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Product Guide: Cultural and Historical Background of the Bible

Bridging the Cultural Gap

Scholar's Library: GoldScholar's LibraryOriginal Languages Library

One of the goals of in depth bible study is to help the student of Scripture bridge the gap between the language and culture of today and the language and culture of the authors and first hearers of Scripture.

Logos Bible Software has Greek tools and Hebrew tools for studying the text of the Bible and the languages it was written in. These tools help bridge the language gap. The purpose of this guide is to discuss the tools Logos Bible Software offers for bridging the cultural gap as well. These tools include written remains of the ancient world, and books discussing the same, physical remains of the ancient world studied by archaeologists, history books, cultural studies, maps and geography books, encyclopedias, and various introductions and commentaries.

The Written Records

One excellent way to learn about the world of the Bible is to read the written records that the ancients left behind.

  • The Works of Josephus - an English translation of the complete works of the important first century Jewish historian.
  • Josephus in Greek: Niese's Critical Edition with Apparatus. This book is gathering interest on our pre-publication program.
  • The Works of Philo an English translation of the works of Philo, a 1st century Hellenistic Jewish philosopher.
  • The Works of Philo: Greek Text with Morphology.
  • The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English. This includes translations, introductions and commentaries of the books found in the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles that are not found in most Protestant Bibles, and also extra-biblical material, such as the Book of Enoch, that were widely read in the early Jewish and Christian communities and were very influential, even if they were not generally considered 'scripture'.
  • Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology. Greek texts of the important early Jewish and Christian extra biblical materials, currently under development.
  • Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition. English translations along with Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek transcriptions of the Dead Sea Scrolls - important sectarian Jewish documents for reconstructing the religious world of the biblical times.
  • Qumran Sectarian Manuscripts. Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls with morphological analysis.
  • Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah. This introductory textbook covers the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls and Josephus.
  • The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire, Revised Edition (in the Northwest Semitic Collection, gathering interest on our pre-publication program).
  • Manual of Palestinian Aramaic Texts (gathering interest on our pre-publication program). This book contains a very useful collection of texts, with English translations and introductions, of Aramaic texts from Palestine dating from 200 B.C. to 135 A.D. Useful for learning more about the form of Aramaic used during the New Testament, and also of some use in understanding the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible.
  • The Context of Scripture. This massive 3-volume set contains English translations, with extensive notes, bibliography and Bible cross-references, to the important literature of Israel's ancient neighbors. Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Ugaritic and other important ancient cultures are covered.
  • Writings from the Ancient World (16 volumes). These volumes contain transcriptions, translations, introductions and commentary on texts written in Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Egyptian, Ugaritic, Aramaic and other languages of the Ancient Near East. Currently gathering interest on our pre-publication program.
  • Ancient Egyptian Literature, volumes 1, 2, and 3. Lichtheim's translations of documents illustrating Egyptian history and culture.
  • The Amarna Letters. English translations of diplomatic correspondence of Canaanite and other rulers with the Egyptian Pharaoh from the 14th century B.C.
  • The Ugaritic Library. The Ugaritic Tablets contain the closest linguistic and cultural parallels with the Hebrew Bible. This collection of books includes transcriptions of the entire published Ugaritic corpus, as well as English translations of the most important religious texts.
  • Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations. This is a collection of ancient texts in Hebrew, Aramaic and Canaanite dialects with English translations and glossaries. Under development.
  • The Nag Hammadi Library in English. These documents are more useful for a study of the early Christian centuries than of the Bible itself, since they post-date the biblical period. Still, some use of them has been made for trying to understand the theologies that Paul and John argue against in the Bible, theologies which are perhaps the intellectual ancestors of the Nag Hammadi documents.
    • Gnostic and Apocryphal Studies Collection (10 volumes). This set of books discusses the Nag Hammadi materials and other non-biblical materials that circulated in the early Christian centuries. Includes a general introduction to Gnosticism.
  • The Mishnah. This is an English translation of the rabbinical teachings on observance of the Law. Some of this material post-dates the biblical period, but many of the teachings found in the Mishnah would probably have been familiar to the Pharisees and biblical writers, such as Paul.
    • Jewish Law. A four volume set of books discussing Jewish Law from the biblical times through the Midrash and Talmudic literature to modern times.
  • Legends of the Jews. A massive collection of Jewish stories connected to the Hebrew Bible, compiled from a wide variety of sources.
  • JPS Classic Midrash Collection. Early Jewish writings on Exodus and the Sabbath and the various feasts and festivals of the Jewish year. Composed between the 3rd and 5th centuries, many of these traditions will post-date the culture of the Bible times. Currently under development.
  • Light from the Ancient East. This book discusses how the papyrus remains found in Egypt have helped us to understand the Hellenistic world of the New Testament.

Archaeology - Physical Remains

In addition to written records, the ancients have left us artifacts, the ruins of buildings, and other physical traces. Archaeologists analyze these traces to help us understand the Biblical World.

History Books

Historians examine the written records and the physical remains in order to put the pieces together and paint a picture of the people and events that shaped the world. Historians of the biblical period have written some useful works for the students of the Bible. See also the books by and about Josephus (a 1st century Jewish historian) in the section above on the written records.

Cultural Studies

The books in this section contain specialized studies on certain aspects of the biblical world as well as more general survey books on manners and customs of the biblical times.

Maps and Geography

Maps and geography books help us to learn about the places where the biblical events took place. Many of the archaeology books listed above will also contain photographs and articles on important places.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Bible dictionaries and other specialized encyclopedias often also contain valuable articles on the historical and cultural background of the Bible. Below are some of the most useful of these.

Commentaries and Introductions

Many Bible commentaries and introductions contain cultural and historical information at the relevant passages. Nearly all of the detailed multi-volume technical commentaries are going to devote space to this end. This section simply lists a few commentaries and introductions that focus on historical and cultural background, but this list is far from exhaustive.

Last Updated: 3/20/2008
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