I read these 892 pages over a week while in port in Toulon,
FR, going back to 1993. Others were out and about; I’d been to France too many
times to care to run “hither and thither…again.” I dug in and read it. It is time for a retour
and an effort at collation of notes and other volumes “under one roof.” One
goal here: pull disparate notes, hither and
thither, and put “under one roof” replete with notes, bibliography, and in a
general format such as this book—but with a sensitivity to history, systematic
theology, Reformed Confessions, and “that old Prayer Book” tradition that has
disappeared.
It is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Holman-Bible-Handbook-David-Dockery/dp/1558193324/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376704620&sr=8-1&keywords=holman+bible+handbook
The General Editor is Mr. (Dr.) Dockery. There are 77 PhDs who are contributors: most
are “American evangelicals” of the Baptist flavor with a sprinkling (pun
intended) of Presbyterians and 1 Anglican.
There are no Lutherans, Methodists, Romanists, or Orthodox
contributors. Of course, there are no
Pentecostal contributors since so few of them, in the main, have PhDs insofar
as we have seen. Ergo, we expect upon review
to find no find Prayer Book, Confessional or liturgical concerns. It will be
this nationwide and “broad behemoth of evangelicalism.”
Amongst the 1000s of gems here--and there will be them, we will be on the look-out for our
specific concerns…while retaining fundamental charity to neighbors on the other
side of the fence; we will do this while
remembering Robert Frost’s dictum that “Fences make for good neighbors;” and, we
would add, while “keeping their growling and barking dogs in their yards.”
The foreword tells us the focus is “learning about God and
His Self-revelation.” This is essential
and central; it is the Westminster
Confession of Faith, chapter one; upfront, this is central and vital. This
book is not a commentary, encyclopedia or atlas, but will have elements of
those things.
The book follows five parts.
Part
One: The Bible
1.
Names, contents and characteristics of the
Bible
2.
Inspiration and authority of the Bible
3.
Canonicity of the Bible
4.
Uniqueness of the Bible
5.
Unity and variety of the Bible
6.
Jesus Christ and the Bible
Part
Two: The Bible in the World—Settings and
Context
1.
Ancient civilizations
2.
Ancient Near Eastern Religions
3.
Life in Bible times
4.
Biblical chronology
5.
Biblical archaeology
6.
Geography and topography of the Ancient Near
East
Part
Three: Bible in the Church/A Focus on
Churchly Concerns
1.
How to understand the Bible
2.
Reading Scripture
3.
Teaching and preaching the Bible
4.
History of Biblical interpretation
5.
History of English translations
6.
Differences in Biblical manuscripts
Part
Four: Bible and Its Message/The Heart of
this Volume. Here
there will be a section-by-section exposition with themes addressed as progress
is made.
1.
Pentateuch
2.
Historical Books
3.
Poetic and Wisdom Books
4.
Major prophets
5.
Minor prophets
6.
Between Testaments
7.
Gospels
8.
Acts of the Apostles
9.
Pauline Letters
10. General
Letters
11. Revelation
Part
Five: The Bible and Christian and Faith
1.
Christian Faith and Christian Community
2.
Christian Faith in History
3.
Christian Faith, World Religion, and Christian
Mission
One goal here: pull
disparate notes, hither and thither, and put “under one roof” replete with
notes, bibliography, and in a general format such as this book—but with a sensitivity
to history, systematic theology, Reformed Confessions, and “that old Prayer
Book” tradition. Having said these things, we are glad for such an effort as this book; more specifically, it will help to cure the Schleiermachian Marcionism evinced in the American Episcopal world. But, we hold forth, delighting in the LORD.
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