Research In: Religious Studies

References in the Bible

When citing or referring to specific passages in the Bible, students and scholars, as well as faith communities, use a standard system of references. Almost all editions and translations of these texts use the same system of divisions and numbering, so that you can use the reference to find a particular passage no matter which version of the text you are using! Being able to read this system is crucial for interacting with ancient texts as well as secondary, scholarly sources about them.  

The example below shows how specific verses from the Bible are usually cited. Other ancient texts, for example pseudepigrapha or the Dead Sea Scrolls, are referenced slightly differently. 

Most scholars also use a consistent system of abbreviations for the different books, manuscripts, etc. that make up our known versions of the Bible. You can find a list of these abbreviations in the SBL Handbook of Style: 

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. 

Scholars generally use a standard set of abbreviations to reference the most commonly-consulted versions of the Bible. You can find a list of these abbreviations and their meanings in the SBL Handbook of Style: 

Locating Bibles

In the Library: 

At Holy Cross, we organize our books using a system called Library of Congress Classification or LCC. LCC is based on the subject of the books. Each letter represents a specific subject. Each subject is broken down into more specific letter sections, each of which is further broken down into number ranges for specific topics. Most call numbers have additional  numbers and letters on the end of them, which are used to give each book a unique spot on the library shelves. 

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. 

Suggested Resources:

Commentaries on the Bible

Commentaries are designed to help students, scholars and sometimes practitioners of religion work more effectively with sacred texts. 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). The work of commentaries is often called exegesis. 

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. 

Recommended Commentary Series:

Bible Concordances

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. 

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

Suggested Concordances:

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. Examples of prominent Church Fathers include Tertullian, St. Augustine, John Chrysostom, and Pope St. Gregory the Great. 

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: 

Suggested Resources:

Church (Canon) 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. Members of the LDS Church, colloquially called Mormons, read the Book of Mormon in conjunction with the Bible, and consider it a 'second witness' to the teachings of the Bible. 

For helpful overviews of the Book of Mormon and its significance, see: 

Suggested Resources:

Biblical Hebrew

New Testament Greek (Koine)

For more resources, visit: