General Reference for Biblical Studies
The Anchor Bible Dictionary/Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary by Call Number: Theology Ref BS440 .A54 1992 (vols.1-6)
Archaeology of the Land of the Bible by Call Number: THEO REF BS621 .A73 1990 (vols.1-2)ISBN: 0385424507
Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation by Call Number: THEO REF BS500 .D5 1999 vols.1-2ISBN: 0687055318
The Literary Guide to the Bible by Call Number: THEO REF BS535 .L54 1987ISBN: 9780674875319Publication Date: 1990-09-01
The Carta Bible Atlas by Call Number: THEO REF G2230 .A2 2011ISBN: 9789652208149Publication Date: 2015-03-01
Manners and Customs in the Bible by Call Number: THEOLOGY DS112 .M33 2006ISBN: 1565637046Publication Date: 2006-09-01
Reference Books Are Your Friends!
Theological reference resources can make your life a lot easier when it comes to your class assignments. Some reference resources will be great places to start your research (dictionaries and encyclopedias), or to refine your research (word study resources and commentaries). Below, you'll find a brief glossary (with examples from the APU library collection) and a list of some general theological reference resources. For more specific resources, move your mouse over the "Where Do I Start?" tab.
| Almanac |
a collection of statistical and general facts on a specific topic Almanac of the Bible |
| Atlas |
a collection of tables, charts, or maps about a specific topic Atlas Histórico de las Religiones |
| Bible Commentary |
a digest of information about a particular book of the Bible that can include textual criticism, historical and archaeological data, issues involved in interpretation, etc. Word Biblical Commentary |
| Bible Dictionary |
a collection of definitions or identifications of key terms, places, and people in the Bible - most articles include bibliographies Anchor Bible Dictionary |
| Bibliography |
a list of resources for a particular topic The Pauline Writings: An Annotated Bibliography |
| Biographical Source |
a collection of relatively brief articles about a specific group of people Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals |
| Chronology |
information arranged in order of occurrence or historical relevance to a specific topic Timeline Charts of the Western Church |
| Concordance |
alphabetical index of the principal words of a book or a writer, and a reference to the passage in which each mention of a word occurs together with some indication of context Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance |
| Lexicon |
a wordbook or dictionary of a specific language, or the vocabulary of a particular people Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament |
| Subject Dictionary |
a collection of definitions that are more detailed than those found in a general dictionary - often contains bibliographic references and can closely resemble an encyclopedia Diccionario de Ética Cristiana y Teología Pastoral |
| Subject Encyclopedia |
a collection of articles written by experts giving essential information about a specific field of knowledge or area of interest American Philosophy: An Encyclopedia |