The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, Si-Z

The most extensive Bible dictionary ever created:- The first major Bible dictionary to be published in America in 30 years- 6 volumes of approximately 1,200 pages each- More than 6,000 entries- More than 7,000,000 words- Nearly 1,000 contributors -all the biggest names from around the world- Multicultural and interdisciplinary in scope- An unprecedented interfaith exploration of the Bible- Illustrated throughout with easy-to-find references- Endpaper maps of the Near Eastern world keyed to text for quick location of archaeological and biblical sites- Extensively cross-referenced for comprehensive coverage of topics- Easy-to-read article and chapter headings for speedy location of material- Full bibliographic references following all major entries Inside you'll find:- Exciting articles on pseudepigraphic and apocryphal texts, Nag Hammadi tractates, and individual dead Sea Scrolls-including the very latest on the most recently published sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls- "Minor entries" on personal and place-names that go well beyond the one- or two-sentence descriptions found in other Bible dictionaries- Outstanding summaries of the latest research on the historical Jesus- Fascinating new articles discussing the growing reappraisal of early Christianity's relationship with Judaism (was Christianity an "offspring" or "sibling" of rabbinic Judaism?)- Many articles illustrating the literary artistry of the biblical text- Intriguing discussions of everyday life in Bible lands-including articles that help us to understand health and disease, the role of animals and plants in the ancient ecosystem, and the demographics of human settlement in ancient Palestine- A richness of information unequaled in the history of biblical studies Edited by David Noel FreedmanEditorial Consultants: Hans Dieter Betz-Greco-Roman Religin James H. Charlesworth-Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Frank More Cross-Old Testament William G. Dever-ArchaeologyA. Kirk Grayson-Mesopotamia and AssyriologyPeter Machinist-Bible and Ancient Near EastAbraham J. Malherbe-New TestamentBirger A. Pearson-Early ChristianityJack M. Sassoon-Bible and Ancient Near EastWilliam R. Schoedel-Early Christian Literature