Drawing together insights from archaeology and ancient texts with biblical exegesis, the Dictionary of Daily Life in the Bible and the Ancient World introduces pastors, students, and laypeople to the cultural backdrop of the biblical world.

Unlike most Bible dictionaries and books on biblical backgrounds, which only explain words and concepts that appear in the Bible, the Dictionary of Daily Life takes a different approach. Using a framework for studying human cultures adapted from anthropological studies, it uncovers the parts of life and culture that the Bible assumes, even when they aren’t mentioned. Drawing on insights from archaeology and ancient texts as well as biblical exegesis, the DDL systematically and comparatively surveys culture and society in around the world of the Bible to provide a more holistic picture of daily life in biblical times.

The Dictionary of Daily Life is also distinctive in tracing how features of the biblical world developed over the centuries after the New Testament era, exploring how Jewish rabbis and the early church fathers engaged Scripture in changing cultural contexts.

Each of the 115 articles introduces readers to an aspect of the Bible’s historical world by comparing its appearance in six contexts: the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, their two neighboring worlds of the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman society, and Jewish and Christian communities after the completion of the New Testament.

This biblical dictionary features:

• Substantial articles (5–20 pages long) introduce key aspects of daily life in the Old Testament, New Testament, ancient Near East, Greco-Roman, and postbiblical Jewish and Christian worlds, as well as bibliographic material for further exploration
• Insights for pastors, teachers, seminary students, and anyone else engaged in biblical study, exegesis, and sermon preparation
• A wide array of cultural features, including domestic life, technology, laws, and religious practices
• An appendix with dozens of full-color pictures that bring the ancient world to life for readers

Understand biblical history with this A to Z resource and enrich your study of Scripture.