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Building A Theological Library

This document provides advice and recommendations for building a theological library on a budget. It suggests several options for obtaining books second-hand or at discounted prices, including second-hand bookshops, publishers' sales, and internet sites. It also gives recommendations for specific types of books that would be useful references, such as dictionaries, commentaries, books on worship, doctrine, pastoral care, and church history.

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Liviu S
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
55 views

Building A Theological Library

This document provides advice and recommendations for building a theological library on a budget. It suggests several options for obtaining books second-hand or at discounted prices, including second-hand bookshops, publishers' sales, and internet sites. It also gives recommendations for specific types of books that would be useful references, such as dictionaries, commentaries, books on worship, doctrine, pastoral care, and church history.

Uploaded by

Liviu S
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Building a theological library


byPeterBallantine(2004)
Theologicalbookstendtobeexpensivebecauseoftheirlowsalessoonehastobecarefulinwhatyoubuy.
OnecriteriamightbeamIevergoingtousethisbookagainafterwritingthisessay?OrdoIreallyneeda
detailedcommentaryontheHebrewtextofthebookofObadiah?(probablynot.)
Basicadviceobtainarichaunt.
Getting cheap books

1Secondhandbookshops.Sadlymostsuchshopscontainbooksthatareverydatedandyouwonderiftheyare
eversold.BlackwellsinOxfordhasausefulsectionthoughnotascheapasyoumightthink.Beverycareful
aboutbuyingbooksthataremorethansay15yearsoldunlessitisaclassic.
2.SPCKshopswillhaveausefulsecondhandsectionandalsoremainders(newbooksthatarebeingclearedat
acheapprice)thoughtheirnewLondonheadquartersisdisappointinginthatrespect.GallowayandPorterin
Cambridgewilloftenhavegoodbargains.
3.SCMPresshaveaspecialreaderslist.For5ayearyougetaccesstosomegoodcheapoffersFromamore
liberalendofthespectrumbutnotentirelyso.

SCMPress
917StAlbanPlace
LondonN10NX
4.PaternosterPressfromamoreevangelicalpositionoftenhavespecialoffers.Jointheirmailinglistfromthier
websiteorwritetothematPOBox300CarlisleCumbriaCA30QS.
5.Tryaninternetsecondhandbookshop.UsedBookSearchsearchesmostoftheminonego.
Starting

Oftendictionariesof(say)ethicsorworshipareusefulstartingpointsthearticlesinthemwillsummarisethe
mainissuesaroundaparticularsubjectandsuggestfurtherreading.Sadlyforourbudgetsbutexcitingforour
thinking,theycandatequickly!.ReadreviewsinajournallikeANVILorEXPOSITORYTIMES.
Biblical

OnevolumecommentariesontheBibleorBibledictionariescanbeveryhelpful.Ithinkthatsuch
commentarieswillgiveyouallthatyouneedtoknowonbooksthatyoumayeverhardlypreachon(Nahum2
Peter).Classiconevolumecommentariesare:

NewBibleCommentary(IVP)whichhasgonethroughseveraleditions

NewJeromeCommentaryfromtheRomanCatholictradition
PeakescommentaryisnowdatedandtheOxfordBibleCommentary(2001)isits
replacement.
InterpretersfromtheUSA

Dictionaries

Theseinclude:

NewBibleDictionary(IVP)whichhasagaingonethroughseveraleditionsIVPhas
alsoproducedsomeexcellentdictionariesontheGospels,EpistlesandLaterLetters.
(manyofthesenowavailableonaCDROM)
AnchorFromUSA
BewareofsimplisticworksfromtheUSAfundamentalistright.
Concordances

ThesecanbeusefulastheygivealltheoccurrencesofparticularwordsintheBible.Chooseonelinkedtoyour
favouriteversion
Bible Atlas

OxfordBibleAtlas(nowintofourthedition)isaclassic.JohnRogersonsatlashasaregionalaswellashistorical
approach
Commentaries

Ifyouaretobearegularpreacherorwhatever,youmaywanttoobtainindividualcommentariesonBiblical
booksthatyouwillusemoreoftene.g.theGospels,Psalmsorwhatever.Therearesomanyseriesaround!I
cannotevennamethemall!
Questionstoask:

Whereisthisseriescomingfrom?Academic?Conservative?Critical?
Whatisthelevel?DoIwantallthetextualvariations?
Whatistheseriestryingtodo?Exegesis?Exposition?
Notethatanyserieswillvarywiththeindividualwriterbecauseonebookisgooddoesntmeanallaregood
Someseries:

Tyndale(IVP)conservative,scholarly,aimedatmeaningoftext.Neweronesengage
withissuesmorethantheolderones(whicharebeingreplaced)
OldTestamentLibrary(SCM)scholarly,oftentranslationsfromGerman.Somevery
dryothersmoredevotional(WeiseronPsalmsaclassic)Manynewervolumesnow
beingpublishedbyWestminsterJohnKnoxPress
EpworthfromMethodistquarters.Basicscholarlycritical
WordModerateevangelical,massiveandthorough
BibleSpeaksToday(IVP)Moreexpositionthanexegesis
BlacksNewTestamentDetailedthoroughsomeverygood.Barrettsvolumesare
classics.

