Brand Chad, Draper Charles, England Archie (eds.) Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003. — xxxi + 1717 p.; plates, illustrations, maps. — ISBN: 080542836-4.For the editors of this revision of the Holman Bible Dictionary: “Our sincere hope is that this book will serve multiple purposes, such as facilitating acquisition of knowledge about the Bible, understanding the Bible’s meaning and message, and providing an entrée into the wider world of biblical scholarship.” To this end, the editors made sure that the articles are easily understood and are free of technical jargon, and they included many figures, timelines, maps, and other helpful aids. The downside is that this treatment hides many important (controversial) issues. For example, problems with the dating of the “Solomonic” architecture found at Gezer, Megiddo, and Hazor are not mentioned. Another issue is that, while the book claims to include “all of the major translations”, not one non-Christian translation (JPS, Koren, etc) is listed. There is no entry for Hebrew Bible, and the Old Testament entry makes no mention of the differences between the two canons. Finally, the region of ancient Canaan (modern Israel) is consistently called Palestine, though Canaan fits the region in ways that Palestine does not (either from its Greek or Hebrew origins). Israel is only called Israel (in the Israel entry) during the united and divided monarchy, and the geography Israel is discussed under the Palestine entry. As noted above (and despite these criticisms), this book has many positives, and it would work well as an introductory reference for a Christian lay audience"For 25 years the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary has been the go-to Bible reference resource for lay Bible students, teachers, pastors, academic courses, and libraries. Those who have used it have praised its comprehensiveness, conciseness, and clarity. Over 6,500 articles from Aaron to Zuzite are written to equip the reader for greater competence in understanding and interpreting the Scriptures. Each article is structured to begin with a concise definition followed by a thorough development of the topic. Some 700 full-color photos, maps, reconstructions, and charts enrich the experience of those who use the Dictionary for personal study, academic work, and preparation for teaching and preaching the Bible.Contemporary Bible readers are separated from the original documents by 2,000 to 3,500 years. Bridging this chasm requires linguistic, literary, geographical, historical, and cultural information that the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary provides. This third edition of the Dictionary makes available up-to-date archaeological information that illuminates the biblical text.