<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: an excellent companion for Bible study
Review: As stated in the foreword, this Bible dictionary has been "designed, written, and edited with the needs of general readers in mind" and not for scholars with "formal training in biblical history or languages". I find it a valuable source book to get clarity on the historical aspects of the Bible, especially the Old Testament; as an example, following the chronological order of the rulers once the kingdoms were divided can be very confusing, and this book has a marvelous chart (much better than some presented by other dictionaries of this type and price range) with a side-by-side comparison. Another good chart is "The Parables of Jesus", telling where they appear, and in how many of the Gospels.Heavily illustrated with black and white photos, with small but clear and easy to read print, this is not a "quality production"; the paper is thicker, but similar to what is used for phone books, but for the price, it is a tremendous value; it is fascinating just to peruse, with no particular aim in mind, through subjects like "Plants of the Bible", and "Occupations and Trades".
It has nine excellent maps at the back of the book, charted with an index and "Area" letters and numbers, which simplifies finding places, example: Masada, Map 6, Area B5.
It also has a "Teaching Outline on Books of the Bible", which is useful if you are reading a Bible that does not include one at the beginning of each book
I find I refer to this dictionary daily; once purchased, it is one of those "how did I get along without this ?" type of book. I give it the highest rating despite the paper quality, for the amount of information included at a reasonable cost.
Rating:
Summary: an excellent companion for Bible study
Review: As stated in the foreword, this Bible dictionary has been "designed, written, and edited with the needs of general readers in mind" and not for scholars with "formal training in biblical history or languages". I find it a valuable source book to get clarity on the historical aspects of the Bible, especially the Old Testament; as an example, following the chronological order of the rulers once the kingdoms were divided can be very confusing, and this book has a marvelous chart (much better than some presented by other dictionaries of this type and price range) with a side-by-side comparison. Another good chart is "The Parables of Jesus", telling where they appear, and in how many of the Gospels. Heavily illustrated with black and white photos, with small but clear and easy to read print, this is not a "quality production"; the paper is thicker, but similar to what is used for phone books, but for the price, it is a tremendous value; it is fascinating just to peruse, with no particular aim in mind, through subjects like "Plants of the Bible", and "Occupations and Trades".
It has nine excellent maps at the back of the book, charted with an index and "Area" letters and numbers, which simplifies finding places, example: Masada, Map 6, Area B5.
It also has a "Teaching Outline on Books of the Bible", which is useful if you are reading a Bible that does not include one at the beginning of each book
I find I refer to this dictionary daily; once purchased, it is one of those "how did I get along without this ?" type of book. I give it the highest rating despite the paper quality, for the amount of information included at a reasonable cost.
<< 1 >>
|
