Biblical Studies: Welcome
This guide is designed to assist graduate level students in their coursework and research centered around biblical studies (i.e. both Hebrew Bible and New Testament studies). The library offers patrons a plethora of resources, however patrons are often unaware of the many tools of the library that will greatly enhance their research.
Online Databases
The library has access to many online databases that contain thousands of documents. These are invaluable tools that will greatly enhance research, both academic and liturgical. This is not an exhaustive list, which can be found here.
- Biblical Bibliography of Lausanne - BiBILThis is a free biblical database, maintained by the University of Lausanne, catalogs journal articles from many of the leading academic journals dealing with biblical studies. This database is valuable because it allows you to search by categories (of which it has quite a few), which can be helpful when beginning your research on a specific topic. NOTE: This does not have full text versions of articles but you can find the journals in our catalog.
The BiBIL database is currently inaccessible for technical reasons and for an unknown period. - BiblicalStudies.org.ukVery similar to NT Gateway in that this is a curated website dedicated to providing open access to books, articles, and journals related to biblical studies. Although the library has access to many of these resources this is still an excellent site to browse.
- Brill Textual History of the BibleAn excellent source on the textual history of the Hebrew Bible. If you are writing a paper on a certain book in the Hebrew Bible this is an excellent place to start in order to better understand the rich textual history of different books. At this point in time (2017) only Vol. 1 is finished but as different volumes are finished they will be added to the database.
- Index BiblicusVery similar to BiBIL, this database, operated by the Univeristät Innsbruck's Biblical Studies and Theology and it's Catholic Theology departments,
allows search queries from many of the top journals. This database is helpful because it is limited to biblical studies and catalogs many smaller journals not found in JSTOR or ProQuest. NOTE: This does not have full text versions but they can be found in our catalog or through ILL. - JSTORThis is your "go-to" site when attempting to find journal articles on specific topics
- Loeb Classical LibraryThe mission of the Loeb Classical Library, founded by James Loeb in 1911, has always been to make Greek and Latin literature accessible to the broadest range of readers. The digital Loeb Classical Library extends this mission into the twenty-first century. Harvard University Press is honored to renew James Loeb's vision of accessibility and presents an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing, virtual library of all that is important in Greek and Latin literature. Epic and lyric poetry; tragedy and comedy; history, travel, philosophy, and oratory; the great medical writers and mathematicians; those Church Fathers who made particular use of pagan culture — in short, our entire Greek and Latin Classical heritage is represented here with up-to-date texts and accurate English translations. More than 520 volumes of Latin, Greek, and English texts are available in a modern and elegant interface, allowing readers to browse, search, bookmark, annotate, and share content with ease.
- New Testament Virtual Manuscript RoomThis site is devoted to the study of Greek New Testament manuscripts. The New Testament Virtual Manuscript Room is a place where scholars can come to find the most exhaustive list of New Testament manuscript resources, can contribute to marking attributes about these manuscripts, and can find state of the art tools for researching this rich dataset.
- Perseus ProjectThis database offers access to hundreds of Christian and non-Christian Greek and Latin sources. What makes this database unique is that it includes a parsing tool and dictionary to aid in translation. It also provides access to public domain English translations of the texts when available. It is an open access project, meaning that patrons and non-patrons have equal access to every part of the project.
- ProQuestSimilar to JSTOR in that it provides access to journal articles on various topics. This has access to some journals not available through JSTOR.
Leading Academic Journals
Journal articles are the lifeblood of living scholarship. The library has access to many journals that provide the cutting-edge scholarship in biblical studies. This is an inexhaustive list of many of the key journals with which all biblical scholars should be familiar.
If a journal is not found on this list it can be found by searching for its name using the DTL's search box above
It must be remembered, however, that many journal publishers don't allow online access to the most recent issues but through the Interlibrary Loan service, the library can get access to almost anything.
