Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible

by Bob Becking (editor)

Selected by Choice as an "Outstanding Academic Book of 1996" and now extensively revised, the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, co-published by Eerdmans and Brill, is the only major reference work describing the gods, angels, demons, spirits, and semidivine heroes found in Scripture.Written by 100 leading experts in the field, the more than 400 alphabetically arranged articles cover every deity whose name occurs in the Hebrew and Greek scriptures, including the Apocrypha. In this second edition of the Dictionary, thirty entries appear for the first time. More than 100 others have been brought up to date with the latest research. A typical entry contains:
-- discussion of each deity named and its meaning;
-- the religio-historical background of each deity and the biblical passages in which it is found;
-- an up-to-date bibliography and cross-references to related information found in the dictionary.

Unique in subject matter and exhaustive in coverage, this volume will be an indispensable resource tool for scholars and students from a broad range of disciplines.

Genres: Religion, Reference, Theology, Nonfiction, Judaism, History, Occult

906 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Bob E.J.H. Becking

Reviews

[Walt]

It is what is says it is.

[Walker Wright]

****1/2

[Mac]

A great resource for students of the Biblical text who are looking to understand the spiritual world inhabited by the authors of the biblical text. This book has it all from Ashera to Zeus!

[A.R. Mitchell]

Full disclosure: I’m still reading this. The title is precisely what it is. However, I’ve owned other world mythology texts and dictionaries and this one is much more focused and detailed. The authors’ approach focuses in on the ancient near or Middle East region and links multiple beliefs together in ways that I have yet to see other teachers explore.

It is a difficult to find, expensive book, even in digital form. But as a writer who frequently digs into mythology and ancient history for her writing this was a resource I knew I needed and I have no regrets. And yes… this purchase was recommended by Dr. Michael Heiser through his podcast.

The internet open library has a copy of it if you want to see the full index and table of contents before purchasing, or if you only need to look up one or two items for an academic paper. Logos Bible software produced my digital copy.