A Research Guide for Biblical & Theological Studies, by Dr. Terance Espinoza

Table of Contents

1. Online Bibliography Guides
2. Introductions
   1. OT Introductions
   2. NT Introductions
3. Dictionaries
   1. Bible Dictionaries
   2. IVP Bible Dictionary Series
4. Commentaries
   1. Introductory Commentaries
   2. Technical Commentaries
   3. Specialized Commentaries
5. Journals
   1. Abstracts & Out-of-Print Journals
   2. Journal Indices
   3. Journal Indexing and Abstracting Services
6. Monographs and Book Series
7. Socio-Historical Studies
8. Atlases
9. Literary Analysis
10. Linguistic Analysis
    1. Greek-English Lexica
    2. Hebrew-English Lexica
    3. Greek-English Theological Lexica
    4. Hebrew-English Theological Lexica
    5. Concordances
    6. Online Lexical Sources
11. Primary Sources (Ancient Texts)
    1. Ancient Near Eastern Texts
    2. Introduction to Jewish Literature
    3. OT Apocrypha
    4. OT Pseudepigrapha
    5. Septuagint (LXX)
    6. Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)
    7. Josephus
    8. Philo
    9. NT Apocrypha
    10. Greco-Roman Literature
    11. Numismatics (Coins)
    12. Apostolic Fathers
12. Resources to Avoid in a Research Paper
    

Online Bibliography Guides

1. Society of Biblical Literature Educational (Web) Resources
2. Denver Seminary’s New Testament Exegesis Bibliography, by William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, David L. Mathewson, & Erin M. Heim. Book-by-book bibliographic recommendations are included.
3. Bibliografia Basilare Dell N.T. (New Testament Basic Bibliography), by Pontifico Instituto Biblico
4. NT Gateway, by Mark Goodacre
5. Denver Seminary’s OT Exegesis Bibliography, by M. Daniel Carroll R., Hélène Dallaire, and Richard S. Hess (OT). Annotated and including book-by-book bibliographic recommendations.
6. Bibliografia Basilare Dell’A.T. (Old Testament Basic Bibliography), by Pontifico Instituto Biblico
7. OT Gateway, by Roy Nicholdon
8. The Biblioblog Top 50, “The Complete List of Biblioblogs and Biblioblog Top 50 relies on volunteers from the biblical studies blogging community to compile the lists and keep them current.”
9. Biblical Studies Carnival, “a monthly carnival showcasing the best of blog posts in the area of academic biblical studies.”
10. Bible Research by Michael Marlowe, “a free educational site for students of the Bible.” Well-organized and full of helpful information.
11. All-in-One Biblical Resources Search
12. Biblical Studies: An Internet Resource for Studying the Bible
13. Open Access Scholarly Journals in English
14. Tyndale House: Residential Centre for Biblical Research – Online Resources
15. Tyndale Seminary Reading Rooms
16. Oxford Biblical Studies Online. Some are free and some are behind a paywall. All of it is worth the time.
17. Mumford, G.D., “Student/Public Guide to Printed & Online Resources on Ancient Egypt and Some Neighbours from Prehistory to Roman (& Later) Periods: Focusing upon the Compiler’s Home Institution (Guide to M.H. Sterne Library Collections, University of Alabama at Birmingham)” (pdf download) This massive, 700+ page document is a treasure trove of resources on the ancient world of the Bible.
18. BibTheo.com ,Terance Espinoza.

OT Introductions

1. Anderson, Bernhard W., Steven Bishop, and Judith H. Newman. Understanding the Old Testament. 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2007.
2. Arnold, Bill T., and Bryan E. Beyer. Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey. 3^rd Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2015.
3. Birch, Bruce C., Walter Brueggemann, Terence E. Fretheim, and David L. Petersen. A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament. 2^nd Edition. Nashville: Abingdon, 2005.
4. Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction. 2^nd Edition. Revised and Updated by Richard Clifford and Daniel Harrington. New York: Paulist, 1984
5. Brueggemann, Walter and Tod Linafelt. An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination. 3rd ed. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2020
6. Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible.  Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007. 
7. ———-. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Minneapolis:Fortress, 2004.  
8. Coogan, Michael D. The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. 4^th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.
9. Gertz, Jan Christian, Angelika Berlejung, Konrad Schmid, and Markus Witte. T&T Clark Handbook of the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Literature, REligion and History of the Old Testament. New York: T&T Clark, 2012.
10. Goldingay, John. An Introduction to the Old Testament: Exploring Text, Approaches & Issues. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2015.
11. Gottwald, Norman K., The Hebrew Bible: A Brief Socio-Literary Introduction. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2009.
12. Hernández, Dominick S. Engaging the Old Testament: How to Read Biblical Narrative, Poetry, and Prophecy Well. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2023.
13. Hill, Andrew E. and John H. Walton. A Survey of the Old Testament. 3^rd Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.
14. ———-. Old Testament Today: A Journey from Ancient Context to Contemporary Relevance. 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.
15. Lasor, William Sanford, David Allan Hubbard, & Frederic William Bush. Old Testament Survey: the message, form, and background of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.
16. Longman, Tremper III, Raymond B. Dillard. An Introduction to the Old Testament. 2^nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006
17. Lucas, Ernest C. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Psalms & Wisdom Literature. Exploring the Bible Vol. 3. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.
18. Matthews, Victor H. and James C. Moyer. The Old Testament: Text and Context. 3rd Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012.
19. McConville, J. Gordon. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Prophets. Exploring the Bible Vol. 4. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.
20. Merrill, Eugene H., Mark Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti. The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville: B&H, 2011.
21. Satterthwaite, Philip E. and J. Gordon McConville. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Historical Books. Exploring the Bible Vol. 1. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012.
22. Wenham, Gordon J. Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Pentateuch. Exploring the Bible Vol. 1. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press 2008.

NT Introductions

1. Achtemeier, Paul J., Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.
2. Brown, Raymond. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
3. Burge, Gary M., Lynn H. Cohick and Gene L. Green, The New Testament in Antiquity: A survey of the New Testament within its cultural contexts. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.
4. Burge, Gary M. and Gene L. Green. The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament within Its Cultural Contexts. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020.
5. Burkett, Delbert. An Introduction to the New Tesatment and the Origins of Christianity. 2nd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
6. Carson, Douglas A. and Leon Morris. An Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.
7. Carter, Warren and Amy-Jill Levine. The New Testament: Methods and Meanings. Nashville: Abingdon, 2013.
8. deSilva, David A. An Introduction to the New Testament: Context, Methods and Ministry Formation. 2nd edition. Downers Grove: IVP, 2018.
9. Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 7th edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019.
10. Gupta, Nijay K. A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Studies: Understanding Key Debates. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020.
11. Hagner, Donald A. The New Testament: A Theological and Historical Introduction. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2018.
12. Johnson, Luke Timothy, and Todd C. Penner, The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation. Revised Edition. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002.
13. Marshall, I. Howard, Travis Stephen, and Ian Paul, Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters & Revelation. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011.
14. McKnight, Scot and Nijay K. Gupta, eds. The State of New Testament Studies: A Survey of Recent Research. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2019. *This is an advanced survey of literature and is included here as an advanced counterpart to the Nijay Gupta’s A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Studies (see above).*
15. Mitternacht, Dieter and Anders Runesson, eds. Jesus, the New Testament, Christian Origins: Perspectives, Methods, Meanings. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2021. *This is an advanced introduction to the methods of New Testament study that covers many topics that are typical to an undergraduate NT Introduction, but is much more detailed and written at a seminary level.*
16. Powell, Mark Allen. Introducing the New Testament: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2018.
17. Theissen, Gerd. The New Testament. Understanding the Bible and Its World. New York: T&T Clark, 2003.
18. Thomaskutty, Johnson ed. An Asian Introduction to the New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress, forthcoming.
19. Wenham, David and Steve Walton. Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Gospels & Acts. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011.
20. Witherington, Ben III. Invitation to the New Testament: First Things. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
21. Wright, N.T. and Michael F. Bird, The New Testament and Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019.

