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Dictionaries comparison


Guntis

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I sent you the NIDB/AYBD on Gospel of Mark... hop it helps you decided which is best for you.

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Thanks

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Ok. After reviewing all the information and reviews and what you guys have said here and on other threads, I have decided to go with the AYBD.

 

I think you guys are right and that it will be a good resource to not only go deeper but to understand different points of views to mine. What I noticed was that even in points that I may not agree with they are presented as what they are, alternative points of views.

 

For example, when the AYBD discussed the authorship of Mark briefly mentions of the author opinion that the author of Mark could have been a man or a woman. The NIDB mentions it in a more subtle way, more apropos. I prefer the way the AYBD does it.

 

The NIDB also look nice. But I think the AYBD will round of my dictionaries for the moment.

 

Thanks everyone.

Edited by davidmedina
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  • 7 months later...

Thanks Dan.

 

That clarified it for me. I am in the same boat as Guntis. I am budgeting for my next purchase and trying to decide priorities. I was concerned that the AYBD could be too academic for what I need and was looking at options, specially already having the ISBE and IVP dictionaries to round off a good set of multi volume dictionaries that would compliment what I already have. Specially for background information on history, places, people and things. It seems like the AYBD is the way to go as my first priority.

 

Thanks again.

 

Hi David,

since the AYBD and NIBD are on sale right now...

Do you still feel the AYBD was a good complement to the ISBE and IVP, after 6 months usage?

 

I own ISBE and IVP and I love both, and I use both.

So I wonder if AYBD stands as a good addictional dictionary for - as you put it - history, people, places

 

ps. I personally use and love the Hermeneia commentary set, because is complements so much my view and understanding of passages. I disagree often with its exposition of Hermeneia, but it let me see other people's view. I wonder if AYBD can do the same job for me, in the dictionaries area.

Edited by Serpentium
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Hi, Everyone!

 

Do remember that AYBD is the university standard in the field of biblical studies. Those that do not consult it, do so at their own peril. Though I am a conservative, I often find its articles informative and thought-provoking. Beware of reading only the authors with which you expect to agree, as the result is that you will be unable to engage with anyone "on the other side of the [academic] tracks," so to speak.

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Totally agree with Dr. J.

 

I would say that in my experience so far, the AYBD perfectly round of the ISBE and IVP, specially if you want to go deeper and see other points of views. My favorite still the ISBE but I do use AYBD often. Although the language in the AYBD can be at times heavy and very academic for my particular needs, I am glad I got it.

Edited by davidmedina
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Hi, Everyone!

 

Do remember that AYBD is the university standard in the field of biblical studies. Those that do not consult it, do so at their own peril. Though I am a conservative, I often find its articles informative and thought-provoking. Beware of reading only the authors with which you expect to agree, as the result is that you will be unable to engage with anyone "on the other side of the [academic] tracks," so to speak.

 

+1

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Anchor is likely going to remain my top choice for a long time because of the depth you find there... I have had discussions where people call it dated and NIDB is the only option for an up to date Dictionary. To me this is BULL. It is very true knowledge has increased and opinion have changed, but not that significantly in the past 2 decades. I remember when I was 19 I remember asking my pastor about commentaries. His only commentaries were Barclay's Daily study Bible and the original Interpreter's Bible. When I asked if found it dated. His response was something to the effect, the Bible hasn't changed much in the last 2000 years, I don't think he has changed much in the last 40 years. Despite his recommending of the IB I went with the Expositor's Bible Commentary because it was newer and more in line with my views at the time (ironically the pastor was exceptionally conservative). I have the IB in other software and find it valuable to reference, but for me NIB has so much more depth and is better composed. I am a fan of Abingdon's New Interpreter's series but to me their dictionary, nice as it is, seems a distant second place to Anchor. If you can afford it to supplement Anchor it is a good choice if for no reason than using NIDB as a go to dictionary and jumping to Anchor when you need more depth, but Anchor for me is essential. NIDB is likely only going to be an ideal choice if you want a concise view (some people do not want to be "overwhelmed" and want a certain level of brevity. If this is you NIDB is a fine choice, but you have chosen a green salad above a hardy stew in my mind. Either can make a meal both are nutritious, a good meal may have both and in the end it may all be about your personal tastes.

 

-Dan

Edited by Dan Francis
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Dan,

 

Have you used the Zondervan Multi-volume Bible Dictionary? If so how does it compare with the Anchor and NIBD.

 

I will probably go Anchor, as studying. Just wanted an idea how they compare.

 

Thanks

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I do not have the new edition but i have the original. I was not impressed with it at all. but I am sure it has it's fans too.

 

-Dan

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I believe that Dan is correct. Anchor is certainly the best Bible Dictionary available in English in terms of up- to- date academic scholarship.

