New Testament

Key elements of research in New Testament studies (also available from University of Divinity Library Guides – but this is more selective, scaffolded):

Key primary sources in ancient languages

  1. SBL Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, New Testament, Vulgate
  2. NA28 text

Translations of the Bible

In any kind of research, it’s always best to compare translations, looking for key differences, issues in scholarship, linguistic ambiguities, etc.:

  1. NRSVUE

Formats of the Bible

Current editions of:

  1. New Oxford Annotated
  2. Jewish Annotated
  3. STEPBible with all sorts of functions and analytics
  4. Compare parallels between gospels in easy-to-navigate, side-by-side columns

Related works

  1. NETS Septuagint
  2. Apocryphal Gospels
  3. Reception of New Testament in Apostolic Fathers
  4. Mason’s Josephus and the New Testament [hard copy at the DML]

Single-volume commentaries on the Bible

In any kind of research, it’s always best to use multiple commentaries, ideally coming from different perspectives and with different conclusions; these are helpful places to start:

  1. Oxford Bible Commentary
  2. New Interpreter’s Bible 
  3. Women’s Bible Commentary
  4. Multi-ethnic Bible Commentary
  5. IVP Bible Background Commentary

Series of critical commentaries on the New Testament

Among the best series to consult at a more technical level:

  1. Anchor Bible
  2. New Testament Library
  3. Hermeneia

Introductions, overview, guides, backgrounds

For a selection covering range of orientating types of works available as e-books for TCTS students:

  1. Brown’s Introduction
  2. Schneiders’ Revelatory Text
  3. Moloney’s Reading the New Testament
  4. World of the New Testament
  5. Metzger’s Canon of the New Testament
  6. Caird’s New Testament Theology
  7. Crossley’s Reading the New Testament
  8. Soundings in Cultural Criticism
  9. State of New Testament Studies
  10. Blackwell Companion to New Testament

Scholarly encyclopedias and dictionaries

  1. The Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception (and hard copies at the DML)
  2. Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible
  3. Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology
  4. Oxford Bible Atlas
  5. Oxford Dictionary Christian Church
  6. T&T Clark Second Temple (Vol.1 and Vol.2)
  7. Oxford Classical Dictionary
  8. Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization

Books and monograph series

There are different kinds of books and monographs generated by critical scholarship – first three especially good for starting (companions, handbooks, guides, and introductions):

  1. Cambridge Companions e.g. New Testament, Jesus, St Paul and Gospels 
  2. Oxford Handbooks e.g. New Testament, gender, and sexuality and Christology
  3. Easier ones like T&T Clark Guides for the Perplexed and Oxford’s Very Short Introductions
  4. Brill, SBL, Peeters, Fortress, generally
  5. Mohr Siebeck’s WUNT I and WUNT II
  6. T&T Clark’s LNTS

Databases for scholarship on religion and theology

A couple of databases are worth mentioning:

  1. Theology and Religion Online – as a useful starting-point
  2. ATLA Religion Database – for detailed research of individual topics and passages; NB: searches can specify Sacred Text Citation
  3. Peer-reviewed journals in New Testament studies:
    1. Some of the best are New Testament Studies, the Journal of Biblical Literature, the Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Harvard Theological Review, Biblica, Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, Biblical Interpretation, Currents in Biblical Research, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, and Novum Testamentum.
    2. Important journals in adjacent fields include the Journal for the Study of Judaism, the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, the Journal of Early Christian Studies, and the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha

Online

The web has a great variety of helpful resources, e.g.,

  1. Visual Commentary on Scripture – historical artistic representations of biblical events and figures
  2. Bible Odyssey – short, summary pieces on important topics in biblical studies by experts on those areas
  3. Digitised Early Christian manuscripts at Codex Sinaiticus, Vatican Library (Codex Vaticanus), Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts
  4. Other ancient texts at Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls digital library
  5. Other collected online resources of the "Judaism and Rome" project 
  6. Ancient texts collected in the Perseus collection

Podcasts

There’s now more podcasts about the Bible and theology out there than one can count. The following two are most helpful for introductions to biblical studies:

  1. Biblical Time Machine – gives a platform to recent works by critical scholars
  2. The Bible for Normal People – more aimed at making critical and hermeneutical perspectives accessible to a wide audience

Referencing

Reference fully, using Chicago, Notes and Bibliography, using:

  1. sources published between 2000 and now,
  2. in books (e.g., commentaries) and shorter pieces (e.g., journal articles, volume chapters),
  3. representing a range of perspectives and conclusions,
  4. based on both prescribed research and your own research

AI

Use AI – transparently and thoroughly acknowledged, and only as expressly permitted by your lecturer – for:

  1. Navigating the major scholarly positions and contributions
  2. Repackaging the scholarship
  3. Brainstorming based on the primary and secondary literature
  4. Conceptualising nuanced, precise questions
  5. Practising critical reasoning and debate
  6. Checking for key perspectives and viewpoints relevant to your essay
  7. Checking for holes and blind spots in your argument
  8. Checking your grammar and writing style