kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Hello all, I was looking into getting a good dictionary that would be a worthwhile investment. I've done a little research and seem to find that these three are mentioned quite a bit. Now I do have the 1915 ISBE, and IVP dictionaries that come with the Ultimate package. What are peoples thoughts on this? Or would it be better to get something like the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentaries for OT/NT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Anchor is pretty thorough. The best option would depend on what you're looking to use it for... academic research, teaching, preaching, personal study, etc.? The IVP ones you have are already pretty good--is there a gap (in terms of area of interest) that you see them not covering? Is theological/denominational perspective a consideration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Abram, first, thank you for the timely reply! Secondly, I would be using it for almost all the things you listed. (academic research, teaching, preaching, personal study) I don't know if I can name you a specific gap, I'm just looking for a resource(s) that would help me out in these areas, I guess you could say. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I don't think you can go wrong with Anchor--a nice addition to the library, and covers just about anything (in one place) you can think of from A to Z. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Thanks, do you have any familiarity with the ZIBBCOT/NT? If so, how do you like it, how often do you use it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Francis Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Dictionaries comparison Is a good look and discussion on some options. -dan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abram K-J Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I use the ZIBBCOT/NT almost every week--I'm a big fan of it. Great visuals, and solid (and interesting) verse-by-verse comment. It is, of course, a commentary, so pretty different from Anchor in that sense, which is an entry-based dictionary. Way more visuals in ZIBBCOT/NT, too, which are of high quality. It's a great resource. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Dictionaries comparison Is a good look and discussion on some options. -dan Thanks Dan! I will check it out. I use the ZIBBCOT/NT almost every week--I'm a big fan of it. Great visuals, and solid (and interesting) verse-by-verse comment. It is, of course, a commentary, so pretty different from Anchor in that sense, which is an entry-based dictionary. Way more visuals in ZIBBCOT/NT, too, which are of high quality. It's a great resource. Thanks again Abram! I guess I shouldn't try and compare the two, I'm just trying to find resources that will give more background on the text. So you would choose AYBD over ISBE Revised or any other dictionary for that matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Λύχνις Δαν Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Hey Keith, I have both AYBD and ZIBBCOT/NT. I don't use them all the time, but I don't use my hardcover Oxford English Dictionary a lot either. But I like to have them around for looking up things other resources either don't treat or don't treat very extensively. If you like to or need to do research AYBD is great because of the extensive references. Anything you really want to study in depth will probably require referring to works beyond these and you'll appreciate having a place to start. ZIBB* contains endnotes and for example for Mark they number over 300 plus side bar notes. Many list scriptural references but there are plenty of references to other works also. But the two are differently organized. ZIBB* is organized by books and verses. AYBD is a dictionary organized alphabetically by subject. I rather prefer it. It is the more academic of the two of course. But it is nice to be able to look up a topic and read an article on it which draws a lot together in one place. It was really hard to get a feel for these works without seeing them. I eventually went to a library and looked up a few things in ZIBB* and found it good. I bought AYBD more on the strength of it's reputation and what people said about it. Not disappointed. I also have the IVP dictionaries. Man ! Time to stop buying stuff. Ooops, don't tell anyone here I said that Thx D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Hey Keith, I have both AYBD and ZIBBCOT/NT. I don't use them all the time, but I don't use my hardcover Oxford English Dictionary a lot either. But I like to have them around for looking up things other resources either don't treat or don't treat very extensively. If you like to or need to do research AYBD is great because of the extensive references. Anything you really want to study in depth will probably require referring to works beyond these and you'll appreciate having a place to start. ZIBB* contains endnotes and for example for Mark they number over 300 plus side bar notes. Many list scriptural references but there are plenty of references to other works also. But the two are differently organized. ZIBB* is organized by books and verses. AYBD is a dictionary organized alphabetically by subject. I rather prefer it. It is the more academic of the two of course. But it is nice to be able to look up a topic and read an article on it which draws a lot together in one place. It was really hard to get a feel for these works without seeing them. I eventually went to a library and looked up a few things in ZIBB* and found it good. I bought AYBD more on the strength of it's reputation and what people said about it. Not disappointed. I also have the IVP dictionaries. Man ! Time to stop buying stuff. Ooops, don't tell anyone here I said that Thx D Thanks for the input Daniel! I appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Cardona Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 I don't think you can go wrong with Anchor--a nice addition to the library, and covers just about anything (in one place) you can think of from A to Z. I agree with Abram. AYBD along with the IVP dictionaries will put you at a very good place for research. ZIBBCOT/NT will be of great help in sermon preparation (especially if you do not have a lot of time to invest during your preparation in directly consulting many of the primary sources and want a good summary of background information at your fingertips). