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RELG207: Christian Scriptures

Biblical Commentary - Scholarly Articles - Citing Sources - Questions?


Biblical Commentary

Biblical commentary is scholarship that interprets or analyzes passages from the Bible. The commentaries listed below are series; in most cases, you will find that a single volume of commentary addresses an entire biblical book. At the beginning of each volume, you will find introductory material that addresses the social and historical context of the biblical book as a whole. Later in the volume, you will find detailed analysis of each passage in the biblical book.

The commentaries listed here are the ones Dr. Murphy has approved for this class; read the call numbers carefully to ensure you identify the correct series of books. If you have any doubts, ask the librarian at the research desk for help.

Anchor Bible - Reference collection, 2nd floor - BS192.2 .A1 1964 G3

Hermeneia - Reference collection, 2nd floor - BS491.2 .H46

Interpretation - Reference collection, 2nd floor - BS491.2 .I68

JPS Torah Commentary - Reference collection, 2nd floor - BS1225.3 .J78 1989


Scholarly Articles

Access the databases below via this path:

Library website --> Databases --> Databases A-Z

The interfaces for these databases will look familiar to you, but the way you locate biblical scholarship in them is very different from what you have done in the past. You may wish to review the instructions (below) before you begin searching.

ATLA Religion Index
ATLA is the library's most important religion database. Here is how to locate biblical scholarship in ATLA:

  1. Click "Scriptures" in the blue bar near the top of the screen.
  2. Locate the biblical book your passage comes from. Then, click "Expand" next to title of the book to get a list of chapters in the book. (Clicking "Expand" next to a chapter will give you a list of verses in that chapter.)
  3. Click the title of the chapter you wish to search for a complete listing of articles that address that passage.
  4. In the results list, narrow down to the topic you are addressing. You can do that by either adding a keyword to the search, or using the limiters on the left-hand side of the screen.

Old Testament Abstracts and New Testament Abstracts
As the titles suggest, these two databases are devoted to scholarship on the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. This makes them excellent resources for this paper. Here is how to locate biblical scholarship in these databases:

  1. Click "Scriptures" in the blue bar near the top of the screen.
  2. Type the name of your biblical book and number of your chapter into the search box (for example: Genesis 1), then click "Browse."
  3. Check as many boxes as you can that address your passage. (Click "Next" if necessary to go on to the next page of results.) Don't limit yourself to your exact passage - include some options that are both broader and narrower than the exact passage you are researching.
  4. When you are done, click "Search."
  5. If your results list is long, narrow down to the topic you are addressing. You can do that by either adding a keyword to the search, or using the limiters on the left-hand side of the screen.


Citing Sources

Use Dr. Murphy's handout, "How to Cite the Bible (and Other Texts)," for all biblical citations; this handout is posted on Moodle.

For all other citations, use MLA. Citation guides for MLA can be found in the white Hacker manual (which you used in LSFY) and at the Purdue Online Writing Lab.


Questions?

You are welcome to contact me at StefanieBluemle@augustana.edu with any questions about your research for Christian Scriptures.

Or, talk to the librarian on duty at the research help desk: either in-person, or via phone (309-794-7206), email (libraryinfo@augustana.edu), or the chat box on the main library website.


Page created by Stefanie Bluemle, librarian for history, religion, and philosophy. Updated March 2013.