Part II 
Use this list of selected readings for further growth and understanding of the Bible, worship using the Bible, and spiritual formation. It was especially compiled to supplement the study The Bible: the Book That Bridges the Millennia.
See also Links to Biblical Resources.
Pritchard, J.B., ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.
Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken Books, 1975.
Ruether, Rosemary R. Religion and Sexism: Images of Women in the Jewish and Christian Traditions. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974.
Aharoni, Yohanan, et al., eds. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. 3rd ed. Old Tappan, N.J.: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1993.
The Collegeville Bible Study Atlas. Collegeville, Minn.: The Liturgical Press, 1990.
The Collegeville Bible Time-Line. Collegeville, Minn.: The Liturgical Press, 1993.
Jenkins, Simon. Nelson’s 3-DBible Mapbook. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Sons, 1995.
Achtemeier, Paul J., ed. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. rev. ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1997.
Bird, Phyllis A. The Bible as the Church's Book. Philadelphia: Westminister, 1982.
Brauer, Jerald C. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1971.
Brown, Raymond E., S.S., et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1990.
Buttrick, George A., ed. The Interpreter’s Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1952-1957.
The Cambridge Companion to the Bible. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Comby, Jean and Diarmaid MacCulloch. How to Read Church History: From the Reformation to the Present Day. New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1989.
The Complete Parallel Bible. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. Presents the New Revised Standard Version, the Revised English Bible, the New American Bible, and the New Jerusalem Bible in parallel columns.
Fee, Gordon. New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1983.
Felder, Cain Hope, ed. The Original African Heritage Study Bible. Nashville: James C. Winston, 1993.
Ferguson, Everette, ed. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1990.
Freedman, David Noel, ed. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 6 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
Handy, Lowell K. The Educated Person's Thumbnail Introduction to the Bible. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1997.
Laymon, Charles M., ed. The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971.
Keck, Leander, ed. The New Interpreter’s Bible. 12 vols. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. Vols. I and VIII have particularly helpful introductions.
Kohlenberger, John R., III. The NRSV Concordance Unabridged. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.
-----, Concise Concordance to the NRSV. New York: Oxford University Press.
Metzger, Bruce M., and Michael D.Coogan, eds. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Montague, George T. Understanding the Bible: A Basic Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. New York: Paulist Press, 1997.
Murray, Dick. Teaching the Bible to Adults and Youth. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993.
Myers, Allen C., ed. Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1987.
Newsom, Carol A. and Sharon Ringe. The Women’s Bible Commentary. Philadelphia: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992.
Reid, Daniel G. et al., eds. Dictionary of Christianity in America. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1990.
Richardson, Alan, ed. A Theological Word Book of the Bible. London: SCM Press, Ltd., 1957.
Russell, Letty M. and J. Shannon Clarkson, eds. Dictionary of Feminist Theologies. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 1996.
Tate, W. Randolf. Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Press, 1991.
Throckmorton, Burton H., Jr., ed. Gospel Parallels, 4th ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Sons, 1979 (RSV); 5th edition (1992) uses NRSV.
Tiffany, Frederick C. and Sharon H. Ringe. Biblical Interpretation: A Roadmap. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996.
Achtemeier, Paul J. The Inspiration of Scripture: Problems and Proposals. Philadelphia:
Westminster Press, 1980.
Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative. Basic Books, 1981.
Bialik, Hayim Nahman and Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky, eds. The
Book of Legends (Sefer Ha- Aggadah): Legends from the Talmud and
Midrash. Translated by William G. Braude. New York: Schocken
Books Inc., 1992.
Bird, Phyllis A. "The Authority of the Bible" in The New Interpreter's Bible, vol. 1. Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1994.
Blount, Brian K. Cultural Interpretation: Reorienting New Testament Criticism. Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 1995.
Bringas, Ernie. Going by the Book: Past and Present Tragedies of Biblical Authority.
Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton Roads Publishing Co., 1996.
Brown, Robert McAfee. The Bible Speaks to You. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press,
1995.
-----. Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes. Philadelphia: Westminister
Press, 1984.
Brueggemann, Walter. Texts Under Negotiation. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.
-----. The Bible Makes Sense. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1977.
Cardenal, Ernesto. The Gospel in Solentiname, vol. 1. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1976.
Charpentier, Etienne. How To Read the Old Testament.
New York: Crossroad Publishing Co., 1987.
Countryman, William. Biblical Authority of Biblical Tyranny? Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley
Publications, 1994.
Dodds, E.R. Pagan and Christian in an Age of Anxiety. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1968.
Fiorenza, Elizabeth Schüssler. In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of
Christian Origins. New York: Crossroad Publishing Co., 1983.
-----. Bread Not Stone: The Challenge of Feminist Biblical Interpretation. Boston: Beacon Press,
1995.
-----. But She Said: Feminist Practices of Biblical Interpretation. Boston: Beacon Press, 1993.
Fishbane, Michael. Biblical Interpretation in Ancient
Israel. New York: Clarendon Press, 1985.
Gruse, Robert. The Authority of the Bible: Theories of Inspiration, Revelation, and the Canon of
Scripture. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, 1985.
Gomes, Peter. The Good Book: Reading the Bible With Mind and Heart. New York: William
Morrow, 1996.
Gottwald, Norman and Richard Horsley, eds. The Bible and Liberation: Political and Social
Hermeneutics. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1993.
Hartman, Geoffrey H. and Sandford Budick, eds. Midrash and
Literature. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986
Jodock, Darrell. The Church's Bible: Its Contemporary Authority. Minneapolis: Fortress Press,
1989.
Johnston, Michael. Engaging the Word. Cambridge, Mass: Cowley Publications, 1997.
Jones, Scott J. John Wesley's Conception and Use of Scripture. Nashville: Kingwood, 1995.
Kugel, James L. and Rowan A. Greer. Early Biblical Interpretation. Philadelphia: Westminster
Press, 1986.
Meeks, Wayne A. The Writings of St. Paul. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1971.
Miles, Jack. God: A Biography. Vantage Books, 1996.
Moyers, Bill D., Betty Sue Flowers (ed.), Judith Davidson Moyers. Genesis: A Living
Conversation. New York: Doubleday, 1996.
Murray, John. Calvin on Scripture and Divine Sovereignty. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1960.
Myers, Ched. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark's Story of Jesus. Maryknoll,
N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1988. (First of a trilogy on Mark's Gospel.)
Niebuhr, H. Richard. Christ and Culture. New York: Harper & Row, 1956.
Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels. New York: Random House, 1979.
Pritchard, J.B., ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1970.
Ralph, Margaret Nutting. The Bible and the End of the World: Should We Be Afraid? New York:
Paulist Press, 1997.
Reid, Stephen Breck. Listening In: A Multicultural Reading of the Psalms. Nashville: Abingdon
Press, 1997.
Rosenberg, David, ed. Communion: Contemporary Writers Reveal the Bible in Their Lives, New
York: Anchor Books, 1996.
Schneider, Sandra. The Revelatory Text. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.
Spong, John Shelby. Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible With Jewish Eyes: Freeing Jesus
from 2,000 Years of Misunderstanding. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.
Steinsaltz, Rabbi Adin. The Talmud--The Steinsaltz Edition:
A Reference Guide. New York: Random House, 1989, especially
vol. 1, pp. 48-59.
Tamez, Elsa. The Scandalous Message of James. New York: Crossroad Publishing Co., 1990.
Thompsett, Fredrica Harris. Living with History. Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1999.
Torrance, Thomas. The Hermeneutics of John Calvin. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1988.
Trible, Phyllis. God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987.
Visotsky, Rabbi Burton L. Reading the Book: Making the
Bible a Timeless Text. New York: Anchor Books, 1991.
Weems, Renita J. Battered Love: Marriage, Sex, and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets (Overtures
to Biblical Theology). Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.
Williams, Colins W. John Wesley's Theology Today: A Study of the Wesleyan Tradition in the
Light of Current Theological Dialogue. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1960.
Williams, Marty and Anne Echols. Between Pit and Pedestal: Women in the Middle Ages.
Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 1994.
Wink, Walter. Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination.
Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992.
-----. Transforming Bible Study, 2nd ed. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989.
Wood, Arthur Skevington. Captive to the Word: Martin Luther: Doctor of Sacred Scripture.
Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969.
Anderson, Bernhard W., ed. The Books of the Bible. 2
vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1989.
Anderson, Bernhard. Understanding the Old Testament,
4th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1986.
Barrett, C.K. ed. The New Testament Background: Writings
from Ancient Greece & the Roman Empire that Illuminated
Christian Origins. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995.
Beasley, James R., et al. An Introduction to the Bible.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991.
Brown, Robert McAfee. Unexpected News: Reading the Bible
with Third World Eyes. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1984.
Brueggemann, Walter. The Bible Makes Sense. Atlanta:
John Knox Press, 1977.
-----. Texts Under Negotiation. Minneapolis: Fortress
Press, 1993.
Dowley, Tim, ed. Introduction to the History of
Christianity, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.
Ferlo, Roger A. Opening the Bible. Cambridge, Mass.:
Cowley Publications, 1997.
Gomes, Peter. The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind
and Heart, New York: William Morrow, 1996.
Gottwald, Norman K. The Hebrew Bible: a Socio-Literary
Introduction. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.
Keck, Leander. Taking the Bible Seriously. Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1962.
Murphy, Roland. The Tree of Life: An Exploration of
Biblical Wisdom Literature. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday
& Co., 1990.
Sanders, James. From Sacred Story to Sacred Text.
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987.
Schoenhals, G. Roger, ed. Wesley’s Notes on the Bible.
Grand Rapids: Francis Asbury Press, 1987.
Weber, Hans-Ruedi. Experiments with Bible Study. Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1981.
Barrett, C.K. ed. The New Testament Background: Writings
from Ancient Greece & the Roman Empire that Illuminated
Christian Origins. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995.
Barstow, Anne Llewellyn. Witchcraze. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994.
Bauer, Walter. Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest
Christianity. Reprint ed., Mifflintown, Pa.: Sigler Press,
1996.
Bredero, Adriaan H. Christendom and Christianity in the Middle Ages: The Relations Between
Religion, Church and Society. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1994.
Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church. New York: Penguin
Books, 1993.
Christie-Murray, David. A History of Heresy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976, 1989.
Clark, Elizabeth. Women in the Early Church.
Wilmington, Del.: Michael Glazier, 1983.
Ferguson, Everette, ed. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity.
New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1990.
Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schüssler. In Memory of Her: A
Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins. New
York: Crossroad Publishing Co., 1989.
Frank, Isnard Wilhelm. A Concise History of the Mediaeval Church. New York: Continuum
Publishing Group, 1995.
Frend, W.H. The Early Church. Philadelphia: Fortress
Press, 1982.
Fredriksen, Paula. From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the
New Testament Image of Jesus. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1988.
González, Justo L. A History of Christian Thought. 3 vols., rev. ed. Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1987.
Hinson, E. Glenn. The Church Triumphant: A History of Christianity Up to 1300. Macon, Ga.:
Mercer University Press, 1995.
------. The Early Church: Origins to the Dawn of the Middle Ages, Nashville: Abingdon Press,
1996.
Johnson, Paul. A History of Christianity. New York: Atheneum, 1979.
Kelley, J.N.D. Early Christian Doctrines. San
Francisco: Harper and Row, 1978.
Kugel, James and Rowan A. Greeg. Early Biblical
Interpretation. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986.
McDonald, Lee Martin. The Formation of the Christian
Biblical Canon. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988.
Marty, Martin. A Short History of Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1987.
