Dictionary/Commentary
Questions
Read: Read
on
e-reserve G.N. Stanton,
"Galatians." The Oxford Bible Commentary. Eds. John Barton and
John Muddiman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. 1152-1165 and online or in
your hard copy “Galatians, letter to the" [pp. 476-78] and
"Hagar" [ p. 538-39] in Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible. Eds.David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B.Beck. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000
or in googlebooks at http://books.google.com/books?id=P9sYIRXZZ2MC&dq=Eerdman%27s+dictionary+of+the+bible&pg=PP1&ots=sAc5AFnEqu&sig=Tqa5zbVHSfd7RDTeRI9MPdB6u-w&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result
You
should be prepared to share the following information in class:
1.
Describe the differences and similarities between the articles in Eerdman's
Dictionary of the Bible and the Oxford Bible Commentary. How do these two sources
differ in organization and content? What sort of headings or sub-headings
do you find in the entries, if any? What purposes do you think a bible
dictionary versus a one-volume commentary might be most
useful for?
2.
What are two points on which the sources agree with Barr's discussion of Galatians?
Are there any points on which the sources disagree with each other or with
Barr? Which do you find most convincing? Why?
3.
List one piece of information received from these sources under the following
headings:
i.
text criticism/translation/word study
ii.
historical and social scientific background
iii. literary and/or rhetorical analysis (e.g., genre,
use of ring composition, puns, chiasm, diatribe, rhetorical structure, characterization, plot, setting, imagery including
metaphor and simile,etc.)
iv.
theology/philosophy
[If you are wondering what falls under each category, check out the Interpreting a Passage Handout. You also might want to reread Barr's "Introduction.]
4. Who is the author of the entry on Hagar? Of the entry on "Galatians, Letter to the" in the Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible? What are their professional affiliations? That is, which university or other institution did they work for when they wrote the entry? Note: You can find information about each of them in the Contributors list on pp. viii-xx.
5. List the items that appear in both the bibliographies of the Stanton article in the Oxford Bible Commentary and the entry on "Galatians, Letter to the" in Eerdmans Dictionary.
5. What one piece of information or interpretation did you
find most interesting from the articles?
For lists and descriptions of key recent works the UI Library owns, please click the following: Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias and Biblical Commentaries