Biblical Studies Guide: Home

This subject guide provides resources related to research on the bible. Methodological approaches to the study of the bible can vary between literary studies, historical criticism, homiletical approaches, and postcolonial research. On the second tab, you'll find direct links to the library catalog on specific books of the bible.

Key eresources available to our students include:

• The abstracting services Old Testament Abstracts and New Testament Abstracts 
• The index and full text database ATLASerials Religion PLUS
• The online Encyclopedia of the history of interpretation of the Bible, Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception 
• The ebook versions of the Hermeneia Commentary Series
• The ebook versions of the Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
• The online bibliography, Oxford Bibliographies in Biblical Studies
• The online, polyglot bible tool The NET Bible 
• The online concordance, the Blue Letter Bible 
   
• Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online 
  Most recent expansive dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible.
• Oxford Very Short Introductions 
  The ULS Library offers current students, faculty, and staff electronic access to 72 Very Short Introductions in religion, which offer concise introductions to important topics.
  Note: Access: current students, faculty, staff, on campus visitors
• Oxford Handbooks Online 
  Oxford Handbooks offer introductions to topics and a critical survey of the current state of scholarship in over 80 topical areas.
  Note: Access: current faculty, staff, students, on campus visitors
• Oxford Scholarship Online 
  Access nearly 2,000 recent scholarly books published by Oxford University Press at this link or through the library catalog. All areas of religious research are included.
  Note: Access: current students, faculty, staff, on campus guests

More Useful Tools

• Bible Basics Pronunciation Guide 
  NET Ministries guide to pronouncing most words relevant to biblical and theological studies, from Aaron to Zuphite. Provides audio files as well as written phonetic notation. 
• BILDI -- Documentation for Biblical Literature, Innsbruck 
  A bibliography of biblical and biblical-archaeological literature, covering articles, collected works, and monographs. Coverage for some of its 540 periodicals begins in 1985.
  Note: Open Access
• The Text This Week 
  A webpage geared to pastors, with resources for the study of the lectionary, worship planning, and other worship-related materials. 
  Note: Open Access
• Oxford Bibliographies in Jewish Studies  
  OBO offers over 150 bibliographies on topics in Jewish Studies, including historic figures, Jewish culture (US and Europe), the Shoah, and modern Jewish politics.
  Note: Access: current students, faculty, staff, on campus visitors
• Oxford Scholarship Online  
  Access nearly 2,000 recent scholarly books published by Oxford University Press at this link or through the library catalog. All areas of religious research are included.
  Note: Access: current students, faculty, staff, on campus guests

There are three different style guides available for students of the Bible. Listed below, in order of preference & accessibility, are your professors' preferred citation styles:

• SBL Handbook of Style 
  The Student Supplement for the SBL Handbook of Style. This offers students resources on the basics of SBL Style as well as information on the many, many abbreviations that are used in Biblical studies. 
• Chicago Manual of Style Online 
  Find it. Write it. Cite it. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. Turabian is a shortened version of The Chicago Manual of Style.
• Turabian -- A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is available in print at both libraries in the reference room at LB2369 .T8