Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR)

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice - Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)

Intertextuality VI. Literature (Seth Ehorn; Edinburgh, United Kingdom)
Ehorn articulates the usefulness of applying intertexual tools to an examination of Shakespeare’s and Milton’s use of the Bible.

Jacob’s Ladder III. Christianity C. Modern Europe and America (Tim Lorentzen; Munich, Germany)
Lorentzen guides readers through the intriguing landscape of the reception of the story of Jacob’s Ladder in modern Europe and America: particularly among the Orthodox, Catholics, and Protestants.

Internet and the Bible, The III. Christianity (Kristin Merle; Tübingen, Germany)
Merle provides a brief overview of internet resources for Christians in terms of online Bibles, research databases, and something she calls ‘Bible and Practice of Piety 2.0’, and the authority of Scripture.

Jerusalem II. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (Eckart Otto; Munich, Germany)
Otto brings readers a genuinely helpful overview of the history of Jerusalem during the period of occupation related in the era of the Hebrew Bible. Given his expertise on the topic it’s very difficult to imagine anyone better suited to write this particular entry.

Isaac (Patriarch) I Hebrew Bible/Old Testament; Jashar, Book of; Jephthah’s Daughter Hebrew Bible, Old Testament (Thomas Römer; Lausanne, Switzerland)
Each of the essays by Römer expertly assist readers to a greater understanding of their content. Especially is this true of his treatment of the Book of Jashar.

Isaiah (Book and Person) VI. Literature (John F. A. Sawyer; Durham, United Kingdom)
In his entry Sawyer describes and discusses the use to which Isaiah has been put in the history of literature. For instance, the use made of it in the York Cycle of Mystery Plays and in the poetry of William Dunbar.

Interpretation, History of I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament; Jemimah; Jeshua (Place) (Choon-Leong Seow; Nashville, Tenn., USA)
Seow’s contributions are excellent examples of the descriptive art and lend themselves to serve as models of contributions to the genre of biblical encyclopedia.

Jerusalem Bible (Olivier-Thomas Venard; Jerusalem, Israel)
Venard’s very useful entry describes the interesting history of one of the best modern translations of the Bible and he also notes that an electronic research edition is in the making.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice - Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)
The entry in the 14th volume of the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception which best represents the quality of scholarship and the range of reception of historical issues covered is the first article in the volume - on Jesus. The series of essays extends nearly 100 columns (50 pages) and could easily be a book in their own right. Dozens of authors have contributed and evaluated so many fascinating facets of the historical Jesus and his reception that one is left, after reading the entry, stunned and amazed. The authors of the eleven subsections include, but are not limited to Tom Homen, Rivka Ulmer, Donald Hagner, Justin Mihoc, Paul Metzger.

Jewish Revolt, First (Free content) (Mladen Popović and Marijn Vandenberghe; Groningen, The Netherlands
Another of the very commendable entries of all those worthy of commendation is that by Popović and Vandenberghe on the First Jewish Revolt. Whilst this is not a lengthy entry it nonetheless includes everything relevant to any modern discussion of the Revolt that saw the destruction of Jerusalem in the First Century CE.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/EBR/MainLemma_4080

John of the Cross (Terence O’Reilly; Cork, Ireland)
Scholars and students who appreciate mysticism and mystical theologians will enjoy O’Reilly’s entry on St John of the Cross. His treatment of this important thinker (at least in the minds of those in some quarters of the Church) is precise and informative without being dull or plodding.

John the Baptist I. New Testament (Knut Backhaus; Munich, Germany)
Backhaus begins his survey of John the Baptist by suggesting that “Ever since Hermann Samuel Reimarus, research on John the Baptist has often been a “forerunner” of historical Jesus research and shared its methodological development. Within the “third quest” John is no longer viewed as a somewhat isolated predecessor, who prepares the way for Jesus, but as a prophet of eschatological restoration in the context of Second Temple Judaism.” His piece then goes on to show why John deserves discussion and examination in his own right.

Josephus, Titus Flavius (Zuleika Rodgers; Dublin, Ireland/Tessa Rajak, Oxford, United Kingdom/Gerbern S. Oegema, Montreal, Que., Canada/ Bernhard Lang; Berlin, Germany/Ori Z. Soltes; Washington, D.C., USA)
Josephus receives a fair bit of attention, the entry discussing him covering twenty columns. He was and has been a polarizing figure and the authors of the subsections of his entry are able to overcome bias and present him – as he has been presented in Judaism, Christianity, literature, and the visual arts – with equity and charity.

Joyce, James (Free content) (Anthony Swindell; Llanidloes, United Kingdom)
James Joyce is introduced thusly and his presence in a volume devoted to Biblical Reception history is justified fully by Anthony Swindell, “One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, James Joyce (b. 1882, Rathgar, Ireland – d. 1941, Zurich) was also a voracious reader and true polymath, extraordinarily well informed about the leading biblical scholarship of his day, as well as about various more recondite and delinquent byways.” Swindell then demonstrates through numerous examples what scholarship was as Joyce encountered it.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/EBR/MainLemma_38482

Jozabad (Jean-François Landolt; Lausanne, Switzerland)
Landolt informs us: “(MT Yôzābād; LXX Ιωζαβαδ, Ιωζαβαθ, or Ιωσαβεδ) occurs several times in the Bible (1 Chr 12:5, 21; 2 Chr 31:13; 35:9; Ezra 8:33 LXX= 2 Esd 8:33; Ezra 10:22, 23 LXX= 2 Esd 10:22, 23) as the name of a number of different figures” (Col 843). To be exact, there are six persons of that name, and Landolt discusses all of them.

Jubilee, Year of IV. Christianity B. Modern Europe and America (Michael Harbin; Upland, Ind., USA)
Year of Jubilee finds itself discussed in columns 850 and following. It has to be said that this is one of the more interesting ancient festivals which, apparently, was never actually celebrated. Its appearance in the Old and New Testaments as well as in Hellenistic Judaism and rabbinic Judaism and Christianity makes up the extent of the article. Indeed, the essay goes so far as to discuss the Jubilee in American Christianity. We read “Beginning with the premise that the biblical Jubilee was a year in which slaves were freed and debts were forgiven, America especially experienced two distinct movements viewed as manifestations of the Jubilee. The first resulted from Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation promulgated on January 1, 1863.” This illustrates, I think, the extent to which biblical notions have infiltrated even our world.

Judah (Son of Jacob) VI. Film (Free Content) (Peter T. Chattaway; Vancouver, BC, Canada).
Judah (both the persons and the place) are investigated and explicated. The eight persons named Judah in the biblical text and the land taking its name from the Patriarch receive thorough historical investigation. Even if that means turning to Iranian television and its treatment of Jacob (and Joseph) in the entry on Judah (Son of Jacob): “The Iranian TV series Yousuf e Payambar (dir. Farajollah Salahshoor, 2008, Prophet Joseph) tells the story of Joseph and his brothers in a way that reflects modern Middle Eastern tensions. Jacob and Joseph are depicted here as two in a line of Muslim prophets, while Judah – who once again takes the lead in trying to kill Joseph when he’s younger – privately declares at the end of the series that it is his descendants, rather than Joseph’s, that will determine the fate of their clan: “The children of Israel will be called Judaists, not Josephists,” he says ominously.”
https://www.degruyter.com/view/EBR/key_0354a55b-d79e-4ed0-bcae-19e8d8b9fad3

These are just some of the other entries which fill this volume with the kind of helpful historical information so invaluable to researchers of the biblical text today. The editors of EBR continue to provide a multi-volume tool for biblical interpretation and the interpretation of the Bible’s own interpretation which is unmatched anywhere else in print or online.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice - Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)

Following in the tradition of earlier volumes in this highly useful and extraordinarily important series, volume 15 provides a virtual lifetime of scholarship for students of the Bible and its reception."

Karlstadt, Andreas Bodenstein von (Frank M. Hasel; Silver Spring, Md., USA)
Hasel notes the core difference between Luther and Karlstadt when he writes “What Luther would permit, Karlstadt would compel; where Luther would introduce changes and innovation gradually, Karlstadt would push for direct action.” It’s a keenly and smartly written distillation of a very complex life Hasel here provides.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/EBR/MainLemma_8346

Kataphatic Theology I. Christianity (Christophe Chalamet; Geneva, Switzerland)
“Kataphatic theology affirms something about God, on the basis of God’s condescending movement or as an attempt to bring God down to the level of human language.” Chalamet then describes that dogma as it manifests itself in Christian theology in a quite accessible way.

Kennicott, Benjamin (Anselm C. Hagedorn; Osnabruck, Germany)
Hagedorn’s very concise biography of Kennicott presents a lot of information in a short entry. As is the case of so many of the EBR’s entries, a little goes a very long way.

Killigrew, Anne (Rafael Vélez Núnez; Cadiz, Spain)
Anne Killigrew (1660–1685) was an English Restoration poet and painter. “Anne Killigrew’s painting and poetry voice a heroic female world alien to libertinism.” Another example of a person with whom I was not familiar and yet now find myself very intrigued by: a strong woman in a time when being such was both unique and potentially hazardous.

Kiss VIII. Film (John Boyles; Abilene, Tex., USA)
The ‘biblical kiss’, as it appears in film, is the subject tackled by Boyles (after other authors examine it in the Bible, Judaism, Christianity, music, etc.). “Two categories of kiss from the Bible appear on film. First are scenes of familial or intimate kissing. … Second are scenes of kisses within a religious context…” The carefulness and thoroughness of the Encyclopedia are once again on display here. There is simply so much from the Bible which has impacted literally every corner of modern life.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/EBR/MainLemma_666

Labor (Childbirth) IV. Christianity E. World Christianity (Joanne Davis; London, United Kingdom)
Davis notes in her contribution focusing on World Christianity, that “There are two concerns in World Christianity with respect to the biblical reception of labor and childbearing. The first concerns the significance of passages in the Bible … The second concern is the great incidence of maternal and infant death in childbirth.” Her description in what follows is incredibly informative. And her essay demonstrates, as though such were needed, the incredibly important contributions to biblical studies and religion that women are making and have made.
https://www.degruyter.com/view/EBR/key_7c7b9afa-2c07-4585-b7f0-bd3b652627a2

Lambert, Wilfred George (Alan Millard; Leamington Spa, United Kingdom)
“Wilfred George Lambert (1926–2011), a leading Assyriologist, was born in Birmingham, England, studied at Cambridge University, moving from Classics to Hebrew and Akkadian under D. Winton Thomas and C. P. T. Winckworth, to graduate in 1950.” Lambert was a giant in the field and a fixture at the annual meeting of the Society for Old Testament Study. He deserves the immortalization he herein receives.

Lamentations, Book of III. Christianity B. Medieval Times and Reformation Era (George Ferzoco; Bristol, United Kingdom)
With respect to the Books of Lamentations in the Reformation and Post-Reformation periods, Ferzoco remarks, “It is not surprising that given this powerful presence in Christian spirituality, Lamentations has clear resonances in medieval literature. Key passages in the writings of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Chaucer make clear allusions to this book.” The whole entry on Lamentations is quite good, and hence, commended.

Lamentations, Book of V. Visual Arts (Paul Joyce; London, United Kingdom)
Joyce’s examination of the book of Lamentations’ representations in the visual arts is superb. It teaches much with both wisdom and profundity.

Laodicea I. Greco-Roman Antiquity and New Testament (Balbina Bäbler; Gottingen, Germany)
Laodicea, famous from the book of Revelation, is here fully described as a locale in Greco-Roman antiquity and New Testament times. ‘The city was well known for its medical school…’ and many other fascinating facts are presented.

Lazy, Idle VI. Visual Arts (Ayla Lepine; Cambridge, United Kingdom)
The subject as understood by visual artists is considered beautifully and includes reference to my favorite artist: “In Albrecht Dürer’s interpretation, Christ’s alertness to the presence of the angel in the upper left of the image is directly contrasted with an apostle poignantly resting his exhausted weight on a tree stump.” There is much to learn of laziness indeed.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice - Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)

Levi (Son of Jacob) VI. Film (Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch; St. Davids, Pa., USA)
In her discussion of Levi in Film, Burnette-Bletsch observes that "Jacob’s son Levi is a common, but largely undifferentiated character in most Joseph films." However, "Levi is much more prominently featured in films that include or focus upon Dinah and the Shechemite massacre (Gen 34)." The material the author provides is quite intriguing and makes me want to had seen the films she mentioned.

Levite’s Concubine I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (Cynthia Edenburg; Raanana, Israel)
Edenburg writes "The Levite’s concubine is the enigmatic figure who puts into motion the complex plot, which plays out in Judg 19–21. The sole action attributed to her is related at the outset of the story, when she is angry with her husband and leaves his home in Mount Ephraim to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem." She then investigates the character in the Hebrew Bible in a thoroughly engaging fashion.

Lesbian Interpretation of the Bible II. Christianity (Lynn R. Huber; Elon, N.C., USA)
"Complicating the task of identifying lesbian biblical interpretation in Christian history are the questions of 1) what constitutes lesbian identity; 2) whether an interpreter must self-identify as a lesbian to engage in lesbian biblical interpretation; and 3) whether or not the content of the biblical text must reference a female same-sex relationship to constitute lesbian interpretation." After commencing her contribution thusly, Huber cites various studies and monographs which attempt to demonstrate lesbian protagonists within NT texts (like Mary and Martha, one such study opines). "Interpretations of NT texts from a lesbian perspective appear less frequently than similar readings of Hebrew Bible traditions," she asserts.

Lie, Lying I. Ancient Near East (John E. Anderson; Aberdeen, S.Dak., USA)
Anderson’s examination of the concept of deception in the ancient Near East features a survey of some of the more important literature and how those texts address the issue of lying. Anderson also notices that YHWH both condemns deception and is complicit in deception at various times. Anderson has produced a very informative entry and the ideal launch point for the other segments of the entry.

Lie, Lying II. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (Antony Perrot; Begnins, Switzerland)
Perrot concludes his entry which examines lying in the Hebrew Bible in the following fashion: "One can observe that the boundaries between ruse, falsehood, and lie are not always easy to determine, and that each case must be examined closely." Perrot is a bright young rising scholar and his work here and elsewhere is certainly worthy of consultation.

Linguistic Dating (Hebrew Bible)(Robert Rezetko; St. Andrews, United Kingdom)
Rezetko, perhaps one of three people working today who is most knowledgeable about the subject of his entry, observes "Linguistic dating in biblical studies deals with ascribing absolute or relative dates of origin to sources, passages, books, or groups of books on the basis of their language properties, separate from or combined with other dating factors such as historical references or literary dependences." Afterwards he shows readers the state of the question and concludes "… the field is currently experiencing a change of direction toward a more technically rigorous descriptive approach to language variation and change in ancient Hebrew that incorporates more conventional historical linguistic and sociolinguistic approaches, including facets of corpus linguistics." There is much to learn here.

Logia (Dagmar Winter; Newcastle, United Kingdom)
The very brief contribution of Winter describes the meaning and use of the word Logia and its implications for reconstruction of the life of Jesus. She believes, "For the Jesus Quest, the logia offer the possibility of accessing authentic Jesus tradition. John S. Kloppenborg Verbin differentiates sapiental and prophetic/apocalyptic strata of logia in Q, each with a different theology." Though a short article, it is nonetheless useful.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice - Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)

The newest volume of EBR continues the tradition of excellence, thoroughness, and scholarly acumen that readers of this expansive and ever expanding indispensable reference work have come to expect.

Love I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Ancient Near East (Thomas Römer; Paris, France)
This entry on ‘love’ in the Hebrew Bible/ Ancient Near East begins "Contrary to many modern languages, biblical Hebrew does not make a distinction in vocabulary between ‘love’ and ‘friendship.’ The same root ʾāhab is used for both terms (Wallis)." Römer then leads readers on a journey through the literature related to love and marriage, homosexual love, dangerous love, divine love and human love, YHWH’s love for Israel, other depictions of YHWH’s love, and finally love and loyalty. This entry is one of the best that I’ve read in the volume.

Love V. Christianity C. Modern Europe and America (Christophe Chalamet; Geneva, Switzerland)
Chalemet’s contribution to the larger article on ‘love’ focuses on modern Europe and North America. He begins, however, in the period just beyond the lives of the Magisterial Reformers, examining the way ‘love’ was understood by such thinkers as Francis of Sales,’ Spener, Feuerbach, Kierkegaard, Nygren, and Mandela among several others. It’s an engaging and informative overview of what is certainly an extremely important topic.

Love XI. Film (Sandie Gravett; Boone, N.C., USA)
Gravett opens her treatment of the topic of ‘love’ in film thusly: "Many films are built around conceptions of love, sometimes with direct reference to the Bible and other times via allusion." From this launching pad she treats the intersection of films and their treatment of love in intersection with the bible. Her discussion is quite eye opening (in the sense that she is able to tease out the biblical theme of love from films where it does not appear on the surface).
https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.love

Lust IV. Literature (Anthony Swindell; Llanidloes, United Kingdom)
Swindell’s efforts center on the appearance of the concept of Lust in literature. So, he observes, "The biblical warnings and prohibitions against lust (Deut 5:2; Matt 5:28; 1 John 2:15–17), together with such admonitory tales as those of Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, David and Bathsheba, Judith, and Susanna make clear the destructive effects of lust for those who succumb to its promptings. Amongst early literary treatments of Judith, the Old English poem Judith (ca. 1000) goes to some lengths to create a binary opposition between the culpability of Holofernes in his lust and the moral purity of Judith in a version in which she attends a banquet at which Holofernes has already got himself drunk before he meets Judith and which excises the biblical passage in which the heroine adorns herself with jewelry in order to entice the warrior." And thus he illustrates lust in literature by use of numerous other examples.

Luther’s Hermeneutics (Johann Anselm Steiger; Hamburg, Germany/Heinrich Assel; Greifswald, Germany)
Steiger’s and Assel’s work focuses on the key interpretive tool utilized by Luther: Sola Scriptura. He also describes the implications and applications of this hermeneutic, both for Luther and since Luther.

