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Buildingatheologicallibrary

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Building a theological library

byPeterBallantine(2004)
Theologicalbookstendtobeexpensivebecauseoftheirlowsalessoonehastobecarefulinwhatyoubuy.
OnecriteriamightbeamIevergoingtousethisbookagainafterwritingthisessay?OrdoIreallyneeda
detailedcommentaryontheHebrewtextofthebookofObadiah?(probablynot.)
Basicadviceobtainarichaunt.
Getting cheap books

1Secondhandbookshops.Sadlymostsuchshopscontainbooksthatareverydatedandyouwonderiftheyare
eversold.BlackwellsinOxfordhasausefulsectionthoughnotascheapasyoumightthink.Beverycareful
aboutbuyingbooksthataremorethansay15yearsoldunlessitisaclassic.
2.SPCKshopswillhaveausefulsecondhandsectionandalsoremainders(newbooksthatarebeingclearedat
acheapprice)thoughtheirnewLondonheadquartersisdisappointinginthatrespect.GallowayandPorterin
Cambridgewilloftenhavegoodbargains.
3.SCMPresshaveaspecialreaderslist.For5ayearyougetaccesstosomegoodcheapoffersFromamore
liberalendofthespectrumbutnotentirelyso.

SCMPress
917StAlbanPlace
LondonN10NX
4.PaternosterPressfromamoreevangelicalpositionoftenhavespecialoffers.Jointheirmailinglistfromthier
websiteorwritetothematPOBox300CarlisleCumbriaCA30QS.
5.Tryaninternetsecondhandbookshop.UsedBookSearchsearchesmostoftheminonego.
Starting

Oftendictionariesof(say)ethicsorworshipareusefulstartingpointsthearticlesinthemwillsummarisethe
mainissuesaroundaparticularsubjectandsuggestfurtherreading.Sadlyforourbudgetsbutexcitingforour
thinking,theycandatequickly!.ReadreviewsinajournallikeANVILorEXPOSITORYTIMES.
Biblical

OnevolumecommentariesontheBibleorBibledictionariescanbeveryhelpful.Ithinkthatsuch
commentarieswillgiveyouallthatyouneedtoknowonbooksthatyoumayeverhardlypreachon(Nahum2
Peter).Classiconevolumecommentariesare:

NewBibleCommentary(IVP)whichhasgonethroughseveraleditions

NewJeromeCommentaryfromtheRomanCatholictradition
PeakescommentaryisnowdatedandtheOxfordBibleCommentary(2001)isits
replacement.
InterpretersfromtheUSA

Dictionaries

Theseinclude:

NewBibleDictionary(IVP)whichhasagaingonethroughseveraleditionsIVPhas
alsoproducedsomeexcellentdictionariesontheGospels,EpistlesandLaterLetters.
(manyofthesenowavailableonaCDROM)
AnchorFromUSA
BewareofsimplisticworksfromtheUSAfundamentalistright.
Concordances

ThesecanbeusefulastheygivealltheoccurrencesofparticularwordsintheBible.Chooseonelinkedtoyour
favouriteversion
Bible Atlas

OxfordBibleAtlas(nowintofourthedition)isaclassic.JohnRogersonsatlashasaregionalaswellashistorical
approach
Commentaries

Ifyouaretobearegularpreacherorwhatever,youmaywanttoobtainindividualcommentariesonBiblical
booksthatyouwillusemoreoftene.g.theGospels,Psalmsorwhatever.Therearesomanyseriesaround!I
cannotevennamethemall!
Questionstoask:

Whereisthisseriescomingfrom?Academic?Conservative?Critical?
Whatisthelevel?DoIwantallthetextualvariations?
Whatistheseriestryingtodo?Exegesis?Exposition?
Notethatanyserieswillvarywiththeindividualwriterbecauseonebookisgooddoesntmeanallaregood
Someseries:

Tyndale(IVP)conservative,scholarly,aimedatmeaningoftext.Neweronesengage
withissuesmorethantheolderones(whicharebeingreplaced)
OldTestamentLibrary(SCM)scholarly,oftentranslationsfromGerman.Somevery
dryothersmoredevotional(WeiseronPsalmsaclassic)Manynewervolumesnow
beingpublishedbyWestminsterJohnKnoxPress
EpworthfromMethodistquarters.Basicscholarlycritical
WordModerateevangelical,massiveandthorough
BibleSpeaksToday(IVP)Moreexpositionthanexegesis
BlacksNewTestamentDetailedthoroughsomeverygood.Barrettsvolumesare
classics.

