Religion and World Religions Select Annotated Bibliography

This Bibliography’s purpose is to provide the college student with a list of quality religious studies in the areas of: religion; world religions; religion in America; philosophy of religion and contemporary religious thought; and psychology and sociology of religion. Also, it should be pointed out that many of the books cited contain further bibliography, and none of the entries require any foreign language competencies. Finally, this select bibliography also includes seven appendices: 1) articles defining the primary nature of religion, and defining worldviews [includes also a very brief bibliographic excurses on worldviews]; 2) books and articles about apologetics, magic, religion and science, and world views; 3) books and articles about religion and ethics [includes a very brief bibliographic excurses on the problem of fact and value, is and ought, and, theory and practice/praxis]; 4) books and articles about religion and education; 5) books and articles about religion and law; 6) books and articles about religion and art; and 7) a few general religious periodical index resources.

Rick Allbee, HCC, 2008

General Resources on Religion, and on the Major World Religions

A Very Short Introduction to … (series). Oxford University Press, 1990’s-2000’s. Series is somewhat mixed in quality, but generally high. Introduces the subject presupposing no background. Also, contains useful “further reading” chapter bibliographies. Particularly noteworthy volumes will be listed in their relevant sections below.

A Short Introduction to…(series). Oneworld Publications, 1990’s-2000’s. Series is somewhat mixed in quality, but generally very high. Introduces the subject presupposing no background. Most volumes also give brief bibliographies. Particularly noteworthy volumes will be listed in their relevant sections below.

Banton, Michael. Ed. Anthropological Approaches to the Study of Religion. ASA Monographs 3. London: Tavistock Publ, 1966. (See especially, Melford Spiro, “Religion: Problems of Definition and Explanation,” pp. 85-126).

Berger, Peter. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of A Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor Books, 1967, 1990.

The Blackwell Companions to Religion Series. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. 2003 and following; 14 vols. to date (2006). Series is of mixed quality and relevance. However, notable volumes include: Darren Marks, ed., The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism; Jacob Neusner, ed., The Blackwell Companion to Judaism; Robert Segal, ed., The Blackwell Companion to The Study of Religion; and William Schweiker, ed., The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics. See also The Cambridge Companions to Religion Series. This series is also of mixed quality. It is more specifically focused (e.g.: American Judaism; Postmodern Theology; Reformation Theology; St. Paul; etc) than the Blackwell Companion Series.

Bowker, John. Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Oxford, 1997. Standard religion dictionary with up-to-date bibliography appended to the entries.

Breuilly, Elizabet; et. al. Eds. Religions of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Origins, Beliefs, Traditions, and Festivals. Facts on File, 1997. Very basic information, but good illustrations and charts of the various temples and religious holidays respectively.

Diener, M.; Friedrichs, K.; Ehrhard, F.; and Fischer-Schreiber, I. Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion. Verlag, 1989; B & N, 1999. Outstanding, albeit brief, topical one volume encyclopedia. Unfortunately, the only bibliographic contribution is a brief general one at the end.

Eliade, Mircea and Joseph Kitagawa. The History of Religions: Essays in Methodology. University of Chicago Press, 1959. (See especially: Jean Danielou, “Phenomenology of Religions and Philosophy of Religion,” pp. 67-85; Mircea Eliade, “Methodological Remarks on the Study of Religious Symbolism,” pp. 86-107; and Wilfred Cantwell Smith, “Comparative Religion: Whither and Why?,” pp. 31-58).

Eliade, Mircea. Ed. The Encyclopedia of Religion. 16 vols in 8 books. N.Y.: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1995. Standard.

Fenn, Richard K, ed. The Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Religion. Oxford, 2003. (See especially: Roger O’Toole, “Classics in the Sociology of Religion: An Ambiguous Legacy,” pp. 133-160; and Robert Wuthnow, “Spirituality and Spiritual Practice,” pp. 306-320).

Fowler, James. “William James and the Varieties of Religious Experience”. pp. 166-167 in Pluralism and the Oneness of Religious Experience.

Freedman, David Noel and Michael J. McClymond. Eds. Rivers of Paradise: Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad as Religious Founders. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.

House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions (Zondervan Charts). Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Useful set of charts mostly comparing different beliefs rather than rituals, etc.

Hughes, Graham. Worship as Meaning. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Argues for religious liturgy as an intensification of meaning.

Jones, Cheslyn; Yarnold, Edward S.; and Wainwright, Geoffrey. Eds. The Study of Spirituality. Oxford, 1986. Excellent, but very brief set of articles, discussing religious spirituality. Mostly various historical Christian forms are discussed, but the other major world religions, including African and Native American religions, receive respective entries.

Marty, Martin and Scott Appleby. Fundamentalism Observed. University of Chicago, 1998.

