BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Jared Anderson

Bibles and resources Translations: I have been thinking I need to have a quick answer for "what is your favorite translation of the Bible", but that is a difficult one. Most academics use the NRSV, and that is very good, but I think it errs on the side of political correctness at times. It will seem toned down in regards to theological and Messianically-interpreted passages: For example in Genesis 1:2 "Spirit of God" is changed to "a wind came from God...". The Revised Standard Version doesn't have these problems, actually. The NIV is extremely easy to read but sometimes theological exuberance compromises accuracy... the most famous example I can think of is Jeremiah 7:22-23: "For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not [just] give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people." The problem is, the translators added in the "just" with no basis in the Hebrew! They just changed it because it conflicted with oh, Leviticus and Numbers. ;) So the NRSV, RSV, NASB, NAB, New Jeruslem Bible, ESV... all these are very good and it is just a matter of preference. I own them all of course.. Here is a handy translation comparison chart. http://www.apbrown2.net/web/Tr... Study Bibles have excellent introductions and notes (these also have the Apocrypha). Harper Collins Oxford Oxford *Revised* Standard Version (This translation is excellent, perhaps my favorite, though the helps in the study bibles above are more up to date) General Works Oxford Companion to the Bible (this is a great one stop book to learn more about the Bible. It is a dictionary/encyclopedia format on topics related to biblical studies. Also has an index) Commentaries: The Anchor Bible Commentary is a great series geared toward the educated reader but not scholar, strikes that balance well.

The Oxford Bible Commentary: This is a great one-volume work that answers questions more in depth than a Study Bible. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary is another edited by two top-notch Catholic Scholars, Raymond Brown and Joseph Fitzmyer. Aland, Synopsis of the Four Gospels (great resource for comparing the gospels side by side. If you have a lot of money to blow, this is an unparalleled resource, often the first place I go with questions: Anchor Bible Dictionary (you can get it for about $350 if you search around) New Testament Raymond Brown, Introduction to the New Testament (amazing, if you get one book on the NT, this is it. Very balanced with fantastic little summary boxes) Ehrman, Jesus Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium (engaging and very readable introduction to the Historical Jesus and criteria) E. P. Sanders, Jesus and Judaism (superbly organized book on Jesus, very easy to follow) Johnson, The Real Jesus (a faithful response to the most minimalistic scholars of Jesus) Ehrman, New Testament a Historical Introduction (VERY clear, readable, entertaining, persuasive. It does give up some balance in the interest of all of the above however ) Ehrman: The New Testament and Other Christian Writings (pretty brilliant, puts all Christian literature within 100 years of Jesus death in one book) Meier, A Marginal Jew. Part of massive 4 volume series, volume one lays out the methods and sources etc. Powell, Fortress Introduction to the Gospels (Very helpful and well organized; he also has a NT intro that is good and less sensationalistic than Ehrmans) N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God (Wright has tons of books; this one was recommended to me by a colleague I trust, need to read it. Wright is a gifted and meticulous conservative NT scholar. Heck, his name is NT. His career path was inevitable). Jerome Murphy OConnor, Paul: A Critical Life (Murphy OConnor has other excellent books on Paul as well)

Textual Criticism (from most to least conservative, all introductory)

Greenlee, The Text of the New Testament: From Manuscript to Modern Edition David Parker, The Living Text of the Gospels Ehrman, Misquoting Jesus

LDS Huntsman, Holzapfel, Wayment, Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament (conservative and LDS friendly, about as good as it has gotten so far looking at the NT with an LDS perspective). Other books by Holzapfel are also worth looking into; he is one of the most responsible LDS scholars working on NT topics. Old Testament Wrtwein, The Text of the Old Testament (description of the different witnesses to the Old Testament with lots of pictures for those geeks so interested) Victor Matthews, A Brief History of Ancient Israel Matthews and Moyers, The Old Testament: Text and Context (Illustrated and clear, does what it says) Coogan, Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction (companion to Ehrmans NT Intro, also has a Brief Introduction that is well, briefer) Kugel, How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now (a bit long, but an excellent and very readable historical and literary exploration of most sections of the Hebrew Bible). Dead Sea Scrolls VanderKam and Flint, Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls Gnostic Literature Layton, The Gnostic Scriptures

Backgrounds/Approaches

McKenzie, How to Read the Bible (Good introduction to approaches to reading the Bible, how to take into account genre, etc) Kugel, How to Read the Bible (mostly focuses on OT) Paulist Press has a great series called What are they Saying about They have volumes on NT books as well as approaches such as Redaction Criticism, Literary Criticism, etc. Victor Matthews, Manners and Customs in the Bible Matthews, Old Testament Parallels (Discussion of Ancient Near Eastern Parallels to the Jewish Scriptures) Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity Bell, Exploring the New Testament World Cohen, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (covers time between OT and NT) Evans, Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation (Good overview of all that literature you have barely heard of like Rabbinic literature, the Church Fathers, etc) Church History Ehrman, After the New Testament (a topical selection of writings from the 200s and 300s) Chadwick, The Early Church (short, classic) Meeks, The First Urban Christians (well written account of Pauls world) Meier and Brown, Antioch and Rome (masterful work on two of the most important cities in early Christianity) Frend, Rise of Christianity (massive dense book, classic) Lampe, From Paul to Valentinus (quite academic but impressive showcasing of the historical method, history of Rome) J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines Aquilina, Fathers of the Church (not sure this is the best intro book out there, but I am looking for an intro to the early leaders of the Church that isnt four volumes and $100.

History of the Bible Rogerson, Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible (Beautifully thematically organized book on aspects of the History of the Bible) Barton, How the Bible Came to Be (really short overview about the formation of different aspects of the Bible) McDonald, The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon (good overview of the history of how the NT was put together with helpful appendices) Metzger, The Bible in Translation (Fantastic little book about ancient and modern translations, good overview of English translations. Metzger was on several Greek NT and translation committees) Gamble, Books and Readers in the Early Church (overview of the phenomenon of early Christian literature focusing on less common questions such as the form of the book, libraries, how books were shared, etc) The books I will be writing in the next decade or so

World Religions To be honest, I havent found anything yet that completely delights me on this. Hopfe and Woodward, Religions of the World (overpriced with some serious mistakes, like footnotes missing from the first chapter, but good overview of the main religions with selections of primary texts at the end of each chapter. This is what I use for my world religions course). Partridge, Introduction to World Religions (Beautifully produced overview of world religions, some covered more thoroughly than others but an interesting read). Nielsen, Religions of the World (recommended by a very smart friend of mine; I havent looked at it yet) Hinnells, Handbook of Living Religions (thick and dry, but lots of really good information about modern religions written by a variety of specialists. Cheap too). Van Voorst, Anthology of World Scriptures (Doesnt have everything one would hope for, but a fascinating collection of primary texts from a variety of faith traditions) Fieser and Powers, Scriptures of the Worlds Religions, stronger in Judaism and Christianity, less on modern movements and less introductory matter.

If you can put up with some Unification Church emphasis (Moonies) This one is almost 900 pages for $15. Purpose and Value of Religion Fowler, Stages of Faith James, Varieties of Religious Experience Tippett, Speaking of Faith and Einsteins God Sheiman, An Atheist Defends Religion Cambell, The Power of Myth Armstrong, The Case for God Jung, Man and his Symbols Shermer, The Believing Brain Newberg, Born to Believe Wright, The Evolution of God Cox, The Future of Faith

There are many, many books and categories I passed over here, so please email me if you have more specific questions, jared1260 at gmail dot com