The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his125/study2.lzh/STUDY2.TXT

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PER:Reference Books

   Reference books are the tools of the trade for people who study the
Bible, that is, you and I. As with any trade, there is a large
investment in tools. Bible Study is no exception. This is the one place
I can think of where you really can throw moderation out the door.
Here, you can completely indulge yourself. Buy all the books you can
afford, get into them, and learn of God!

   Some of us don't have that kind of budget though! So where do we
start? Hopefully, we will answer that question, or at least address it
so that we don't wander aimlessly through the local bookstore spending
lots of unnecessary money on something we don't yet need.

   These ideas are mostly my own, so remember Acts 17:11!

   THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK

   Easily, and without debate, the most important book you will ever
own is a Bible. What kind of bible do you buy? What translation?

   Translations are pretty much a matter of personal taste, and there
is much to be said for each one of them, except of course the New World
Translation (from the Jehovah's Witnesses)! In a bible to be used for
study, the choices basically come down to three possibilities: King
James, New American Standard, and the New International Version. An
important concept to keep in mind is that whichever translation you
choose, stick to it! Why? Because you'll find it MUCH easier to
remember verses and figures of speech if you stay with one text.

   The King James is the classic translation used for years by almost
all bible teachers. The good points in choosing King James is that most
reference works key themselves to King James, almost all the
commentators quote from King James, and it is a very well known
translation - the Standard. On the bad side, the King James is
difficult to get used to. Many of the words used are outdated, there
are some inaccuracies in the translation (all of which by the way are
addressed in reference books), and it is by far the least readable of
the translations.

   The New American Standard sought to be a more literal translation of
the Bible. It is probably the second most popular translation in use
today, and there are many reference books that key to it. On the bad
side, the classical commentators did not have a New American Standard
to quote from, so not all reference works will key to it. While the New
American Standard is a definite improvement in readability over the
King James, it is not the most readable of the three most popular
translations.

   The New International Version is the most readable translation.
Modern English was used (it is the newest of the three translations).
On the bad side, almost no reference books quote from New International
... yet! This translation is gaining in popularity probably faster than
any other translation today. OK, so which one do you go for? Well, how
good are you at the English language? How diligent a student do you
plan to be? Are you willing to overcome the difficulties of old
English? Perhaps you'd like two different translations. One for study,
and one for casual reading. I highly recommend King James if you can
put up with the old English, if for no other reason than that almost
all reference books key to it, and quote from it. Once you get used to
the language, it becomes second nature to you. If you find that you
have trouble with King James, pick up a New International Version for
casual reading. But in the end, the choice is up to you!

   Once you've selected a comfortable translation, the question is
which bible to buy. This is the last place you want to skimp on! A good
reference Bible is an absolute necessity! There are many out there, of
which I'll name just a few that I'm familiar with.

   The New Scofield Reference Bible

   This is probably the one for the serious student seeking the most
scholarly, or advanced work. However, Scofield is quite opinionated.
Scofield's notes and outlines reflect a heavy bias towards
Dispensational Theology, and a pre-tribulation rapture. These notes are
quite valuable if you hold these views, but I imagine would be a pain
in the neck if you don't. Scofield has many many cross-references which
are a definite aid when studying, and there is a small concordance in
the back of the book, as well as a few maps and chain references. This
is the Bible I use, if you haven't already guessed.

   The Open Bible

   This is a delightful Bible for those who are just beginning in their
Bible Study quest. It is available in King James and New American
Standard, and contains all kinds of valuable study aids which allow you
to put off purchasing many of the reference books for awhile. There is
a special edition of the Open Bible which gives an in-depth study of
the end times. It is called the Prophecy Bible, and is available from
The World Bible Society, Box 1, Los Angeles, California 90053. If I
couldn't have a Scofield, this is the one I'd get. Also, if I couldn't
afford to buy a lot of reference books, or if I was just starting out,
this is definitely the Bible to get.

   Those are the only Bibles I use, but through talking with people,
I've heard many good things about The Thomas Nelson Chain Reference
Bible, and the Ryrie Study Bible.

   Bible Handbooks and Surveys

   These books are really great. They contain background, archaeology
studies, histories, explanations, mini-commentaries, notes, outlines,
maps and all kinds of information you would otherwise have to pour
through volumes and volumes of books to get. This is the basic
reference book. There are two pretty much standard works used by almost
everyone. Halley's Bible Handbook (about $10-15), and Unger's Survey of
the Bible ($11). There are many others that are quite good, but these
two seem to me to be the most useful.

   Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

   A Bible Dictionary or Encyclopedia lists just about any concept or
topic in the Bible and seeks to explain it, or give background on it.
You might look up chariots and find out all kinds of things about a
chariot. You might look up Paul and get a brief biography of him. These
books are not just parallel passage works (although they contain that
as well), but also contain archaeologic and historic information not
found in the Bible. You could spend many a fulfilling evening browsing
through one of these books. Some names to look into are Unger's Bible
Dictionary, Smith's Bible Dictionary, New Bible Dictionary, Davis Bible
Dictionary, Harper's Bible Dictionary and many many others. Depending
on where you go, and which one you like, you'll spend between $10 and
$25 for these. Unger's Dictionary is also available in a generic
softcover for less than $10 when you can find it.

   Commentaries

   A Commentary seeks to explain the scriptures to us. There are many
many many commentaries out there. The list is endless. Their focus
ranges from devotional to expository, from practical to prophetic, from
surface level to in-depth, from complete sets to individual books, from
one-volume commentaries to 20, 30 and 40 volume sets. Everyone should
probably have a one-volume commentary, at least most people think so!
The classical, standard one to have is Matthew Henry's one-volume
commentary, but deserving of mention is the Wycliffe One Volume
Commentary. These are pretty much basic, devotional commentaries that
will help with insights that you can use every day.

   But you don't just buy a one-volume commentary thinking that you'll
never buy another one! A one-volume commentary is of very limited use.
More useful is to buy a commentary on a book you are studying. For
this, you'll have to become familiar with authors until you find your
favorites. I probably have five or six commentaries on the book of
Revelation alone, not to mention at least that many sets of commentary
tapes on the book of Revelation! The best I can do to stretch your
commentary dollar is to list a few authors I like. To name just a few
out of literally hundreds, I'd say Ray Stedman, Arthur W. Pink, Donald
Barnhouse, G. Campbell Morgan, M.R. DeHaan, and John Walvoord. But
don't go out and buy a million commentaries right away. Just pick up a
one-volume commentary, and gradually acquire a collection later.

   Concordances

   Now we get into reference books where YOU do the work instead of
benefiting from work already done. It is important to get an exhaustive
concordance. An exhaustive concordance will list EVERY word in the
Bible alphabetically. There are many uses for this. When you can't find
a certain passage, but you know a couple of the words, look it up in
the concordance. When you do a word study of, say the word gold, you
can find ALL the places where gold is mentioned. A good concordance
will also give you the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic definitions of all
the words in the Bible.

   Despite their size, concordances are not all that expensive. If you
shop around, you can find concordances for $10. There are two popular
concordances: Strong's and Young's. I guess I should just say to go for
the best deal. Just make sure it is an exhaustive concordance.

   Manners and Customs Books

   These books give insight into the backgrounds of the culture and
practices of Bible times. There is no real set standard here, but a
valuable feature in one of these books is that it is keyed to the Bible
reference rather than by topic.

   Expository Dictionary

   An expository dictionary differs from a Bible Dictionary in that we
actually look up a word used in the Bible and get a complete definition
of that word as used in the text, as opposed to a general definition as
you find in a concordance. Here, the standard and basic work is Vine's
Expository Dictionary. Available in a single volume, the price is quite
modest. Also, there is Wilson's Dictionary of Old Testament words, and
others. Often, these works are not exhaustive, but will contain just
about any word you'd like to look up.

   Interlinear Bibles

   An Interlinear Bible will have the actual original language of the
Bible and a literal, word for word translation right below it, with a
King James (or other) text on the facing page. The word for word
translation will be in all its glory of being in bad english grammar
(obviously) and sometimes misleading, but nevertheless QUITE valuable
when you need to know the exact word, or you'd like to see what the
text says literally.