Penguin(nowrunbySCM),Basiccritical.
Thereareotherserieswhichdemandmuchmoreknowledgeoftheoriginallanguageandwhichareaimedat
scholars(ICCInternationalCriticalCommentariesfromTandTClarkareagoodexampleofthis).
Also,SheffieldAcademicPressissueOldTestamentGuidesandNewTestamentGuideswhichareusefultofilling
youinwiththelatestscholarlydiscussionaboutindividualbooks.
AlsoGroveBooksareusefulandthereisaquarterlyBiblicalStudiesBulletinwhichisfreeifyouarearegular
subscribertotheirbooklets
TomWrights..foreveryoneontheNTisagoodpopularbutscholarlyintroductionwhichisgettingrave
reviewsandistheWilliamBarclayforourgeneration.
Worship

GroveWorshipseriesisworthsubscribingto.Thesearegoodstarters
TheStudyofLiturgy(reviseded.)ed.CheslynJones,GeoffreyWainwright,EdwardYarnold&PaulBradshsw
SPCK1992givesusefulacademicessays
ADictionaryofLiturgyandWorship(SCM)isbeingupdatedandcontainsusefularticles
CommonWorshipTodayed.MarkEaryetc.HarperCollins2001isthebasicintroductiontoAnglicanWorship.
alsoBradshaw(ed)CompaniontoCommonworship(SPCK2001).WorthpickingupsecondhandisG
DixsShapeoftheLiturgywhichgivesaflavourofaverydifferentkindofAnglicanworshipfromapastera.
Doctrine

NewDictionaryofTheologyeds.SinclairFergusson+DavidFWright(IVP)
NewDictionaryofBiblicalTheologyeds.TDesmondAlexander+BrianRosner(IVP)
ANewDictionaryofChristianTheologyedAlanRichardson&JohnBowden(SCM)
ReasonableBeliefA+RHanson(SPCK1981)AstimulatingreadfromTwinbrothertheologians!
OxfordCompaniontoChristianThoughted.AHastings(OxfordUniversityPress2001)Massivemorethanjust
doctrineandsuperb.
AlisterMcGrathproducesmanybooksbuthisChristianTheology:AnIntroduction(3rdEdition)andTheChristian
TheologyReaderbothBlackwellsareexcellentintroductions
Pastoral Care

GrovePastoralSeriesandTheNewLibraryofPastoralCare(SPCK)bothhavemanyusefulvolumesthoughthe
latteraremoredetailed.
Spirituality

GroveSpiritualitySeriesagainagoodstartingpoint
ADictionaryofChristianSpiritualityed.GordonWakefield(SCM)
Ethics

GroveEthicsseriesisagaingoodstarters
TheMoralMazeDavidCook(SPCK1983)hasbeenaregularbasictextforanumberofyears
ANewDictionaryofChristianEthicsJohnMacquarrie&JamesChildress(eds.)SCM1986
NewChristianDictionaryofChristianEthicsandPastoralTheologyD.J.Atkinson&DavidField(eds.)IVP1994
History

ThePelicanHistoryoftheChurchisabasicsevenvolumeseriesthatisnowshowingitsage.

KHylsonSmithisproducingamoredetailedseries(SCM)onthechurchinBritainwhilstA.HastingsAHistoryof
EnglishChristianity19202000(SCM)isaclassic.
OntheearlychurchFrendisakeyauthorandontheReformation.DiarmaidMacCullochsReformation(Allen
Lane2003)althoughexpensiveisalreadyaclassic.
Mission

AgaintheGroveEvangelismseriesisagoodstartingplace.
LesslieNewbiginhasbeenaseminalthinkerinthelastpartofthe20thCenturyandmostofhisbooksarewell
worthreading.TheyhavespawnedtheGospelandCulturenetwork
TransformingMissionDavidJBosch(Orbis1991)thoughlargeisahighlyinfluentialbook.
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