Additional Details
Please note: Logos Bible Software recently published an electronic edition of Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (print edition copyright 2000). These two dictionaries, while similar in name, are not the same thing. The dictionary you are looking at right now was published in 1987 and is based on a Dutch encyclopedia. The other dictionary is newly written by a different team of contributors and editors.
The Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible is now out of print. We are breathing new life into this classic reference work by making it available electronically! This is a tremendous value for a full-length, complete Bible dictionary!
- Title: The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
- Editors: Allen C. Meyers, John W. Simpson, Jr., Philip A. Frank, Timothy P. Jenney, Ralph W. Vunderink
- Published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987
- 1,094 pages
- From: Bijbelse Encyclopedie, revised edition 1975, edited by Gispen, Ooosterhoff, Ridderbos, van Unnik, and Visser
The Logos Bible Software edition does not include any of the photos that are part of the print edition, but it does include the maps! It's also fully searchable by word, phrase, topic or Bible reference. In fact, you can promote the dictionary in your KeyLink preferences so that a double-click on an English word anywhere in your digital library will go straight to the corresponding entry in The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Then if you are reading along in, say, Acts 17 and come across mention of the Epicureans...you can just double-click the word Epicurean in the Bible text and your Bible dictionary will open to the entry for Epicureans. It's that easy!
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary also shows up in the Topics section of Passage Guide along with other dictionaries, encyclopedias, and topically-organized references you may own. If you run a Passage Guide on John 16, for example, you will see the topic persecution listed and a link to the article on persecution in Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Just click to open the dictionary and read!
Features
- Nearly 5,000 entries plus 650 cross-reference entries—some 1,150,000 words—identify every person, place, and object named in the Bible.
- Extensively revised and updated, this English edition—more than 40 percent larger than the prior edition—features 286 entries on topics not previously treated.
- Entries reflect recent archaeological discoveries and the breadth of current American scholarship.
- Evangelical in focus, the dictionary displays sensitivity to the broad spectrum of interpretation, presenting divergent viewpoints as objectively as possible.
- Articles feature pronunciations and, in transliteration, the relevant terms in Hebrew, Greek, and other ancient languages.
- Bibliographies direct the reader to significant works reflecting various viewpoints.
- Based on the Revised Standard Version, the dictionary notes alternate readings and nuances in the King James Version, New International Version, Jerusalem Bible, and other modern English translations.
- Supplementary aids include lists of abbreviations, pronunciation guide, and transliteration key.
Praise for the Print Edition
"This Bible dictionary is first-rate. It is wide-ranging and contains dozens of articles on subjects not usually found in one-volume dictionaries....The discussions of persons and institutions in the Bible supply the reader with theological insights as well as factual details. Pastors, students, teachers, and the laity in general will find the volume a veritable mine of information in concise format." —Bruce M. Metzger, Princeton Theological Seminary
"A welcome new work of reference for Bible students. Its entries are concise, factual, and reliable...I have pleasure and confidence in commending it." —F. F. Bruce, University of Manchester, England
"The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary has no peer among one-volume Bible dictionaries currently available. It is balanced, up-to-date, accurate, well-written, and compresses an enormous amount of useful information into a relatively brief but attractive format. This important reference work is a must for all serious students of the Bible" —David E. Aune, St. Xavier College, Chicago
"The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary is accurate, critical, and comprehensive.... The work is the product of an international team of scholars and shows the merit of such international collaboration.” —Walter Harrelson, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University
"The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary brings to English readers a classic work from the Dutch language. This edition, however, is much more than a translation. It has absorbed new scholarly insights and updated the bibliography from English language works. Throughout we find an exceptionally clear exposition and a calm respect for differences among scholars or among the churches.” —Carroll Stuhimueller, Catholic Theological Union at Chicago
"The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary will quickly make a place for itself on the reference shelves of pastors and Bible students. Readers will appreciate its clear and attractive format.” —R. Alan Culpepper, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"This comprehensive dictionary of the Bible is practically a one-volume encyclopedia. In some 5,000 entries, every person and place in the Bible is identified, as are plants, animals, and objects. Major articles examine all books of the Bible and important people, events, and concepts. Based on a translation of the respected Bijbelse Encyclopedie, the dictionary includes over 280 new articles and has been extensively updated and revised. Good cross-referencing and up-to-date bibliographies are included. Though Eerdmanns has an evangelical flavor, efforts have been made to present a broad viewpoint: Contributors include Jews and Roman Catholics as well as a wide range of Protestants. Entries reflect modern biblical scholarship and archaeological research. An excellent and inexpensive study aid, recommended for most libraries." —Library Journal
Sample Page Scans from the Print Edition