Momen, Moojan. The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach. Oneworld, 1998. Very good survey with a wide scope covering: conceptual aspects of religions, relationships between religion and society (ethics, gender, power, etc) theories of religion (anthropological, historical, phenomenological, psychological, sociological), types of religious experiences and expressions, the basic world views of the major world religions, etc.

J. Gordon Melton, series editor. The Encyclopedia of World Religions Series. Facts on File. Published works to date include: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Current. Contains both short (a glossary of sorts) and longer entries, and includes further reading bibliographies. User friendly and not too technical, but still well informed.

Melton, J. Gordon; and Martin Baumann. Eds. Encyclopedia of World Religions. 2002. Current.

Noss, John B. A History of the World's Religions. 11^th Rev. Ed. N.Y.: MacMillian, 2003. Outstanding text-book history of the major traditions. Also, Chistopher Partridge’s (ed), Introduction to World Religions (Fortress, 2005) is a good topically oriented text-book introduction; and Warren Matthew’s World Religions (5^th ed., Wadsworth, 2006) combines a brief narrative of each tradition with a unique and helpful world view analysis of the major religious traditions.

Oneworld Publications. Oxford, 1998-2002. Concise Encyclopedia of World Faith Series. Entries to date include: Geoffrey Parrinder on Christianity (1998); Klaus K. Klostermaier on Hinduism (1998); Dan Cohn-Sherbok on Judaism (1998); and Gordon Newby on Islam.

Partridge, Christopher, Ed., New Religious Movements. One of the strengths of this book is that it grounds the new movements with their antecedent roots in some of the major religions. It also provides a brief overview of these religions.

Reese, William L. Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion: Eastern and Western Thought. Rev and Exp ed., New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1996. Also, because philosophy and religion often discuss similar fundamental things (spirit, freedom, value, etc), albeit frequently from different perspectives, be aware also of: Frederick Copleston’s, A History of Philosophy (9 vols. in three books; New York: Doubleday, 1985); and Milton Hunnex’s, Chronological & Thematic Charts of Philosophies & Philosophers. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986. For a more introductory level see H. Blocker, World Philosophy: An East-West Comparative Introduction to Philosophy. 1999.

Renard, John. The Handy Religion Answer Book. Barnes and Noble, 2004. Basic information.

Runzo, Joseph; and Nancy M. Martin. Eds. The Meaning of Life in the World Religions. Oneworld, 2000. (See especially: Ninian Smart, “The Nature of Religion: Multiple Dimensions of Meaning,” pp. 31-46; and Keith Ward, “Religion and the Question of Meaning,” pp. 11-30).

Sharpe, Eric. Understanding Religion. London: Duckworth, 1983.

Smart, Ninian, ed. Atlas of the World’s Religions. Oxford, 1999.

Stark, Rodney. Exploring the Religious Life. John Hopkins University Press, 2004. Excellent set of essays from an well informed sociologist.

Trigg, Roger. Rationality and Religion. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1998. Penetrating analysis.

Van Voorst, Robert E. Anthology of World Scripture. 5^th ed. Wadsworth, 2006. Besides giving topically arranged primary source readings for the major religions, this work also lists and discusses their respective bodies of scriptural writings.

Vrijhof, Pieter H. and Jacques Waardenburg. Eds. Official and Popular Religion: Analysis of a Theme for Religious Studies. Religion and Society 19. The Hague: Mouton, 1979.

Wach, Joachim. The Comparative Study of Religions. Columbia University Press, 1958.

Zaehner, R.C. Ed. Encyclopedia of World Religions, 1988, 1997. Narrative descriptions of the major traditions.

Preliterate Religions

Arlene B. Hirschberger & Paulette Fairbanks Molin. Eds. The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. 1999. Limited.

Beckwith, Carol, Angela Fisher, Malidoma Patrice Some. African Ceremonies. Abrams: Harry N Inc, 2000. Photographic book depicting a wide range of African ceremonies.

Gill, Sam D. Dictionary of Native American Mythology. Oxford, 1994. Brief but good representative entries. Contains bibliography at the end as well.

Gill, Sam. Native American Religions: An Introduction. Rev ed. Wadsworth, 2004. Brief, but good examples of various Native American beliefs and practices.

Gill, Jerry H. Native American Worldviews: An Introduction. Prometheus Books, 2002.

Glazier, Stephen D. Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions. Routledge, 2001. Limited.

Lyon, William S. Encyclopedia of Native American Healing. 1998. Over 1200 entries addressing Native American culture, customs, and rituals associated with health and healing. Extensive bibliography.

Lyon, William S. Encyclopedia of Native American Shamanism. 1998. A companion to above, this volume continues the study of shamanism. Extensive bibliography.

Martin, Joel W. Native American Religion. Religion in American Life. Oxford, 1999. (Series is a very basic level overview, yet by experts; some Bibliography).