Metzger, Bruce M. The Canon of the New Testament: Its
Origin, Development and Significance. New York: Clarendon
Press, 1987.
Meyendorff, John. Christ in Eastern Christian Thought.
Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir’s Press, 1975.
Micks, Marianne. Loving the Questions: An Exploration of the Nicene Creed. Cambridge, Mass:
Cowley Publications, 1993.
Miller, Robert J., ed. The Complete Gospels. San Francisco:
HarperSanFancisco, 1994.
Newman, Barbara. From Virile Woman to Womanchrist: Studies in Medieval Religion and
Literature (Middle Ages Series). University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995.
Niebuhr, H. Richard. Christ and Culture. New York:
Harper and Row, 1956.
Norris, Richard A. and William G. Rusch, eds. The
Christological Controversy. In the Sources of Early
Christian Thought series. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1980.
Outler, Albert C., ed. John Wesley. New York: Oxford University Press, 1964.
Pelikan, Jaroslav. Jesus through the Ages. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1973.
-------, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition
100-600. Vol. 1 in The Christian Tradition: A History
of the Development of Doctrine. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1971.
Petersen, Joan M. Handmaids of the Lord: Contemporary Descriptions of Feminine Asceticism in
the First Six Christian Centuries. Kalamazoo, Mich.: Cistercian Publications, 1996.
Petroff, Elizabeth Alvida. Body and Soul: Essays on Medieval Women and Mysticism. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1994.
Richardson, Cyril. Early Christian Fathers. New York:
Macmillan Publishing Co., 1970.
Segal, Alan F. Rebecca's Children: Judaism and Christianity in the Roman World. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1986.
Telford, John, ed. Sayings and Portraits of John Wesley. London: Epworth Press, 1924.
Welch, Herbert, ed. Selections From the Writings of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., Sometime
Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. Cincinnati/New York: The Methodist Book Concern, 1918.
Williams, Charles. The Descent of the Dove: A Short History
of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Grand Rapids: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976; reprint: Tacoma, Washington:
Regent College, 1995.
Yrigoyen, Charles, Jr. John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life. New York: General Board of
Global Ministries, 1996.
Barnstone, Willis. The Other Bible. San Francisco:
Harper & Row, 1984.
Charlesworth, James, ed. Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
New York: Doubleday & Co., 1992.
-------, ed. The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha 1 and 2.
Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Co., 1985.
Crossan, John Dominic. Four Other Gospels: Shadows on the
Contours of Canon. Santa Rosa, Ca.: Polebridge Press, 1994
Layton, Bentley. The Gnostic Scriptures. New York:
Anchor Publishing Co., 1995.
Robinson, James M., ed. The Nag Hammadi Library. 3rd
ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.
Shanks, Hershel, ed. Understanding the Dead Sea Scrolls.
New York: Random House, 1992.
Vermes, Geza. The Dead Sea Scrolls in English. 3rd ed.
London: Penguin Books, 1987.
Wise, Michael O., Martin G. Abegg, Jr., and Edward M. Cook. The
Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. San Francisco:
HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.
Back to the Top
Biblical Interpretation and Authority
Biblical Studies
Church History
Dead Sea Scrolls, Nag Hammadi Library, Extra-Canonical Literature
An Inclusive-Language Lectionary: Readings for Years A, B, & C. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986, 1987, 1988
Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Illustrated Jesus Through the Ages. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997.
Takenaka, Masao and Ron O'Grady. The Bible Through Asian Eyes. Kyoto, Japan: Asian Art Association, 1991. Available through Friendship Press, P.O. Box 37844, Cincinnati, OH 45222-0844.
Smith, Martin L. The Word Is Very Near You: A Guide to Praying with Scripture. Cambridge, Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1989.
Vest, Norvene. Bible Reading for Spiritual Growth. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1996.
Wink, Walter. Transforming Bible Study. 2nd ed. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1989.
Winter, Miriam Therese. The Gospel According to Mary: A New Testament for Women. New York: Crossroad Publishing Co., 1993.
