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A Guide To...Religious Studies

The Bible

Versions of the Bible:

Because the text of the Bible has been passed down through many different manuscripts (none of which, of course, were in English!), there is no one version of the Bible, in English or in any other language. Instead, there are many different versions, which differ variously depending on...

  • Source: Which original manuscript(s) was/were used. If you're interested in understanding more about how this happens, you can visit our library guide on critical editions. The New Catholic Encyclopedia also has a detailed article about the different manuscripts of which many modern Bible versions are composed. 
     
  • Editorial Choices: How the compiler(s)/editor(s) chose to interpret and translate the manuscripts they used (again, see the guide on critical editions).
     
  • Canon: Which parts of the Bible the compiler(s)/editor(s) considered valid. The so-called deuterocanonical or apocryphal books, for example, are not accepted as canonical by many Protestant denominations and do not typically appear in such translations as the King James Version. The New Catholic Encyclopedia has a useful (if Catholic-focused) overview of the different canons.  
     
  • Denomination/Authority: Related to the above, who (i.e., which denomination/church body/ruler/etc.) worked on and signed off on this version. In Catholic publications this kind of approval is often called the imprimatur (Latin for "let it be printed") and/or nihil obstat ("nothing hinders it" -- i.e., there are no objections). 
     
  • Purpose/Audience:  Examples of this might include study Bibles (which may include additional marginalia, contextual information, etc.); red-letter Bibles (in which words spoken by Jesus Christ appear in red); and 'Youth' Bibles (which typically use less-formal or even colloquial language to make the text more accessible to younger readers). 

If at all possible, when you pick up a new version of the Bible, try to examine the introduction, preface, and/or any other explanatory information in the front of the Bible which will give you context for how that particular version was put together. 

Bibles in the Library: 

The Libraries own many different editions and translations of the Bible. We have Bibles in the reference section for in-library use as well as in the stacks for you to check out. 

  • Bible, Early Versions - 
    BS11 to BS115 
     
  • Bible, Modern Texts & Versions [English] - 
    BS125 to BS198
     
  • Bible, Modern Texts & Versions [Other languages] - 
    BS199 to BS355
     
  • Bible, Old Testament -
    BS701 to BS1830
     
  • Bible, New Testament -
    BS1901 to BS2970

Bibles Online:

What is a Commentary?

Commentaries are designed to help students, scholars and sometimes practitioners of religion work more effectively with sacred texts.

Commentaries can take many different forms. Some commentaries are written as footnotes, under or around an edition of a text. Others are found in a completely separate volume. You can find commentaries which walk you through a text line-by-line, and others which take more of a narrative approach to describing important dogmas, themes, etc. in a text. 

Commentaries may also be very different in their focus. A commentary designed for students might provide translations or explanations for important vocabulary. Commentaries might also address topics related to the text such as word choice, grammar, literary devices, or meter; historical details; themes and ideas; manuscript sources for the text; and/or questions and problems that previous scholars have had about a certain part of the work. The ultimate goal of any commentary, though, is to help the reader to better understand and to engage more fully with, the text. 

A commentary will help you better understand what you are reading and ask questions about it. It will highlight important parts of the text which you should particularly pay attention to or ask questions about.  Commentaries are particularly useful if you are trying to compare different versions of the same text (or different versions of the same story told in multiple texts).

Every commentary  is different! Here are some things you might consider when selecting a commentary:

  • Version -- Which version/translation is used?  Be aware that different translations of sacred texts, even similar ones, may use different English words to convey the original sense of the text, which may in turn affect the language used in the commentary. 
     
  • Approach -- Does the commentary focus on the linguistics? Theology? Historical context? A combination of the above? etc. 
     
  • Language -- Some commentaries are easier to use if you have some knowledge of other languages (e.g., Hebrew, Arabic or Sanskrit).  
     
  • Depth, detail, coverage -- Commentaries which devote an entire volume to a given text will provide different kinds of information than commentaries which cover the entire sacred corpus in a handful of volumes. Additionally, consider what you'd like to know, and what kind of commentary would be most appropriate for that. To zero in on a couple of specific verses, a detailed line-by-line commentary will be most helpful. But to get a sense of the text as a whole, a broader commentary could also provide useful perspective. 

Bible Commentaries in the Library: 

The Libraries own many different commentaries on the Bible.  The series we recommend most frequently (Anchor Bible, Hermeneia, Wisdom and New Interpreter's Commentaries) are located in the Main Reading Room's reference collection. Other commentary series are available in the stacks for you to check out. 

Where to Look:

Commentaries are located according to the books to which they refer. For example, the call number for Judges is BS1301-1305.5, so commentaries on Judges will be in the same location. This order generally follows the order of the books of the Bible. 

 

To find Old Testament Bible commentaries in the library catalog, try doing a Subject search (in the Classic Catalog) for

Bible. O.T. [name of book] – Commentaries.


If a book is numbered (for example, 1 Chronicles) you will need to put the number after the name of the book -- so, for example,


Bible. O.T. Chronicles, 1st -- Commentaries.

Recommended Series: 

What is a Concordance?

Concordances attempt to index every appearance of a specific term, name, etc. in a particular book or set of books. There are concordances for many different kinds of works, ranging from Homer to Shakespeare, in addition to religious texts. 

Concordances can differ in format and methodology. When choosing a concordance for a text originally written in languages other than English, and/or with many different versions (i.e.,: most religious texts) it is particularly important to locate a concordance to the same version of the text. Since every translation is different, you need a concordance that matches your translation so that the word choice aligns. 

For example:  the term tekton, found in the Greek New Testament to describe the profession of Jesus and Joseph, has been variously translated into English as "carpenter," "craftsman," "stoneworker," etc. If you wanted to locate this term using an English Bible concordance, you would first need to determine how your version of the Bible translates this term, then look up that English term in the concordance. 

Bible Concordances in the Library:

Concordances to the Bible can be found both in the Main Reading Room reference collection and in the stacks for check-out.

Where to Look:

  • Concordances, English [Complete Bible] - 
    BS425
     
  • Old Testament Concordances, English - 
    BS1125
     
  • Concordances of the Psalms - 
    BS1434 
     
  • New Testament Concordances, English - 
    BS2305

Selected Volumes:

Other Christian Texts

Church Fathers (Patristic Literature): 

Patristic literature refers to the writings of the early Church Fathers. Although these writings are not biblical, they provide a great deal of information about the early Christian Church, and many continue to influence Christian theology and practice today.  Patristic literature is particularly influential in the Eastern Orthodox churches and, to a lesser extent, in the Catholic Church.

The Church Fathers initially wrote in Greek and Latin, so you will find many editions of their writings in these languages. However, most if not all also have published English translations available.  Many of these translations are now in the public domain and can be found freely online.

For a basic overview of patristic literature and its significance, see: 

Where to Look:

Sources on the Church Fathers are generally located at call numbers BR60-67. However, you will find their works located throughout the BR to BX range depending on their content. 

For example,  John Chrysostom's commentary on Isaiah will be located with other commentaries on the book of Isaiah under BS1515, but his treatise on the priesthood is under BX1912 (Catholic Church - government and organization). 

Selected Resources:

Church Law: 

Many Christian denominations have developed their own 'legal' systems to determine governance and other aspects of church life in the secular world.  The book below overviews and compares these legal systems as they appear in the Catholic; Orthodox; Anglican; Lutheran; Methodist; Presbyterian; Reformed; Congregational; United; and Baptist churches. 

These legal systems take a variety of forms, from norms to Codes, Constitutions, judicial processes, and more. In the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican traditions, they are referred to as Canon Law, Holy Canons, and Principles of Canon Law (respectively). 

For a detailed breakdown on researching documents and Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church, see: 

The Book of Mormon:

The Book of Mormon is a collection of prophetic writings held sacred by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

 

Secondary Resources