Alec Gilmore, A Dictionary of the English Bible and Its Origins - Book Review

Sheffield, UK: Academic Press, 2000. Pp. 192. Paper, $19.95.

Designed as a reference work, this book is a treasure trove for all those interested in the Bible. As the title indicates, it seeks to make the reader aware of the origins of the Bible in general and of the English Bible in particular. With an eye to the latter, Alec Gilmore succinctly and adroitly introduces the reader to the significant variety of versions and manuscripts behind all too familiar English translations. Specifically, the author provides a wealth of "student notes" in alphabetical order about persons, places, methods, manuscripts, etc., that relate to the origins of the First and Second Testaments, especially those impacting the English Bible. This work certainly succeeds in drawing the attention of all to the complexity and depth of the biblical tradition.

An interesting feature of this work is the placing of texts in boxes. These consist of two principal types: (1) anecdotal, legendary, and relevant but peripheral entries; and (2) examples of the different ways in which variant readings emerge in manuscripts, thereby influencing translation and interpretation. Examples of the first type include printers' errors that resulted in special titles for some early editions, e.g., the Vinegar Bible and the Murderers' Bible (p. 35). Examples of the second type are treatments on dittography (p. 67), haplography (p. 83), harmonization (p. 84), and itacisms (pp. 92-93).

This dictionary is marked by a profound ecumenical sensitivity, especially with regard to Roman Catholics. There are entries treating "Divino Afflante Spiritu" and the Second Vatican Council with due emphasis on "Del Verbum." Roman Catholic biblical translations, such as the Jerusalem Bible and the New American Bible, receive ample attention in a work of this size. Scholars like W. Abbott and Carlo Maria Montini are highlighted on several different occasions. It is clear that in telling the story of the English Bible from Tyndale to the New Revised English Bible, the author engages all contributions to biblical scholarship regardless of confessional differences.

The happy outcome of this dictionary is that it whets the appetite of the reader for further study and exploration. To this end Gilmore offers a more than ample bibliography (pp. 189-92). He has marked with an asterisk those works that fall into the category of "reliable, more popular, and inexpensive" (p. 10). To promote the transition from dictionary articles to such further reading is no mean achievement. In sum, this delightful volume admirably achieves its goal as a reference work that seeks to expand the reader's curiosity and interest in the sacred text.

John F. Craghan
St. Norbert College
De Pere, WI 54115

COPYRIGHT 2001 Biblical Theology Bulletin, Inc
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group