Review: Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary: New and Enhanced Edition by Ronald F. Youngblood (Editor), F. F. Bruce (Contributor), R. K. Harrison (Contributor)

• Hardcover: 1280 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; New Enh edition (October 28, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0529106221
• ISBN-13: 978-0529106223

Book Description

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary is the most comprehensive and up-to-date Bible dictionary available. With a fresh new look and updated photographs, this new and enhanced edition is a wealth of basic study information with more than 7,000 entries plus more than 500 full-color photographs, maps, and pronunciation guides.
Features include:

• Cross-references to major translations
• More than 7,000 up-to-date entries
• More than 500 full-color photographs and maps
• Enlarged type size for easier reading
• Visual Survey of the Bible from The Open Bible

About the Author(s)

 Ronald F. Youngblood is Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew Emeritus, Bethel Seminary San Diego.

F.F. Bruce (1910-1990) was Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis, University of Manchester in England.

R.K. Harrison (1920-1993) was Professor of Old Testament at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto.


My Review

I am truly thrilled to be the owner of such a lovely volume. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary which was released in October 2014, is one of the best biblical reference books that a person can own.

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary is much more than just a dictionary of biblical terms. It is a sturdy book that will be able to handle lots of use! It is beautifully illustrated. I cannot emphasize this point enough. It is a pleasure just to leaf through and look at the illustrations including photos, maps and graphs.

It  begins with Five Easy Steps to Better Bible Study Using Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary. This is very helpful.  Then, the Introduction to the Visual Survey of the Bible which contains timelines, illustrations, maps and charts. There is a History of Israel, The Life of Christ and History of the Early Church.  The Writings of the Early Church and The Themes of the New Testament Letters are covered. At the end of the book there is a series of helpful maps.

An example of what a fine book this is would be the coverage of Jesus Christ. It fills the book from pages 590 to 604. Besides covering every aspect of the life of Jesus, the section includes two diagrams: Asleep in the Storm and the Last 24 Hours which do an excellent job of explaining spatially how these events occurred. The entry also delves into areas such as The Person of Christ, Son of Man, Messiah, Son of God, The Lord, and the Work of Christ.

The entry for Mary gives the six Mary's that are named in the New Testament:

1. Mary the Mother of Jesus
2. Mary Magdalen
3. Mary of Bethany
4. Mary the mother of the disciple James and Joses
5. Mary the mother of John Mark
6. Mary of Rome

The Marys can be very confusing at times.

I highly recommend Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2014 edition).