Mbiti, John S. African Religions and Philosophy. 2^nd ed 1990. Very good overview.

Olupona, Jacob K, ed. African Spirituality: Forms, Meanings, and Expressions. Crossroad, 2001. Good set of articles which seek to provide a comprehensive analysis of African spirituality. Covers cosmologies and sacred knowledge, authority, agencies, and performance, Africans’ encounters with other religions, and African spirituality in the Americas.

Ray, Benjamin C. African Religions: Symbol, Ritual and Community. 2^nd ed. Prentice Hall, 1999. Text-book presentation of African Religions.

Vecsey, Christopher. Ed. Handbook of American Indian Religious Freedom. 1991. Good discussion of contemporary legal issues (sacred artifacts, land use, freedom of worship, etc) with respects to Native American Religions.

Western World Religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism)

Christianity

Arnold, Bill T. Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study. Encountering Biblical Studies. Baker Academic Books, 2002. One of the strengths of this collection is that it follows the Biblical canonical order.

Arnold, Bill T. and G.M. Williamson. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books. IVP, 2005.

Arnold, Clinton. Powers of Darkness: Principalities and Powers in Paul's Letters. 1992. Discusses the spiritual and magical backgrounds presupposed in Paul’s letters.

Aune, David. The N.T. in Its Literary Environment. 1987. Detailed discussion of the various genres of the New Testament in their historical settings.

Aune, David. Prophecy in Early Christianity and the Ancient Mediterranean World. Reprint of the 1991 original. Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2003. Excellent study by a foremost scholar.

Bailey, Kenneth. Poet and Peasant, and Through Peasant Eyes: Parables in the Gospel of Luke. Combined ed. 1983. Literary analysis and cultural exposition of Luke’s parables.

Bailey, James and Lyle Vander Broek. Literary Forms in the New Testament: A Handbook. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1992. Brief taxonomy of N.T. literary forms. Also gives further reading bibliographies.

Bahnsen, Greg L.; Moo, Douglas J.; Kaiser, Walter C.; Strickland, Wayne G; and Willem A. VanGemeren. Five Views on Law and Gospel. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. Moo’s and Strickland’s contributions are especially excellent.

Beker, J.C. Paul The Apostle: The Triumph of God in Life and Thought. Grand Rapids: 1980, 1994. Argues convincingly that, although Paul’s center of theological gravity is God’s triumph in Jesus, he develops complimentary themes to address particular historical situations.

Berman, Harold J. Faith and Order: The Reconciliation of law and Religion. Emory University Studies in Law and Religion. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993. Outstanding survey of the relationship between Western law and the Judaeo/Christian heritage.

Black and Dockery. N.T. Criticism and Interpretation. 1991. Scholarly critical presentation and discussions of the “Criticisms” (Sociological criticism, Redaction Criticism, etc) approach to N.T. interpretation.

Blomberg, Craig. Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey. 1997. Excellent introduction to Gospel backgrounds, critical study, and the life, ministry, and teaching of Jesus.

Bock, Darrell L. Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study. Baker Academic Books, 2005. One wishes it were longer, but very good.

Bradley, James. Church History: An Introduction to Research, Reference Works, and Methods. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Brown, Colin. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. 4 vols. Harper Collins Publishers, Incorporated, 1997. Indispensable resource for discussions of N.T. theological doctrines, topics, and themes.

Bruce, F.F. New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969. Good presentation especially on the relationship between the Testaments.

Bruce, F.F. New Testament History. Doubleday, 1972. Good readable history of the New Testament period.

Bruce, F.F. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. 1977. An excellent exposition of all the primary themes in Paul's thought as they developed in the historical context of his life and travels.

Bruner, Frederick Dale. A Theology of the Holy Spirit (1970). A good discussion of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. Max Turner’s The Holy Spirit in the New Testament Church and Today (1997) includes the O.T in his thorough discussion. However, Anthony C. Thiselton’s remarks in his The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NIGTC, Eerdmans, 2000) should be read as a partial correction to Turner. Turner, also, and unlike Bruner, is open to a non-cessationist view of the special gifts of the Spirit.

Bullinger, E.W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible. 1898, 1968. Exhaustive and excellent survey (knowledge of original languages helpful). See also, Nida, Eugene; et al, Style and Discourse. New York: United Bible Society, 1983.

Carson, D.A. Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. Examines and critiques this new paradigm’s accommodation to postmodernism.

Carson, D.A The Gagging of God. Offers a thoughtful response to those who may be uncritically beholden to extreme subjectivism and pluralism in this postmodern era.

Carson, D.A. New Testament Commentary Survey. 6^th ed. 2007. Outstanding presentation and critical evaluation of the major and, to a lesser extent, minor plethora of N.T. commentaries.

