Basic Bibliography for Biblical Studies

A Basic Bibliography for Biblical Studies
Part 2: More Resources in English
by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

Introductions to Exegetical Methods:

Carvalho, Corrine L. Primer on Biblical Methods. Winona, MN: Anselm Academic, 2009.
- One of the best recent introductions; easy to read and practical.
Montague, George T. Understanding the Bible: A Basic Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. 2nd edition. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist, 2007.
- An historical survey of the major trends in how the Bible has been interpreted over the past 2000 years; the book concludes with examinations of Dei Verbum (from Vatican II) and of The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (by the PBC).
Hayes, John H. and Carl R. Holladay. Biblical Exegesis: A Beginner's Handbook. 3rd edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2007.
- A practical step-by-step guide with a minimum of technical terms, solid introductions in exegetical method, and good presentations of exegetical theory and practice.
Fee, Gordon D. New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. 3rd edition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002.
– and –
Stuart, Douglas. Old Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. 4th. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009.
- Very practical "how to" manuals, but requiring some use of the original biblical languages.
Green, Joel B., ed. Hearing the New Testament: Strategies for Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.
- Twenty in-depth articles covering both traditional and more modern interpretive methods: historical, social, literary, etc.
Stenger, Werner. Introduction to New Testament Exegesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993.
- Another practical manual, with ten examples of applying mostly form and redaction criticisms.
Harrington, Daniel J. Interpreting the Old Testament: A Practical Guide. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991.
Harrington, Daniel J. Interpreting the New Testament: A Practical Guide. Rev. ed. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1990.
- Introductions to the standard historical-critical methods, including literary, textual, source, form, and redaction criticisms.
Briefer overviews:
- C. Holladay & W. Walker, "Biblical Criticism," HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 141-46;
- or W. Baird, "Biblical Criticism (NT)," Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. 1, pp. 730-36;
  also the ABD articles on "Source Criticism," "Form Criticism," "Redaction Criticism," "Textual Criticism," "Gospel Genre," "Feminist Hermeneutics," and "Sociology (Early Christianity)."
See also the Guides Biblical Scholarship series from Fortress Press

Introductions to the Old Testament:

Boadt, Lawrence. Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction. New York: Paulist Press, 1984; 2nd edition, revised by Richard Clifford and Daniel Harrington, 2012.
Carvalho, Corrine L. Encountering Ancient Voices: A Guide to Reading the Old Testament. Winona, MN: Anselm Academic, 2006.
Ceresko, Anthony R. Introduction to the Old Testament: A Liberation Perspective. New York: Orbis, 1997; 2nd edition, 2001.
Collins, John J. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. Augsburg Fortress, 2004. - with CD-ROM
Duggan, Michael W. The Consuming Fire: A Christian Guide to the Old Testament. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2010.
Gottwald, Norman K. The Hebrew Bible: A Socio-Literary Introduction. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2002. - with CD-ROM
Harris, Stephen, and Robert Platzner. The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. 2nd edition. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007.

Introductions to the New Testament:

Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

a masterful work by a great scholar; long and challenging for undergraduates (878 pp.), but excellent for seminary and graduate-level study

Ralph, Margaret Nutting. A Walk Through the New Testament: An Introduction for Catholics. New York: Paulist Press, 2009.
- very accessible text, esp. for adult faith formation purposes
Kelly, Joseph F. An Introduction to the New Testament for Catholics. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2006.
- another good short text, esp. for adult faith formation purposes
Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

one of the most popular texts for undergraduate courses; also has a companion reader volume

Harris, Stephen L. The New Testament: A Student's Introduction. 6th ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2008.

another good undergraduate textbook with a strong historical focus

Johnson, Luke T. The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation. Rev. ed. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999.

comprehensive and balanced; especially appropriate for seminarians and masters-level students; with CD-ROM

Perkins, Pheme. Reading the New Testament: An Introduction. 3rd ed. New York: Paulist Press, 2012.

a standard classic, now in its third edition; very accessible for lower-division undergraduate courses

Collections of Non-Canonical Literature related to Biblical Studies:

New Testament Apocrypha. 2 vols. Wilhelm Schneemelcher, ed. Eng. transl. by R. McL. Wilson. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991-92.
The Apocryphal New Testament: A Collection of Apocryphal Christian Literature in an English Translation. J. K. Elliott, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993; paperback 2005.
The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. 2 vols. James H. Charlesworth. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983-1985.
Apocryphal Old Testament. H. F. D. Sparks, ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.
The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English. 2 vols. R. H. Charles, ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978.
The Nag Hammadi Library in English. Revised edition. James M. Robinson, ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.
The Dead Sea Scrolls : A New Translation. Michael O. Wise, Martin G. Abegg, and Edward M. Cook, eds. HarperOne, 2005.
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. Revised ed. Geza Vermes, transl. & ed. Baltimore: Penguin, 2004.
The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English. 2^ndedition. Florentino García Martínez, ed.; Wilfred G. E. Watson, transl. Leiden/New York: E. J. Brill; Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans, 1996.
The Works of Philo: Complete and Unabridged. Transl. by C. D. Yonge. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993.
The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged. Transl. by William Whiston. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005.
See also the online collection of Non-Canonical Literature (formerly the "Non-canonical Homepage"), from the Wesley Center for Applied Theology, Northwest Nazarene University

Collections of Catholic Church Documents:

The Scripture Documents: An Anthology of Official Catholic Teachings. Transl. Dean Bechard, SJ. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2002.
- the newest comprehensive collection of Church pronouncements related to the Bible.
See also my list of online versions of many other Official Church Documents related to the Bible.

Other Scriptural Resources, especially for the Non-Specialist:

Liturgical Press (1-800-858-5450)

Benedictine-run press from Collegeville, MN; many inexpensive but excellent books on scripture, esp. their "Michael Glazier Books" and "Zacchaeus Studies" series.

Paulist Press (1-800-218-1903)

good, inexpensive books on scripture from a modern Catholic perspective, esp. their "Responses to 101 Questions on..." and "What Are They Saying About..." series.

Christian Book Distributors (1-508-977-5010)

evangelical Protestant emphasis (mostly KJV & NIV Bibles), but they also have many good reference works at discounted mail-order prices.

American Bible Society (1-800-322-4253)

best source for Bibles and reference works in the original Hebrew & Greek; many modern translations also available, including inexpensive editions and bulk-order prices.

Biblical Archaeology Society (1-800-678-5555)

bi-monthly glossy magazines Biblical Archaeology Review and Bible Review, with current reports on a wide variety of archaeological and biblical topics.

Click here for a complete list of Biblical Publishers (Print and Electronic).

Computer Bible Programs:

Bible Works - best program currently available for scholars, for study using ancient biblical languages and/or many modern translations.
Bibloi Program - also excellent; formerly called "Bible Windows"; from Silver Mountain Software.
Click here for Other Computer Bible Programs.

More Bibliographical Resources: