Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies

Over 300 Terms Clearly Concisely Defined

Arthur G. Patzia, Anthony J. Petrotta

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN:
  9780830814671
• eBook ISBN:
  9780830867028
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Reference

So many words about the Word. The study of anything seems to generate its own special vocabulary, and biblical studies is no different. What's more, it's got nearly a two-thousand-year lead on you! How can you catch up? Here is the answer!

If you are puzzled by parataxis or rankled by recensions, the Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies is the companion you need. Whether you are studying Old Testament or New Testament or both at once, this little book is your private tutor, your ever-ready guide to over three hundred biblical-studies terms. Here's your glossary for reading course textbooks, your decoder for listening to lectures, your review sheet for cramming for finals and your "help" key for writing research papers.

Among the more than 300 terms defined you'll discover

• types of biblical criticism, from genre criticism to tradition criticism
• Greek and Latin terms, from agrapha to vaticinium ex eventu
• German terms, from Frühkatholizismus to Wissenschaft
• ancient texts, from Aleppo Codex to Zadokite Document
• literary features, from acrostic to woe oracle
• theories, fromthe Augustinian hypothesis to the Yahwist source
• textual criticism terms, from codex to Western text

Written by Arthur G. Patzia and Anthony J. Petrotta, two biblical studies professors who know what you need to know, Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies will be your essential guide into a fascinating world of understanding.

Designed for students and pastors alike, the short and accessible volumes in the IVP Pocket Reference Series will help you tackle the study of biblical languages, church history, apologetics, world religions, Christian spirituality, ethics, theology, and more.

A

abomination of desolation. A phrase taken from the prophecy of Daniel (cf. Dan 11:31; 12:11) where the prophet states that the temple would be used for some future abominable and revolting act. Some scholars suggest that it refers to the time when Antiochus IV Epiphanes polluted the temple in 167 B.C. by sacrificing a pig on the altar (1 Macc 1:54); others claim that the reference is to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 (cf. Mt 24:15-16; Mk 13:14); some claim that the “abomination” is still unfulfilled but is predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, where, in the coming rebellion, the “lawless one” will take over God’s role in the temple—the ultimate act of sacrilege that marks the beginning of the end times.

acrostic. A poetic form where the initial letters of each line form a word, phrase, or alphabet. For example, Psalm 119 is structured around the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet (eight lines for each letter). Acrostics are sometimes thought to be mnemonic (memory) devices, but they are more readily viewed as literary or aesthetic devices whereby authors can use the constraints of the form (the acrostic itself) to contribute to the theme. In the case of Psalm 119, a hymn in praise of Torah, the author uses the twenty-two letters to show the total sufficiency of Torah.

agora. The central square of a Greek city, usually translated as the “marketplace.” The square was surrounded by public buildings, temples, shops and so forth. Since many people would visit the agora for business, shopping, leisure and public assemblies, it served as an ideal location to proclaim the gospel (cf. Acts 16:19; 17:17).

agraphon. A Greek term (pl. agrapha) for an “unwritten saying” attributed to Jesus but not found in the canonical Gospels. Examples in the New Testament include Acts 20:35 (“remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’”). Additional sayings include 1 Corinthians 11:24-25, the textual variant in Luke 6:5, some possible sayings included in certain apocryphal New Testament texts such as the Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of Philip, and some papyrus fragments.

Akedah. See Aqedah.

Akkadian. Usually refers to the language of the Semitic people who inhabited lower Mesopotamia where the city-state Akkad was located. Akkadian is also used generally of the Babylonian and Assyrian dialects. The language adopted the cuneiform syllabic script. Eventually the Akkadian language replaced the older Sumerian language, though Sumerian continued to be used in the scribal schools. Akkadian texts appear in the third millennium and continue into the first millennium B.C.

Albright, William Foxwell (1891-1971). American OT scholar and archaeologist. Albright used archaeological research to put the Bible on solid historical ground. In particular, he sought to show the essential reliability of the patriarchs and the Mosaic traditions and laws. He was critical of Wellhausen and source criticism, and his critique found favor with many conservative scholars in America and elsewhere. He had an unparalleled knowledge of the languages and cultures of the ancient Near East. To many, Albright was known as the “dean of biblical archaeology.”

Alexandrian school. An allegorical approach to interpreting the biblical text that, together with the Antiochene school (literal approach), exerted great influence during the patristic era (c. A.D. 100-750). The Alexandrian school, rooted in Platonic philosophy and heir to the exegetical traditions of Philo and Origen, discovered symbols of divine truth in the lives and events portrayed in the Bible. This school also advocated a course of Christian action and theology that often went beyond the text itself. The adherents employed the allegorical method of interpretation, which was an attempt to come to terms with a Christian use of the OT; their approach embraced the conviction that all Scripture is divinely inspired and, therefore, historical events teach divine truths, and intellectually offensive passages (e.g., passages with anthropomorphic language and the like) are not to be taken literally. See also sensus plenior.

allegorical method. A method of interpreting a text in which the characters, events or places signify “deeper” meaning(s) than their literal meaning. The allegorical method was especially employed with difficult texts (e.g., the “sacrifice of Isaac” in Gen 22) or texts that no longer held the same power for later readers (e.g., for Christians, the temple or dietary laws were given new meaning in the light of the person and work of Jesus). These texts were given new life or wider significance, making them more accessible or more relevant for new contexts. The danger in the allegorical method is the violence done to the text in forcing correspondences that do not naturally correspond or cohere with the text. See also typology.