Maadai (Lisbeth S. Fried; Ann Arbor, Mich., USA)
Liz Fried writes "Maadai (MT Maʿăday; LXX Μοοδι) is one of the sons of Bani who agreed to divorce his foreign wife (Ezra 10:34). If it is a shortened form of Maʿadiah (Neh 12:5: Maʿadyâ), the name means ‘YHWH is my refuge.’" As happens from time to time, some entries are just that brief. More often than not, they run for many or several columns. Length depends completely on the Reception History of the word or term.
https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.maadai

Mampsis (Tali Erickson-Gini; Omer, Israel/Noé David Michael; Rehovot, Israel)
Utterly unfamiliar with the word, I was keen to discover that "Mampsis (Ar. Kurnub; Heb. Mamshit) is located in the northeastern Negev Highlands in southern Israel. The site covers ca. four ha. and it is situated on a slope, 479 m above sea level, overlooking the steep gorge of Nahal Mamshit, a few kilometers southeast of the modern town of Dimona. The site was first settled by the Nabataeans as a major caravan station along the route leading from the Dead Sea to Beʾer Sheba and Oboda in the mid-1st century CE" More details follow regarding this little-known site.
https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.mampsis

Manna II. New Testament (Esther Kobel; Basel, Switzerland)
Kobel observes, in her contribution focusing on the use of the word Manna in the NT, "The NT mentions manna explicitly in four instances." She goes on to describe and explain these occurrences. Finally, she briefly describes places where manna is alluded to.

Manna III. Judaism B. Rabbinic Judaism (Yael Wilfand; Ra’anana, Israel)
When ‘manna’ appears in Rabbinic Literature, according to Wilfand, it "… is only mentioned once in the Mishnah and three times in the Jerusalem Talmud, it appears more often in the Tosefta (ca. eight passages) and its qualities are discussed extensively in tannaitic midrashim, various later midrashic collections, and the Babylonian Talmud. The sages consider manna as a real food that indicates God’s benefaction toward Israel and as a supernatural substance." She also observes, quite interestingly that "Manna is also viewed as an educational instrument for Israel in the wilderness." It’s quite an interesting piece.
https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.manna

Martyr, Martyrdom II. New Testament (Paul Middleton; Chester, United Kingdom)
After a cogent and helpful foray into the New Testament’s various mentions of martyrdom, Middleton concludes "The NT portrays, and perhaps also reflects, situations of persecution and danger for the followers of Jesus. They are enjoined to embrace suffering and death as a means of imitating Christ. However, while many would indeed follow this path to death, we find in the NT the potentiality for martyrdom more than its actuality." The whole (albeit brief, occupying but one full column) is an interesting piece.

Marxsen, Willi (Paul-Gerhard Klumbies; Kassel, Germany)
Marxsen is one of the most important, yet virtually forgotten today, biblical scholars of the 20th century. Klumbies draws our attention to his work on the Lord’s Supper, Mark’s Gospel, his work in the method of Redaction Criticism, and, most importantly, "Marxsen’s work focused on NT Christology. Regarding the interrelation of the historical Jesus and the post-Easter proclamation of Christ, Marxsen developed the term ‘kerygma’ as defined by Bultmann and distinguished between a Christ-kerygma and a Jesus-kerygma."
https://doi.org/10.1515/ebr.marxsenwilli

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible's interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice - Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com)

Sidnie White Crawford (East Stroudsburg, Pa., USA), Matriarch, Matriarchs IV. Judaism A. Second Temple and Hellenistic Judaism
Crawford begins her subsection thusly: "In Second Temple Jewish literature, the matriarchs of Israel – Sarah and Hagar, Rebekah, and Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah – appear alongside their male counterparts Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in retellings of Genesis, in parabiblical literature based on Genesis, and in testamentary literature. For the most part, the matriarchs simply reprise their roles in Genesis as wives and mothers, although occasionally new information about one or the other designed to fill in gaps in the Genesis narrative (especially in genealogy) appears." The information in the remainder of the entry is helpful as well as thorough.

Johannes Unsok Ro (Tokyo, Japan), Mebunnai
This very brief (one paragraph) entry notes the textual uncertainty of this character and points readers in the direction of a possible solution. The thoroughness of EBR is once again on display as this entry illustrates the fact that no corner of the biblical text is too obscure to be overlooked and ignored.

Anthony Swindell (Llanidloes, United Kingdom), Mediator V. Literature
One of the more extensive entries is ‘Mediator.’ Written by a range of scholars, and covering many aspects of the word’s usage both in and out of Scripture, one of the more interesting sections is its treatment in literature. Anthony Swindell writes in part, "Angels as mediators receive extensive treatment in literature, particularly after the prominence given to Michael in the Song of Roland (12th cent.). The angel Raphael becomes in literature a sort of living extra-biblical extension of the Book of Tobit in texts extending from works connected with the medieval Guild of St. Raphael to Sally Vickers’ novel, Miss Garnet’s Angel (2000)." The entire entry is very much worth examining.

André Lemaire (Paris, France), Mediterranean Sea I. Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Lemaire’s work describes the Mediterranean as it is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Noting first its geographical features, he rightly then observes, "The first chapter of the book of Jonah seems to be characteristic of the general feeling of the ancient Israelites towards the "Great Sea." This is an interesting contribution and it has ample examples from Scripture to illustrate the points Lemaire makes.

Eve-Marie Becker (Münster, Germany), Meek, Meekness II. New Testament
"The Greek term for ‘meek/meekness’ is πραΰς κτλ." Becker writes. Following this, she analyzes the term quite thoroughly, astutely observing "In 1 Cor 4:21 and Gal 5:23, Paul defines πραΰτης in close affinity to ἀγάπη and πνεῦμα, and thus reveals its meaning in light of the community’s Christ-believing identity." She demonstrates, in sum, that the early Church may have had a vocabulary in common with the wider world, but it also put its own stamp on many words (my words, not hers).

Matthieu Richelle (Vaux-sur-Seine, France), Melech
At the conclusion of this brief entry we read "According to Brettler, the name Melech hints at a dynastic hope among descendants of Saul. This hypothesis is related to a (disputed) onomastic analysis according to which the element ‘melech’ in some Hebrew names refers to a human king (e.g., Abimelech would mean ‘My father is king’ not ‘The [divine] Father is king’)." What precedes, though brief, is intriguing.