Bible Dictionaries

1. Bromiley, G.W., et al. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Rev. ed. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979-1988. (ISBE)
2. Brown, Colin. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Exeter: Grand Rapids, 1975-1978. (NIDNTT) *but see Silva, below, for updated & revised edition.
3. Collins, John J. and Daniel C. Harlow, eds. The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.
4. Cross, F.L., and E.A. Livingstone, ed. Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3^rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
5. Douglas, J.D., Merrill C. Tenney, and Moisés Silva. The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible. Revised. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.
6. Dyrness, William A. and Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2008.
7. Elwell, Walter A., ed. Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996.
8. Freedman, D.N., ed. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.
9. Freedman, D.N., ed. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. (AYBD)
10. Hammond, N.G.L., and H.H. Scullard, eds. Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford, 1970. (OCD)
11. Metzger, Bruce M. and Michael D. Coogan, The Oxford Companion to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
12. Powell, Mark Allan, ed. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Revised and updated. 3^rd ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2011.
13. Richards, Lawrence O. Expository Dictionary of Bible Words. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985. 
14. Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob, ed. The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. 5 vols. Nashville: Abingdon, 2009. (NIDB)
15. Schiffman, Lawrence, and James C. VanderKam, eds. Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
16. Silva, Moisés, New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. (NIDNTTE)
17. VanGemeren, W.A. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Carlisle: Paternoster, 1997. (NIDOTTE)
18. Vanhoozer, Kevin J., ed. Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005.
19. Wolfe, Brendan N., ed al. (eds). St Andrews Encyclopedia of Theology. 2022- . n.p. www.saet.ac.uk
20. Yamauchi, Edwin M. and Marvin R. Wilson. Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity. 4 vols. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2014-2017. 1 vol. ed., 2017. (DDL)
21. Zalta, Edward N., ed. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Metaphysics Research Lab, Philosophy Department, Stanford University. n.p. https://plato.stanford.edu/

IVP Bible Dictionary Series

1. Alexander, T.D., and D.W. Baker, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2002.
2. Arnold, Bill T. and H.G.M. Williamson, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2005.
3. Longman, Tremper III., ed. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2008.
4. Boda, Mark J. and Gordon McConville, eds. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2012.
5. Green, Joel B., S. McKnight, & I. H. Marshall, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. 2^nd edition. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2013. 
6. Hawthorne, G. & R.P. Martin, eds. Dictionary of Paul and his Letters. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993. 
7. Martin, R.P. and P.H. Davids, eds. Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1997.
8. Evans, C.A. and S.E. Porter, eds. Dictionary of New Testament Background. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.
9. Reid, Daniel G., ed. The IVP Dictionary of the New Testament: A One-Volume Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2004. [From the Preface, “The IVP Dictionary of the New Testmanet is a one-volume compilation of essential articles found in a series of dcationaries published by InterVarsity Press: Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Dictionary of Pual and His Letters, Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments, and Dictionary of New Testament Background.” ]

Commentaries

See BibTheo.com/commentaries for commentary descriptions & links. Single-volume commentaries will be presented with full bibliographic citation. Commentary series will be listed by series title only. All commentaries are arranged alphabetically by title.

Introductory Commentaries

The category of “Introductory Commentaries” is used here for commentaries that are written primarily for a popular or devotional level of readership. Technical data and analysis from the Greek or Hebrew texts are rarely discussed. Emphasis is often on exposition or application.

1. Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation
2. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible
3. Concordia Commentary
4. Dunn, James D. G. and John W. Rogerson, Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2021.
5. Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Old Testament | New Testament
6. Interpretation
7. New American Commentary (NAC): Old Testament | New Testament
8. New Beacon Bible Commentary
9. New Covenant Commentary Series (NCCS)
10. The NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC): OT Set 1 | OT Set 2 | NT | Translated into Spanish as Comentario bíblico con aplicación NVI
11. New Interpreter’s Bible (NIB)
12. Gaventa, Beverly Roberts and David Peterson, eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible One-Volume Commentary. Nashville: Abingdon, 2010.
13. Brown, Raymond E., et al., eds. New Jerome Bible Commentary. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1995.
14. The New Testament For Everyone
15. The Old Testament For Everyone
16. Barton, John, and John Muddiman. Oxford Bible Commentary. New York: Oxford University Press
17. Sheffield Biblical Guides (New Testament Guides & Old Testament Guides)
18. The Story of God Bible Commentary (SOGBC)
19. Teach the Text
20. Two Horizons New Testament Commentary
21. Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary
22. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
23. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
24. Understanding the Bible
25. Westminster Bible Companion

Technical Commentaries

The category of “Technical Commentaries” is used here for commentaries that are written primarily for students and scholars. Technical data and analysis from the Greek or Hebrew texts are emphasized in the discussion. Both advanced and mid-level commentaries are included here.

1. Anchor Yale Bible Commentary (AYBC)/ Anchor Bible (AB)
2. Apollos Old Testament Commentary
3. Baker Commentary on the OT Wisdom & Psalms
4. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT)
5. Black’s New Testament Commentary (BNCT)
6. Continental Commentary
7. Eerdmans Critical Commentary (ECC)
8. Forms of Old Testament Literature (FOTL)
9. Hermeneia
10. Historical Commentary on the Old Testament
11. International Critical Commentary (ICC)
12. International Exegetical Commentary on the OT (IECOT)/ Internationaler Exegetischer Kommentar zum Alten Testament (IEKAT)
13. International Theological Commentary
14. Jewish Publication Society Bible Commentaries (JPS)
15. New Cambridge Bible Commentary
16. New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT)
17. New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT)
18. New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC)
19. New Testament in Context Commentaries (NTinC)
20. New Testament Library (NTL)
21. Old Testament Library (OTL)
22. Paideia
23. Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC)
24. Reading the New Testament Commentary
25. Readings: A New Biblical Commentary
26. Sacra Pagina (SP)
27. Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (SRC)
28. Theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament (ThKNT)
29. Word Biblical Commentary (WBC)
30. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (ZECNT)
31. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (ZECOT)

Specialized Technical Commentaries

The category of “Specialized Technical Commentaries” is used here for commentaries that are written primiarly for students and scholars. The term “Specialized” is used with cautioun since no commentary series is written from a neutral perspective, so all commentaries are, in a sense, “specialized”. Neverthless, the term is used here to recognize commentaries that are written from an intentionally located position, or that write with a specialized technical focus that is in addition to the grammatico-historical emphasis of the “Technical Commentaries” list.

1. Adeymo, Tokunboh, ed. Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
2. Africa Bible Commentary Series
3. Page, Hugh R., Jr., ed. The Africana Bible: Reading Israel’s Scriptures from Africa and the Africa Diaspora. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2009.
4. Asia Bible Commentary
5. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
6. Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible
7. Massey, James, ed. One Volume Dalit Bible Commentary: New Testament. New Delhi, India: Centre for Dalit/Subaltern Studies, 2010.
8. Massey, James, ed. One Volume Dalit Bible Commentary: Old Testament. New Delhi, India: Centre for Dalit/Subaltern Studies, 2015.
9. Melcher, Sarah J., Mikeal C. Parsons, and Amos Yong, eds. The Bible and Disability: A Commentary. Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2017.
10. Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentaries
11. The Church’s Bible
12. Padilla, C. René, Milton Acosta Benítez, and C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell, eds. Comentario Bíblico Contemporáneo. San Sebastián, Costa Rica: EdicionesCerteza Unida, 2019. (CBC)
13. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (CNTOT)
14. Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (EGGNT)
15. Feminist Companion to the Bible series
16. Feminist Companion to the Bible (Second) series
17. Boring, Eugene M., Klaus Berger, and Carsten Colpe. Hellenistic Commentary to the New Testament. Nashville: Abingdon, 1995.
18. Kroeger, Catherine Clark and Mary J. Evans. The IVP Women’s Bible Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2002.
19. Jewish Publication Society Bible Commentaries
20. Majority World Commentary Series
21. New Testament Theology
22. Old Testament Theology
23. Reading the New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Commentary on the New Testament. (forthcoming)
24. Reformation Commentary on Scripture
25. Wintle, Brian, ed. South Asia Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary on the Whole Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015.
26. The Bible and Women: An Encyclopaedia of Exegesis and Cultural History
27. The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament
28. True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary
29. Wisdom Commentary
30. Newsom, Carol, Sharon H. Ringe, and Jacqueline E. Lapsley, eds. The Women’s Bible Commentary. Revised and expanded. London: SPCK, 2014.
31. Word Biblical Themes

Annotated bibliographies of Bible commentaries

1. Blomberg, Craig L., Bill Klein, and David L. Mathewson, “New Testament Exegesis Bibliography – 2017,” Denver Journal 23 (2020). Cited 15 Oct 2020. Online: https://denverseminary.edu/the-denver-journal-article/new-testament-exegesis-bibliography-2020/
2. Carson, D.A..  New Testament Commentary Survey. 7th ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013.
3. Dallaire, Hélène, Knut Heim, and Richard S. Hess, “Annotated Old Testament Bibliography – 2020,” Denver Journal 23 (2020). Cited 15 Oct 2020. Online: https://denverseminary.edu/the-denver-journal-article/annotated-old-testament-bibliography-2020
4. Dyer, John. “Best Commentaries.” No pages. Cited 25 June 2017. Online: BestCommentaries.com.
5. Evans, John F. A Guide to Biblical Commentaries and Reference Works. 10th ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
6. Glynn, John. Commentary and Reference Survey: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical and Theological Resources. 10th ed. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2007.
7. Gupta, Nijay K. The New Testament Commentary Guide: A Brief Handbook for Students and Pastors. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2020.
8. Longman, Tremper III. Old Testament Commentary Survey. 5th ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013.
9. Rosscup, James E. Commentaries for Biblical Expositors: An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Works. Rev. and Enlarged 1993 and 2004. The Woodlands, TX: Kress.

