Baptist Bible Study Bulletin (No. 5; Vol.

1; 2019) Bible Encyclopedias

Bible Encyclopedia – a reference tool covering information on a variety of Biblical subjects or on many aspects of one subject
and typically arranged alphabetically.

A. Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible and Christianity – Way of Life Publication, 2011, 6th edition. By David W. Cloud (1949-
present) an Independent Baptist Missionary, prolific writer, and editor of the O Timothy warning ministry magazine. This
single-volume Bible Encyclopedia is based on the KJV and written from a Bible-believing, Fundamentalist perspective.

B. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (5 vols.) [ISBE]– Originally published by the Howard-Severance Co., Chicago,
1915, and republished by the Wm. Eerdsman Publishing Co., 1957. Edited by James Orr (1844-1913) - was a Scottish
Presbyterian, he was a professor of apologetics, church history, and theology at Trinity College in Glasgow, Scotland (back
when it was called Free Church College). He was a contributor to the classic essays that became The Fundamentals (1910-
1915) written to refute higher criticism. This set is also known as the ISBE. This older work contains articles from noted
conservative Evangelicals and therefore is worth retaining.

C. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (4 vols.) – Fully revised and published by Wm. Eerdsman Publishing, 1979. Edited
by G.W. Bromiley (Geoffrey W. Bromiley, 1915-2009) - he was professor emeritus at Fuller Theological Seminary (a
multidenominational Evangelical Seminary) in Pasadena, CA. He taught Church History and History of Theology, and as an
Anglican he was a proponent of Infant Baptism. This set less conservative that the previous set, but due to its updated
information this set worth having.
D. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (5 vols.) [ZPEB]– Published by Zondervan, 1975. Edited by Merrill C.
Tenney (1904-1985) - served as professor of New Testament and Greek, He also served on the original translation team of
the NASB. This set also reflects a wide range of contributors from various denominations and countries. This work was based
on the KJV, RSV, and even the ASV.
E. The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (5 vols.) – Revised, Full-color edition, Published by Zondervan, 2010. Revision
Editor, Moises Silva (1945–present) - a Cuban-born American Bible scholar and translator. This work is based on the NIV,
TNIV, KJV and the NRSV. This is a revision to the ZPEB and continues to recognize Merrill C. Tenney as the General Editor.

➢ The Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 vols.) and The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (4 vols.) are essentially liberal and
not helpful.

➢ The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (10 vols.) – Published by Harper and Brother,
1882. Prepared by John McClintock (1814-1870) – he was an American Methodist Episcopalian; and James Strong
(1822-1894) he was an American Methodist and Biblical scholar, and educator (well known for the Strong’s
Concordance). This massive work features contributions by Charles Hodge, A.A. Hodge, and Philip Schaff. (You may
access this work online at “archive.org”).

➢ As with the Bible Dictionaries, and Handbooks, we can benefit much from the information gained using these tools.
While they are good for information, they are generally not good for instruction, nor do we as Bible-believers regard
man’s opinion (including history, science, and culture) on par with the Scriptures, however studied or scholarly a
person may be gifted.

Eminent Excerpts:
“From the very first ISBE was intended to provide reliable guide to the history of peoples and religions encountered in both
the Old and New Testaments as well as the ethnology, geography, topography, biography, arts and crafts, manners and
customs, family life, natural history, agriculture, war, commerce, ritual, laws, sects, music, “and all else pertaining to the outer
and inner life of the people of the Bible.” (Cyril J. Barber, An Introduction to Theological Research, second edition, revised and
expanded, Univ. Press of America, 2000).
“For the pastor, then, the best works to choose from are the ZPEB and the revised ISBE. They both have their strong points,
and both have weaknesses. In addition, the old edition of ISBE is still being kept in print, and since it is at a much reduced (sic)
price, it is still a serious contender. Systematically consulting any of these will provide great help for a serious preacher.”
(Stewart Custer, Tools for Preaching & Teaching the Bible, second edition, BJU Press, 1998).