Anchor Bible Series


The Anchor Bible project, consisting of a commentary series, Bible dictionary, and reference library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture begun in 1956, when individual volumes in the commentary series began production. Having initiated a new era of cooperation among scholars in biblical research, over 1,000 scholars—representing Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, secular, and other traditions—have now contributed to the project. Their works offer discussions that reflect a range of viewpoints across a wide theological spectrum. The Anchor Bible project continues to produce volumes that keep readers current on recent scholarship and are grounded in analysis. The works bring advances in science and technology to bear on biblical materials, making historical and linguistic knowledge related to the interpretation of the biblical record available to experts and students alike. As of 2005, more than 120 volumes had been published, each edited by David Noel Freedman, General Editor and published by Doubleday, Freedman died in 2008. Since then John J. Collins has served as the General Editor. In 2007, Yale University Press purchased the Anchor Bible Series. Yale now publishes backlist titles and new titles as the Anchor Yale Bible Series.

''Anchor Bible Commentary Series''

The Anchor Bible Commentary Series, created under the guidance of William Foxwell Albright, comprises a translation and exegesis of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Intertestamental Books. For each biblical book, the series includes an original translation of ancient texts, using modern knowledge of the ancient languages; overviews of the historical, critical, and literary evolution of the text; an outline of major themes and topics; a verse-by-verse commentary; treatment of competing scholarly theories; historical background; and photographs, illustrations, and maps of artifacts and places associated with biblical figures and sites. Lengthy or complex biblical books are covered in more than one volume.
A work in progress, as of 2006, the series has produced over 80 volumes, some of which are updates of earlier works. The series is 99% complete; the second half of Exodus was released in early December 2006, and the remaining volumes are in production. Others such as II Chronicles and Revelation are under contract.

''Anchor Bible Dictionary''

The Anchor Bible Dictionary contains more than 6,000 entries from 800 international scholars. It has illustrations and line-art throughout, and is also available for download from Logos Bible Software or Accordance Bible Software. The "Dictionary" includes articles on the Dead Sea Scrolls, early Jewish-Christian relations, the historical Jesus, sociological and literary methods of biblical criticism, feminist hermeneutics, and numerous entries on archaeological sites, as well as bibliographies with citations listed individually at the end of each article.

Works in the ''Anchor Yale Bible commentary series''

Works in the Anchor Yale Bible commentary series include:

Tanakh ~ Old Testament ~ Hebrew Bible