Why Should I Buy This Dictionary?
This 3-volume set appears all over the place on professors' bibliographies and lists of recommended books for exegetical study (e.g., Gordon-Conwell, Asbury Seminary, Loyola Marymount, and many others), often listed alongside TDNT. EDNT is included on the list of "The First 750 Books for an Expositor's Library" that every serious student of the Bible should own (the list appears in the book Rediscovering Expository Preaching). EDNT is clearly among the basic, essential books that every exegete should make it a priority to own and consult regularly.
Even if you already own other lexical reference works in Libronix DLS, EDNT fills a useful niche and makes a great companion to these other tools. It has been helpfully described as one part BDAG, one part Anchor Bible Dictionary, and one part TDNT. It isn't meant to replace any or all of those, but rather to be a convenient first stop (or quick stop) that combines lexical information, theological information and encyclopedic information.
Consider this example: if you look up σίναπι in BDAG, you'll learn that it means "mustard plant" and you'll be able to find where it occurs in the Bible, along with useful bibliographic information. But if you want theological comments on the parable of the mustard seed, you'd have to turn to TDNT. Look up σίναπι in EDNT, and you get both lexical information and theological observations in one place. This makes it a great first stop for the busy exegete, with the other lexicons supplying additional data to delve in deeper as time allows.
Additional Details
- Editors: Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Originally published as Exegetisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament, copyright 1982-83
- English translation copyright 1993
- Volume 1 - 487 pages
- Volume 2 - 579 pages
- Volume 3 - 590 pages
Benefits of the Electronic Edition
The Logos Bible Software edition of this dictionary offers valuable benefits in terms of usability and efficiency. The dictionary appears in time-saving reports such as Exegetical Guide. You can right-click in the Greek biblical text and jump directly to the correct entry in the dictionary. Biblical references in the dictionary are hotspots, allowing you to hover the mouse and see a quick preview of the Bible passage or click to open your favorite Bible version. Cryptic abbreviations are demystified by hovering the mouse over them to instantly show the full reference.
References to other books in our system are hotspots, as well. The dictionary contains a number of links to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mishnah, TDNT, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and Apostolic Fathers, which means it takes a single click to open these resources to the cited information.
Praise for the Print Edition
A superb New Testament dictionary, translated and adapted from the famed German original. Both students and scholars will welcome this reference tool. It covers each Greek word in the New Testament, offering a translation plus succinct information on usage, background, and further bibliographical references.
—The Bible Today
This is a solid reference work, one that not only scholars but also pastors and students can use with benefit...One whose Greek has become rusty ought not to shy away from this dictionary. True, each word is first cited in its Greek form. Immediately thereafter, however, the Greek is transliterated and the word is defined.… The articles are interesting, substantive, and eminently readable.
—Interpretation
The three volumes have become one of the most important lexical tools in German scholarship, functioning much as Colin Brown’s New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology [NIDNT] has served the English market for the last decade...This is a work for expert exegetes to ponder and use as a valuable resource. It is loaded with information and nicely summarizes where many New Testament scholars stand in reference to the meaning of key terms. Used with reflection, it is a valuable tool for exegetical work.
—Darrel L. Bock, Bilbiotheca Sacra,July 1992
This work treats every word (though not all occurrences) in the Greek New Testament. All articles include standard lexical data, significant occurrences, and meaning—determined with emphasis on grammatical and theological context. Longer articles are accompanied by bibliographies and provide extensive discussion of the word (or word group) divided into sections emphasizing its importance to particular New Testament books or writers. Although there will be an English index in the third volume, thus making the dictionary accessible to those with little or no knowledge of Greek, many of the scholarly, complex articles will be difficult for nonspecialists. Specialists will find this dictionary thorough and up to date. Highly recommended for religious studies collections.
—Craig W. Beard, Harding University Library, in Library Journal, (Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.)
The editors titled this work as an exegetical, not a theological dictionary, hoping that this work would serve students, pastors, and scholars alike. The first volume fulfills their hope magnificently. The EDNT should be purchased, read, studied, preached, and taught. It will benefit preacher and hearer too.
—Currents in Theology and Mission
The work is a valuable tool for all students of the New Testament.
—Theology Today, Vol 48, No 2, July 1991
About the Editors
Horst Balz is Professor of New Testament theology and history at the University of Bochum in Germany.
Gerhard Schneider is Professor of New Testament at the Catholic Theological Faculty at the University of Bochum, Germany.
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