LibGuides: Theological Studies: Biblical Studies

Bibles

Modern English translations of the Bible

Call numbers: BS 185 - BS 198

1st floor Reference Section & 2nd floor Main Stacks

Note: Nearly all the of the modern versions you would want to consult are in this call number range. If you are looking for a specific version, use the link below to start a search in LINUS, the library catalog.

Advanced search for Bibles (Library catalog)
Add keywords to this advanced search for find specific versions of the Bible in the library's collections.

Recommended bible editions for academic study (with scholarly notes) include:

Harpercollins Study Bible (New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha) by Wayne A. Meeks (editor)
Call Number: BS191.5.A1 1993 .C35 (REF & Main stacks)
Publication Date: 1993
New Oxford Annotated Bible (New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha) by Michael D. Coogan et al. (editors)
Call Number: BS191.5.A1 2007 (REF & Main stacks)
Publication Date: 2007
Jewish Study Bible (Jewish Publication Society) by A. Berlin & M.Z. Brettler (editors)
Call Number: BS895 .J4 (REF & basement storage)
Publication Date: 2004 & 2014

Oxford Biblical Studies Online This link opens in a new window
Access multiple Bible translations, commentaries, and background information. Display different translations and commentaries side by side.

Oremus Bible Browser Online (NRSV)
Offers free, online version of the NRSV, hosted by an Anglican group.

Bibloi
Software with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin Bible texts; several English translations; dictionaries; and concordances. Available on Windows side of Information Commons computers (Hannon Library 1st Floor).

For other dictionaries, grammars, and other language learning resources for Biblical Hebrew and Greek, go to:

Ancient Language Study (Classics LibGuide)

Background Information

e-Reference

Oxford Biblical Studies Online This link opens in a new window
Access multiple Bible translations, commentaries, and background information. Display different translations and commentaries side by side.

Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception Online
Scholarly encyclopedia offering articles with references on (1) the origins & development of the Bible in Judaism and Christianity, and (2) the history of the Bible's reception in the Christian churches and the Jewish Diaspora; Islam; and other religious traditions and current religious movements, as well as in literature, art, music, and film.

Textual History of the Bible
Addresses a range of traditions, including iconographic, martyrological, ecclesiastical, and Christological traditions, as well as cultic phenomena, such as the veneration of saints. The history of the transmission of texts and the attention to recent scholarship will play an important role. The BEEC focuses on early Christianity from a historical perspective in order to uncover the lasting legacy of the authors and texts until the present day. Its content is intended to bridge the gap between the fields of New Testament studies and patristics, covering the whole period of early Christianity up to 600 CE.

Print Reference

Anchor Bible Dictionary by D.N. Freedman (editor)
Call Number: REF BS440 .A54 1992
Publication Date: 1992
6-volume scholarly dictionary with 6,000 entries from 1,000 contributors.
Harpercollins Bible Dictionary by M. Powell (editor)
Call Number: REF BS440 .H235 2011
Publication Date: 2011
1-volume scholarly encyclopedia covering important names, places, and subjects in the Bible. Articles by a diverse group of over 200 scholars.
New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (5 volumes) by K. D. Sakenfeld (editor)
Call Number: REF BS440 .N445 2006
Publication Date: 2006-2009
Entries summarize contemporary scholarship on a comprehensive range of topics from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Apocrypha, and from contextual studies of the ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman worlds and their literatures. Over 8,000 entries by 900 scholars.
Oxford Bible Atlas by Adrian Curtis
Call Number: REF BS630 .O96 2007
Publication Date: 2007
Over 25 maps and 80 color illustrations, accompanied by scholarly commentary.

More Biblical Studies print and e-reference (Library Catalog search)
Pre-limited search of LINUS, the library catalog.

Find Commentaries
Use this link to search LINUS, the library catalog, for Bible commentaries. Click MODIFY SEARCH to add the name of the book of the Bible you are studying as a keyword.

This link searches the library catalog for all books with the Library of Congress subject term "Bible Commentaries."

Core Online Commentary

The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century (Online Resource)
In this new fully revised edition the entire content of the commentary has been revised to bring it up to date with the very latest scholarship, featuring the leading Catholic scholars of our day. Whilst based on the historical critical method of Biblical study, the contributors draw in a range of more modern approaches to the biblical texts.