Richard R. Viladesau (Seaford, N.Y., USA), Messiah VIII. Visual Arts
Noting "By the time visual art became common in Christianity, the title ‘Messiah’ (Christ) had effectively become part of Jesus’ name, while his function as the promised king of Israel was subsumed into the Johannine notion of the divine Logos made flesh, a universal savior and redeemer. In early Christian art, the symbols of his exalted status were largely taken from the Greco-Roman iconography of the gods and of the emperor: a purple or gold toga and/or claves. He is sometimes enthroned above the cosmos," Viladesau looks deeply into the many ways in which the Messiah has been portrayed in art. A very interesting painting of the figure of the Messiah is found in the entry. Artwork is an important resource included in the Encyclopedia and such resources are immensely helpful for illustrative purposes for students and classes.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice – Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com):

Christof Berns (Hamburg, Germany) Miletus. Berns examines and describes the archaeology of the city, from its earliest days through the 14th century. He offers readers a precis of the relevant facts and includes a brief, but current bibliography for those interested in further details.

Younghwa Kim (Decatur, GA, USA) Millennium, Millennialism III. Christianity D. East Asia and Africa. The fascinating way in which Christian millennialism was received in East Asia and Africa is described in Kim’s contribution within the larger discussion of the ‘Millennium.’ He remarks, for example, "In the mid-19th century Qing dynasty, Hong Xiuquan’s anticipation of the millennial kingdom influenced the Taiping Rebellion, a religious and political movement seeking to reform Chinese society." Throughout the article, he shows how Millennialism is not merely an intellectual enterprise of end-time speculation, but a real world danger.

Hervé Gonzalez (Lausanne, Switzerland) Miscarriage I. Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. In what can only be described as a fascinating essay on the problem of miscarriage in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East, we read "Despite a great number of stories about pregnancy and birth in the HB/OT (esp. in the book of Genesis), no narrative focuses on a miscarrying woman." The entire essay is learned and provocative.

Judith R. Baskin (Eugene, OR, USA), Misogyny III. Judaism C. Medieval Judaism – D. Modern Judaism. Worth quoting in full are the opening lines of Baskin’s contribution: "Medieval Judaism expanded negative biblical and rabbinic views of women. These included constructing women as other and lesser than men, a tradition based on the rabbinic privileging of the origin narrative of male primacy in Gen 2:7, rather than the simultaneous creation of both males and females in Gen 1:26–28 (bKet 8a; BerR 17:4; Baskin 2002)." Her two-section contribution is exceptionally informative.

Wolfgang Zwickel (Mainz, Germany) Moab, Moabite I. Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Zwickel’s essay focuses on Moab and the Moabites in the Hebrew Bible. Accordingly, he offers readers an overview of both the sources and the appearance of the terms within the literature of the Old Testament. He moves from particular texts to specific eras in a contribution that, to be fair, attempts to cover too much in too small a space due to the generic nature of an encyclopedic entry. It may have been better had this essay been divided into smaller sub-units covering the archaeological information and the textual information independently. Nonetheless, what’s contained here is incredibly helpful and informative.

Jacob Cerone (Munich, Germany) Moses III. New Testament. Here Cerone looks at the New Testament’s treatment of Moses in terms of his biographical details, his acts as lawgiver, his role as prophet, other possible roles he played, and the typology to which the Moses stories are subjected and thereby transformed. He concludes "By connecting Jesus to Moses, the early Christians were able to maintain continuity with their Jewish roots while demonstrating that Jesus surpasses Moses in glory, honor, and authority."

Sarah E. G. Fein (Waltham, MA, USA) Mother, Mothers, Motherhood VIII. Visual Arts. Fein finely delineates the idea of motherhood in the visual arts. Accordingly, she discusses Eve as she appears in artistic representations, as well as other mothers in the Hebrew Bible along with Mary from the New Testament. In this connection, she observes "The two mothers associated with the New Testament most popular in visual reception, especially Byzantine art, are Anne, the mother of Mary, and Mary, the mother of Jesus." Her very interesting and well documented essay is must reading, as is the entire entry on Mothers in which it appears.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice – Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com):

Laura Battini (Paris, France), Mouth I. Ancient Near East. This contribution focuses on the use of "Mouth" in Ancient Near Eastern texts, i.e., ANE mentions of "the physical mouth" as well as "the symbolic mouth," which is described in this way: "The mouth can be used metaphorically to indicate the entry of a part of the body, of an object, of a building, or of a watercourse. Other texts speak of the mouth in a symbolic way, concerning international relations on one hand and religion on the other"; and in "iconography." It is a well-crafted piece and quite informative.

Anna Tchitcherine (Utrecht, The Netherlands), Mouth of Hell II. Visual Arts. One of the more interesting, to me, artistic representations of a biblical citation has to do with the "mouth of hell" which has opened itself wide to receive the condemned (Isa 5:14). In this piece, Tchitcherine begins by noting that "The anthropomorphic image of the mouth of hell emerged in Britain during the 10th-century Monastic Reform and remained popular in Western Art until the advent of Renaissance. The depiction of the entrance to hell is characterized by a disembodied monstrous head with a large gaping mouth." She then delineates the path this notion took in artistic renderings. She concludes "The mouth of hell survived well into the 20th century – mostly in literature, though, which is suggestive of the potency of this theme." The entire entry in all its parts is very much worth the reader’s time.

Mary Claire Gibson (Blacksburg, VA, USA), Mustard Seed IV. Literature. When it comes to the appearance of the theme of the mustard seed in literature, Gibson observes, "…the mustard seed passages found in Matt 17 and Luke 17 have been alluded to in literature by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Bret Harte, and Washington Irving to play on the idea that a lot can be achieved with even the smallest amount of faith, which is often associated with the notion of moving mountains." Other uses also appear, with the final example being "… the mustard seed is also used to signify belittlement or diminution. Victor Hugo mentions the mustard seed in a diminutive manner, comparing a mustard seed under a grindstone to animals under God’s power in his collection of poems, La Légende des siècles (1877: 188)." Small things like mustard seeds play a big role in the history of the reception of the Bible and its contents.

Patrick Cronauer (Latrobe, PA, USA), Naboth. Cronauer examines the figure of Naboth in the Hebrew Bible, Judaism, Christianity, economics and law, literature, the visual arts (including a very intriguing drawing of the stoning of Naboth from the 12th century CE), and film. Regarding the reception of Naboth in literature, Cronauer writes, "The story of Naboth is a staple of any drama or novel about Jezebel. Anthony Trollope uses the theme in Framley Parsonage (1860–61), chapter 2, in relation to the vicar’s garden (see Jeffrey: 532). Naboth is also vilified in John Masefield’s play A King’s Daughter (1923)." And there are still more amazing facets of Naboth’s treatment throughout history outside the Bible!

Arye Zoref (Jerusalem, Israel), Nathan (Prophet) II. Judaism, C. Medieval Judaism. This segment of the longer entry on the prophet Nathan centers itself on his reception in Medieval Judaism. Zoref notes "Medieval Jewish exegetes were especially troubled by the prophet Nathan’s behavior when David approached him about building the temple (2 Sam 7)." "Can a prophet lie or be mistaken?" That was the question which occupied the rabbis. Also worth noting is the notion that prophets had to "want" their prophecies to come true or they wouldn’t: "Abarbanel wrote that Nathan had prophesied that Solomon would be king, but prophecies do not come true unless people strive to realize them, and like any other prophet, Nathan wanted his prophecy to come true." There is much to learn from this contribution.

Claudia Lepp (Munich, Germany), National Socialism/Nazism II. Bible in National Socialism. How was the Bible used by the Nazi’s? First, they devalued the Old Testament. Then, they attempted to purge the New Testament of Jewish influence, even going so far as to suggest that Jesus himself was an Aryan and not a Jew. "Jesus appeared as a "fighter" against Judaism, who took upon himself the associated suffering in obedience to his Father. In Die Botschaft Gottes, Jesus was not the "king of Israel" (John 13) but the "king of life" (Botschaft: 139); his death was interpreted as a brave "offering of life" (Botschaft: 135–39)." This is one of the most interesting of all the essays in volume 20.

Neta Bodner (Jerusalem, Israel), Nazareth VI. Visual Arts. Bodner’s essay is a study of the city of Nazareth in the visual arts. There is much to discover here. For example, Bodner observes "Late medieval and Renaissance images often show Mary’s house as the locus of the event, but the Annunciation is also depicted outdoors, with a symbolic representation of the city." And at the end of the piece, we are informed of the fascinating fact that the village of Walsingham in England has been a site of pilgrimage since the 15th century, where a replica of the house in Nazareth is located. Artwork is also featured.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice – Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com):

Matthew Page (Loughborough, United Kingdom), Nehemiah (Book and Person) VIII. Film. Nehemiah receives scant treatment in film. Page remarks "Compared to most major biblical stories, filmmakers have largely overlooked the book of Nehemiah and its hero." Indeed, as he describes things, the only full-length treatment of Nehemiah is a film produced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The film, titled　Nehemiah: The Joy of Jehovah Is Your Stronghold　(prod. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, was produced only as recently as 2020. These are the sorts of amazing details that come to light in the　EBR. And these details are why　EBR　is such an incredible, and important resource.

Ada Taggar-Cohen (Kyoto, Japan), Neo-Hittites. "As successors to the Hittite Empire that stretched from central Anatolia into north Syria until 1180 BCE, the people who lived after its collapse in the regions of southeastern Anatolia and northern Syria are known as ‘Neo-Hittites.’" Taggar-Cohen then delves into the topics of the history, the cultural evidence, and, this being an　Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, the Neo-Hittites and the Bible. Also included is a very thorough bibliography. This entry is both interesting and well written. A real quality piece of scholarship.

Miryam Brand (Jerusalem, Israel), Nephilim III. Judaism A. Second Temple and Hellenistic Judaism. Brand notes that in texts from the Second Temple period and the Hellenistic era "The Nephilim play a central role in a popular Second Temple era story regarding the origin of evil: the myth of the Watchers." To illustrate the point, she follows her opening declaration with evidence from 1 Enoch, Jubilees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Philo. Very much appreciated is her succinct summary of the tales of the Nephilim: "In the fullest form of this story, angels mated with human women and produced giant children who caused destruction, while the angels themselves caused sin by teaching humans illicit knowledge. When the physical bodies of these giants were destroyed, they became evil spirits that plagued the earth."

Jörg Frey (Zurich, Switzerland), Nicodemus I. New Testament. Nicodemus is only named in the Gospel of John. Who he was seems less important than the portrayals foisted on him by the readers of that Gospel. At least that’s what Frey seems to suggest when he concludes his entry on Nicodemus in the New Testament with the following lines: "For reading the gospel text, the question of the historical reference of the figure remains of secondary importance. Instead, it is the literary ambivalence of the figure that has stimulated readers up to the present to create their own image of Nicodemus." Nicodemus as Rorschach test. That’s the fate of all the characters of the Bible about whom we know so little. What we do know, however, is all described by Frey in his helpful entry.

Adam Łajtar (Warsaw, Poland) Nubia II. Christian Textual Traditions. Łajtar’s discussion centers on the Christian Textual Traditions of Nubia. He observes "Christian Nubia had a rich literary culture, testament to which are 4,000 entries in the internet Database of Medieval Nubian Texts (DBMNT)." All manner of texts are included in these materials including, but not limited to liturgical texts, patristic texts, biblical texts, and many others. Adam’s contribution to the EBR makes it extremely clear that Christian traditions outside of Europe and North America have as much, if not more, to teach us than our own Eurocentric inclinations would have us believe.

Julia van Rosmalen (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Oaths and Vows IX. Visual Arts. What does art have to tell us about the reception and comprehension of oaths and vows? In particular, what do the visual arts have to teach us about the reception of these concepts? Rosmalen asserts "When considering oaths and vows in the visual arts within the context of Bible reception, images can be roughly divided in three categories. The first are depictions of oaths that occur within the biblical narrative; the second, of oaths sworn by Christians; and the third, of oaths from non-Christian narratives but depicted by Christian artists for a Christian audience." As one example Julia illustrates with a picture title "Mary nullifies the pact between the clergyman Theophilus and the Devil" (ca. 1120–35). The way art depicts the Bible is truly one of the more fascinating aspects of the reception of the Bible. And this essay is, accordingly, fascinating.