- Bible and Critical TheoryThis is an exploratory and innovative online scholarly journal. The journal explores the intersections between critical theory, understood in the broad sense, and biblical studies. It publishes peer-reviewed articles that investigate the contributions from critical theory to biblical studies, and contributions from biblical studies to critical theory
- BiblicaA journal, published by the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, dedicated to biblical studies on the Old and New Testament, and intertestamentary literature, and covers fields of research, such as exegesis, philology, and history. There is a 6 year delay.
- Biblical ArchaeologistThis was the flagship journal of the American Schools of Oriental Research from 1938 until 1997. This was an important journal for recent discoveries in the field of biblical archaeology. The Journal has since been renamed to Near Eastern Archaeology, thus for more modern articles on topics dealing with archaeology one should reference that journal.
- Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewThis is an open access book review site that as the title indicates focuses more on classical studies but often times will review books dealing with biblical studies as well (these two disciplines also frequently intersect). This is a good place to look in order to determine if a book is something can could help your research. It also accepts reviews from graduate students if you are interested in reviewing books for their site.
- Catholic Biblical QuarterlyThis journal includes essays on both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. As the title of the journal states, there is primarily a Catholic emphasis in the research but that is not the only focus of the contributors. This journal also has a very large section dedicated to book reviews.
- Currents in Biblical ResearchOne of the best journals for understanding the state of research on a specific topic. Experts on a given topic write lengthy articles discussing the past, present, and future of the research. Excellent for finding the most up-to-date sources and for understanding how scholars' ideas have changed over time.
- Dead Sea Scroll DiscoveriesThis is primarily devoted to the discussion of the significance of the finds in the Judean Desert for Biblical Studies, and the study of early Jewish and Christian history.
- Filogia NeotestamentariaThis now defunct journal touches on many different aspects of the Greek language, especially the Greek of the New Testament. If your research is dealing with the Greek language, this is an excellent journal to search for current research in the field.
- Harvard Theological ReviewOne of the oldest theological journals, this offers excellent articles on a wide array of topics dealing with theological topics in the modern and ancient worlds.
- Hebrew StudiesHebrew Studies is a scholarly journal devoted to Hebrew language, linguistics, literature and culture of all periods.
- InterpretationThough not as academically focused as some of the other journals on this list, Interpretation still offers pastors, scholars, and theologians a valuable resource for study, preaching, and teaching. Each issue explores a theme or biblical book with writers who have relevant expertise. Four to five major articles, "Between Text and Sermon" essays, and book reviews offer a variety of options for adding to and enhancing our readers' knowledge.
- Jewish Studies QuarterlyPublishes studies on all aspects of Jewish history and culture. By focusing on the whole spectrum of Jewish life and thought, JSQ aims to contribute to a better understanding of Judaism. There is a 5 year delay.
- Journal for the Study of New TestamentIs one of the leading academic journals in New Testament Studies. All the many and diverse aspects of New Testament study are represented and promoted by the journal, including innovative work from historical perspectives, studies using social-scientific and literary theory or developing theological, cultural and contextual approaches.
- Journal for the Study of the Historical JesusThough it is a journal with a very narrow range, it presents the most up-to-date research on the topic of the historical Jesus through various methodologies from an international pool of scholars.
- Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentOffers the best in current, peer-reviewed scholarship on the Old Testament across a range of critical methodologies. Many original and creative approaches to the interpretation of the Old Testament literature and cognate fields of inquiry are pioneered in JSOT, which showcases the work of both new and established scholars.
- Journal for the Study of the PseudepigraphaA journal that covers the burgeoning field of Pseudepigrapha (non-canonical Jewish literature).
- Journal of Biblical LiteratureThis is the journal of the most influential organization in biblical studies, The Society for Biblical Literature. Articles are published dealing with all aspects of biblical studies.
