A Brief Review of
The Oxford Dictionary of the Bible.
Second Edition.
W.R.F. Browning.
Hardback: Oxford UP, 2010.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]
Reviewed by Chris Smith.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, recently released in its second edition, is an excellent introductory reference that offers explanation of key terms in the biblical text, context, propagation, translation (“William Tyndale”) and interpretation (e.g., “Tübingen Critics” or the German term endzeit). This work is a very helpful tool that would be fitting for the library of church, school or home; the author notes in the introduction that it is “intended for students whether at school or university, and for a more general public of those who may be studying the Bible at home or alongside others in a group from their local church or community, as well as those who primarily enjoy it as a splendid literature” (ix). Containing over 2000 entries, most of which are brief (the longest ones are about a page), this dictionary strives to explain its terms in clear, simple language. Also included are appendices with “Measures, Weights and Values,” a very basic timeline and several maps. However, there is nothing in these appendices that one couldn’t find quickly and freely available online.
Here is the entry for the term “jubilee”:
The celebration of every *seventh year, and especially every fiftieth year, which was after 7×7. Jewish slaves were to be released and mortgaged land returned (Lev. 25:8-13, cf. Luke 4:18-19). This was more of an ideal than actual practice, though it may have at least discouraged the slave business. The word ‘jubilee’ is from the Hebrew for a ‘trumpet’ which was blown to inaugurate the year of jubilee.
[NB: the asterisk indicates that there is an entry in the dictionary for that term]
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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