Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Encyclopedia
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible was a five-volume Biblical encyclopaedia published 1898—1904.
, with the assistance of John A. Selbie. Additional assistance with revision of the proofs was provided by A. B. Davidson
, S. R. Driver
and H. B. Swete
. Four volumes (1898—1902) divided up the alphabetic entries, with a fifth volume (1904) devoted to some extra articles, indexes and maps. Publication was by T. & T. Clark in Edinburgh and Charles Scribner's Sons
in New York.
Although described as a “dictionary”, the work is better described as an encyclopaedia, with signed articles sometimes several pages in length. It is a substantial work, with five quarto
volumes each of about 900 pages. The 194 authors of articles were established scholars of the day, generally Protestant Christians, from many countries, but mostly from the UK and the USA in that order.
The subject matter was "the Old and New Testaments, together with the Old Testament Apocrypha, according to the Authorized and Revised English Version
s." Articles were written "on names of all Persons and Places, on the Antiquities and Archaeology of the Bible, on its Ethnology, Geology and Natural History, on Biblical Theology and Ethic ..."
It remains a good source of Biblical information as understood around 1900.
.
992 pages + xvi + 4 maps.
First edition
The full title was A Dictionary of the Bible, dealing with the Language, Literature and Contents, including the Biblical Theology. It was edited by James HastingsJames Hastings
James Hastings was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and biblical scholar.He was born in Huntly, Aberdeenshire.He studied the classics at the University of Aberdeen, attended the Free Church Divinity College in Aberdeen, and was ordained a Free Church minister in 1884.He was founder and editor of...
, with the assistance of John A. Selbie. Additional assistance with revision of the proofs was provided by A. B. Davidson
Andrew B. Davidson
Andrew Bruce Davidson was Professor of Hebrew and Oriental languages in New College, University of Edinburgh.Davidson was born at Kirkhill, in the parish of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1831. He was educated at the University of Aberdeen, graduating in 1849. He entered New College,...
, S. R. Driver
Samuel Rolles Driver
Samuel Rolles Driver was an English divine and Hebrew scholar. He devoted his life to the study, both textual and critical, of the Old Testament. He was the father of Sir Godfrey Rolles Driver, also a distinguished Bible scholar.-Biography:Samuel Rolles Driver was born at Southampton...
and H. B. Swete
Henry Barclay Swete
Henry Barclay Swete was an English Biblical scholar. He became Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1890. He is known for his 1906 commentary on the Book of Revelation, and other works of exegesis....
. Four volumes (1898—1902) divided up the alphabetic entries, with a fifth volume (1904) devoted to some extra articles, indexes and maps. Publication was by T. & T. Clark in Edinburgh and Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
in New York.
Although described as a “dictionary”, the work is better described as an encyclopaedia, with signed articles sometimes several pages in length. It is a substantial work, with five quarto
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
volumes each of about 900 pages. The 194 authors of articles were established scholars of the day, generally Protestant Christians, from many countries, but mostly from the UK and the USA in that order.
The subject matter was "the Old and New Testaments, together with the Old Testament Apocrypha, according to the Authorized and Revised English Version
Revised Version
The Revised Version of the Bible is a late 19th-century British revision of the King James Version of 1611. It was the first and remains the only officially authorized and recognized revision of the King James Bible. The work was entrusted to over 50 scholars from various denominations in Britain...
s." Articles were written "on names of all Persons and Places, on the Antiquities and Archaeology of the Bible, on its Ethnology, Geology and Natural History, on Biblical Theology and Ethic ..."
It remains a good source of Biblical information as understood around 1900.
1909 edition
A one-volume dictionary with the same name was issued by the same publishers in 1909. It was described as "not a condensation of the five-volume set, but new and independent work". The editor was James Hastings, with the co-operation of John A. Selbie, and with the assistance of John C. Lambert and Shailer MathewsShailer Mathews
Shailer Mathews was a liberal Christian theologian, involved with the Social Gospel movement.Born in Portland, Maine, and graduated from Colby College there, Mathews was progressive in his day, advocating social concerns as part of the Social Gospel message, and subjecting Biblical texts to...
.
992 pages + xvi + 4 maps.