I am very happy to have received a blurb copy of the latest IVP dictionary of the Old Testament— the latest in what I consider to be the best Bible Dictionary series. As I’m an e-text kind of guy, I can’t wait for these IVP OT dictionaries to be available for Accordance. For now— this will more than suffice!

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings
Edited by Tremper Longman III & Peter Enns
IVP, 2008
968 pages
Purchase from Amazon.COM or amazon.CA

Here are the jacket endorsements:

“A stellar cast of younger and senior scholars has put together a handbook for the study of the writings of the Old Testament. While one will find easy access to the expected and necessary basic information on the various books of wisdom and poetry, there will be some interesting surprises for readers as the authors take up theological, rhetorical, metaphorical and sociological dimensions of this literature. An important sign of the times is the fact that for each biblical book, major attention is given to the history of its interpretation.”— Patrick D. Miller

“At last, a fully comprehensive, fascinating compendium of information about Psalms, Wisdom literature and other writings of the Old Testament! From characters such as Ruth to major Wisdom books such as Job, from scholarly method to major theological themes, this volume gives us articles of real depth and substance. Its broad and thorough remit includes contributions on Jewish and Christian tradition, festival worship, ancient Near Eastern background and Hebrew language from a range of highly qualified experts in the field. An essential reference book for all serious-minded students of the Hebrew Scriptures.”— Katharine J. Dell

“This volume in the acclaimed InterVarsity Press Bible dictionaries will serve to further enhance the reputation of the series. Longman and Enns have brought together a great team of authors to cover wisdom, poetry and writings of the Old Testament. This volume is comprehensive and up to date as, for example, the articles on history of interpretation and intertextuality indicate. This volume will be an invaluable resource for students, pastors and scholars as they seek to hear God’s address through these biblical books. The Wisdom and poetic books have not always received the attention they deserve, and this volume will play a significant role in addressing that imbalance. Highly recommended!” —Craig Bartholomew

The entire set of IVP dictionaries are an indispensable resource that should be bending the shelf of every scholar and student.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 1:29 pm by Danny Zacharias and is filed under IVP, Book Blurbs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.