Rebecca Kamholz (New Haven, CT, USA), Obscenity and Euphemism III. Judaism B. Rabbinic Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism was no stranger to the use of obscenity, according to Kamholz. "Rabbinic treatment of biblical texts which use language or describe imagery that could be considered obscene falls into two broad categories. The first is euphemism, avoidance, or restatement; the second is emphasizing and even increasing the obscenity of the original text." She then provides very intriguing examples of these usages. Of the articles I read, I think I learned the most from this one. I certainly enjoyed it a great deal.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice – Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com):

Joanna Töyräänvuori (Helsinki, Finland), Og (King of Bashan) I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Töyräänvuori has written on "Og (King of Bashan)" in the Hebrew Bible. Other essays in a larger discussion center on Og in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, literature, and the visual arts. Who knew that such a secondary character could or would generate such interest outside of his original story? And yet he certainly did! The etymology of his name is discussed, his homeland is described, and his appearance in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Near Eastern texts is discussed.

Gudrun Holtz (Tübingen, Germany), Old Age III. New Testament. Being elderly myself I thought I’d be keen to read the entry on "Old Age" in the New Testament by Holtz. I wasn’t wrong. The conclusion made me smile. "The weight of the new in the NT, thereby, explains the relative unimportance it places on old age and the elderly." Age is just a number, in other words, and the New Testament doesn’t make much of a big deal about it. That’s a relief, isn’t it? It’s a marvelous article, filled with details from NT texts that the old, and young, will benefit from.

Adele Reinhartz (Ottawa, ON, Canada), Old Testament X. Film. The work of Adele Reinhartz needs neither commendation nor recommendation: her oeuvre is well known by every single person who works in the field of biblical studies. Small wonder, then, that her contribution in this volume on the "Old Testament" in Film is superb. She shows quite convincingly that the portrayal of OT figures and events are generally filtered through the lens of Protestantism. "The films imply that Christianity is the true heir of and the primary vehicle for the ideas, such as faith, prayer, and loyalty, that are valorized in these films." And later "… the ultimate message [of these films] is an affirmation of Christian faith." It’s a genius analysis throughout the all too brief piece.

John T. P. Lai (Hong Kong, China), Opera, Chinese. Knowing nothing about a subject and being able to discover new things is one of the great benefits of EBR. Chinese opera is one of the many things that, prior to reading the present entry, I knew absolutely nothing about. I’m familiar with European Opera. In fact, I’m a huge fan of the genre (with pride of place going to my beloved Mozart). After having read Lai’s piece I will now find Chinese opera on YouTube and give it a listen. Lai writes "As a form of musical theater, traditional Chinese opera amalgamates an array of artistic forms, including singing, dance, martial arts, acrobatics, and elaborate make-up and costume, portraying widely-known folk tales, legends, history, and classical novels. Chinese operas began to be involved in biblical reception in the early 20th century. During the early Republican period (1912–49), the Catholic Church in China took advantage of the popular appeal of drama and folk operas to achieve its own religious propagation." I must see it for myself.

Leonard Greenspoon (Omaha, NE, USA), Orlinsky, Harry Meyer. Greenspoon’s brief biography of Orlinsky hits all the high points and gives readers a good overview of a complex and important scholar’s life. Focusing mostly on his work as a translator, Greenspoon also notes "Orlinsky produced several volumes on Bible translation. He also succeeded in authoring books that made specialist scholarship accessible to the general public." Scholars ought to write books for ordinary people. Only when they do, do they make a genuine contribution. It may not be known to many, but Orlinsky was a genuine scholar and not merely an academic.

Dorothea Erbele-Küster (Mainz, Germany), Pain and Suffering I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Erbele-Küster contributes to readers’ comprehension of the topic of suffering and the pain which causes it, but her focus is on the Hebrew Bible’s take on the subject. Her stunningly brilliant and profoundly insightful article opens with these simple yet delightful lines: "Pain and suffering are manifestations of the anthropological and social vulnerability of human beings. Illness, loss, death, travail, violence, famine, and other afflictions causing physical and psychological devastation belong to these categories." She is astute in her analysis, and her essay is very much worth reading.

John Anthony Dunne (St. Paul, MN, USA), Pain and Suffering III. New Testament. Within a lengthy entry on "Pain and Suffering" we find also an article with a focus centered on the New Testament’s treatment of this subject. Dunne begins "Pain and suffering in the NT refer to experiences associated with, or caused by, illness, disability, demonic oppression, anxiety, grief, poverty, conflict, and martyrdom. Lexemes referring to such a broad array include, e.g., πάσχω, θλῖψις, ἀσθένεια, and respective cognates." In the remainder he provides readers excellent guidance in his overview of the NT’s varied approaches to this very human and evergreen topic.

Sophia Nomicos (Münster, Germany), Paphos. "The name Paphos (Πάφος) refers to two sites on the southwestern coast of Cyprus. The inland site, Old Paphos (Palaepaphos, the site of the village of Kouklia), was the old capital of the Cypriote city-kingdom of Paphos. The coastal site, New Paphos, became the principal city of Hellenistic and Roman Cyprus." And then further information is provided for those who are working on a better understanding of a minor site. That’s another aspect of EBR that makes it an incredible resource: every detail of the Bible and its reception receives treatment. Information is found in these (so far) 22 volumes found no where else in one other reference work.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.

Blogger’s Choice – Articles recommended by biblioblogger Jim West (https://zwingliusredivivus.wordpress.com):

As I have done for a number of years, I’ve randomly selected some of the entries in the latest volume of the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) to look over and review. The following are the selections made from volume 23.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have written three entries in this volume, but I chose not to review them.

Innocent Himbaza (Fribourg, Switzerland), Patriarchy I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. In a wildly intelligent and brilliantly executed essay Himbaza leads readers through the Hebrew Bible’s vision of patriarchy, concluding, "In the HB/OT, although men seem to have an advantage over women, women are never totally excluded. Thus, if patriarchy is defined as male dominance with a total exclusion of women, then we are obliged to admit that the HB/OT does not reflect such a society. And furthermore, the HB/OT reflects both evolution and diversity, so that it is possible to speak of different levels of patriarchy, depending on the historical context or the field of activity." Both of these statements are illustrated fully. The great benefit of the entry is that it refocuses our attention on the facts and not on the politically motivated rhetoric of the present moment.