Journals

See BibTheo.com/journals for journal descriptions.

1. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies (AJPS)
2. Biblica
3. Biblical Theology Bulletin (BTB)
4. Bibliotheca Sacra
5. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (BASOR)
6. Catholic Biblical Quarterly (CBQ)
7. Christian History Magazine
8. Early Christianity
9. Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses (ETL)
10. Éstudios Bíblicos
11. Études théologiques et religieuses (also here)
12. Ex Auditu
13. Filología Neotestamentaria
14. Harvard Theological Review (HTR)
15. Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel (HEBAI)
16. Horizons in Biblical Theology
17. Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology (Interp)
18. Journal for the Study of the New Testament (JSNT)
19. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament (JSOT)
20. Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research (JBPR)
21. Journal of Biblical Literature(JBL)
22. Journal of Early Christian Studies (JECS)
23. Journal of Pentecostal Theology (JPS)
24. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS)
25. Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism (JGRChJ)
26. Journal of the Jesus Movement in Its Jewish Setting (JJMJS)
27. Journal of Theological Interpretation
28. Near Eastern Archaeology (NEA)
29. Neotestamentica
30. New Testament Studies (NTS)
31. Novum Testamentum (NovT)
32. Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies
33. Revue Biblique
34. Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament
35. Scottish Journal of Theology
36. Semeia (ran from 1972-2002)
37. Studia Theologica: Nordic Journal of Theology
38. Theologische Rundschau (ThR)
39. Theologiesche Zeitschrift (ThZ)
40. Trinity Journal
41. Vetus Testamentum
42. The Westminster Theological Journal (WTJ)
43. Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum/Journal of Ancient Christianity (ZAC)
44. Zeitschrift für Die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (ZAtW)
45. Zeitschruft für Die Neuentestamentliche Wissenschaft (ZNtW)
46. Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte (ZKG)
47. Zeitschrift für Neuere Theologiegeschiche/Journal For the History of Modern Theology (JHMTH)
48. Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche (ZThK)

Abstracts & Out-of-Print Journals

1. New Testament Abstracts (NTA)
2. Old Testament Abstracts (OTA)
3. Theologische Literaturzeitung (ThLZ)
4. Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers *
5. Semeia * (ran from 1972-25002)

Journal Indices

1. Journals, by Dr. Mark Goodacre’s NT Gateway.
2. Religious Studies Web Guide, by Saundra Lipton, Librarian at University of Calgary.
3. Brill Online: Books and Journals. This is Brill’s list of eight academic journals in the field of Biblical Studies.
4. MMLJournalFeed – Theology There is not a lot of information on the “about” link, but this anonymous journal feed is massive and covers multiple subjects.

Journal Indexing & Abstracting Services.

Thanks to Trinity Journal for the following list.

1. ATLA Religion Index One: Periodicals
2. Book Review Index, Gale Research Co.
3. Bulletin signaletique
4. Christian Periodical Index
5. Current Book Review Citations
6. Elenchus Bibliographicus Biblicus
7. Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses: Elenchus Bibliographicus
8. Internationale Zeitschriftenschau fur Bibelwissenschaft und Grenzgebiete
9. Mosher Periodical Index
10. National Periodical Library
11. New Testament Abstracts
12. Old Testament Abstracts
13. Religious and Theological Abstracts
14. University Microfilms Inc.
15. Zeitschrifteninhaltsdienst Theologie: Indicies Theologici

Monographs & Book Series

1. Ancient Near East Monographs
2. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
3. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
4. Cashiers de la Revue biblique
5. Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series
6. Études Biblique
7. Jahrbuch für biblische Theologie
8. Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series (JSNTSup) (now known as the Library of New Testament Studies (LNTS)
9. Paternoster Biblical Monographs
10. Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series
11. Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series (1946-2001) (2002-)
12. Society of Biblical Literature: various book series
13. Writings from the Ancient World Supplement Series
14. Writings from the Greco-Roman World Supplement Series

Socio-Historical Studies

1. Arnold, Bill T. and Brent A. Strawn, eds. The World around the Old Testament: The People and Places of the Ancient Near East. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2019.
2. Arnold, Bill T., ed. Windows to the Ancient World of the Hebrew Bible. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2014.
3. Bailey, Kenneth E. Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2011.
4. Baker, David W. and Bill T. Arnold, eds. The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999.
5. Balch, David L. and Carolyn Osiek, eds. Early Christian Families in Context: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
6. Barton, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1998.
7. Bauckham, Richard. Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
8. Beavis, Mary Ann, Irmtraud Fischer, Mercedes Navarro, and Adriana Valerio, eds. The Bible and Women: An Encyclopaedia of Exegesis and Cultural History. Series. Atlanta: SBL, 2011-.
9. Bell, Albert A., Jr. Exploring the New Testament World: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Jesus aand the First Christians. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998.
10. Bird, Phyllis A. Missing Persons and Mistaken Identities: Women and Gender in Ancient Israel. Overtures to Biblical Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997.
11. Carter, Charles E. and Carol L. Meyers, eds. Community, Identity, and Ideology: Social Science Approaches to the Hebrew Bible. SBTS vol. 6. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1996.
12. Chalcraft, David J., ed. Social-Scientific Old Testament Criticism: A Sheffield Reader. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997.
13. Clements, Ronald E. ed. The World of Ancient Israel: Sociological, Anthropological and Political Perspectives. Cambridge, 1989.
14. Cline, Eric H. Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
15. Cohen, Shaye J. D. From the Maccabees to the Mishnah. Library of Early Christianity 7. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1988.
16. Cohick, Lynn. Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009.
17. deSilva, David. Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.
18. Dodson, Derek S. and Katherine E. Smith. Exploring Biblical Backgrounds: A Reader in Historical & Literary Contexts. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2018.
19. Esler, Philip F., ed.  Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in its Social Context.  Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006.
20. Evans, Craig A., and Stanley Porter, ed. Dictionary of New Testament Background. The IVP Bible Dictionary Series. Downers Grove: lnterVarsity Press, 2000.
21. Feldman, L.H. Jewish Life and Thought Among Greeks and Romans: Primary Readings. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.
22. Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. 3rd edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
23. Fitzgerald, John T. and Thomas H. Olbricht, Early Christianity and Classical Culture: Comparative Studies in Honor of Abraham J. Malherbe. Supplements to Novum Testamentum 110. Leiden: Brill, 2005.
24. Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories. New York Random House, 2002.
25. Fu, Janling, Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, & Carol Meyers. T&T Clark Handbook of Food in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel. New York: T&T Clark, 2022.
26. Gottwald, Norman K.  The Politics of Ancient Israel.  Library of Ancient Israel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
27. Grabbe, Lester L. An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism: History and Religion of the Jews in the Time of Nehemiah, The Maccabees, Hillel and Jesus. New York: T&T CLark, 2010.
28. Grant, Robert M. Gods and One God. Library of Early Christianity 1. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1988.
29. Green, Joel B. and Lee Martin McDonald, eds. The World of the New Testament; Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2013.
30. Green, Joel B., ed. Hearing the New Testament. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.
31. Greer, Jonathan S., John W. Hilber, and John H. Walton, eds. Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2018.
32. Greer, Rowan A. and James L. Kugel. Early Biblical Interpretation. Library of Early Christianity 3. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1986.
33. Gurtner, Daniel M. and Loren T. Stuckenbruck, The T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism. 2 vols. New York: T&T Clark, 2019.
34. Hari, Albert. Découvrir toutes les femmes de la Bible. Ottawa, Canada: Novalis, 2007.
35. Heilig, Christoph. The Apostle and Empire: Paul’s Implicit and Explicit Criticism of Rome. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2022.
36. Horrell, David, ed. Social Scientific Approaches to New Testament Interpretation. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1999.
37. Hylen, Susan E. Women in the New Testament World. Essentials of Biblical Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019.
38. Karaman, Elif Hilal, Ephesian Women in Greco-Roman and Early Christian Perspective. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen Zum Neuen Testament, 2 Reihe. 474. Tübingen:Mohr Siebeck, 2018.
39. Keener, Craig, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. 2^nd edition.Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2014. Spanish Edition: Comentario del contexto cultural de la Biblia: Nuevo Testamento. Translated by Nelda Bedford de Gaydou, et al. Ed Paso, TX: Editorial Mundo Hispano, 2003.
40. Keener, Craig and John H. Walton, NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
41. Kelen, Jacqueline. Les femmes de la Bible: Les vierges, les épouses, les rebelles, les séductrices, les prophétesses, les prostituées... Paris: Relié, 2007.
42. Lapsley, Jacqueline E. Whispering the Word: Hearing Women’s Stories in the Old Testament. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2005.
43. Legrain, Michel. Dictionnaire des femmes de la Bible: suivi de quelques parcours thématiques. Paris: Cerf, 2015.
44. Longenecker, Bruce W. In Stone and Story: Early Christianity in the Roman World. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020.
45. Magness, Jodi. The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
46. ———-. Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.
47. ———-. The Archaeology of the Holy Land: From the Destruction of Solomon’s Temple to Muslim Conquest. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
48. Malherbe, Abraham J. Moral Exhortation: A Greco-Roman Sourcebook. Library of Early Christianity 4. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1989.
49. ———-. Social Aspects of Early Christianity. 2^nd edition. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2003.
50. Malina, Bruce J. The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology. 3^rd edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
51. Malina, Bruce and John J. Pilch. Social-Science Commentary on the Letters of Paul. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006.
52. ———-. Social-Science Commentary on the Deutero-Pauline Letters. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2013.
53. Malul, Meir, Knowledge, Control, and Sex: Studies in Biblical thought, Culture, and Worldview. Tel Aviv: Archaeological Center Publication, 2002.
54. Matthews, Victor H. and Don C. Benjamin. Social World of Ancient Israel 1250-587 BCE. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993.
55. McKnight, Scot and Grant R. Osborne, eds. The Face of New Testament Studies. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2008.
56. Meeks, Wayne A. The Moral World of the First Christians. Library of Early Christianity 6. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1986.
57. ———-. The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul. 2^nd edition. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.
58. Meyers, Carol, ed. Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
59. Neyrey, Jerome H. and Eric C. Stewart, eds. The Social World of the New Testament.: Insights and Models. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2008.
60. Niehaus, Jeffrey J. Ancient Near Eastern Themes in Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: Kreel, 2008.
61. Osiek, Carolyn A. Families in the New Testament World: Households and House Churches. Family, Religion, and Culture. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
62. Overholt, Thomas W. Cultural Anthropology and the Old Testament. Guides to Biblical Scholarship. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.
63. Perdue, Leo G., et al. Families in Ancient Israel. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1997.
64. Rice, Gene. Africa and the Bible: Corrective Lenses – Critical Essays. Edited by Alice Ogden Bellis. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2019.
65. Richards, E. Randolf and Brandon J. O’Brien. Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2012.
66. Rogerson, John W. Anthropology and the Old Testament. The Biblical Seminar. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984.
67. Sadler, Rodney S., Jr. Can A Cushite Change His Skin? An Examination of Race, Ethnicity, and Othering in the Hebrew Bible. The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies. New York: T&T Clark, 2009.
68. Schottroff, Luise. Lydia’s Impatient Sisters: A Feminist Social History of Early Christianity. Translated by Barbara Rumscheidt and Martin Rumscheidt. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1995.
69. Schürer, Emil. The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Chris·t (175 BC-A.D. 135}. Revised and edited by Geza Vermes, Fergus Millar, and Matthew Black. 4 vol. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1973, 1979, 1986, 1987.
70. Sechrest, Love Lazarus. Race & Rhyme: Rereading the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2022.
71. Stambaugh, John E. and David L. Balch, The New Testament in Its Social Environment. Library of Early Christianity 2. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1986.
72. Stegemann, Wolfgang, Bruce J. Malina, and Gerd Theissen, eds. The Social Setting of Jesus and the Gospels. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002.
73. Stiebing, William H. and Susan N. Helft, Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2018.
74. Still, Todd D. and Jason A. Myers, eds. Rhetoric, History, and Theology: Interpreting the New Testament. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022.
75. Stowers, Stanley E. Letter Writing in Greco-Roman Antiquity. Library of Early Christianity 5. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1986.
76. Theissen, Gerd. Social Reality and the Early Christians: Theology, Ethics and the World of the New Testament. New York: T&T Clark, 2001.
77. ———-. The Gospels in Context: Social and Political History in the Synoptic Tradition. New York: T&T Clark, 1999.
78. ———-. The Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on Corinth. Edited and translated by John H. Schütz. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2004. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1982. (The essays themselves were originally written in German in 1974 and 1975).
79. Van De Mieroop, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC. 3rd ed. Blackwell History of the Ancient World. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2016.
80. Walton, John H. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2019.
81. Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.
82. Walton, John H., Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas. Comentario del Contexto Cultural de la Biblia: Antiguo Testamento. El Paso, TX: Editorial Munco Hispano, 2005.
83. Winn, Adam, ed. An Introduction to Empire in the New Testament. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2016.
84. Witherington, Ben, III and Jason A. Myers, New Testament Rhetoric: An Introductory Guide to the Art of Persuation in and of the New Testament. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock., 2022.
85. Yamauchi, Edwin M. and Marvin R. Wilson. Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical and Post-Biblical Antiquity. 4 vols. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2014-2017. 1 vol. ed., 2017. (DDL)
86. Yamauchi, Edwin M. Africa and the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.
87. ———-. Persia and the Bible. Grand Rapids: Bakers,  1997

A Week in the Life of, book series

1. Beers, Holly. A Week in the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman. A Week in the Life Series. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2020.
2. Burge, Gary M. A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion. A Week in the Life Series. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2015.
3. Byron, John. A Week in the Life of a Slave. A Week in the Life Series. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2019.
4. Papandrea, James L. A Week in the Life of Rome. A Week in the Life Series. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2019.
5. Witherington, Ben III. A Week in the Fall of Jerusalem. A Week in the Life Series. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2017.
6. Witherington, Ben III. A Week in the Life of Corinth. A Week in the Life Series. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2012.

Atlases

1. Aharoni, Yohanan, Michael Avi-Yonah, Anson F. Rainey, Ze’ev Safrai, and R. Steven Notley, eds. The Carta Bible Atlas. 5th edition. Jerusalem: Carta Jerusalem, 2012.  
2. Barrett, David . Bible Mapper. n.p. Online: https://biblemapper.com/
3. Brand, Chat and Eric Mitchell, eds. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Revised and expanded. Nashville: B&H, 2015.
4. Brisco, Thomas. Holman Bible Atlas: A Complete Guide to the Expansive Geography of Biblical History. Nashville: B&H, 2014.
5. Dowley, Tim. Atlas of Christian History. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2016.
6. Pritchard, James B. HarperCollins Atlas of Bible History. New York: HarperCollins, 2010.
7. Rasmussen, Carl G. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible. Revised edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.
8. Rainey, Anson F., and R. Steven Notley. The Sacred Bridge: Carta’s Atlas of the Biblical World. Enhanced edition. Jerusalem: Carta Jerusalem, 2015.
9. Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines. 3 vols. Peabody, Mass.: Rose, 2005-2014
10. Rose Chronological Guide to the Bible. Peabody, Mass.: Rose, 2019.
11. Rouse, Robert. Vis.Bible. n.p. Online: https://viz.bible/

Literary Analysis

1. Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative. Basic Books, 1981.
2. Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Poetry. Basic Books, 1985.
3. Alter, Robert. The World of Biblical Literature. Basic Books, 1992.
4. Alter, Robert and Frank Kermode (eds.) The Literary Guide to the Bible. Harvard University Press, 1987.
5. Amit, Yairah. Reading Biblical Narratives: Literary Criticism and the Hebrew Bible. Fortress, 2001.
6. Aune, David E. The New Testament in Its Literary Environment. Library of Early Christianity 8. Edited by Wayne A. Meeks. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1985.
7. Baker, David W. and Bill T. Arnold, eds. The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999.
8. Bar-Efrat, Shimon. Narrative Art in the Bible. Bible and Literature Series 17. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989.
9. Barton, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Interpretation. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 1998.
10. Beale, G.K. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2012.
11. Beale, G. K. and D. A. Carson, eds. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007.
12. Berlin, Adele. Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative. Sheffield: Almond, 1983.
13. Brookins, Timothy A. Ancient Rhetoric and the Style of Paul’s LeEtters: A Reference Book. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2022.
14. Fisch, Harold. Poetry with a Purpose: Biblical Poetics and Interpretation. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1988.
15. Fokkelman, J.P. Reading Biblical Narrative: An Introductory Guide. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1999.
16. Fokkelman, J. P. Reading Biblical Poetry. An Introductory Guide. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001.
17. Green, Joel B., ed. Hearing the New Testament. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.
18. Gunn, David M. and Danna Nolan Fewell. Narrative in the Hebrew Bible. The Oxford Bible Series. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
19. Marguerat, Daniel and Yvan Bourquin. How to Read Bible Stories. Translated by John Bowden. London: SCM, 1999. Translation of Pour livre les récits bibliques. Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf, 1998.
20. McKnight, Scot and Grant R. Osborne, eds. The Face of New Testament Studies. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.
21. Ryken, Leland and Tremper Longman III (eds.). A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. Zondervan, 1993.
22. Sternberg, Meir. The Poetics of Biblical Narrative: Ideological Literature and the Drama of Reading. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1985.
23. Witherington, Ben III and Jason A. Myers. New Testament Rhetoric: An Introductory Guide to the Art of Persuasion in and of the New Testament. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2022.

