A revised edition of the earlier Dictionary of the English Bible and its Origins (2000), now out-of-print, with much new material on the different methods of interpretation, especially those over the last half-century, reflecting some of the latest advances in biblical scholarship. Intended especially for students of religion and related subjects, religious educators in schools, colleges and churches, and indeed all serious readers of the Bible.
The addition of Hermeneutics in this edition reflects an explosion of interest in new methods of biblical interpretation over the last 30-40 years comparable to a similar explosion in Bible translation which started 10-20 years earlier, both of which have led to new ways of reading and understanding the Bible.
Inevitably this has led to a slight change in emphasis, the first edition being essentially factual, objective and historical, the second more subjective and selective. It also called for a new set of skills and judgements and within the limits of time and space it was not possible to give the same treatment going back to the early centuries.
We have therefore confined ourselves to hermeneutical changes over the last half-century, such as feminist, liberation and literary readings, whilst including entries on technical terms over the wider period, with occasional hints as to how some of the so-called newer methods have seeds if not actually roots in other and earlier generations.
Over 100 new entries have brought the total to nearly 1000, with additional boxes, mainly as examples to put flesh on the bones. We have also limited the length of any single entry to 1000 words. Otherwise changes are mainly the inclusion of material not available five years ago, a few improvements in presentation and minor corrections.