Carson, Donald and John Woodbridge. Eds. Hermeneutics, Authority, and Cannon. 1986. A companion volume to the following, this is a crucial and excellent set of essays on the nature of the Bible. See also Radmacher below.

Carson, Donald and Woodbridge Scripture and Truth. 1983. Excellent set of essays on these crucial issues.

Carson, D.A.; R.T. France, J.A. Motyer, and Gordon J. Wenham; eds. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. IVP, 1994. Probably the best one volume commentary on the entire Bible.

Cerfaux, Lucien. Christ in the Theology of St. Paul. Herder and Herder, 1953. Outstanding synthesis by a foremost Catholic scholar.

Clark, David K. To Know and Love God: Method for Theology. Foundations of Evangelical Theology Series. Crossway Books, 2003. Outstanding critical presentation and dialogue with the scope of theological issues for modern Theological method.

Copan, Paul and William Lane Craig. Creation out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. Thoroughly researched and meticulously argued presentation that all the main relevant Biblical texts, and the best in contemporary scientific cosmology agree that the universe had an absolute begining (was created) out of nothing (on the scientific cosmology see also Simon Singh, Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe [HarperCollins Publishers, 2005]).

Cottrell, Jack. The Faith Once for All: Bible Doctrine for Today. Cincinnati: College Press, 2002. Basic but solid presentation of Biblical doctrines from an Arminian perspective.

Cotterell, Peter and Max Turner. Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation.1989. Applies linguistic discourse analysis to Biblical interpretation. The following resources are also good: John Beekman, and John Callow, Translating the Word of God (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974) 287-312; Nida, Louw, Snyman, and Cronie, Style and Discourse (New York: American Bible Society,1983) 100-105; and Vern Sheridan Poythress, “Propositional Relations,” in The New Testament Student and His Field (The New Testament Student, 5, Ed. by J. Skilton, Presbyterian and Reformed, 1982) 159-212.

Colquhoun, Frank. Four Portraits of Jesus. 1984. Very brief presentation of the four different emphases of the four gospels with respects to their portrayal of Jesus.

Cullmann, Oscar. The Christology of the New Testament. Rev ed. Westminster, 1963. Good presentation by a first rate scholar.

Cunningham, Lawrence. A Brief History of Saints. Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion Series. Blackwell, 2004.

Dieter, Melvin; J. Robertson McQuilkin; et. al. Five Views on Sanctification. Counterpoints Series. Zondervan, 1996. Useful discussion of the major views.

Dillard, Raymond; and Tremper Longman III. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Discusses historical backgrounds, literary analysis, and theological message of the individual books of the Old Testament.

Douglas, James Dixon; and Earle E. Cairns. Eds. New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Rev ed. Zondervan, 2001.

Dulles, Avery. Models of Revelation. 1985. Excellent critical survey of the various possibilities and major historical proposals for the nature of divine revelation.

Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Rev ed. Hendrickson Publishers, 1997. An older but still magnificent reference to the historical and cultural setting of the Gospels. One notable feature of the book is an appendix listing over 400 Old Testament passages tagged by the ancient rabbis as messianic.

Elliott, Matthew A. Faithful Feelings: Rethinking Emotion in the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Kregal, 2006. After surveying emotions in ancient Jewish, Greek, and Roman culture, surveys several key emotions in the New Testament. Elliott then argues for a cognitive theory of emotion in the New Testament as opposed to a non-cognitive view.

Elwell, Walter A. Readings from the First-Century World: Primary Sources for New Testament Study. Encountering Biblical Studies. Baker Academic Books, 1998. A strength of this collection is that it follows the Biblical canonical order.

Erickson, Millard. Christian Theology. 2^nd ed. Baker, 1998. Solid systematic theology.

Erickson, Millard, and Paul Helseth. Eds. Reclaiming the Center: Confronting Evangelical Accommodation in Postmodern Times. Crossway, 2004. Essential reading for those interested in the future of Evangelicalism.

Evans, Craig A. Ancient Texts For New Testament Studies: A Guide To The Background Literature. Hendrickson Publishers, October 2005. Reliable guide by a noted expert. Considerably more space devoted to Jewish backgrounds rather than to Greco-Roman.

Evans, Craig and Porter, S. Eds. Dictionary of New Testament Background. IVP, 2000. Topical discussions of N.T. backgrounds with up-to-date bibliographies.

Evans, Craig and James Sanders, Paul and the Scriptures of Israel. JSNTSS 83 (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1993). Scholarly discussion of the intertextuality between the Old and New Testaments. For a very readable, but still informed, discussion of this issue generally see: Moises Silva, “Old Testament in Paul,” in Ralph Martin, Daniel G. Reid. Eds. Dictionary of Paul and His Letter. IVP, 1993.

Evans, C.S. The Christ of History and the Jesus of Faith (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996). Excellent philosophical defense of the necessity and possibility of understanding the narrative of the Jesus of faith as a narrative of the actual historical Christ.