Linguistic Analysis

Greek-English Lexicons

1. Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3^rd ed. Edited and revised by F.W. Danker. Translated and adapted by W.F. Arndt, F.T. Gingrich, and F.W. Danker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. (BDAG)
   • This edition is the newest and best revision of this lexicon. The older version is abbreviated (BAGD). The BDAG is the academic gold-standard for NT word-study.
2. Diggle, James, ed. The Cambridge Greek Lexicon. 2 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
   • Another of the newest Greek lexicons to come to an English-reading audience, this intermediate Greek lexicon produced by the Cambridge University Faculty of Classics “covers the most widely read ancient literary texts, from Homer to the Hellenistic poets, the later historians, and the New Testament Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. It is aimed primarily at students, but contains much that will be of interest to scholars. “-from the homepage. The lexicographers went back to the Greek sources themselves, and wrote this dictionary with a focus on “matching the ancient senses [of how the words were used] with a modern way of expressing them.” –from the homepage.
3. Liddel, H.G., and R. Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. Rev. ed. Aug. by H.S. Jones. 9^th rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon 1996. (LSJ)
   • This is the academic gold-standard for Classical Greek. It does the same thing as BDAG, except it works with Classical as well as Koine Greek. Online at Perseus-Tufts.
4. Louw, J. and E. Nida, eds. A Greek-English Lexicon based on Semantic Domains. 2^nd ed. 2 vols. New York: United Bible Society, 1989. (L&N)
   • Unique among the standard Greek lexicons, this lexicon arranges the words of the GNT into 93 semantic domains. Since words can be listed across multiple domains, you will want to start by finding your word in the index, and then look into how the word functions within each semantic domain in which it is listed.
5. Montanari, Franco. The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek. Edited by Madeleine Goh and Chad Schroeder, from Vocabolario della Lingui Greca. Torino: Loescher Editore, 2013. Edited by Gregory Nagy and Leonard Muellner. Leiden: Brill, 2015. (GE, BrillDAG)
   • One of the newest Greek lexicons to come to an English-readingaudience, GE covers literary and non-literature material from the 8^th c. BC – 6^th c. AD. The GE does not supplant BDAG but is the very next lexicon to consult when studying a word or working through translation.
6. Moulton, James H. and George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament: Illustrated from the Papyri and other Non-Literary Sources. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1930. (Moulton-Milligan)
   • This gives you a word’s usage in the ancient world, based on non-literary texts such as papyri mss, inscriptions, etc. This type of evidence tends to give us a glimpse into how “regular people” used Greek words. It would be analogous to defining modern English words by using evidence from songs, emails, signs, notes, and certain types of blogs.
7. Mounce, William Dm. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
   • Arranges English words in English alphabetical order. Billing itself as the successor to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, Mounce’s dictionary is easy to read and has a number of helpful indices at the back. The dictionary itself does a very good job listing the biblical passages in which the Hebrew and Greek words are used. It does not provide diachronic context, but instead focuses on where the words have been used in the Biblical text.
8. Thayer, Joseph Henry. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977. Reprint of A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Being Grimm’s Wilke’s Clovis Novi Testamenti Translated, Revised, and Enlarged. 4^th ed. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1901. Translation of Clovis Novi Testamenti. Rev. ed. Leipzig: Arnoldische Buchhandlung, 1889.
   • The 1887 version of Thayer’s is available at Archive.org. R. Daly wrote a helpful blog post on Thayer’s at the Biblical Languages Research blog, where Thayer’s strengths and weaknesses are discussed in some detail. Thayer’s can still be useful, especially if there are no other options readily available. From the publisher of the Baker edition cited here, “A word of caution is necessary. Thayer was a Unitarian, and the errors of this sect occasionally come through in the explanatory notes” (vii). Thayer’s lexicon is also based on the Westcott-Hort GNT, which is a precursor to but not the same as the contemporary critical editions of the GNT.

Hebrew-English Lexicons

1. Clines, David J. A. (ed.). The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. 8 vols. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993-2016.
   • This is the newest and most ambitious Hebrew lexicon in a generation. Its scope includes not just the Hebrew Scriptures, but also the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus), and Hebrew inscriptions. Every Hebrew word from that literature is included, over 6,000 entries in all. At the end of each verbal entry is a list of nominal forms derived from that word, and at the end of each nominal entries is a list of derived verbal forms. Volume 9 of the original 8 volume set includes an English-Hebrew index, an index of synonyms, and a Word Frequency Table that distinguishes frequency within each of the four copora (Hebrew Bible, Ben Sira, Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew Inscriptions).
2. Clines, David J. A. (ed.). The Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2009.
   • This is an affordable condensation of the larger 8 volume set.
3. Koehler, L. and W. Baumgartner, et al., eds.. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. 3rd ed. 5 vols. Brill, 1994-2001; Study edition, 2 vols. Brill, 2001. (HALOT)
   • This is one of the newer Hebrew lexicons. It is easy-to-use, easy-to-read, and is the academic gold-standard for OT word-study. The 2-volume Study Edition is an abridgment of the original, 5-volume, German version of the HALOT, composed by Koehler & Baumgartner.
4. Holladay, William L. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971. (CHALOT)
5. Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs, eds. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon, 1907. (BDB)
   • This was the standard Hebrew lexicon for a long time, but has been supplanted by newer lexicons. Because it arranges Hebrew words by their theoretical roots, and because it has not been updated since the turn of last century, it is a good, but not the best, Hebrew-English lexicon out there.
6. Mounce, William Dm. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.
   • Arranges English words in English alphabetical order. Billing itself as the successor to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, Mounce’s dictionary is easy to read and has a number of helpful indices at the back. The dictionary itself does a very good job listing the biblical passages in which the Hebrew and Greek words are used. It does not provide diachronic context, but instead focuses on where the words have been used in the Biblical text.

Greek-English Theological Lexicons

1. Brown, Colin, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-1978. (NIDNTT)
   • Arranges words in English, in English alphabetical order. Not comprehensive, but discusses words of major theological significance. This series was revised in the Moises Silva 2014 edition, signified by the acronym NIDNTTE.
2. Moisés Silva, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014. (NIDNTTE)
   • Arranges Greek words in Greek alphabetical order. Not comprehensive, but has added 800 entries to those covered by the NIDNTT. This Silva version is an update of: Collin Brown, ed. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-1978.(NIDNTT)
3. Spicq, Ceslas. Theological Lexicon of the New Testament. Translated by James Ernest. 3 vols. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994.
   • Arranges Greek words in Greek alphabetical order. Selective in the words it discusses, but the discussions are helpful.
4. Balz, Horst, and Gerhard Schneider, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. 3 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990.  (EDNT)
   • Arranges Greek words in Greek alphabetical order. Selective in the words it discusses, but the discussions are quite helpful.
5. Kittel, Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Translated and Edited by G. W. Bromiley. 10 volumes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964-1976. (Kittel,one-volume edition aka Little Kittel)
   • Arranges Greek words in Greek alphabetical order. Multi-volume, thorough discussion of important New Testament words. Definitions are discussed by time period (e.g., Classic Greek and Hellenism; Judaism; NT). The criticism of this work is that it tends to be imprecise about contexts. It does a fine job with diachronic (“through time”) analysis, but does not do so well with synchronic (“within a set time frame”) analysis. This is a good source to get a broad sense of the ways a word has been used from the 800 B.C.’s – 1st few centuries A.D., but it is not consistently reliable for defining the parameters of how the NT limits a word’s the semantic domain. TL;DR – Kittel is helpful but sometimes sloppy in distinguishing ancient usage from contemporaneous, 1st century A.D. usage.
6. Gilbrant, Thoralf, and Ralph W. Harris, eds. Complete Biblical Library. 39 vols. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House.
   • This is a multivolume series of interlinear Old Testament and New Testament books. Words are assigned numbers that correspond to the multi-volume Hebrew and Greek lexicons that are part of the set. It is a quick and helpful way to get a concise survey of the Greek and Hebrew words used in the Bible, even if the Greek text is the Textus Receptus.

Hebrew-English Theological Lexica

1. VanGemeren, W.A. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Carlisle: Paternoster, 1997. (NIDOTTE)
   • Arranges Hebrew words in Hebrew alefbetical order, (and not by their English translation.) If you don’t read Hebrew, then you can still find words by looking in the indexes in volume 5, or in the topical dictionary in volume 4.
2. Jenni, Ernst, and Claus Westermann. Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament. 3 vols. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1997.
   • Arranges Hebrew words in Hebrew alefbetical order. Selective in the words it discusses, but the discussions are quite helpful.
3. Harris, R. Laird, Archer, and Bruce Waltke. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. 2 vols. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. (TWOT)
   • This original English composition is a very good place to start your word study. The index at the end of volume 2 is keyed to Strong’s numbering system.
4. Botterweck, Johannes, and Helmer Ringgren. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Revised edition. Translated by John T. Willis. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975. (TDOT)
   • This is the Hebrew companion to Kittel’s TDNT. The original German of the TDOT was composed from 1970-1995, and, like it’s English counterpart, was a multivolume work. Online at BibleStudyTools.com.
5. Gilbrant, Thoralf, and Ralph W. Harris, eds. Complete Biblical Library. 39 vols. Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House.
   • This is a multivolume series of interlinear Old Testament and New Testament books. Words are assigned numbers that correspond to the multi-volume Hebrew and Greek lexicons that are part of the set. It is a quick and helpful way to get a concise survey of the Greek and Hebrew words used in the Bible, even if the Greek text is the Textus Receptus.

Concordances

Concordances have very nearly been replaced by the word search function on bible software such as Logos and Accordance, as well as on websites such as Lumina.Bible, StepBible, and BibleWebApp. If you are in a situation where you are using a print concordance, here is what you should know:

• “Exhaustive” Concordance = Every word, every occurrence
• “Complete” Concordance    = Every word, not every occurrence
• “Analytical” Concordance  = word & occurrence, also indicating which original word in which occurrence stands behind the English translation.

1. Moulton, W.F., A.S. Geden, and H.K. Moulton. A Concordance to the Greek Testament. 5^th ed. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1978; repr. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997.
   • This lists Greek words in Greek alphabetical order according to their occurrence in the New Testament.
2. Kohlenberger, John R. and James A. Swanson, The Hebrew-English Concordance to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.Hebrew words in Hebrew alphabetical order, based on the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia 4th ed.
3. Strong, James. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. New York: Eaton & Mains, 1990.  (Strong’s)
   • Lists English words in English alphabetical order. This concordance lists every English word of the KJV New Testament, followed by examples of each occurrence. The back of the book has a Hebrew-English and Greek-English dictionary, listing the underlying Hebrew or Greek word. Each word in the original language is assigned a number. Because of the popularity of the KJV and Strong’s concordance, these “Strong’s Numbers” are widely used in interlinears and other sources targeted to non-Hebrew/Greek reading people.
4. Goodrick, Edward W. and John R. Kohlenberger III, eds. NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990. (G/K)
   • This does the same thing as the Strong’s, but is based on the English of the NIV, not the KJV.
5. Kohlenberger, John R., III, ed. The NRSV Concordance Unabridged, Including the Apocryphal/ Deuterocanonical Books. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.
   • This does the same as Strong’s, but is based on the English of the NRSV.

 Online Lexical Sources

 “Interlinear Bible.” BibleHub. https://BibleHub.com/interlinear

1. Dyer, John. “Bible Web App.” BibleWebApp. Digital Bible Society. https://www.BibleWebApp.com/study
2.  “Interlinear Bible.” BibleHub. https://BibleHub.com/interlinear
3. “NET Bible.” Bible.org. https://www.NETBible.org
4. “Step Bible.” STEP Bible. https://www.StepBible.org.
5. “2-Letter Lookup.” Tyndale House. http://www.2LetterLookup.com/  Type in the first couple letters of a word and it will list all possible words that begin with those letters. Find the word, click on it, and it’ll take you to a lexicon.
6. “Bible Study Tools.” http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/ This is an Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon. You can enter a Strong’s Number, or Hebrew word, or English word, and it will give you basic definitions, based on the Brown, Driver, & Briggs (BDB) Lexicon. You can also go to http://www.biblestudytools.com, click on the “Lexicons” link, and find the New Testament Greek link. That will take you to a Lexicon based on the Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary. Both the Hebrew and the Greek Lexica contain links that will play an audio clip of the word you’ve selected. 
7. http://www.biblestudytools.net/Lexicons/NewTestamentGreek/ This is another helpful online Greek lexicon. It uses Thayer’s and other lexicons for its definitions.
8. . “Liddel-Scott Jones Lexicon of Classical Greek.” Perseus Digital Library. Tufts University. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/lexindex?entry=fe/rw.
9. “Scripture4all.”Stichting Scripture4All. http://www.scripture4all.org This contains links and free downloads of a Greek New Testament Interlinear, and Hebrew Old Testament Interlinear Bible. The Greek text is based on the Nestle-Aland 26/27, while the Hebrew text is based on the Westminster Leningrad Codex.
10. “A Hebrew-English Bible according to the Masoretic Text and JPS 1917 Edition.” Mechon Mamre. http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm An interlinear Hebrew-English OT with chapter-by-chapter audio files of a Sephardic-style Hebrew.

Primary Sources (Ancient Texts)

Ancient Near Eastern Literature

1. Ahituv, Shmuel, Echoes from the Past: Hebrew and Cognate Inscriptions fom the Biblical Period. A Carta Handbook. Translated by Anson F. Rainey. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 2014.
2. Arnold, Bill T. and Bryan E. Beyer, eds. Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.
3. Benkins, Peter. Inscriptions from the World of the Bible: A Reader and Introduction to Old Northwest Semitic. Peabody, Mass: Hendrickson, 2020.
4. Chavalas, Mark W., ed. Women in the Ancient Near East. Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World. New York: Routledge, 2014.
5. ———-, ed. The Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation. Blackwell Sourcebooks in Ancient History. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
6. Coogan, Michael D. A Reader of Ancient Near Eastern Texts: Sources for the Study of the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
7. Coogan, Michael D. and Mark S. Smith, eds. Stories from Ancient Canaan. 2nd edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2012.
8. Dalley, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the FLood, Gilgamesh and Others. Oxford: Oxford University PRess, 1989.
9. Dietrich, Manfried, Oswald Loretz, and Joaquin Sanmartin. Die keilalphabetischen Texte aus Ugarit, Ras Ibn Hani und anderen Orten (The Cuneiform alphabetic texts from Ugarit, Ras Ibn Hani and other places). 3^rd enlarged edition. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, 2013. (KTU, English abbreviation CAT)
10. Hallo, William W., ed. The Context of Scripture. 3 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1997-2002.  Volume 1: Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World; Volume 2: Monumental Inscriptions from the Biblical World; Volume 3: Archival Documents from the Biblical World. Leiden: Brill, 1997-2000. (COS)
11. Hays, Christopher B. Hidden Riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014.
12. Lichtheim, Miriam, ed. Ancient Egyptian Literature. 3 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973. Reprinted in 1 volume in 2019.
13. Matthews, Victor H. and Don C. Benjamin, Old Testament Parallels: Laws and Stories from the Ancient Near East. Revised and Expanded 3d ed. New York: Paulist, 2006.
14. Moran, William L., ed. & transl., The Amarna Letters. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1992.
15. Pritchard, James B., ed. The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010.
16. Pritchard, James B., ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. 3^rd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969. (ANET)
17. Society of Biblical Literature Writings from the Ancient World.
18. Sparks, Kenton. Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible: A Guide to the Background Literature. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2005.
19. Walton, John H. Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels between Biblica and ancient Near Eastern Texts. Grand Rapids: Regency Reference Library, 1990.
20. Wyatt, N. Religious Texts from Ugarit: The Words of Ilimilku and his Colleagues. 2^nd edition. The Biblical Seminar 53. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1998.

Introduction to Jewish Literature

1. Chapman, David W. and Andreas J. Köstenberger, ”Jewish Intertestamental and Early Rabbinic Literature; An Annotated Bibliographic Resource,” JETS 43 (2000): 577-618.
2. Cohen, Shaye J.D. From the Maccabees to the Mishnah. 3rd edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2014.
3. Feldman, L.H. Jewish Life and Thought Among Greeks and Romans: Primary Readings. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.
4. Helyer, Larry R. Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period: A Guide for New Testament Students. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2002.
5. Nickelsburg, George W.E., Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981.
6. Stone, Michael E., ed. Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period. CRINT 2. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984.

OT Apocrypha

1. deSilva, David A. The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude: What Earliest Christianity Learned from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. Cambridge: Oxford, 2012.
2. ———-. Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, Context, and Significance. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002.
3. Kirby, Peter. “Early Jewish Writings.” Online: www.earlyjewishwritings.com
   • Includes access to free, online versions of the Deuterocanonical Literature, Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and Josephus.
4. Metzger, Bruce M. ”Introduction to the Apocrypha.” Pages xi-xxii in the Oxford Annotated Apocrypha. Expanded and revised edition. Edited by Bruce M. Metzger. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.
5. Reddish, Mitchell G., ed. Apocalyptic Literature: A Reader. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1995.
6. Sparks, H.F.D., The Apocryphal Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.
7. Wills, Lawrence M. Introduction to the Apocrypha: Jewish Books in Christian Bibles. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2021.

