The Bible is the Bible; it never changes. But of new books about the Bible there seems to be no end, and this fall brings emerging trends and reflects a changing scene. The offerings lend a new and broader approach for biblical exploration, an integration of diverse disciplines, an elevated regard for the informed curiosity and knowledge of the average reader, and some bold explorations.

The Reformation in Focus

An example of this broader approach is seen in forthcoming books related to the Reformation and Calvin. InterVarsity Press's 28-volume Reformation Commentary on Scripture series, edited by Timothy George, reflects and integrates the diverse faith issues and theology of the Reformation, exploring a variety of Protestant traditions.

According IVP editorial director Andy LePeau, the series heralds what is being called the "Reformation decade," commemorating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's posting the 95 Theses on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517, which ignited the Protestant Reformation. The series reflects a spectrum of scholarship and biblical commentary from a wide swath of theologians and traditions of the period from 1500 to 1650. "It is a massive undertaking to show the range of Reformation thought," notes LePeau. The series' 28 editors range geographically and theologically (including French, Dutch, German, and Swiss, among others) and represent the various theological offshoots that grew from the Reformation, including baptistic and Anglican traditions.

The series mandate, says LePeau, is to examine verse by verse the books of the Bible written by the theological forbears of that time and extract a consensus of interpretation. It introduces the work of other Reformers, such as Ulrich Zwingli and John Knox. A companion to IVP's Ancient Christian Commentary series, the Reformation Commentary on Scripture series, a 10-year project, is to be rolled out at the rate of three volumes a year, beginning with Galatians, Ephesians by Gerald L. Bray (Sept.).

As a community of faith, says LePeau, Christians "often get myopic about what's going on today." Including a range of theological thought from the period of the Reformation will benefit the church, he says, by "reminding the community of its history, which is too easily forgotten. It is a means to call the church back to its roots."

Zondervan also revisits the Reformation in its upcoming set of books that provoke dialogue about Calvinism. Michael Horton's For Calvinism (Oct.) explores the historical roots and distinctive features of this approach. It dovetails with Against Calvinism (Oct.) by Roger Olson, which provides a critique that addresses "the New Calvinism." Paul Engle, senior v-p at Zondervan, says, "It is a perennial topic, [yet] we felt this was a fitting time to release fresh new volumes in light of the growing interest in the Reformed faith, especially among younger generations. Perhaps it is a longing for certainty amid postmodern subjectivism and for historic anchoring amid the short shelf-life of contemporary ideas." Another major new reference work recently released by Zondervan is the Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, edited by Glenn Scorgie (July) with more than 700 entries by dozens of international contributors.

Respecting the General Reader

Westminster John Knox's upcoming Revelation for Everyone by N.T. Wright (Oct.) reflects the trend in biblical scholarship toward recognizing the heightened scriptural proficiency of the lay reader as well as the interested scholar. Wright culls from the reservoir of his years of study and expertise to distill seminal issues while keeping the book accessible to the home Bible study crowd. Revelation for Everyone is the final volume in the For Everyone series on the New Testament, edited by David Dobson, which has been published over the past eight years. It exemplifies the efforts of scholars to make sophisticated and complex biblical analysis accessible to the general reader. The series has been so successful that WJK has launched a companion series for the Old Testament with the August release of 1 and 2 Kings for Everyone by John Goldingay.

The Eerdmans Companion to the Bible, edited by Gordon Fee and Robert Hubbard (Sept.), is another effort in that direction. According to senior editor Allen Myers, this extensive commentary (which replaces the wildly popular Eerdmans Handbook to the Bible) stands out as a distinctive and extensive guide (834 pages), including introductory texts, 88 accompanying articles, maps, and extensive commentary. What is notable in this new volume is Eerdmans's attempt to reach beyond an evangelical readership by including articles and commentary from mainline scholars. It also respects nonscholars' elevated knowledge of once obscure topics and trends in biblical studies. Says Myers, "Readers are more informed generally. This guide will serve the general reader, the Sunday School teacher, and Bible study leaders."

Multidisciplinary Approaches

In a similar nod to a more informed readership and a multidiscipline approach, Oxford University Press is releasing The Jewish Annotated New Testament, edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Brettler (Nov.), with contributions by the editors and some four dozen Jewish scholars, New Testament experts, Greco-Roman historians, and theologians. This full New Testament (New Revised Standard Version) contains introductions, annotations, and background essays that give the reader a comprehensive introduction to the Jewish cultural context; parallels in the New Testament to Jewish religious writings from before, during, and after that period; and treatment of anti-Jewish passages in the New Testament.

Don Kraus, executive editor for OUP's Bibles division, says, "We are very involved in introducing readers to the issue of how the Bible and its interpretation are received by readers at various times and in their differing contexts. We do not publish according to one theological view, although we do represent Catholic and Jewish, as well as general Protestant, histories of interpretation." OUP joins the chorus of publishers recognizing the broader interests of readers and the greater curiosity about new information: the little-known Jewish writings from the two centuries or so before the NT period as well as interest in research related to the Dead Sea Scrolls. "There is growing understanding of the complexity of the Jewish community and its diversity in the years leading up to the New Testament period," Kraus says.

The Jewish Publication Society's release of The JPS Bible Commentary: Ruth, edited by Tikva Frymer-Kensky and Tamara Cohn Eskenazi (Sept.), stands out as an example of bold exploration of biblical feminism, especially from a Jewish publisher. "Ruth is significant," says Carol Hupping, publishing director at JPS, "because it is a narrative about women, by women. Both women are pre-eminent scholars in biblical feminism, [and] biblical feminist scholarship has blossomed in the past few years, giving women a voice. This volume is a part of that blossoming." (Frymer-Kensky died in 2006.)

Eskenazi co-edited The Torah: A Women's Commentary (2008), which won the Everett Family Foundation 2008 Jewish Book of the Year Award, breaking ground for Jewish women's studies and opening the way for ongoing scholarship. Of that volume, Eskenazi says, "We want to bring the women of the Torah from the shadows into the limelight, from their silences into speech." Also new from JPS is The Commentators Bible: Numbers by Michael Carasik (Aug.), a classic work made available for the first time in English, in keeping with JPS's tradition of enhancing Jewish literacy.

Westminster John Knox's Library of Ancient Israel series has added Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel by Douglas Knight (Sept.), which also brings multiple disciplines to biblical examination by integrating elements such as archeology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and literary criticism. The series and Knight's contribution to it acknowledge that students of the Bible crave a bigger picture and wider context.

Baker Academic's The Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, edited by Joel Green (Nov.), also takes a multidisciplinary approach as it explores the relationship between the Bible and ethics. It is written by a team of authors equally split between biblical scholars and ethicists. B.J. Heyboer, senior director of marketing at Baker Academic and Brazos Press, points to the growing desire in the academy to integrate a variety of disciplines in examining the Bible's role in moral formation. Consequently, Baker is building its line of reference works that explore biblical moral formation in light of contemporary ethical issues such as the environment and medical research.

Digital Asides

Most of these reference works either are or will be offered in digital format, which is particularly useful for reducing search time. Digital research also facilitates access to little-known documents and allows readers access to texts that cannot fit into an ordinary book. If texts are available electronically, it is possible to embed hot links to both primary source documents and the secondary literature.

Zondervan's Engle notes, "Our challenge is to provide vetted material by competent scholars that can compete against the free, often unedited material available on the Internet. Readers increasingly want not just print-formatted reference resources but multiple options, especially digital forms that can be used on computers, smartphones, and tablets."

Even so, most editors concede that scholars and readers still want the print volumes on their shelves for more lingering exploration.