BS 701 - BS 1830

Bibliographer: Hebrew Bible

Date Revised: September 14, 1998

General Purpose:

The collection is meant primarily to sustain a graduate program in Hebrew Bible (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.

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, the greatest emphasis is on German-language materials, making the German collection quite strong.

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 interpretation.

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, esp. rabbinical, are not excluded.

Monographs and serials.

Facsimiles of manuscripts.

Microfiche and microfilm. Because of insufficient shelf space, many periodicals are converted to microfilm. Dissertations related specifically to faculty or student interests are also generally purchased in microform. 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 this enterprise. As funds become available, other extensive microform research collections will be purchased.

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

Types of Material Excluded:

Recordings, slides and films with rare exceptions.

Fundamentalist, popular and juvenile literature.

Other Factors:

The library is a member of the Tennessee Theological Library Association, so some materials more suited to other institutions in the Association are not collected by Vanderbilt.

Much supporting Material for Hebrew Bible studies is found outside of the Bs section in the BM’s (Judaic studies), DS’s (history) and PJ’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.