The most extensive Bible dictionary ever created: -         The first major Bible dictionary to be published in America in 30 years -         6 volumes of approximately 1,200 pages each -         More than 6,000 entries -         More than 7,000,000 words -         Nearly 1,000 contributors --all the biggest names from around the world -         Multicultural and interdisciplinary in scope -         An unprecedented interfaith exploration of the Bible -         Illustrated throughout with easy-to-find references -         Endpaper maps of the Near Eastern world keyed to text for quick location of archaeological and biblical sites -         Extensively cross-referenced for comprehensive coverage of topics -         Easy-to-read article and chapter headings for speedy location of material -         Full bibliographic references following all major entries   Inside you'll find: -         Exciting articles on pseudepigraphic and apocryphal texts, Nag Hammadi tractates, and individual dead Sea Scrolls--including the very latest on the most recently published sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls -         "Minor entries" on personal and place-names that go well beyond the one- or two-sentence descriptions found in other Bible dictionaries -         Outstanding summaries of the latest research on the historical Jesus -         Fascinating new articles discussing the growing reappraisal of early Christianity's relationship with Judaism (was Christianity an "offspring" or "sibling" of rabbinic Judaism?) -         Many articles illustrating the literary artistry of the biblical text -         Intriguing discussions of everyday life in Bible lands--including articles that help us to understand health and disease, the role of animals and plants in the ancient ecosystem, and the demographics of human settlement in ancient Palestine -         A richness of information unequaled in the history of biblical studies   Edited by David Noel Freedman Editorial Consultants:             Hans Dieter Betz--Greco-Roman Religin             James H. Charlesworth--Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha             Frank More Cross--Old Testament             William G. Dever--Archaeology A.     Kirk Grayson--Mesopotamia and Assyriology Peter  Machinist--Bible and Ancient Near East Abraham J. Malherbe--New Testament Birger A. Pearson--Early Christianity Jack M. Sassoon--Bible and Ancient Near East William R. Schoedel--Early Christian Literature