An Introduction to Theological Research: A Guide for College and Seminary Students

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dec 2001 by Lineberry, Loren D

An Introduction to Theological Research: A Guide for College and Seminary Students. By Cyril J. Barber and Robert M. Krauss, Jr. New York: University Press of America, 2000, 172 pp., $24.50.

The authors cite a threefold aim for the Guide: (1) Reduce research time; (2) enable access to the kind of information that yields quality research; and (3) generate independent researchers. The intended audience for the Guide includes students in Bible and Christian liberal arts colleges as well as seminarians.

The approach is to describe various research tools, making comments on strengths and weaknesses. Then, each chapter concludes with an assignment designed to familiarize the researcher with the tools that have been considered.

After an introductory chapter, the Guide presents three chapters on general reference works. The first chapter treats religious and biblical reference works, including major encyclopedias of religion as well as encyclopedias and dictionaries of the Bible. In chap. 2, the Guide addresses general reference works on biblical archaeology, biblical theology, and systematic theology. In this chapter, the Guide cites works by evangelicals and Roman Catholics. In chap. 3 the Guide considers interdisciplinary research. Realizing that theological research may take the student into other fields of study, the Guide culls through works on education, history and biography, missions, philosophy and ethics, sociology, and psychology.

In chap. 5 the authors describe basic reference tools for Bible study. These include atlases, English Bible concordances, and multivolume sets of commentaries.

The Guide is arranged from more general reference works to the more specialized. Beginning with chaps. 6-9, the Guide focuses on tools for word studies. This block of chapters, the authors note, is concerned with "the methodology by which accurate ideas of words and their meanings) may be obtained" (p. 76). Accordingly, chap. 6 enumerates the major concordances, including English, Hebrew, and Greek. Concordances that access both the LXX and the NT are mentioned. Chapter 7 lists, describes and evaluates the major Hebrew and Greek lexical tools. The Greek tools indexed cover both the classical and Hellenistic periods of Greek literature.

Chapters 8 (OT) and 9 (NT) bear on the process of word studies. Using the tools mentioned for the appropriate testament, the Guide advocates attention to etymology (the origin and development of a word), usage (analysis of occurrences), and verification (examining one's findings against those of specialists).

Chapter 10 deals with online searching. This excellent chapter shows the researcher where to find and how to access books, dissertations, articles, theological resources, World-Wide-Web resources, mailing lists, and Bible software.

The final block of chapters, 10-15, is concerned with more specific resource tools. In these chapters, indexes and abstracts as well as bibliographies are noted and arranged by topic. The last chapter deals with accessing unpublished materials, including papers read at scholarly conferences.

The major strengths of the Guide are the breadth and quality of the reference works cited. Students in Bible and Christian liberal-arts schools will indeed find reference works that will result in high-quality work. Another strength, as indicated, is the chapter dealing with online searching.

One caution may be mentioned. The material on the use of language tools for word studies should be used with care by those without experience in the original languages. Beyond that, the Guide is an excellent resource for up-to-date tools on biblical research.

Loren D. Lineberry

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL