BS 1 - BS 680

Bibliographers: Hebrew Bible/Judaica/New Testament

General Purpose:

The collection is meant primarily to sustain a graduate program in Hebrew Bible and New Testament (M.A. & Ph.D.), a professional program in theology (M. Div., M.T.S., D.Min), and associated faculty research. Also supported are undergraduate Religious Studies courses and the Kesler Circulating Library for clergy. many of the works in this section are general and are thus of greatest interest to Divinity, undergraduate, and Kesler patrons, while others (e.g. periodicals) are also of great importance to more advanced patrons.

Languages:

Primary texts are collected in the original languages (Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, etc.). Secondary texts are primarily in English, German, French, and Hebrew, though other languages are not excluded. Beyond English, which encompasses some 75% of the collection, the next greatest emphasis is on German-language materials.

Geographic Areas:

Since the Bible was produced in the ancient Near East, emphasis is naturally on Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, though much material specifically on the ANE falls outside of the BS range.

There is also much interest in history of the Bible in Europe, and of biblical interpretation there, esp. in Germany.

Chronological Limits:

Texts and text critical works are collected from the earliest times until present.

In the area of biblical interpretation, the emphasis is on the Enlightenment and later, though earlier works are not excluded.

Types of Material Collected:

Monographs and serials. Many important periodicals in biblical studies fall within this range.

Facsimiles of manuscripts

Microfiche and microfilm. Because of insufficient shelf space, a number of periodicals are held retrospectively on microfilm. The largest microform collection held in biblical studies is the one produced by the ATLA preservation project. The library has made a commitment to purchase all fiche released by the enterprise. As funds become available, other extensive microform research collections will be purchased.

Electronic texts and software for their manipulation (e.g. CCAT & TLG materials).

Types of Material Excluded:

Recordings, slides, and films are rarely purchased. Popular, and juvenile literature are not collected.

Other Factors

The library is a member of the TTLA, so some materials (notably denominationally oriented works) more suited to other institutions in the association are not collected by Vanderbilt.

Much supporting material for biblical studies is found outside of the BS section in the BM’s (Judaic studies), DS’s (history) and P’s (language). The Judaica collection, one of the best in the South, holds a wealth of information on Jewish interpretation of scripture. Extensive collections on ancient Near Eastern history and Languages housed both in the Divinity Library and in Central enhance the biblical studies collection. The library is committed to improvement in all of these areas.

The major emphasis in purchasing for biblical studies is on the LC ranges specific to Hebrew Bible and new Testament. The whole Bible section does not need as much attention as these.