The Oxford Companion to the Bible

Pulling together a worthy group of researchers and scholars (the directory of contributors spans seven pages of rather small typeset print), the 'Oxford Companion to the Bible' represents a major work of reference useful in any biblical endeavour. 'Interpretation of the Bible has of course not been consistent, and throughout history the Bible has been used to support contradictory positions on such issues as slavery, the role of women, war and peace, forms of government, and finance. The Companion reflects this diversity: it is consciously pluralistic, and its more than 250 contributors, as well as its editors and editorial advisory board, encompass a wide spectrum of intellectual and confessional perspectives.'

In keeping with the diversity of authorship, the Companion is meant to be useful to a diverse range of Bible readers and religious. The Companion includes systematic treatment of the use, development, and role of the Bible in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, as well as the influence and significance of the Bible in thematic areas such as the arts, literature, politics, law, history, and culture.

This is not a simple Bible dictionary -- it has encyclopedic entries with in-depth analyses that go beyond mere definition, and contains more than 700 articles, each with authorship noted (so that the perspective can be known from whence the essay's asssertions come). Broad topics include:

- Formation of the Bible as a text
- Context and the Biblical World
- Concepts in the Bible (in the various interpretations)
- Uses and Influences of the Bible

While the Companion is arranged alphabetically, it is extensively cross-referenced by keywords, topically, and 'blind entries' (i.e., words that have meanings not expressly covered as separate entries, but are contained in more detail within other entries).

From Aaron to Zion, this is a book which, when pulled from the shelf, rarely remains closed for long -- I often use it to search for a particular theme, and find myself an hour later still perusing the Companion, having been tempted to follow the various strands through the book. While it is a reference book, and thus not one to be read simply by sitting and starting with the first entry, it nonetheless has an interesting, readable character that draws the seeker in. Treasures lie on each page.

From the possible influence of the ancient Gilgamesh Epic to the current practice of possessing and passing on a Family Bible, this reference is second to none in usefulness and comprehensive scope.