Fahlbusch, Erwin; Vische; Pelikan; Bromiley; et. al. Eds. The Encyclopedia of Christianity. 5 vols. Eerdmans, 1999-2004.

Fee, Gordon. New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. 3rd ed. 2002. A step by step presentation by a recognized N.T. scholar. Also includes a helpful resource bibliography covering backgrounds, etc.

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. 3rd ed. Eerdmans, 2003. Outstanding topical presentation of the religious, philosophical, political, and social-economic backgrounds of early Christianity. Also, each section gives a selective bibliography. [Note: For an example of how background studies inform Biblical exposition see: Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (InterVarsity Press, 1993)].

Ford, David. Ed. Modern Theologians. 2^nd ed. CUP, 1997. Good critical survey.

Forster, R.T. and V.P. Marston, God’s Strategy in Human History. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1973. Excellent discussion of providence.

Francis, Fred and J. Paul Sampley. Eds. Pauline Parallels. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1984. Synoptic view of the various literary sub forms found throughout Paul’s letters.

Furguson, Everett; et al. Eds. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity.2^nd Rev ed. Taylor & Francis, Inc., 1998.

George, Timothy and Alister McGrath. For all the Saints: Evangelical Theology and Christian Spirituality (John Knox, 2003). Somewhat mixed, but generally a good set of essays.

Gilson, Etienne. The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. Tr. by L.T. Shook. Notre

Dame University Press, 1994. Recognized expert.

Glynn, John J. Commentary and Reference Survey: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical and Theological Resources. 2007. 10^th ed. Includes backgrounds, church history, introductions, theologies, etc in addition to commentaries. Unfortunately, unlike Carson (N.T.) and Longman (O.T.), he doesn’t rank these sources, although he does bold face the best in each field.

Goldingay, John. Theological Diversity and the Authority of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987. Outstanding study! Presents three major approaches to understanding the diversity of O.T. perspectives: contextualist, critical, and constructivist.

Gorman, Michael J. Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul & His Letters. Eerdmans, 2004. Excellent discussion of Paul’s letters, background, and theology.

Grant, Robert. A Short History of the Interpretation of the Bible. 2nd rev ed. 1984. Too brief, but useful survey especially of the pre-modern periods.

Greene, Colin J. Christology in Cultural Perspective: Marking Out the Horizons. Eerdmans, 2004. Outstanding contextualization of the major contemporary and historical Christologies.

Green, Joel B. Ed. Jesus of Nazareth: Lord and Christ. 1994/98. Excellent set of essays.

Green, Joel B., Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall. Eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. IVP, 1990, 2000. Topical synthetic discussions of Jesus and the Gospels with up-to-date bibliographies.

Green, Michael. I Believe in the Holy Spirit. 2^nd rev ed. 1989. Basic, but relatively thorough overview of the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

Grenz, Stanley J., and Roger Olson. 20^th Century Theology. 1993. Good critical discussion.

Guthrie, Donald. New Testament Introduction. 3rd ed. 1970. Solid introduction to N.T. critical issues (date, authorship, themes, etc.).

Hallo, William W. and K. L. Younger, eds. The Context of Scripture: Vol 1: Canonical Compositions, Vol 2: Monumental Inscriptions, and Vol 3: Archival Documents from the Biblical World. 3 vols. Leiden: E.J. Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. A new standard collection that replaces the older Prichard.

Hanson, K. C; and Douglas E. Oakman. Palestine in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2002. Draws on Scriptural and archaeological data to detail the economic, political and social structures of 1^st century Palestine.

Harbin, Michael A. The Promise and The Blessing: A Historical Survey of The Old and New Testament. Zondervan, 2005. Excellent textbook presentation.

Hasel, Gerhard. New Testament Theology: Basic Issues in the Current Debate.1978, 1994. Good discussion of the major issues.

Hasel, Gerhard. O.T. Theology: Basic Issues in the Current Debate. 4th rev ed. 1991. Good discussion of the major issues.

Hastings, Adrian. Ed. The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought. Oxford, 2000. Wide in scope with brief and diverse entries.

Hastings, Adrian. Ed. A World History of Christianity. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.

Hawthorne, Gerald. The Presence and the Power. 1991. Interesting study on the role of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Jesus.

Hayes, John; and F. Prussner. Old Testament Theology: its History and Development. 1985. Excellent history, and survey of over 50 Old Testament theologies.

Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation; A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethic. Harper Collins, 1996. Good New Testament ethics’ book.

Hendrickson, William. More Than Conquers. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1969. Accessible and excellent exposition of the difficult book of Revelation. Also, for a wide scope of helpful information including the major interpretive approaches to Revelation see M.C. Tenny’s Interpreting Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957).