OT Pseudepigrapha

1. Gurtner, Daniel M. Introducing the Pseudepigrapha of Second Temple Judaism: Message, Context, and Significance. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020.
2. Charlesworth, James H. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. 2 vols. Garden City: Doubleday, 1985.
3. Kirby, Peter. “Early Jewish Writings.” Online: www.earlyjewishwritings.com
   • Includes access to free, online versions of the Deuterocanonical Literature, Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and Josephus.

Septuagint (LXX)

1. Aitken, James K., ed. T&T Clark Copansion to the Septuagint. New York: T&T Clark, 2015.
2. Brenton, Lancelot Charles Lee. The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament: English Translation. London: Samuel Bagster and Sons, 1870.
3. Jobes, Karen H. and Moises Silva. Invitation to the Septuagint. 2nd edition. Baker: Grand Rapids, 2015.
4. Pietersma, Albert and Benjamin G., eds. A New English Translation of the Septuagint and the Other Greek Translations Traditionally Included under that Title. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Online: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/
5. Rahlfs, A. Septuaginta. 2 vols. 9th ed. Stuttgart: Württembergische Bibelanstalt, 1984.
6. Rahlfs, A. and Robert Hanhart, eds. Septuaginta. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellshaft, 2006. Online: https://www.academic-bible.com/en/online-bibles/septuagint-lxx/read-the-bible-text/
7. Ross, William A. and W. Edward Glenny, eds. T&T Clark handbook of Septuagint Research. New York: T&T Clark, 2021.
8. Septuagint Commentary Series. Boston: Brill.
9. Septuaginta: Vetus Testamentum Graecum Auctoritate Academiae Scientiarum Gottingensis editum. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1931-1990.
10. Tov, Emmanuel, The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research: Completely Revised and Expanded Third Edition.  Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2015.

Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)

1. Brooke, George J. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005.
2. Burrows, M. ed., The Dead Sea Scrolls of St. Mark’s Monastery. 2 vols. New Haven: American Schools of Oriental Research, 1951. (DSSSMM)
3. Charlesworth, James, ed. The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, 3 vols. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006.
4. Charlesworth, James H., et al., The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek Texts with English Translations. Princeton Theological Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project 6B. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck; Louisville, 2002.
5. Charlesworth, James H., e.d. John and the Dead Sea Scrolls. New York: Crossroad, 1990.
6. de Waard, Jan. A Comparative Study of the Old Testament text in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 4. Leiden: Brill, 1966.
7. “Dead Sea Scrolls,” Google Cultural Institute.” Online: https://www.google.com/intl/en-GB/culturalinstitute/about/deadseascroll/
8. “Dead Sea Scrolls Electronic Library.” Online: http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/browse/dead-sea-scrolls-electronic-library-biblical-texts. This resource is behind a paywall.
9. “The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls.” Online: http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/
10. Discoveries in the Judean Desert (DJD).
11. García Martínez, Florentino and Eibert J. C. Tigchelaar, eds. The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition. 2nd ed. 2 vols. New York: Brill, 2019.
12. García Martínez, Florentino. The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.
13. “The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library.” Online: https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/?locale=en_US
14. Magness, Jodi. The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.
15. Schiffman, Lawrence H. and James C. VanderKam. Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
16. VanderKam, James. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012.
17. ———-. The Dead Sea Scrolls Today. 2nd edition. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010.
18. Vermes, Geza. The Dead Sea Scrolls: Qumran in Perspective. Revised edition. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1997.
19. ———-, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English. 7th rev. ed. New York: Penguin, 2012.
20. Wise, Michael, Martin Abegg, Jr., and Edward Cook. The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.

Josephus

1. Kirby, Peter. “Early Jewish Writings.” Online: www.earlyjewishwritings.com
   • Includes access to free, online versions of the Deuterocanonical Literature, Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and Josephus.
2. Mason, Steve. Josephus and the New Testament. 2nd edition. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2002..
3. Thackeray, H. St. J., et al., Josephus. 10 vols. LCL. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1926-1965.
4. Whiston, W. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987.

Philo

1. Colson, F.H., et al. Philo. 12 vols. LCL. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1929-1953.
2. Yonge, C.D. The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993.
3. Kirby, Peter. “Early Jewish Writings.” Online: www.earlyjewishwritings.com
   • Includes access to free, online versions of the Deuterocanonical Literature, Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and Josephus.

New Testament Apocrypha

1. Bockmuehl, Markus. Ancient Apocryphal Gospels. Interpretation. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017.
2. Ehrman, Bart D. and Zlato Pleše. The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
3. Elliot, J.K. The Apocryphal New Testament. Oxford: Clarendon, 1993.
4. Schneemelcher, Wilhelm. New Testament Apocrypha. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1991-1992.

Greco-Roman Literature

1. Loeb Classical Library. Harvard University Press.
   • This contains the works of primary source authors from roughly 700 BCE to 600 CE.  From the website – “The Loeb Classical Library is the only series of books, which, through original text and English translation, gives access to all that is important in Greek and Latin literature…in short, our entire classical heritage is represented here in convenient and well-printed pocked volumes in which an up-to-date text and accurate and literature English translation face each other page by page.” The series is continually adding new volumes and revising old ones. New books cost $24. There are hundreds of them.]
2. Barrett, C.K., ed. The New Testament Background: Writings from Ancient Greece and Roman Empire that Illuminate Christian Origins. Rev. ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995.
3. Betz, H.D. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells. 2^nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
4. Cooley, Alison E. The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigaphy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
5. Beard, M, J. North, and S. Price. Religions of Rome. Vol. 2. A Sourcebook. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.  
6. Burnett, D. Clint. Studying the New Testament Through Inscriptions: An Introduction. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2020.
7. Elwell, Walter A. and Robert W. Yarbrough, Readings from the First-Century World: Primary Sources for New Testament Study. Grand Rapids: Baker 1998.
8. Evans Craig A. Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to the Background Literature. Peabody: Hendrickson, 2005.
9. Feldman, L.H. Jewish Life and Thought Among Greeks and Romans: Primary Readings. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.
10. Grant, F. C. Ancient Roman Religion. The Library of Religion. New York: Liberal Arts Press, 1957.
11. Grant, F.C. Hellenistic Religions: The Age of Syncretism. The Library of Religion. New York: Liberal Arts Press, 1953.
12. “the Internet Classics Archive.” Online: http://classica.mit.edu/index.html
    • This contains primary sources from “a list of 441 works of classical literature by 59 different authors…Mainly Greco-Roman works (some Chinese and Persian), all in English translation.” It includes authors such as Philo, Josephus, Tacitus, Thucydides, and Homer.
13. Kennedy, George A. Progymnasmata: Greek Textbooks of Prose Composition and Rhetoric. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003.
14. Klauck, H.-J. The Religious Context of Early Christianity: A Guide to Graeco-Roman Religions. Translated B. McNeil. Studies of the New Testament and Its World. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2000.
15. Novak, Ralph Martin. Christianity and the Roman Empire: Background Texts. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2001.
16. Ogden, D. Magic, Witchcraft, an Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds: A Sourcebook. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. This contains over 300 primary-source texts on its topic.
17. “Perseus Digital Library.” Online: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu
    • This is probably the best source for ancient, primary sources. It provides both the original Latin or Greek works, as well in English translation. You can set the original languages to hyperlink all of the Greek/Latin words, so when you click on them, it will take you to the appropriate entry from the Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon.
18. Rose, H.J. A Handbook of Greek Literature from Homer to the Age of Lucian. New York, 1961. This is not a primary source, but will help you navigate the vast body of literature.
19. Rose, H.J. A Handbook of Latin Literature form the Earliest Times to the Death of St. Augustine. New York, 1949.
    • These two works by Rose are excellent, readable, introductions to classical literature, which is the literature that comprises the Greco-Roman literary environment of the New Testament. Since Greek, not Latin, was the dominant language of the Eastern Roman Empire, you should probably start becoming conversant with the Greek literature of the time, even though both are important.
20. Smith, Daniel Lynwood. Into the World of the New Testamnt: Greco-Roman and Jewish Texts and Contexts. London: T&T Clark, 2015.
21. “LacusCurtius: Into the Roman World.” Online: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/home.html
    • This site contains the original Greek or Latin, as well as English translations, of over 40 authors from the ancient world.
22. “The Latin Library.” Online: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com

Numismatics

1. Bressett, Kenneth. Money in the Bible. Atlanta: Whitman, 2007.
2. Hendin, David. Guide to Biblical Coins. 5^th ed. New York: Amphora, 2001.
3. Meshorer, Ya’akov. A Treasury of Jewish Coins. New York: Amphora, 2001.
4. Metcalf, William E. The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Apostolic Fathers

1. Holmes, Michael W. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations. 3rd edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007.
2. Roberts, Alexander, and James Donaldson, eds. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. 1885-1887. 10 vols. Reprint. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1994.
3. Schaff, Philip, ed. The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers. 1886-1889. 14 vols. Reprint. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1995.
4. www.ccel.org “Christian Classica Ethereal Library” This is library of full-text resources, from the time of the apostles onwards.
5. www.earlychristianwritings.com, by Peter Kirby, includes access to free, online versions of the NT Apocrypha, Gnostic Literature, and Early Church Fathers

Note to Students

As with all research bibliographies, resources are included here not because they are endorsed but because they make a contribution to the discipline in a meaningful way. It is not expected that you will agree with everything in these resources or with everything the authors say in other venues. But it is important to read with a generous and open attitude in order to understand what they are saying so that whether you agree or disagree with them, you are able to articulate their views in a fair and clear manner. At the same time, there are resources that do not meet the academic standards for inclusion in most research projects, examples of which are included in the next section.