allegory. A literary form where a story is told for what it signifies rather than for its own sake. The characters and sometimes events or places are interpreted as abstract ideas or personifications of historical persons, which moves the focus from the personality of the character or the nature of the event itself. For example, in Nathan’s story of the ewe lamb, the lamb itself is not the point of the story but rather is a personification of Bathsheba (2 Sam 12:1-14). Similarly, the vineyard in Isaiah’s parable is Israel (Is 5:1-10). Some of the parables of Jesus also have obvious allegorical aspects (e.g., the parable of the sower, Mt 13 par. Mk 4 and Lk 8). Generally, in allegory the point is not so much that each item signifies something but that the allegory itself signifies a virtue, vice or type of character, or occasionally, a correlative historical person or event. See also metaphor.

alpha and omega. The first (alpha) and the last (ōmega) letters of the Greek alphabet. The phrase, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” is used for God (Rev 1:8; 21:6; see Is 44:6; 48:12) and for Jesus Christ (Rev 22:13; cf. also 1:17; 2:8). When attributed to Jesus, it designates him as the beginning (first) and ending (last) of everything, including designating him as the Creator, the fullness, and the climax of the universe (Rom 11:36; Eph 1:10).

ʿam hāʾāreṣ. A Hebrew phrase literally meaning “people of the land.” Although there are references to the people of the land in the OT (Ezra 4:4; 10:2; Neh 10:30-31; Jer 1:18; 34:19; 37:2; 44:21), interpreters have given more attention to this group in rabbinic literature, since it seems to illuminate a text like John 7:49: “But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” Most current scholarship questions the older view that the “people of the land” were regarded as impure sinners who were unworthy of salvation and were thus excluded from synagogue worship.

amanuensis. A person, such as a scribe or secretary, hired to write from dictation or from a brief outline of a letter (from Latin manu, “hand”). Tertius is named the “writer” of Romans (16:22). Paul also employed other individuals, and he draws attention to the fact by commenting that he is closing the letter in his own hand (cf. 1Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; Col 4:18; 2 Thess 3:17). Silvanus is identified as Peter’s amanuensis (1 Pet 5:12). This practice of using secretaries (see Jer 36:4) may account for some differences in style and language in some of the NT letters attributed to Paul and Peter.

Amarna tablets. Cuneiform tablets consisting of mostly diplomatic letters, found at Tell el-Amarna on the Nile River. The tablets were discovered in 1887 by a woman digging in the mud for fertilizer. These texts, dated during the reign of Akhenaton (c. 1350-1334 B.C.), depict political and socioeconomic life in the ancient Near East, including Canaan and Syria, prior to the arrival of the Israelites from Egypt. Of primary interest for biblical scholars is the mention of the Apiru, a people living in Canaan in the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 B.C.) and sometimes identified as the Hebrews. More likely they were outlaws or refugees of some type, since the word is used as a social rather than an ethnic designation.

Amenemope, Instruction of. Didactic text of the Egyptian New Kingdom (c. 1567-1085 B.C.). This text extols the development of disciplined and modest behavior more than the development of political skills. Proverbs 22:17—23:11 is thought by many scholars to be dependent on the Egyptian proverbs of Amenemope. The style and language are remarkably similar, though the biblical proverbs are cast in the context of Israel’s faith, not Egyptian teaching. For example, the proverb against robbing the poor or oppressing the afflicted is given a reason in Proverbs 22:23 (“for the LORD pleads their cause”) that is absent from the Egyptian text. (A characteristic of biblical injunctions is the “motive clause,” where a rationale is given as a means of instruction; see also Torah.)

Amoraim. Designation of the rabbinic teachers in both Palestine and Babylon during the third to sixth centuries A.D. (the Hebrew term means “speakers” or “interpreters”). These rabbis held the Mishnah as authoritative for their own rulings and sought to elucidate the discussions therein. Their interpretations shifted the focus of Jewish thought from worship in the temple (which had been destroyed in A.D. 70) to worship in the synagogue and home, with emphasis on prayer and morality, not the cult.

amphictyony. A model used to explain the social organization of the tribes of Israel prior to the monarchy. This model, based primarily on the analogy of the ancient Greek sacral leagues, views Israel as a confederacy of twelve tribes organized around the cult of Yahweh, their God, whose worship took place at a central shrine (e.g., first in Shechem, then in Shiloh). It is questionable that the amphictyony model adequately explains the social organization of Israel or is the clearest analogy. However, the biblical account of Israel’s origins reflects that the tribes of Israel were organized around common religious institutions and beliefs.

aniconic. A term that means “without representation.” It is used to describe the Israelite tradition, in which God was not represented by any images (cf. Ex 20:4).

anonymous. Literally, “nameless” (from the Gk a, “without,” + onoma, “name”). A piece of literature that does not identify the author by name is considered anonymous. The four Gospels, for example, probably circulated anonymously for approximately fifty years before the current names of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were attached to them. The book of Hebrews also circulated as an anonymous document before Paul’s name was attached to it for a while. The historical books of the OT and many of the psalms do not have names attached to them. See also pseudonymity.

anthropomorphism. In the Bible and theology, a strategy of speaking of God in which human traits or emotions (the latter is known as “anthropopathism”) are ascribed to God. For example, references to God’s “right arm” or God “sitting” in the heavens and “laughing” are often said to be anthropomorphic and a reflection of “primitive” thinking about God. However, anthropomorphisms can be viewed as the language of immanence—God’s nearness and relatedness to his creation. Thus, God’s “walking” in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen 3:8) is less about putting a “human form” on God as it is a...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• A
• L
• Common Abbreviations
• Pocket Reference Collection from IVP Academic