From: jlaplant@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (John R Laplante)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: reference books (Was: WHere does it say that ....?)
Date: 10 Apr 92 02:56:49 GMT
Organization: The Ohio State University

there was some legitimate message i was trying to say. perhaps my impatience
at having to answer a question hid the message. the message is this: every person interested in what the bible says  should take some effort to become familiar
with it themselves. this is preferable to relying solely on the word of others,
for a variety of reasons. messages tend to get garbled when transmitted from
one to another; you learn something better if you look it up yourself, etc.

so i advise those who have questions -- don't hesitate to ask, but see if
you can look it up yourself first. there are a number of reference tools that
no christian (yeah, that's an absolutist phrase, i admit) should be without.
i'd like to offer some suggestions to assist in bible study.

1. a concordance -- lists every word (or every important word) in the bible,
with its scriptural reference. so when you wonder "doesn't the bible say .... that God created fish," you can look up the word 'fish' and see all the pklaces 
where that word is. think of it as sort of an  index. 

2. a topical bible -- like a concordance. it differs from a concordance in 
several ways - 1) it won't contain every word. 2) rather than listing the
book, chapter and verse references for each word, it will list -- word-for-word -- the appropriate verses. you can, for example, read all the verses that
speak about "love."   compiling the topical bible is soemething of a subjective
experience, more so than a concordance -- it requires someone to decide what
verses apply to a specific topic.

3. a bible  o commentary. it is helpful to know what someone else -- typically
someone else with some seminary / advanced education thought. choose one with
a theological perspective you can live with. if you're a calvinist, don't 
pick up an arminian-based commentary (unless you want the challenge). a commentary is no substitute to your own study, but can greatly assist.

4. a bible dictionary. this is like an encyclopedia. it may discuss doctrinal
themes (what does the bible say about topic .// X?). it also coevers topics
relating to the cultural context of bible writing and events (what were the
passover customs in the time of christ, etc). it may also have biographies
of bible characters

5. a bible atlas. it can be useful to know the geography of the holy and ancientlands. when Jonah went to Joppa and started sailing west, how did that relate
to Ninevah, where he was first told to go? Another example: people went "up"
to jerusalm, even if they were travelling south, because jerusalem was on a
higher elevatikon than most of the country,

6. A greek or hebrew dictionary. not essential, though it can occasionally
be helpful in understanding the different shades of meanings. a common
example is that the english word "love" is translaed from at least 3 greek
words, which could roughly be translated as "brotherly love," "erotic love" and
"sacrificial love." you get can these dictionaries in an original language or
english language format. that is you don't have to know greek to benefit.

7. a dictionary of theology. it isn't essential to studying the bible, but
in thinking of doctrinal themes. just what is "predestination<" anyway? 
this book will tell you what different people have thought.

8. several english language translations. bible translation is more of an
art than a science. it is sometimes helpful to see how different people have
translated difficult passageds. it may be helpful to have a variety of translations. for example, you may find a paraphase (like the Living Bible) useful to 
get a general overview, and a more word-for-word translation (like the New
American Standard, or even New International Version) useful for more
detailed reading.

that's all i can think of right now. it will cost some money -- perhaps 
up to $200. but for those who (to various degrees) base their life on 
the teachings of the bible, it's a smalla amount to pay in order to help
you understand what it says.

my biases should be evident -- i use the 'historical-grammatical' method 
more than any other -- trying to first understand what the passage meant to
the original writer and reader berfore saying 'what does this mean for my life
today in 20th century america." it is not the only way.
but these reference tools should help anyone in getting a better understanding.

when it is in doubt, look it up. then debate.

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john r la plante                      political science done while you wait
Internet: jlaplant@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu