Metzger Bruce M., Coogan Michael D. (Ed.). The Oxford Guide to People and Places of the Bible

Oxford University Press, 2001. - 650 p.The Oxford Guide to People & Places of the Bible is derived from The Oxford Companion to the Bible (1993). We have selected entries from the original work to provide an authoritative reference to key persons and places of biblical times. The Guide provides up-to-date discussions of the interpretation of these topics by modern scholars, bringing to bear the most recent findings of archaeologists and current research methods from such disciplines as anthropology, sociology, and literary criti- cisin. Like the Companion, the Guide is consciously pluralistic, and its contributors encompass a wide spectrum of intellectual and creedal perspectives. They represent the international community of scholars, coining from some dozen countries, on five continents. No attempt has been made by the editors to produce any dogmatic unanimity; readers should not be surprised to find differing interpretations in different entries. Contributors have been urged to present their own scholarly views while noting diverse perspectives. In general, the articles aim to present the consensus of interpretation, or the lack thereof, attained by the most recent scholarship, and to avoid partisanship and polemic.