The Oxford Companion to the Bible [Leather Bound]

Bruce M. & Michael D. Coogan Metzger (Author)

Product Details

• Leather Bound
• Publisher: Easton Press (1993)
• ASIN: B000K7JGT4
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy companion, July 10, 2003

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to the Bible (Oxford Companions) (Hardcover)

Oxford University Press has a reputation second to none in the production of scholarly reference works, particularly in the humanities and social sciences. It has certainly upheld that fine reputation for scholarship, objectivity, and authoritative research with its latest 'Oxford Companion to the Bible', edited by Bruce Metzger and Michael Coogan.

Pulling together a worthy group of researchers and scholars (the directory of contributors spans seven pages of rather small typeset print), the 'Oxford Companion to the Bible' represents a major work of reference useful in any biblical endeavour. 'Interpretation of the Bible has of course not been consistent, and throughout history the Bible has been used to support contradictory positions on such issues as slavery, the role of women, war and peace, forms of government, and finance. The Companion reflects this diversity: it is consciously pluralistic, and its more than 250 contributors, as well as its editors and editorial advisory board, encompass a wide spectrum of intellectual and confessional perspectives.'

In keeping with the diversity of authorship, the Companion is meant to be useful to a diverse range of Bible readers and religious. The Companion includes systematic treatment of the use, development, and role of the Bible in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, as well as the influence and significance of the Bible in thematic areas such as the arts, literature, politics, law, history, and culture.

This is not a simple Bible dictionary -- it has encyclopedic entries with in-depth analyses that go beyond mere definition, and contains more than 700 articles, each with authorship noted (so that the perspective can be known from whence the essay's asssertions come). Broad topics include:

- Formation of the Bible as a text
- Context and the Biblical World
- Concepts in the Bible (in the various interpretations)
- Uses and Influences of the Bible

While the Companion is arranged alphabetically, it is extensively cross-referenced by keywords, topically, and 'blind entries' (i.e., words that have meanings not expressly covered as separate entries, but are contained in more detail within other entries).

From Aaron to Zion, this is a book which, when pulled from the shelf, rarely remains closed for long -- I often use it to search for a particular theme, and find myself an hour later still perusing the Companion, having been tempted to follow the various strands through the book. While it is a reference book, and thus not one to be read simply by sitting and starting with the first entry, it nonetheless has an interesting, readable character that draws the seeker in. Treasures lie on each page.

From the possible influence of the ancient Gilgamesh Epic to the current practice of possessing and passing on a Family Bible, this reference is second to none in usefulness and comprehensive scope.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This will replace 20 other books you have or would buy., May 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to the Bible (Oxford Companions) (Hardcover)

If I had known how much information was in this, I could have skipped all those books I bought on specific bible topics. This is much more than single paragraph summaries of people, places and things in the bible. There are many long, detailed articles on Israeli history, ancient Jewish and early Christian beliefs, all the different sects of Judaism and early Christianity. Most useful are the related articles on different subjects: what does the bible say about death, heaven, hell, women, homosexuality, capitol punishment? Next time you hear someone quoting the bible to support their politcal agenda, you can, in a minute, see what the bible REALLY says about that subject. Objective, thorough, invaluable!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oxford Companion to the Bible, January 14, 2002

By 

J. Lindner (Gem Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to the Bible (Oxford Companions) (Hardcover)

Of all the "companions" to the Bible available, this is the most comprehensive. The editors have done a fine job compiling most topics referenced in the Bible into a concise single-volume tome. Each book of the Bible is covered, as well as books of the apochrypha; the list of characters covered is nearly complete; and the many themes of modern religious scholarship is, at least to the novice, very comprehensive. There are a number of maps at the end to rival Biblical atlases.

There are at least two omissions that perhaps should not have been left out. There is no individual entry on Caesar Augustus (though he is mentioned within the context of the Roman Empire). Augustus dominated his world, in fact Herod and Pilate were mere role players within the greater Roman imperial framework. The fact that Herod and Pilate gain more attention in both the Oxford Companion and the Bible, reflects the regionality of the Bible, but for comparison purposes, a specific entry on Augustus would have helped gain perspective. The other omission is the town of Emmaus. In itself this is insignificant, but considering the resurrected Jesus chose this town to first appear is no small matter.

Omissions aside, this book lives up to its name. This is indeed a fine companion to the Bible that any interested person should consider purchasing.