   Hebrew and Greek Concordances

   What? Another concordance? Yes, this time instead of looking up a
word in english and finding all the occurrances of a word, we can look
up the original Hebrew or Greek word and find all the occurrances! So
what if you don't read Greek or Hebrew? No problem if you bought
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance! You look up a word in Strong's and get
Strong's word number (there is a number for every word in Strong's)
then, you take that number, and if you buy Baker's Hebrew and Greek
Concordances, look it up. The book will list ALL the places that exact
word is used. Of course, I'd definitely recommend the Concordances
published by Baker. The official titles are: The Englishman's Hebrew
and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament numerically coded to
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by George V. Wigram, and; The
Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament numerically coded
to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by George V. Wigram. Both are
published by Baker Book House and go for $20 each.

   Lexicons

   Now that we can look up all the occurrances of the original words,
we can get even more complete definitions of words! Again, coded to
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and published by Baker Book House,
there are Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to The Old Testament - a
dictionary numerically coded to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance with an
exhaustive English index, and Thayer's Greek- English Lexicon of the
New Testament - a dictionary numerically coded to Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance. Again, these two books are $20 each, and match the two
concordances previously mentioned.

   Now, understand that you aren't locked in to purchasing only these
works. There are lots of others. The advantage to these is that you
don't need to read Greek or Hebrew, otherwise, good luck!

   That about sums up a BASIC reference library, although I'd be quick
to add that there are a few books worth getting that don't really fit
into a reference classification per se, but nevertheless are great
references. A partial list is below.

   Topical Bibles Harmony of the Gospels History of Christianity Foxe's
Book of Martyrs The Works of Josephus Chronological Bibles Meredith's
Book of Bible Lists Number in Scripture (E.W. Bullinger) Wilson's
Dictionary of Bible Types The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah
(Edersheim) Systematic Theology The "All The..." series by Herbert
Lockyer Bible Atlases

   Saving Your Money

   One of the most frustrating things is to not be able to afford the
reference books you need to indulge in a certain study. I have two
possible solutions to this problem. One way of getting reference
materials free is to resort to commentary tapes. There are many many
good sets of commentary tapes available free from one of two sources:

   Philologos Tapes 4901 Green River Drive #9 Corona, California 91720

   Firefighters for Christ 8866 Barcelona Plaza Westminster, California
92683-5495

   Both places have catalogs available, just write to them. The other
solution is purchasing your books through the mail via one of the
Discount Book Distributors. One source is:

   Christian Book Distributors P.O. Box 3687 Peabody, Massachusetts
01961-3687

   They always have great deals on their books. Usually, you can get
30-50% off or more!

   The following is a list of books that I've found to be quite helpful
in understanding God's Word. Hopefully, these will serve you as well as
they've served me. Also, hopefully this list will save you a few bucks
worth of books that look really informative, but weren't what you
expected.

   THE INVISIBLE WAR by Dr. Donald Gray Barnhouse

   This should have a subtitle, "Required Reading for all Christians
intending to be Serious at all." Aside from the Bible itself, I find
this to be the single most important book I've ever read. Dr. Barnhouse
explores the situation man is in since the Garden of Eden affair.
Barnhouse was one of those people who were unsurpassed in gleaning
insights from the Bible. Absolutely profound.

   EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT by Josh McDowell

   This is the definitive apologetic work on Christianity. An
apologetic is a defense of the faith. In this book, Josh McDowell,
probably one of the greatest Christian minds living today, gives
irrefutable evidence for the Christian faith. The book was not written
for casual reading. Rather, it was written with documentation to be
used in debates, college papers, witnessing and basically anywhere
Christianity might be challenged. Josh McDowell's tape series that goes
along with this book (or used separately) is available free on Manna
BBS.

   KINGDOM OF THE CULTS by Walter Martin

   If you don't already know Dr. Walter Martin, you will find him to be
probably the best authority on Comparative Religion in Christianity
today. This, his best selling book is a survey of the most popular
cults around today. He doesn't go into A LOT of detail, but there is
enough here to gain an understanding of the many false teachings in the
world today that claim to be Christian. The book was written in the
60s, and has been revised at least once since then, in order to keep
current with our changing world. Dr. Martin has also written other
books about specific cults (Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.) which
are also available at your local Christian bookstore.