- Journal of Early Christian StudiesThis journal focuses on the study of Christianity in the context of late ancient societies and religions from C.E. 100-700. It publishes the best of traditional patristics scholarship while showcasing articles that call attention to newer methodologies and themes often absent from other patristic journals.
- Journal of Near Eastern StudiesThis journal focuses on the ancient Near East as a whole and thus provides important research for students of the Hebrew Bible to better understand the cultures surrounding ancient Israel. It has contributions from scholars of international reputation on the archaeology, art, history, languages, literatures, philosophies, and religions of Egypt and the Near East.
- Journal of Theological StudiesCrosses the entire range of theological research, scholarship and interpretation. Ancient and modern texts, inscriptions, and documents that have not before appeared in type are also reproduced. There is a one issue delay.
- Near Eastern ArchaeologyFormally known as Biblical Archaeologist, this journal has now widened its scope from "biblical" to the entire Near East. This is now one of the leading archaeological journals for the academic study of Near Eastern civilizations.
- NeotestamenticaPublishes original articles in English on all aspects of the New Testament, ranging from exegetical and historical to hermaneutical and methodological studies. This journal has a very extensive book review section with is well worth browsing when deciding what secondary sources to use in research. There is a 3 year delay.
- New Testament StudiesAn international peer-reviewed periodical whose contributors include the leading New Testament scholars writing in the world today. The journal publishes original articles and short studies in English, French and German on a wide range of issues pertaining to the origins, history, context and theology of the New Testament and early Christianity
- Novum TestamentumInternational coverage of New testament studies, including literary and textual criticism, critical interpretation, theology and the historical and literary background of the New Testament and early Christian literature. This journal has a 6 year delay.
- SBL ForumA now defunct project of the Society of Biblical Literature, what sets these articles apart is that they often focus on the craft of biblical studies as a discipline rather than specific studies on the biblical texts. These articles can help graduate students understand the guild and the various moving parts within it.
- Scandinavian Journal of the Old TestamentOriginally intended to be a strictly Scandanavian journal, this project quickly rose in prominence and has since become an internationally respected journal in topics dealing with the Hebrew Bible. Articles are written in English despite the Scandinavian origin of the work.
- TC: A Journal of Biblical Textual CriticismPublishes full-length scholarly articles, shorter notes, project reports, and reviews of works in the field of biblical textual criticism. This is an important journal for understanding the latest trends in textual studies of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.
- Vetus TestamentumCovers the whole range of Old testament study, including history, literature, religion and theology, language, and relevant contributions from archaeology and the study of the ancient Near East. This Journal has a 6 year delay.
- Vigiliae ChristianaeThis journal focuses on the literature, epigraphy, archaeology, and dogmatic history of the early Christian church in the post NT period. This is an excellent journal for better understanding the early church and the reception history of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament.
- Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche WissenschaftDon't be afraid of the German title, like its corresponding New Testament version, this is an excellent source of the world's best scholarship. It has been the leading international and interconfessional periodical in the field of research in the Old Testament and Early Judaism for over one hundred years
- Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche WissenschaftDon't be afraid of the German title, along with German and French, this journal also publishes excellent English articles. A highly reputed journal published since 1900, the Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft is an international journal for the exegesis of the New Testament and knowledge of the early church (patristics).