Janowitz, Naomi. Magic in the Roman World: Pagans, Jews and Christians. Religion in the First Christian Centuries. Routledge, 2001. Very good general introduction.

Jeffrey, David Lyle, Ed. A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992. Outstanding survey.

Johnson, S. Lewis. The Old Testament in the New. CEP. 1980. Good brief study of a complicated topic. For a survey of all the O.T. quotations in the N.T. see Gleason Archer, and Chirichingo. O.T. Quotations in the New Testament. 1983. (knowledge of original languages required).

Jones, Cheslyn; Yarnold, Edward S.; Wainwright, Geoffrey; and Paul Bradshaw. Eds. The Study of Liturgy. Rev ed. Oxford, 1992. Excellent depiction of the historical development of the Christian liturgy.

Kaiser, Walter C. Toward an Old Testament Theology. Zondervan, 1991. Solid presentation of “Promise Theology”-- the Promise of the Messiah as the hermeneutical, literary, and theological theme of the Biblical corpus.

Kee, Medicine, Miracle and Magic in New Testament Times. Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series. New ed. Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Keener, Craig. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994). Outstanding one volume commentary that succinctly brings together a plethora of cultural background information to help illuminate the text.

Kelly, J.N.D. Early Christian Doctrines. Rev ed. 1978. Outstanding discussion and synthesis of the doctrines developed in the first five centuries of Christianity.

Kistemaker, Simon J. The Parables: Understanding the Stories Jesus Told. 2^nd Rev ed. Baker, 2002. Good exposition of all the major parables.

Klein, William and Craig Blomberg. Introduction To Biblical Interpretation: Revised and Expanded. Thomas Nelson, 2004. Excellent. Covers the history of interpretation, philosophical hermeneutics, appropriate interpretive methods for the various Biblical literary genres, etc.

Koester, Craig R. Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel (2^nd Rev ed. Fortress Press, 2003). Excellent.

Krentz, Edgar. The Historical-Critical Method. 1975. Excellent presentation, history, and critical discussion and evaluation of the historical-critical method.

Ladd, George. A Theology of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. Very good New Testament theology.

Latourette, Kenneth. A History of Christianity. Rev ed. 2 vols. Harper and Row, 1975. Standard and respected history.

Levine, Amy-Jill. Ed. The Historical Jesus in Context. Princeton Readings in Religions. Princeton University Press, 2006. Good set of contextual texts and essays.

Lindberg, Carter. A Brief History of Christianity. Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion Series. Blackwell, 2005.

Lippy, Charles H. and P.W. Williams. Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience. 3 Vols N.Y.: Scribners, 1988. Excellent Survey.

Livingstone, E.A.; Cross, F.L.; and Elizabeth A. Livingstone. Eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3^rd ed. Oxford, 1997. Standard.

Lonergan, Bernard. Method in Theology. 1976. As important for what it indicates is required to be an authentic follower of the Christian faith from an epistemological and moral point of view as it is for its discussion of method. Advanced.

Long, P.; Silva, M.; and Poythress, V. Eds. Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation. 6 vols in one. 1996. Noteworthy volumes include Philips on the genre of Biblical history, Poythress on Science and Theology, and Muller on the discipline of Christian Theology.

Longenecker, Richard. Ed. Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the N.T. Eerdmans, 2001. Good set of essays covering prayer in the N.T. books, as well as prayer in the Jewish and Hellenistic world.

Longman, Tremper III. Old Testament Commentary Survey. 4^th ed. Baker Academic, 2007. Good presentation and critical evaluation of the major and, to a lesser extent, minor plethora of O.T. commentaries.

Macaulay, Ranald and J. Barrs. Being Human: the Nature of Spiritual Experience. 1978.

Mack, Burton. Rhetoric and the New Testament. Guides to Biblical Scholarship. New Testament Series. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1990.

Marthaler, Berard. Ed. New Catholic Encyclopedia. 15 vols. Gale Group, 2002.

Martin, Ralph P, and Peter Davids. Eds. Dictionary of Later New Testament and Its Development. IVP, 1999. Topical discussions with up-to-date bibliographies.

Martin, Ralph P, and Daniel G. Reid. Eds. Dictionary of Paul and His Letter. IVP, 1993. Topical synthetic discussions of Paul and his letters with up-to-date bibliographies.

Marshall, I. Howard. New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel. IVP, 2004. Respected scholar.

Marshall, I. Howard; and David Peterson; eds. Witness to the Gospel: The Theology of Acts. Eerdmans, 1997. Advanced set of essays. Particularly noteworthy is Darrell Bock’s contribution: “Scripture and the Realization of God’s Promises.”

McBrien, Richard P. The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism. Harper Collins, 1995. Standard.

McGrath, Alister E. Christianity: An Introduction. 2^nd ed. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 2006.

McGrath, Alister E. Historical Theology. Blackwell 1998. Good survey and introduction.

