International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

I have been using this encyclopedia on my handheld for a couple months. Originally published in 1915, there are articles by over 200 scholars and almost every word, person and place in the Bible is covered in over 9000 articles. On paper, it is 4561 pages. As an encyclopedia, the material has more depth than a dictionary. I have found it to be a very comprehensive resource.

Here is an example of where it stands out. I was doing a study on baptism and was surprised at all the related articles the ISBE had. Here is a list:

• Baptism (The Baptist Interpretation)
• Baptism (Non-Immersionist View)
• Baptism (Lutheran Doctrine)
• Baptismal Regeneration
• Baptism for the Dead
• Baptism of Fire
• Baptism of the Holy Spirit
• Baptism, Infant

A resource like this is great when you want to understand other views on a subject. The articles point out the different views, who holds them and Biblical support or the lack of. I like that in study material as opposed to having only one view represented and acting as if others don't exist.

That said, there was a mixing of creation and evolution that I found troubling. So it’s not a perfect resource but still very useful. As in all Bible study, a breadth of resources is good.

This is a great resource to carry around with you and I don't mean the four volume paper set. Thanks to Olive Tree, it's available for Palm, Smartphone, Pocket PC, Blackberry and iPhone.

Philip
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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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