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 I agree with Abram. AYBD along with the IVP dictionaries will put you at a very good place for research. ZIBBCOT/NT will be of great help in sermon preparation (especially if you do not have a lot of time to invest during your preparation in directly consulting many of the primary sources and want a good summary of background information at your fingertips). Thanks! I appreciate your time to give some feedback! It seems most people like Anchor best. Also a lot seem to really enjoy ZIBBCOT/NT too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Cardona Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Thanks! I appreciate your time to give some feedback! It seems most people like Anchor best. Also a lot seem to really enjoy ZIBBCOT/NT too! You're very welcome! AYBD is scholarly (I must add, it is of a different persuasion than IVP dictionaries). Another resource similar to ZIBBCOT/NT, but less comprehensive is IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT and NT). Other interesting volumes are in the Socio-rhetorical commentary series (for example, Craig Keener on Matthew, Ben Witherington III on Acts). Craig Keener also have others not part of that series, but focuses on backgrounds as well, on John (2 vols.) and Acts (4 vols.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 You're very welcome! AYBD is scholarly (I must add, it is of a different persuasion than IVP dictionaries). Another resource similar to ZIBBCOT/NT, but less comprehensive is IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT and NT). Other interesting volumes are in the Socio-rhetorical commentary series (for example, Craig Keener on Matthew, Ben Witherington III on Acts). Craig Keener also have others not part of that series, but focuses on backgrounds as well, on John (2 vols.) and Acts (4 vols.). Good to know! I do have the IVP Background commentary, but I have heard ZIBBCOT/NT is much more in depth. Also, by chance have you used the ISBE Revised or any other bible dictionary for that matter that you like as well as the Anchor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Cardona Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 For research purposes, I start with IVP dictionaries and move up to AYBD. If I want something more manageable, I start with ISBE Revised then move to either IVP or AYBD, depending on the topic I am researching. If I want something that highlights some of the more important things, and not get lost in all the unnecessary detail that I do not need at the moment (so I can focus and not get carried away to something else not even related to what I am studying, but interesting nonetheless), I would go for Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible or some one-volume dictionaries. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 For research purposes, I start with IVP dictionaries and move up to AYBD. If I want something more manageable, I start with ISBE Revised then move to either IVP or AYBD, depending on the topic I am researching. If I want something that highlights some of the more important things, and not get lost in all the unnecessary detail that I do not need at the moment (so I can focus and not get carried away to something else not even related to what I am studying, but interesting nonetheless), I would go for Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible or some one-volume dictionaries. Sweet! I really appreciate your feedback! Decisions, decisions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Cardona Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 There were very few times in the past that I had searched for some topic in the AYBD and did not find it, but happily I had the IVP dictionaries. Both sets are great though. In my opinion, I prefer ISBE to Zondervan's 5-vol. encyclopedia. You could always choose to get the one-volume abridgment of the Zondervan's encyclopedia instead of the 5-vol. larger work for more summarized and concise entries at a popular (non-scholarly) level. I tend to prefer more scholarly in-depth works myself. There are many times, however, that I find myself having to simplify many things to laymen Christians to effectively communicate the Word of God (a must!). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Yes, I guess the real decision is to decide between Anchor Yale or ISBE Revised. I decided I will get the ZIBBCOT/NT since I hear nothing but good things about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Cardona Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 AYBD is the standard scholarly work and a must for serious students and researchers. ZIBBCOT/NT is a great help for getting oriented with Bible backgrounds and I stand alongside others here who use it, like it, and recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Thanks again, you've been a great help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Cardona Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 You're always welcome! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Meiklejohn Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Keith, just to be clear about your question, you originally asked about the ZEB and then the discussion quickly moved to the ZIBBCOT/NT. I have both and find them extremely helpful (fully illustrated with excellent charts and photos). I tend to use them as them as designed; ZEB as a direct reference for dictionary items and ZIBBC~ as a commentary on specific passages. p.s. I wouldn't overlook the Holman's Illustrated Bible Dictionary which you have included in your Ultimate Collection; I find it really helpful and is usually my first port of call before I go deeper into ZEB or Anchor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 Keith, just to be clear about your question, you originally asked about the ZEB and then the discussion quickly moved to the ZIBBCOT/NT. I have both and find them extremely helpful (fully illustrated with excellent charts and photos). I tend to use them as them as designed; ZEB as a direct reference for dictionary items and ZIBBC~ as a commentary on specific passages. p.s. I wouldn't overlook the Holman's Illustrated Bible Dictionary which you have included in your Ultimate Collection; I find it really helpful and is usually my first port of call before I go deeper into ZEB or Anchor. Paul, yes that is correct. I was looking for a dictionary that would be a multi-volume work. (Anchor, ISBE Revised, ZEB, etc.) So I was looking for personal input from one of those resources. Also, I was looking at the ZIBBCOT/NT (although this is a different type of resource) to see what people thought of this as well. I guess to have it all in one spot haha. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpang808 Posted February 19, 2016 Author Share Posted February 19, 2016 So ABD would be the one bible dictionary/encyclopedia most would choose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Allison Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 If I could only pick one, AYBD would get my vote. A few years back, when the "DaVinci Code" was released, I was getting a lot of questions about the Gospel of Thomas from my students. Wanting to brush up on that text and others, I started by looking up Nag Hammadi in the various dictionaries that were available to me. It was pretty impressive to see the difference in the amount of detailed information presented in Anchor, compared with ISBE Revised, ZEB, and others. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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