In light of these two realities, the nature of this list will best serve students and pastors. Nonetheless, a variety of commentary types were included (e.g., critical, technical, pastoral, devotional, etc.). Less technical, more devotional commentaries were included when they received significantly high reviews.
  • I attempted to provide 4-6 commentaries per book. Variation exists due to how many ‘stand out’ commentaries exist per book. Deviation from this 4-6 amount norm occurs with the inclusion of commentaries that only cover certain portions of a biblical book (e.g., see the commentaries listed under “Psalms”).
  • Library of Congress call numbers (e.g., BS1235.3 .W46x v.1 1987) are included since I made this list for library use. I have decided not to take the time to remove them.
  • This list was completed on 7.17.2014. Commentaries published after this date were not considered in the formation of this list.

OLD TESTAMENT

Pentateuch

Genesis
  • Wenham, Gordon J. Genesis 1-15 and Genesis 16-50. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco: Word Books, 1987 and 1994. (BS1235.3 .W46x v.1 1987 and BS1235.3 .W462x v.2 1994)
  • Hamilton, Victor P. The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17 and The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18-50.The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990 and 1995. (BS1235.3 .H32 1990 and BS1235.3 .H323 1995)
  • Westermann, Claus. Genesis 1-11, Genesis 12-36, and Genesis 37-50. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984-1986. (BS1235.3 .W4413 1984, BS1235.3 .W44313 1985, and BS1235.3 .W3713 1986)
  • Mathews, Kenneth. Genesis 1- 11:26 and Genesis 11:27-50:26. American Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 1996 and 2005. (BS1235.3 .M37 1995)
  • Waltke, Bruce K. Genesis: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001. (BS1235.53 .W34x 2001)

Continue reading →