Mcgrath, Alister E. A Scientific Theology: Vol 1, Nature; Vol 2, Reality; Vol 3, Theory. Eerdmans, 2003. Advanced. For a summary “guide” see McGrath’s, The Science of God: An Introduction to Scientific Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004).

McGrath, Alister; and Duncan Forrester. Eds. Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought. Oxford, 1995. Includes substantial review essays dealing with the central themes of Christian thought, major schools of thought, aesthetics, Biblical interpretation, economic thought, ethics, political theory, the physical sciences, music, philosophy, etc. Also surveys the development of Christian thought in other countries.

Meyers, Carol. Women in Scripture: A Dictionary of Named and Unnamed Women in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament. Eerdmans, 2001.

Moberg, David. The Church as a Social Institution. 2nd ed. 1984. Standard.

Nissinen, Martti. Ed. Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East. Writings from the Ancient World Series. Society of Biblical Literature, 2003.

Neusner, Jacob. Ed. Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period: 450 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. Hendrickson Publishers, Incorporated, 1999. Wide in scope with over 3,300 brief entries, but by experts in the field.

Newbigin, Lesslie. Foolishness to The Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture. 1986. Critique of the modern mind set, separating fact and value, functioning to limit the Gospel.

Newbigin, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989. Important statement of how to understand and live the Gospel in the contemporary pluralist world.

Noll, Mark. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada. Eerdmans, 1992. Standard.

Oehler, Gustav F. Theology of the Old Testament. 5th ed. Tr. by George Day. 1883. Older, but still an outstanding O.T. theology.

Osborne, Grant. The Hermeneutical Spiral. IVP, 1999. Excellent presentation of what is required, and how to do it, in order to accomplish good Biblical exegesis (historical, grammatical, etc), and also how to translate exegesis into theology.

Patrick, Dale. Old Testament Law. 1985. Excellent presentation.

Petry, Ray C. and Manschreck, Clyde L., eds. A History of Christianity: Documents of the Christian Church. 2 vols. N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1964.

Pinnock, Clark H. Ed. Grace Unlimited. Bethany House, 1975. Excellent set of essays. See also Clark H. Pinnock (ed) The Grace of God and the Will of Man. Bethany House, 1995. 

Powell, M.A. What is Narrative Criticism? Guides to Biblical Scholarship. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1990. Brief, but good presentation.

Pratt, Fernand S.J. The Theology of St. Paul. Combined ed. 2 vols. 1964. Older, but still very good catholic theology.

Pritchard, James, ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1969. Classic standard collection.

Radmacher, Earl and Preus. Eds. Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible. 1984. Thorough set of essays on the nature of the Bible. See also Carson and Woodbridge above.

Ridderbos, Herman. Paul: An Outline of His Theology. 1975. Excellent. Advanced.

Rosner, Brian; T. Desmond Alexander; Carson Goldsworthy; eds. New Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Exploring the Unity & Diversity of Scripture. IVP, 2000. Discusses the discipline of Biblical theology, traces themes through the Bible, then discusses the theology of various sections of scripture (e.g. Prophets, Gospels, Paul, etc).

Ryken, Leland. How to Read the Bible as Literature: and Get More Out of It. 1984. Good brief overview by a leader in the field. Does not try to reduce the Bible to mere literature. See also his more substantial: A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible (ed., with Tremper Longman III). Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academia Press, 1993; The Literature of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974; and Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987.

Ryken, Leland; and Philip Graham Ryken, eds. Literary Study Bible. English Standard Version. Crossway Books, 2007. Focuses on the Bible’s literary aspects. Very Good.

Ryken, Leland; James C. Wilhoit; and Tremper Longman III. Eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: An Encyclopedia Exploration of the Images, Symbols, Motifs, Metaphors, Figures of Speech, Literary Patterns, etc Used in the Bible. InterVarsity Press, 1999.

Sampley, J. Paul. Paul in the Greco-Roman World: A Handbook. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2003. Set of twenty five essays covering a diverse array of social topics including: athletics, battle, friendship/enmity, commendation, adoption, virtues/vices, exemplification, imitation, rhetorical comparison, boasting, frank speech, households, education, etc.

Sandy, Brent and Ronald Giese, Jr. Eds. Cracking Old Testament Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old Testament. 1996. Excellent.

Schmidt, Alvin. Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization. Zondervan, 2001. Good general survey of Christianity’s contributions to Western civilization.

Schultz, Samuel. The Old Testament Speaks. 5th ed. 2000. Excellent O.T. history.

Schnackenburg, Rudolf. Jesus in the Gospels: A Biblical Christology (Tr. by O.C. Dean, Jr.; Westminster: John Knox Press, 1995, 2005). Synthesis by a major Catholic scholar.

Schnackenburg, Rudolf. The Moral Teaching of the New Testament. Herder & Herder, 1964. A classic by an outstanding Catholic scholar.