Commentaries and Reference Works
Reference Works and commentaries on specific books are important in biblical research because they are often viewed as authoritative voices. Most often they are written by established senior scholars who are considered the expert in that field. It is important to remember, however, that each commentary series often has a unique perspective or emphasis when choosing scholars to write on a certain book. This short list will discuss what sets some of the major commentary series and most widely used reference works apart from the rest.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible by "For over 50 years students, professors, clergy, and general readers have relied on The New Oxford Annotated Bible as an unparalleled authority in Study Bibles. This fifth edition of the Annotated remains the best way to study and understand the Bible at home or in the classroom. This thoroughly revised and substantially updated edition contains the best scholarship informed by recent discoveries and anchored in the solid Study Bible tradition." - OUP
The Jewish Study Bible by "First published in 2004, The Jewish Study Bible is a landmark, one-volume resource tailored especially for the needs of students of the Hebrew Bible. It has won acclaim from readers in all religious traditions.The Jewish Study Bible, which comes in a protective slipcase, combines the entire Hebrew Bible--in the celebrated Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation--with explanatory notes, introductory materials, and essays by leading biblical scholars on virtually every aspect of the text, the world in which it was written, its interpretation, and its role in Jewish life. The quality of scholarship, easy-to-navigate format, and vibrant supplementary features bring the ancient text to life." - OUP
The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary by "This comprehensive dictionary intends to help people read the Bible with increased understanding and confidence. It contains articles on major topics as well as places and people, even if they just appear in a single verse in the Bible. Its articles cover theological topics, biblical words, biblical imagery, and historical topics. This A to Z dictionary includes more than *1,700 full-color pages *400 color illustrations, maps, and photos *5,000 articles by leading evangelical scholars." - Baker
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia"Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) is known to be the definitive edition of the Hebrew Bible. It is widely regarded as a reliable edition of the Hebrew and Aramaic scriptures and is the most widely used original-language edition among scholars.
It is a revision of the third edition of the Biblia Hebraica edited by Rudolf Kittel, the first Bible to be based on the Leningrad Codex. The Leningrad Codex is the oldest complete Hebrew Bible still preserved. It originally appeared in installments, from 1968 to 1976, with the first one-volume edition in 1977; it has since been reprinted many times. The text is a nearly exact copy of the Masoretic Text as recorded in the Leningrad Codex. The Masoretic notes are completely revised."
The Baker Compact Dictionary of Biblical Studies by "When it comes to the realm of biblical studies, students of the Bible are often overwhelmed, both with the sheer volume of information and with all of the unfamiliar terms, concepts, and topics. Like any other field of study, the serious study of the Bible has developed a specialized vocabulary. The key terms in this important field are defined in The Compact Dictionary of Biblical Studies. It provides clear, concise, and accurate definitions to help students of the Bible make sense of the specialized language of biblical studies." - Baker Books
- Online Bibles [Ancient/Modern Languages]The German Bible Society offers free online access to the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament in ancient languages including: BHS, NA28, UBS5, LXX, and Vulgate. It also offers free access to English and German versions of the Bible including: KJV, ESV, NET, and the Luther Bible 1984.
- Hermeneia Commentary SeriesThis is one of the most academically rigorous commentary series currently being published. At the present time not every book of the bible has been published, but they have all been commissioned. This series focuses on the historical-critical method but is not limited to it. If the series is too technical, it is worth checking out the bibliographies which offer invaluable resources for research.
- International Critical Commentary (ICC)This series has sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis-linguistic and textual no less than archaeological, historical, literary and theological-with a level of comprehension and quality of scholarship unmatched by any other series. No attempt has been made to secure a uniform theological or critical approach to the biblical text: contributors have been invited for their scholarly distinction, not for their adherence to any one school of thought.
- Anchor Yale Bible CommentariesA project of international and interfaith scope in which Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish scholars from many countries contribute individual volumes. The project is not sponsored by any ecclesiastical organization and is not intended to reflect any particular theological doctrine. It aims to present the best contemporary scholarship in a way that is accessible not only to scholars but also to the educated nonspecialist.
- New Interpreter's Bible"The New Interpreter's® Dictionary of the Bible (in five volumes) provides the best quality in contemporary biblical scholarship on a comprehensive range of topics from the Old and New Testaments, the Deuterocanonical books, and from contextual studies of the ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman worlds and their literatures. The dictionary contains maps, charts, and illustrations to further clarify the written material. The biblical text used is the NRSV translation. " - Abingdon Press
Guide Authorship and Copyright Permissions
Biblical Studies LibGuide by Christopher Crawford is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.