Penguin(nowrunbySCM),Basiccritical.
Thereareotherserieswhichdemandmuchmoreknowledgeoftheoriginallanguageandwhichareaimedat
scholars(ICCInternationalCriticalCommentariesfromTandTClarkareagoodexampleofthis).
Also,SheffieldAcademicPressissueOldTestamentGuidesandNewTestamentGuideswhichareusefultofilling
youinwiththelatestscholarlydiscussionaboutindividualbooks.
AlsoGroveBooksareusefulandthereisaquarterlyBiblicalStudiesBulletinwhichisfreeifyouarearegular
subscribertotheirbooklets
TomWrights..foreveryoneontheNTisagoodpopularbutscholarlyintroductionwhichisgettingrave
reviewsandistheWilliamBarclayforourgeneration.
Worship

GroveWorshipseriesisworthsubscribingto.Thesearegoodstarters
TheStudyofLiturgy(reviseded.)ed.CheslynJones,GeoffreyWainwright,EdwardYarnold&PaulBradshsw
SPCK1992givesusefulacademicessays
ADictionaryofLiturgyandWorship(SCM)isbeingupdatedandcontainsusefularticles
CommonWorshipTodayed.MarkEaryetc.HarperCollins2001isthebasicintroductiontoAnglicanWorship.
alsoBradshaw(ed)CompaniontoCommonworship(SPCK2001).WorthpickingupsecondhandisG
DixsShapeoftheLiturgywhichgivesaflavourofaverydifferentkindofAnglicanworshipfromapastera.
Doctrine

NewDictionaryofTheologyeds.SinclairFergusson+DavidFWright(IVP)
NewDictionaryofBiblicalTheologyeds.TDesmondAlexander+BrianRosner(IVP)
ANewDictionaryofChristianTheologyedAlanRichardson&JohnBowden(SCM)
ReasonableBeliefA+RHanson(SPCK1981)AstimulatingreadfromTwinbrothertheologians!
OxfordCompaniontoChristianThoughted.AHastings(OxfordUniversityPress2001)Massivemorethanjust
doctrineandsuperb.
AlisterMcGrathproducesmanybooksbuthisChristianTheology:AnIntroduction(3rdEdition)andTheChristian
TheologyReaderbothBlackwellsareexcellentintroductions
Pastoral Care

GrovePastoralSeriesandTheNewLibraryofPastoralCare(SPCK)bothhavemanyusefulvolumesthoughthe
latteraremoredetailed.
Spirituality

GroveSpiritualitySeriesagainagoodstartingpoint
ADictionaryofChristianSpiritualityed.GordonWakefield(SCM)
Ethics

GroveEthicsseriesisagaingoodstarters
TheMoralMazeDavidCook(SPCK1983)hasbeenaregularbasictextforanumberofyears
ANewDictionaryofChristianEthicsJohnMacquarrie&JamesChildress(eds.)SCM1986
NewChristianDictionaryofChristianEthicsandPastoralTheologyD.J.Atkinson&DavidField(eds.)IVP1994
History

ThePelicanHistoryoftheChurchisabasicsevenvolumeseriesthatisnowshowingitsage.

KHylsonSmithisproducingamoredetailedseries(SCM)onthechurchinBritainwhilstA.HastingsAHistoryof
EnglishChristianity19202000(SCM)isaclassic.
OntheearlychurchFrendisakeyauthorandontheReformation.DiarmaidMacCullochsReformation(Allen
Lane2003)althoughexpensiveisalreadyaclassic.
Mission

AgaintheGroveEvangelismseriesisagoodstartingplace.
LesslieNewbiginhasbeenaseminalthinkerinthelastpartofthe20thCenturyandmostofhisbooksarewell
worthreading.TheyhavespawnedtheGospelandCulturenetwork
TransformingMissionDavidJBosch(Orbis1991)thoughlargeisahighlyinfluentialbook.
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