Scobie, Charles H. The Ways of Our God: An Approach to Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. Excellent defense of Biblical theology, and an equally excellent articulation of it. Takes a thematic approach articulating various Biblical themes through a proclamation/promise/fulfillment/consummation framework.

Shults, F. Leron. The Post-Foundationalist Task of Theology: Pannenberg and the New Theological Rationality. Eerdmans, 2000. First half of the book is an excellent presentation and discussion of post-foundationalist hermeneutics, epistemology, and rationality. Advanced.

Skarsaune, Oskar. In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity. Intervarsity Press, 2002. Begins by tracing the story of second temple Judaism from the crisis of the Jewish encounter with Hellenism in the second century B.C. through the diverse Judaisms of the first century A.D. Then it traces from the time of Jesus and the origins of the church up to the Constantinian revolution of the early fourth century A.D. Strong emphasis on the Jewish influence upon Christianity throughout these centuries.

Smith, Christian. The Emergence of Liberation Theology. Radical Religion and Social Movement Theory. University of Chicago Press, 1991. Good historical overview.

Soulen, Richard. Handbook of Biblical Criticism. 3^rd ed. 2001. Excellent.

Sparks, Kenton L. Ancient Texts For The Study Of The Hebrew Bible: A Guide To The Background Literature. Hendrickson Publishers, October 2005. Reliable guide.

Stegemann, Ekkehard W.; and Wolfgang Stegemann. The Jesus Movement: A Social History of Its First Century. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1999. Judicious use of anthropological and sociological theory to illuminate the history of the growth of the first century church in its rural and urban, Palestinian and Roman contexts.

Staton, Knofel. How to Know the Will of God. 1979. Sensible advice.

Stevenson, J. Ed. A New Eusebius: Primary Source Documents Illustrating the Early Church. Abingdon, 1988.

Stevenson, J. Ed. Creeds, Councils, and Controversies: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church, A.D. 337-461. Abingdon, 1990.

Stambaugh, John and David Balch. The New Testament in its Social Environment. 1995. Excellent presentation of the major social issues and institutions of the N.T. period.

Stott, John. The Sermon on the Mount. BST. IVP, 1976. Good introductory level exposition of this important discourse.

Swartley, Willard. Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women. 1982. A good critical discussion of these issues framed in the form of case studies in hermeneutics.

Thesilton, Anthony. New Horizons in Hermeneutics. 1993. Excellent and near exhaustive survey and critical discussion of critical and philosophical hermeneutics. Advanced.

Van der Toorn, Kael; et al. Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. 2^nd Rev ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999. Scholarly resource.

Tristano, Richard. The Origins of the Restoration Movement. Glenmary Research Center, 1988. Perhaps the best on the topic.

Twelftree, Graham H. In the Name of Jesus: Exorcism among Early Christians. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007. Expert study of the first two centuries.

Twelftree, Graham H. Jesus the Exorcist. Tubingen: Mohr; Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993. Informed study.

Twelftree, Graham H. Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Historical and Theological Study. Downers Grove: IVP, 1999. Conservative and scholarly.

VanGemeren, Wilem A. Ed. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. 5 Vols. 1997. Topical presentations of O.T. theological topics and themes.

Van Gemeren, Willem A. Interpreting the Prophetic Word. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academia Press, 1990. Excellent survey of the content and literary style of the Prophetic writings. Includes a substantial bibliography.

Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Is There a Meaning in This Text? Zondervan, 1998. Excellent critical description of postmodern hermeneutics. Vanhoozer’s own proposals (drawing upon Speech Acts linguistics) arguing for the author as communicative agent, the text as enacted meaning, and hermeneutical realism as a means of responding to this meaning is very well articulated.

Van Voorst, Robert. Readings in Christianity. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publ Co., 1996. Good topical anthology.

deVaux, Roland. Ancient Israel. 2 vols. 1965. Excellent presentation of the social and religious organization of ancient Israel.

Walton, John H. Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989. Illuminating presentation and discussion of the similarities and differences between the Biblical writings and their ANE counterparts.

Walton, John H. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible. Baker Academic Books, 2006. Synthesis by a foremost expert.

Walton, John H.; Victor H. Matthews; and Mark W. Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000). Very good one volume commentary that succinctly brings together a plethora of cultural background information to help illuminate the text.

Walton, Robert C. Chronological and Background Charts of Church History. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986. Useful set of charts.

Walton, Robert C. Chronological Charts of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academia Press, 1978. Useful set of charts.

Ware, Timothy. The Orthodox Church. 2nd ed. Penguin, 1993. Good survey.

Wells, David. Above All Earthly Powers: Christ in a Postmodern World. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005. Critiques the postmodern West as relativistic, individualistic, and therapeutic. Also critiques contemporary evangelicalism’s