Written by well-known and popular theologians, Bible commentaries aid in the study of Scripture by providing explanation and interpretation of Biblical text. Whether you are just beginning to read Scripture or have been studying the Bible daily, commentaries offer greater understanding with background information on authorship, history, setting, and theme of the Gospel. Verse by verse exposition of the New and Old Testament can be found in commentary written by some of the greatest Christian church leaders including John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, and C.I. Scofield.
A Bible concordance is an alphabetical listings of words and phrases found in the Holy Bible and shows where the terms occur throughout all books of Scripture. With cross-references for verses, concordances make it easy to understand the meaning of terms and the context in which those words are used. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is the most widely known and popular and includes Greek and Hebrew dictionaries for a better understanding of the original meaning. Additional concordances such as Naves Topical and Torreys Topical are valuable Bible study resources.
Bible dictionaries are one of the most practical and useful theological reference books available. The combination of definitions and proper names for Biblical words with online verse reference, allows users to define and analyze Scripture. Discover the meaning of words and study them in context to the theological concepts of that specific verse or passage. Many word searches also include the original Greek and Hebrew word with meaning. Popular dictionaries of the Bible include Baker’s Evangelical, Easton’s, and Smiths – named after their well-known theological authors.
The term "apocrypha" comes from the Greek word meaning "hidden" or "secret". Originally, the term was applied to sacred books whose contents were too exalted to be made available to the general public. Gradually, the term "apocrypha" took on a disparaging connotation, since the orthodoxy of these hidden books was often questionable.
"The Apocrypha" includes 15 books, all but one of which are Jewish in origin and found in the Septuagint (parts of 2 Esdras are possibly Christian and Latin in origin). Influenced by the Jewish canon of the OT, the custom arose of making the Apocrypha a separate section in the Protestant Bible, or sometimes even of omitting them entirely.
The Catholic view, expressed as a doctrine of faith at the Council of Trent, is that 12 of these 15 works (in a different enumeration, however) are canonical Scripture; they are called the Deuterocanonical Books. The three books of the Protestant Apocrypha that are not accepted by Catholics are 1-2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh. Bible Study Tools offers popular apocrypha included in the Latin Vulgate, King James Version, and Revised Standard Version. Additional Deuterocanonical books are available in the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible translation.
Bible encyclopedias contain articles and definitions to thousands of words and terms used in Scripture. Entries include full historical references such as date, religious environment, family life, customs, language, and literature. All encyclopedia terms are cross-referenced and linked to the verses where they are found to help understand the full meaning of the word in context to its use in specific verses of the Bible. These online articles, provided by well-known and respected Christian leaders, have been written to help those seeking a greater knowledge of Biblical characters, events and places.
Study Bible history online with popular books, texts, and writings on the beginning of the early church. Information found in these resources includes chronological timelines, Biblical facts, and overviews of history of both BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini). Writings including creeds, confessions, and catechisms allow for the study of Christian doctrine, principles of faith and religious instructions. Other online historical books including Fox’s Book of Martyrs and the Works of Flavius Josephus give detailed historical accounts the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the beginning of the early church and Reformation.
Bible lexicons provide definitions and meaning of Biblical words found in the original New Testament Greek and Old Testament Hebrew languages of the Holy Bible. This study resource helps in understanding the origins and root meaning of the ancient language. Additional, lexicons give the context and cultural meaning intended by the authors. Using the online King James Version or New American Standard lexicon with Strong’s Concordance numbers provides a detailed understanding of the Hebrew and Greek language used in the Bible.
Maps, guides and other resources to enhance your study of the Bible.
Today's Christians follow centuries of thoughtful Christians before them who wrestled with difficult points of theology, penned bestselling allegories, or simply encouraged others with honest accounts of their spiritual journey. This collection of classic Christian works includes cherished favorites like John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and landmark Christian works like St. Augustine's Confessions and Thomas a Kempis's The Imitation of Christ. It also includes more recent classics from theologians like B.B. Warfield and Christian writers like G.K. Chesterton.