Unsuitable for Research

Do not use the following resources in preparation for a technical research paper, unless you have an unlimited amount of time to spend reading sources of various quality.

The resources on this list are widely available online for free because they are out of copyright so do not cost much to digitize. They were written before the English-speaking world knew that Biblical Greek was common 1^st century Greek (i.e., Koine Greek; see Deissmann, 1901); before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and published in their entirety (1947-1991); and before the horrors of the Holocaust led to a more nuanced analysis of Judaism from New Testament scholarship as a whole (1945). In the USA, these works were also written before the 19^th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote (1920) and before the Civil Rights Act ended legal segregation based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (1964). Works written before these events will reflect their social location and blind spots thereto. Though helpful in some ways, such as their familiarity with classical Greek and Roman literature, they predate the current state of the knowledge and are therefore inadequate for nearly all technical research purposes.

For example, the first five volumes of Matthew Henry’s Commentary were published in 1710, and the complete edition with all six volumes was published in 1811. The third and final edition of Easton’s Bible Dictionary was published in 1897. Any recent publication dates associated with these works reflect the year they were posted online or reprinted by contemporary publishers; their content, however, remains frozen from 1700s and 1800s.

Regarding the Matthew Henry Commentary series, Warren Wiersbe states bluntly, “Matthew’s purpose in writing the Commentary was practical, not academic. [After Matthew passed away,] several of his pastor friends gathered up his notes and sermons and completed the Commentary from Romans to Revelation. When you read their expositions, you can see how far short they fall of the high standard set by the original author” (50 People Every Christian Should Know [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009], 27). Yet Wiersbe will clarify with Matthew Henry’s own contribution to the series, “there were times when he spiritualized the text and missed the point; but generally speaking, he did his work well…[Yet] you will not find Matthew Henry grappling with big problems as he expounds the Word, or always shedding light on difficult passages in the Bible. For this kind of help you must consult the critical commentaries. He did not know a great deal about customs in the Holy Land…the student will need up-to-date commentaries and Bible dictionaries to help him [or her] in that area” (50 People, 28).

An additional red flag for a commentary series is when a single person writes a commentary on the entire Bible. Though an individual may have a firm grasp of the entire Bible, the level of rigor on display in academic work on any single book of the Bible will transcend the capability of a single author to maintain that level of rigor for every single book of the Bible. Everyone can be an expert on some things, but no one is an expert on everything.

While each of the works on the following list has value, that value is not in the area of formal, technical research based on the current state of the question.

1. Barnes, Albert, New Testament Notes, 1832.
2. Clarke, Adam. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, 1831.
3. Constable, Thomas. Thomas Constable’s Noteson the Bible. Fort Worth: Tyndale Seminary Press, 2010-2022.
   • The issue with this commentary is not in its date but in its purpose. These are expository study bible notes by a single author. Dr. Constable was on faculty at Dallas Theology Seminary for 45 years and has taught the Bible in church and overseas, so he certainly has the expertise to offer comments on the Bible. Yet these notes are not intended to give a representative discussion of the major interpretive options. Dr. Constable and Plano Bible Church are to be commended for creating these notes and making them available online for free, and they do contain footnotes with references for further reading. But in themselves these notes are suitable for research in an exegetical paper.
4. Easton, Matthew George. Easton’s Bible Dictionary, 1893, 1894, 1897.
5. Geneva Study Bible, 1560.
6. Gill, John. Exposition of the Bible, 1746-63.
7. Guzick, David. David Guzik’s Bible Commentary. https://enduringword.com.
   • This commentary series is also known as the Enduring Word Bible Commentary. The problem with this commentary series for research is not in it age but with its purpose. David Guzik is a faithful Christian pastor whose pastoral teaching notes are the basis of this commentary. Notes designed for teaching in a pastoral setting are valuable in a pastoral setting, but they were not designed for, nor suitable in, technical research, simply because the expectations are so different in each venue. David Guzik himself has “no formal Bible College or seminary training” (enduringworld.com/about/david-guzik). So while he is to be commended for making his notes available for free online, this commentary series is unsuitable for exegetical research for a paper or sermon.
8. Halley, Henry Y. Halley’s Bible Handbook. 1924.
   • Born in 1922 as a 16 page pamphlet that grew into a book in its own right (1st ed., 1924; 24th rev. ed, 1965, 25th rev. and exp. ed., 2008), this handbook has continually been supplemented with charts and maps as its rights were transferred between various publishing houses. The problem with using this for research is, from its own Forward, that “it is not designed as a textbook, but rather as a handy brief manual, of popular nature, for the average Bible reader who has few or no commentaries or reference works on the Bible.” From the preface to the 25th edition, “Dr. Halley’s goal was not to write a book that would help people know more about the Bible…[but] to get people and churches to read the Bible in order that they might meet and listed to the God of the Bible and come to love His Son, Jesus Christ.” While there is much to commend about Halley’s Handbook, it is neither designed for nor suitable for research.
9. Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1706, 1708-10, 1811.
10. Jamieson, Robert, A.R. Fausset, David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871.
11. Johnson, Barton Warren. People’s New Testament, 1891.
12. Lange, Johann Peter. Philip Schaff, transl. Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical, 1867-1900.
13. McGee, J. Vernon. Genesis through Revelation. Through the Bible with J. Vernon McGee. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998.
    • The issue with this commentary series for research is not in its age but with its purpose. Dr. McGee is a faithful Christian with academic qualifications who has spent a career dedicated to teaching Scripture to a wide audience. This commentary series is a lightly edited version of those radio broadcasts which, while noble in intent, were intentionally limited in scope. Dr. McGee himself in the commentary’s own preface says, “These are popular messages, prepared originally for a radio audience. They should not be considered a commentary on the entire Bible in any sense of that term. These messages are devoid of any attempt to present a theological or technical commentary on the Bible. Behind these messages is a great deal of research and study in order to interpret the Bible from a popular rather than from a scholarly (and too-often boring) viewpoint. We have definitely and deliberately attempted ‘to put the cookies on the bottom shelf so that the kiddies could get them.’ The fact that these messages have been translated into many languages for radio broadcasting and have been received with enthusiasm reveals the need for a simple teaching of the whole Bible for the masses of the world.”
14. Orr, James, ed. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,1915. 
    • The revised version of ISBE edited by Geoffrey Bromiley is from 1995 and would make for a good first step in your research. But the edition edited by James Orr in 1915 is unsuitable for research. Unfortunately, since the 1915 version is out of copyright, it is also the only version that is going to be freely accessible online.
15. Smith, William. Smith’s Bible Dictionary, 1863.
16. Spence, H.D.M. and Joseph S. Exell, The Pulpit Commentary, 1909-1919.
17. Wiersbe, Warren. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament in One Volume and The Complete Old Testament in One Volume. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007;  Wiersbe, Warren. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2002. “Be” series, 1972-2004.
    • The problem with this commentary series for research is not in its age but with its purpose. The Bible Exposition Commentary series and Wiersbe Bible Commentary sets are both edited versions of Wiersbe’s “Be” series. The intent of that entire project was not to provide the data or analysis required for technical study of the Bible, but instead to provide devotional guidance and opinion on the meaning of Scripture. “The author spends no time discussing introductory issues such as authorship, date, setting, historical background, audience, and even purpose. Such critical issues need to be addressed because one’s commentary cannot help but be influenced by these matters” (Israel Loken, “Bible Exposition Commentary: History, review” Bibliotheca sacra 161 (2004), 373). While there is devotional value to this series, it is neither designed for nor suitable in research.
18. Any Study Bible.
    • Study Bibles are useful, but their value is not as a reputable resource of information for a research paper. They typically do not support their opinions with evidence nor do they have space to explain all of the relevant data that supports to their conclusions. They can raise helpful questions, but are not intended to serve as a source for technical research. See BibTheo.com/StudyBibles for a more detailed discussion of the benefits and limitations of Study Bibles.

Note to Students

As with all research bibliographies, resources are included not because they are endorsed but because they make a contribution to the discipline in a meaningful way. It is not expected that you will agree with everything in books or with everything the authors say in other venues. But it is important to read with a generous and open attitude, even if one may ultimately part ways with ideas and implications.