Wide-ranging, thorough, and cautious, the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics will be a helpful resource for both students and scholars. With its mix of different kinds of articles and its attention throughout to biblical materials, the dictionary meets a significant need and provides something for almost any reader.
-Gilbert Meilaender,
Duesenberg Professor in Christian Ethics, Valparaiso University
A book as ambitious as the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics risks being too superficial to be helpful. I am happy to report that this is not the case for this imaginatively conceived and organized book. This book will quickly become an indispensable resource for Christian reflection on the moral life.
-Stanley Hauerwas,
Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School
The dictionary provides a wonderful tool for exploring the relationship between Scripture and ethics. Essays providing an overview of the moral concerns of Scripture and the shape of Christian ethics usefully frame an array of detailed articles. Some articles treat biblical books, others ethical topics, including virtues and vices, denominational traditions, contemporary topics such as environmental ethics, and controversial subjects such as homosexuality. The treatments are comprehensive and honest, informed by critical perspectives on the Bible and contemporary ethical reflection. They do not shy away from issues where churches, by their own admission, have misused Scripture (e.g., "apartheid"). This volume is a rich resource for biblical scholars and ethicists alike.
-Harold W. Attridge,
The Rev. Henry L. Slack Dean and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament, Yale Divinity School
Renewed interest in the relationship between Scripture and ethics has created the need for an accessible and reliable guide to the issues and the literature. This is it.
-R. W. L. Moberly,
Professor of Theology and Biblical Interpretation, Durham University
Pastors, laypeople, and scholars alike will find in this exceptionally valuable resource wise guidance for Christian life and discernment about ethical issues. It offers an excellent blend of substantive engagement and methodological reflection from well-respected scholars. Highly recommended.
-L. Gregory Jones,
Professor of Theology, Duke Divinity School
Scholars in the fields of Scripture and ethics are increasingly engaged in important conversations, and this volume is an excellent contribution to that dialogue. This star-studded grouping of contributors from biblical, ethical, and theological disciplines covers a remarkable range of pertinent topics, including every biblical book and every lively ethical topic. This invaluable reference tool will serve both lay readers and scholars very well indeed and contribute to the continuing interaction among them in thoughtful and provocative ways.
-Terence E. Fretheim,
Elva B. Lovell Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary
This is a wellspring of wisdom that will prove to be of immense value to the church. As we deal daily with questions of how Scripture relates to the vast and growing ethical challenges posed by today's society, the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics will be a reliable source of insight and guidance. Its contributors are respected voices who have reflected deeply on challenges of Christian ethics, and this compilation is a treasure trove of rich and helpful perspectives.
-Wes Granberg-Michaelson,
General Secretary, Reformed Church in America
The relationship of biblical studies to moral theology has not been given the attention it merits by biblical scholars. This impressive volume has pulled together important articles on a wide range of topics that will certainly be of importance to systematic and moral theologians. The selection of topics is broadly ecumenical and should appeal to the widest possible audience. Let us hope that this volume will spur a new generation of studies to reflect more carefully and systematically on the moral teachings and legacy of the Bible.
-Gary A. Anderson,
Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology, University of Notre Dame
The Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics is a unique reference work, drawing together topics that are intimately connected but often relegated to separate spheres. Letting both spheres identify the topics, the editors have compiled a comprehensive handbook for thinking about the realm of ethics and the moral life but with particular attention to what the Bible has to say about such matters. At the same time, new directions are opened up as biblical texts and topics not often associated with ethical issues are seen to have much to say. Scholars in both fields will want to have this volume in their library.
-Patrick D. Miller,
Professor of Old Testament Theology Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary
It is rare indeed for a dictionary to be a page-turner, but this one makes the reader want to find a comfortable chair and a lot of free time to roam through it. The scope of the articles is remarkable as is the quality of the research and writing. If any single volume can help us draw well-informed connections between the thought-world of Scripture and the contemporary contexts in which we teach, preach, and seek to live as people of faith, this may be it.
-Ellen F. Davis,
Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke Divinity School
