Theology & Religion

Welcome!

This page serves as a course guide for TH-255: Reading the Bible Through the Centuries. The resources listed below will help students navigate their research assignment. This paper is meant to give you an opportunity to study the way interpretation of a particular Biblical text has changed over time. Throughout the course of this study you should be able to note major shifts in interpretative approaches that happen in history as well as identify the movements you note in your work as the same as those discussed in class. Finally, this project should help you locate your own exegetical efforts in the much larger framework of the Church’s story.

Finding books in the library

You will want to take advantage of library resources to complete your assignment. The Library's "How Do I...?" page contains helpful tutorials on how to locate books & articles by using the library catalog (see the "Search the Catalog" box on this guide to get started). 

1. How to search for specific book titles

2. How to locate a book on the shelf 

3. How to use search for books by topic

4. How to search for scholarly articles

Please visit a librarian at the Research Help desk if you need assistance. We'll be glad to work with you!

Suggested Resources

Ancient

  • The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture [Main Stacks, spans BS1225-BS2825. Search individual volumes (Mark, Hebrews, etc.) in the library catalog.] 

  • Ante-Nicene Fathers [Main Stacks, BR60.A5 & BR60.A51] 

  • Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers [Main Stacks, BR60.S4 1956 (1st series), BR60.S42 (2nd series)] 

  • Fathers of the Church series, v. 1-130 [Main stacks, BR60.F3 J47 & eBook access]

  • Donald McKim, Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters. This volume may be helpful for information about interpreters for all three sections of the paper. [Reference, BS501.A1 H57 2007]

  • Other sources, such as the series titled Ancient Christian Writers may be found in the Main Stacks [Search "Ancient Christian Writers" in the catalog]. 

Don’t be limited to these sources! Go looking and explore the resources for yourself. Dig out some good research. And don’t be afraid to ask the librarians for help — we are happy to help you find what you need! 

How do I get started?

  1. Find your passage in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. You will need to search the catalog for your particular volume. Try typing "Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture + [Book of the Bible]".
  2. Read the Overview of your selected passage. It will list the Fathers who have commented on that piece of text. 
  3. The commentary will also include short summaries of what the Fathers have written with citations (in all caps, and in footnotes). Use the Abbreviations section at the front of the book to find out what the footnotes mean. 
  4. Use the library catalog to find the cited source. You will likely find these works in the Suggested Resources, above. If we don't have the resource in print, you may want to do an author search in CCEL (linked in the Databases section). 
  5. Compare sources: What do the Fathers say about your selected passage?
  6. For biographical information, try looking up the Fathers' names in Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters (located in the Reference section). You can also perform a catalog search of their names. 
Reformation & Early Modern

  • The works of Martin Luther [Main stacks; search "Martin Luther" in the catalog] 

  • The commentaries of John Calvin [Main stacks; search "John Calvin" in the catalog] 

  • Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary [Main stacks, BS491.2 .H46 1991] 

  • A limited number of volumes of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture [Main stacks, search the catalog to see specific volumes] 

  • John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon The Old Testament [eBook, online access]

  • John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament [Main stacks, BS2340.W48 E86 1976]

  • You may also wish to use the on-line source: The Text This Week. You will need to navigate the site to find your selected text; some texts may not be covered. Be certain that any interpreters you cite fall within the dates of the second period under review – 800 to 1800. 

Don’t be limited to these sources! Go looking and explore the resources for yourself. Dig out some good research. And don’t be afraid to ask the librarians for help — we are happy to help you find what you need! 

How do I get started?

  1. Find your passage in Reformation Commentary on Scripture. You will need to search the catalog for your particular volume. Try typing "Reformation Commentary on Scripture + [Book of the Bible]".
  2. Read the Overview of your selected passage. It will list the theologians who have commented on that piece of text. 
  3. The commentary will also include short summaries of what the theologians have written with citations (in all caps, and in footnotes). Use the Abbreviations section at the front of the book to find out what the footnotes mean. 
  4. Use the library catalog to find the cited source. You will likely find these works in the Suggested Resources, above. If we don't have the resource in print, you may want to do an author search in CCEL (linked in the Databases section). 
  5. Compare sources: What do the theologians say about your selected passage?
  6. For biographical information, try looking up the theologians' names in Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters (located in the Reference section). You can also perform a catalog search of their names.
Modern & Post-Modern

  • Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching 

  • The Anchor Bible Commentary

  • The International Critical Commentary 

  • The Interpreters’ Bible 

Volumes in these series can be found either in the Main Stacks, the Reference Collection, or both. Search the catalog to locate your desired volume.

Biographical information for these authors can be a little tricky. Try searching for specific authors' websites, or for their University webpages. You can also try looking them up in The Dictionary of Major Biblical Interpreters [Reference BS501.A1 H57 2007].

Don’t be limited to these sources! Go looking and explore the resources for yourself. Dig out some good research. And don’t be afraid to ask the librarians for help — we are happy to help you find what you need! 

Please see the main Theology & Religion research guide for more helpful resources.

Search the Catalog

 

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