Edited by Gordon
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Thanks Gordon,

 

Went to my library on campus and compared them. Will go with Anchor

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  • 4 years later...

Hi Daniel,

Does NIBD have anything on Trinity? I was somewhat surprised that Anchor doesn't. (I finally bought Anchor Bible Dictionary a few days ago, on sale). Although I understand that the Trinity isn't mentioned in the Bible, so this could be just a nice bonus. What about NIBD?

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Yes, but not much. (See below.) I'm not surprised ABD doesn't

 

TRINITY.  The NT speaks about God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19). By the 2nd cent. CE, this formulation was used in baptism, and the first summaries of Christian faith were baptismal creeds (see CREED). Because of its importance, the Trinity soon became a focus of controversy. To avoid “tritheism,” some early thinkers emphasized God’s unity, asserting that Father, Son, and Spirit are merely names for different modes of activity by one and the same God, first in creation, then in redemption, then in sanctification. Others, concerned to maintain the difference of persons, were puzzled by biblical passages that sometimes implied that the Son or Word was inferior to the Father, while other passages implied equality.
    The Council of Nicea (325 CE) declared that the Son is of the same essence as the Father, and some decades later it was agreed (by theologians, not councils) that God is one essence in three equal persons, mutually related. A new dispute then emerged: Does the Spirit proceed from the Father alone (John 15:26) or also from the Son? The East held to the former view, the West to the latter. The controversy hinged on the Lat. word filioque (“and the Son”), which was later added to the Nicene Creed. This remains a major point of controversy between East and West even today.
    The Protestant Reformers retained the doctrine of the Trinity, but other Protestants concluded that the doctrine was not scriptural. They became an organized movement chiefly among the Socinians on the Continent and the Unitarians in England and the United States. During the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on what can be known about God through reason, the doctrine of the Trinity was widely ignored. G. W. F. Hegel’s speculative system revived the Christian doctrines of Trinity and incarnation, and this has influenced many theologians up to the present.

    Bibliography:  G. W. F. Hegel. Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion: The Lectures of 1827 (1988); Peter C. Hodgson. Hegel and Christian Theology: A Reading of the Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion (2005).

EUGENE TESELLE
Vanderbilt Divinity School (Emeritus), Nashville, TN

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I use the oxford dictionary of the christian church which unfortunately is an oup publication so not well represented in accordance.

 

http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192802903.001.0001/acref-9780192802903

 

This is an image from the concise version, the full version is much larger but is over a page turn.

post-31185-0-16000500-1538491217_thumb.jpeg

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I'd try the New Dictionary of Theology by IVP (or even their pocket theological dictionary). I suspect you have one or both in your library.

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  • 1 year later...

Pardon me for resurrecting this topic...

 

For a layperson like me whose into casual reading of the Bible, I'm undecided over the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary vs the IVP New Bible Dictionary. Which of these one-volume dictionaries are more in-depth...? This question never actually came to me because I was looking at the IVPBBC on sale and was wondering if I should invest more to get the IVP Foundations that also includes the New Bible Dictionary, though I was thinking of future investment on the Holman instead.

 

For a start, I've already gotten the Starter Collection that includes Eerdmans and the current availability of single volume ISBE for free (but too much to digest for my liking..?). Somehow there's a thirst for more but not too overwhelming on the ISBE.

 

Appreciate any input. Thanks.

 

Ethan

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Pardon me for resurrecting this topic...

 

For a layperson like me whose into casual reading of the Bible, I'm undecided over the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary vs the IVP New Bible Dictionary. Which of these one-volume dictionaries are more in-depth...? This question never actually came to me because I was looking at the IVPBBC on sale and was wondering if I should invest more to get the IVP Foundations that also includes the New Bible Dictionary, though I was thinking of future investment on the Holman instead.

 

For a start, I've already gotten the Starter Collection that includes Eerdmans and the current availability of single volume ISBE for free (but too much to digest for my liking..?). Somehow there's a thirst for more but not too overwhelming on the ISBE.

 

Appreciate any input. Thanks.

 

Ethan

hi Ethan, as someone who has access to it all thanks to my employment, I constantly use the NBD, and have done all my ministry life. It is a superb work, with solid scholarship and is not too complex.  It simply works. I recommend all my congregations buy an NBD. Essential tool. The Holman I have less experience of, but it would be solid and has illustrations. I use images often in preaching, but cannot recall ever using one from HIBD.  That doesn’t mean they aren’t good, just that I have a large collection of ones I think are better.  

 

So in summary, I don’t think you would ever regret buying the NBD. It is, and remains, my most used non-commentary/lexicon work. 

Edited by Ken Simpson
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Btw, I highly recommend the IVP background commentaries and they're a steal at their current sale price. 

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