   ESSENTIAL CHRISTIANITY by Walter Martin

   Again, Walter Martin has written what I think to be the perfect
balance between a statement of faith, and a Systematic Theology. A
Systematic Theology can weigh you down with thousands of pages of
doctrine, and defense of that doctrine. They are generally hard to
read, harder to understand, and even harder to stay awake through, not
to mention a few of the weird ideas of the day! This book solves that
problem quite nicely. This is a little paperback which discusses the
'essential' doctrines of the Christian faith. Dr. Martin shows from the
Bible why these are doctrines, and how we defend these doctrines
without getting completely boring! This is a fantastic book for a new
Christian since it explains all the basic Christian doctrines we hold.

   THE TWO BABYLONS by Alexander Hisslop

   I hesitate to mention this one since it definitely upsets our
Catholic brothers and sisters. This book goes into many of the old
pagan rituals and shows the similarities to current Roman Catholicism.
He gets a bit radical at some points, but there is a lot of interesting
reading here.

   A CHRISTIAN MANIFESTO by Francis Schaeffer

   In this book, the late Dr. Schaeffer examines our current society
and shows how we've fallen spiritually as a country in just the past 50
or so years. He shows why it happened and what we can do to reverse the
trend. Dr. Schaeffer calls for each one of us to stand up to the
shocking effects of humanism in our country today. This is a pretty
heavy book to read in that Dr. Schaeffer deals with complex thoughts,
but is well worth the effort.

   MADE ACCORDING TO PATTERN - THESE ARE THE GARMENTS - THUS SHALT THOU
SERVE by C.W. Slemming

   This set of three books is very inexpensive (about $3 each) but
worth their weight in gold! They are hard to find, but again, worth the
effort. In 'Made According to Pattern', Slemming looks at the
Tabernacle and its spiritual significance. In 'These are the Garments',
he studies the High Priest's robes. He considers the colors, textures,
and all the accessories, and shows the significance of each one. In
'Thus Shalt Thou Serve', the topic is a study of the offerings and
feasts of early Jewish worshippers, and how this applies to us.
Together, these three books will help you come to appreciate the Torah
more than you ever did before. This is a wonderful demonstration of
just what you can get out of using typology as a way of understanding
all the more tedious parts of the Bible.

   THE TEMPLE by Alfred Edersheim

   Primarily focused on the Temple at the time of Christ, this is a
fabulous study on the Christian significance of the Levitical
observances by a noted Rabbi who became a famous Episcopal Bishop.

   A PROPHETIC WALK THROUGH THE HOLY LAND by Hal Lindsey

   Hal Lindsey is the most popular writer in Christianity. He has sold
more books on prophecy than anyone else. He is easy to read, yet is
quite informational. His books are timely, so I'd suggest reading the
newer ones like 'There's a New World Coming' and 'The Rapture'.

   ADDICTED TO MEDIOCRITY by Franky Schaeffer

   In this book, Franky Schaeffer discusses how so many of us
Christians insist on separating our spiritual life from our secular
life, and how this can cause so much trouble. He discusses the error of
reading books, going to movies, or listening to music and appreciating
art only if it has some kind of 'Christian Stamp of Approval'. A very
thought-provoking book, he has also given a lecture that is parallel to
it which is available on Manna BBS.

   SATAN IS ALIVE AND WELL by Hal Lindsey

   THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS by C.S. Lewis

   These books discuss how Satan works in the world today, and the
games he loves to play with us Christians when we are basically too
stupid to recognize these games. Hal Lindsey's book is more on the
factual, scriptural side, while C.S. Lewis' book is more of an
imaginative scenario of a demon assigned to hassle a believer.

   THE LIGHT AND THE GLORY by Peter Marshall and David Manuel

   Don't ever let anyone tell you that God does not have a plan for
this country! This book examines the lives of the founding fathers of
our country from Columbus to Washington. This is not a fictional book,
but rather, is written from actual diaries and documents written at the
time. This is a highly exciting and readable history of the United
States where you can re-learn our heritage from a Christian perspective.