Core Commentary Series:

Below are some standard commentary series that can serve as good starting points for your research.

Harpercollins Bible Commentary by Society of Biblical Literature staff (editor)
Call Number: BS491.2 .H37 2000 (REF & Main Stacks)
Publication Date: 2000
A standard 1-volume academic commentary.
New Jerome Biblical Commentary by Raymond E. Brown (editor)
Call Number: BS491.2 .P3 (REF & Main Stacks)
Publication Date: 1990
High-quality, 1-volume academic commentary on the Bible from a Catholic perspective. Introduction and section-by-section commentary for each book.
Anchor Bible series by various
Call Number: BS192.2 .A1 (Main stacks & basement storage)
Publication Date: 1964-
One or more volume for each book, including much of the Apocrypha. Definitive commentary series with exhaustive bibliographies, introductions, and verse-by-verse notes.
International Critical Commentary series
Call Number: various (Main stacks, basement storage, & electronic)
Publication Date: 1900s-
T&T Clark International's long-running series accessible to those without Greek and Hebrew language skills. Detailed analyses of archaeological, historical, hermeneutical, and theological questions relating to the text.
Hermeneia: A Critical & Historical Commentary on the Bible by various
Call Number: various (Main stacks & basement storage)
Publication Date: 1971-
High-quality academic commentaries on all books of the Bible and some apocryphal works. Thematic discussions and verse-by-verse notes accessible to students and scholars.
New Interpreter's Bible (12 volumes)
Call Number: REF BS491.2 .N484 1994
Publication Date: 1994
Academic biblical commentary series geared toward religious leaders and educators. Cover essential historical, sociocultural, literary, and theological issues. Includes application and theological reflection sections.

Concordances & Synopsis

Concordances allow you to find other places where a particular word or phrase occurs in the Hebrew Bible and/or New Testament. A gospel synopsis identifies where the same or similar stories occur in the 4 New Testament gospels.

New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible by James Strong (editor)
Call Number: REF BS425 .S8 2010
Publication Date: 2010
Concordance to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
NRSV Exhaustive Concordance by Bruce M. Metzger (Editor)
Call Number: REF BS425 .N453 1991
Publication Date: 1991
Use if you're working with the New Revised Standard translation.
Synopsis of the Four Gospels (6th ed.) by Kurt Aland (editor)
Call Number: REF BS2560.A2 A35 1983
Publication Date: 1983
Lines up pericopes (stories) in each Gospel with the same or similar stories in the other Gospels. Outline of all the combined Gospel stories in the back.

More Concordances (Library Catalog)

Journal Articles

These databases are the best for doing research on topic related to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament.

Atla Religion Database with AtlaSerials PLUS This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Theological Studies, Philosophy, Classics and Archaeology, Catholic Studies, Ethics, Jewish Studies
Description: Research database from EBSCOhost containing full text. Includes materials from 1880s-present.
Contents: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journal Articles; Popular (Non-Scholarly) Articles - Magazines; Trade/Professional Articles; Books; Book Chapters; Book Reviews
More info
Old Testament Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Classics and Archaeology, Jewish Studies, Biblical Studies
Description: Research database from EBSCOhost containing links to other information sources. Includes materials from late 1970s-present. Mainly focused on ancient Israel and related parts of the Mediterranean region and Ancient Near East. Focused on scholarly study of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and its historical context.
Contents: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journal Articles; Books; Book Chapters
More info
New Testament Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Theological Studies, Biblical studies
Description: Research database from EBSCOhost containing links to other information sources.
Contents: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journal Articles; Books; Book Reviews
More info
Religion Database This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Theological Studies, Philosophy, Catholic Studies, Ethics
Description: Research database from ProQuest containing full text. Keyword searches search the entire text of articles and dissertations.
Contents: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journal Articles; Popular (Non-Scholarly) Articles - Newspapers; Popular (Non-Scholarly) Articles - Magazines; Dissertations
More info
Année Philologique This link opens in a new window
Subjects: Classics and Archaeology, History, Theological Studies
Description: Research database from Brepols Publishing containing links to other information sources. Includes materials from 1928-3 years ago. Mainly focused on ancient Greece, Rome, related parts of the Mediterranean region, and the Ancient Near East.
Contents: Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journal Articles; Books; Book Chapters; Book Reviews
More info