Renate Pillinger (Vienna, Austria), Paul and Thecla, Acts of II. Visual Arts. One of the best things about the EBR is that it is not merely an encyclopedia of things frozen in the past. It is a series whose very soul is the demonstration of the living and breathing nature of the biblical texts and related literature and their long afterlife once they’ve left the page and entered life. Pillinger’s entry opens a window on the way the ancient text we call "The Acts of Paul and Thecla" and its contents have been explicated in the visual arts. Pillinger remarks, "At the beginning of the chapter (Acts of Paul 3:3), Paul is described as having a receding hairline. From approximately the mid-4th century CE onward, the entire scope of visual art reflects this description." Art influences our reading of biblical and extra-biblical texts whether we like it or not. One need simply think of Da Vinci’s "Last Supper." Historically inaccurate as can be, it still holds sway in the minds of countless Christians as the way the Last Supper took place.

W. Derek Suderman (Waterloo, ON, Canada), Peace, Peacemaking I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Nominal uses of the root š–l–m are first discussed by Suderman and then follows a description of the verbal uses. Summarily put, "Verb forms from the root š–l–m primarily relate to making restitution or payment, paying vows, enacting reward or punishment for actions, including association to divine judgment, and ceasing hostility between groups." Naturally not all instances are examined, but there is enough information given to readers to provide them with a very good idea of how the verbal and nominal forms are used throughout the Old Testament.

David M. Young (Wrexham, United Kingdom), Peake, Arthur Samuel. "We stand on the shoulders of giants" is a well-used term among scholars and that term certainly applies to Arthur Samuel Peake. He was one of the most influential Methodist scholars of his era, producing numerous volumes of widespread significance. "Arthur Samuel Peake was a leading influence for liberal theology in Primitive Methodism." Further, in small part, "He wrote extensively on the nature of scripture. He taught that it was not necessary to argue for the truth of all the opinions in the Epistles, that Daniel is history masquerading as prediction, that much in Genesis is of mythical origin, that Jonah’s mission was purely imaginative, that the Pastoral Epistles were probably not forgeries, that part of Revelation was ‘not from a Christian writer at all’ … and that each individual may decide concerning the virgin birth." A remarkable man of remarkable genius and one of the more interesting of the essays I selected for this series of reviews.

Siobhán Dowling Long (Cork, Ireland), Penitential Psalms III. Music. The Psalms are one of the richest reserves for both Jews and Christians in terms of the expression of spirituality. Believers have reached back to the Psalms over the ages countless times, for encouragement, assistance, and song and prayer. Long’s wonderful contribution focuses on how some of the penitential psalms have been used or received in music. She points out that "While settings of individual penitential psalms are numerous, their setting as a group first occurred during the Renaissance, most notably by Franco-Flemish composer Orlande de Lassus (1532–1594), whose Psalter Davidis poenitentiales was composed in the late 1550s." But she doesn’t stop there. She notes the fertile use of these psalms up to our own day, noting that they have inspired modern psalmitization: "A more recent composition, Alfred Schnittke’s Twelve Penitential Psalms (1988) for mixed choir a cappella, is a setting not of the seven biblical psalms but of ancient Russian texts, celebrating the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Russia." Her contribution is not to be missed.

Allan Varghese Meloottu (Wilmore, KY, USA), Pentecostalism III. Asia and Africa. Pentecostalism is the fastest growing denomination within the Christian tradition at the present day. In Meloottu’s article, Pentecostalism in Asia and Africa is brought to the fore. "Through the lens of World Christianity, Pentecostalism is seen as a polycentric phenomenon that contextualizes according to the local ethno-religious imaginations of the people. The local nature of Pentecostalism can be attributed to the rise of revivals coinciding with the vernacularization of the Bible, enabling Pentecostals to employ an experiential hermeneutics towards scripture, expecting the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in their day-to-day life as similar to that of the apostles in the New Testament (Acts 19:11–12)." Pentecostalism is context-sensitive, in short, we learn from Meloottu’s very insightful contribution.

Luc Bulundwe (Regensburg, Germany), Perdition I. New Testament. After carefully defining "perdition" on the basis of the underlying Greek text and discussing the use and the occurrences of the term in the New Testament, Bulundwe suggests that "perdition" frequently has a dual meaning: both punishment and exhortation with the aim of encouraging the avoidance of punishment. The whole piece is nicely written.

Christine Shea (Muncie, IN, USA), Persia (Ancient) V. Film. The way the Bible and its ancient world have appeared over and over again in film is one of the most intriguing aspects of their reception. Major biblical characters and events have made their way to the silver screen. But they are not alone. Ancient empires too have been Hollywood-ized. The Persian Empire, Shea tells us "… is a staple of filmmakers in search of an evil empire come from the East to battle innocent pioneer farm boys in the West, like the half-nude Spartans in 300 (dir. Zack Snyder, 2007, US/CA/BG). Furthermore, Other filmmakers, in a quest for sword-and-sandal blockbusters, mined the book of Esther, one of only a few ancient sources which feature a heroic Jewish woman. Their customary choice is to reconcile a good king of Persia (like Cyrus) with an evil empire (of Persian apparatchiks)." Persia, in short, appears as a Rorschach blot. Filmmakers can see it to be whatever sort of entity they need it to be. There is much more here to read, and all of it fascinating.

Jens Schröter (Berlin, Germany), Person I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament. How does the word "person" function in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament? Although "person" is used frequently, seldom do we pause to think about its meaning, or rather, how it is used (since words have usage, not meaning). There is no proper Hebrew equivalent and "face" is as close as the Hebrew Bible gets, while the Greek equivalent "prosopon" has a slightly broader usage though it means essentially the same thing. Schröter observes correctly, "… the Bible does not contain a distinct philosophical conception of ‘person’ …" That conception is developed later and dependent on philosophical speculations. Nonetheless, what is used of God is used of mankind and thus mankind is granted a certain dignity. Or as Schröter writes, "the Jewish and Christian conception of the human as ‘person’ is closely related to the conception of God and – in Christian theology – of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as ‘persons.’" The whole essay is quite informative.

Each essay that I looked through (and there were many more than the small selection mentioned above) offered readers useful facts and helpful insights. EBR continues to impress.

The projected thirty-volume Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) is intended to serve as a comprehensive guide to the current state of knowledge on the background, origins, and development of the canonical texts of the Bible as they were accepted in Judaism and Christianity. Unprecedented in breadth and scope, this encyclopedia also documents the history of the Bible’s interpretation and reception across the centuries, not only in Judaism and Christianity, but also in literature, visual art, music, film, and dance, as well as in Islam and other religious traditions and new religious movements.

The EBR is also available online.