   RULERS OF NEW TESTAMENT TIMES by Charles Ludwig

   This is a great shortcut to understanding the times of Jesus and
Paul from a historic perspective. Its greatest value is that it is so
easy to read. Again, a very inexpensive book ($2.25).

   SPIRIT-CONTROLLED TEMPERAMENTS - TRANSFORMED TEMPERAMENTS by Tim
LaHaye

   Tim LaHaye is one of the best authors to read. He has great
experience in counselling which gives him a lot of experience in
understanding people. In these two books, he examines the temperaments
of human beings, and how God can actually use each temperament. In the
second book, he examines four examples of the four basic temperaments,
which is an interesting look at the personalities of Abraham, Moses,
Peter and Paul.

   THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE RAINBOW by Constance Cumbey

   THE SEDUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY by Dave Hunt & T.A. McMahon

   These two controversial books are extremely good to have just to
wake us up to the times we live in. These are quite controversial books
in that many people object to them. You can cut the air with a knife
whenever Dave Hunt lectures on his book in some places. Nevertheless,
we should be aware of the issues discussed in both of these books since
they are discussed so often today.

   To find these, you have to check out one of the secular bookstores.
They are not generally found in Christian bookstores.

   WORLDS IN COLLISION - EARTH IN UPHEAVAL - AGES IN CHAOS by Immanuel
Velikovsky

   Imaginative and scholarly classic; caused major uproar when
originally published, but has captured increasing respect in recent
years. Stimulating background reading, although not a Christian
apologetic.

   PROPHECY IN STONE by David Webber and Noah Hutchings

   If you ever wondered about the Great Pyramid in Egypt, this is an
inexpensive and easily read little book that discusses it. To get it,
you need to write to: The Southwest Radio Church, P.O. Box 1144,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101.

   Also:

   THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH COUNTDOWN TO ARMAGEDDON THERE'S A NEW
WORLD COMING THE RAPTURE

   Now, I'd like to take some time to list a few of the authors that
whenever I see their books, I buy them on sight because their insights
into the scripture are just that valuable.

   Dr. Donald Gray Barnhouse

   Dr. Barnhouse has written commentaries on Romans, Genesis, and
Revelation. He is quite readable and probably one of the best
devotional authors.

   Arthur W. Pink

   My favorite author, this guy gets more out of a single verse in the
Bible, than most people get out of the whole chapter. He isn't as
readable as a lot of other writers, but he packs more information into
a book than anyone else.

   M.R. DeHaan

   Another one like Pink, but DeHaan also keeps the big picture in
view. He's more apt to look at things chapter by chapter. A bit easier
to read than Pink, DeHaan was also a doctor.

   G. Campbell Morgan

   His books are transcribed from his sermons (like many other
authors). He, like Pink and DeHaan examines things using typology when
applicable. He has a great set of commentaries out on the gospels, and
another great book on the Parables and Metaphors of Our Lord.

   Ray Stedman

   Ray Stedman is a teacher in central California who is always writing
new books. He is quite readable and the first choice when it comes to
the New Testament in particular. He also has one of the best
commentaries on the Book of Esther, which is a book still debated about
today as to whether it belongs in the Bible at all. Reading this book
will confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that Esther VERY MUCH belongs
in the Bible.

   John F. Walvoord

   This man is one of the editors of the Scofield Reference Bible, is
president of Dallas Theological Seminary, and has written a couple of
really good commentaries. The value to his commentaries are that they
are contemporary. His commentary on Daniel deserves to be in everyone's
library, as is his book 'The Rapture Question'.

   There is another source of information that you should be aware of,
that is the Southwest Radio Church. This ministry broadcasts interviews
and Bible Studies all over the country. They frequently feature books
in their newsletter at reduced prices. They also have a monthly
newsletter called the Gospel Truth where they examine one issue each
month, usually quite timely. Also, they have a monthly booklet called
Bible in the News, where they examine the news events of the month and
how they relate to Christianity. In addition to all of that, they have
a whole list of intriguing and fascinating studies written by a host of
authors available at quite reasonable prices. You can write to them at
P.O. Box 1144, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73101.

   The Manna System