Product Description

Beginning to study theology is like stepping into a conversation that has been going on for two thousand years.How do you take part in this conversation--or even make sense of it--if you don't understand the vocabulary or know the contributions made by other participants?The Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms is the perfect companion to your theological studies. Among its three hundred-plus definitions are

• English terms, from accomodation to wrath of God
• foreign terms, from a posteriori to via media
• theological movements and traditions, from the Alexandrian School to Wesleyanism
• theologians, from Anselm of Canterbury to Ulrich Zwingli

Here is an affordable and easily accessible resource for your theological readings, lectures and writing assignments. It's a must-have for every beginning theological student!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47779 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 122 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780830814497
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

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Customer Reviews

Pocket Full of Theology
I have several theology dictionaries which are helpful, but none give such pithy definitions. The definitions are short and to the point, without giving a lot of parallel information. Sometimes you just need a simple definition, not one that is pages long. This book does just that. I found that, while being short, each definition does not limit the meaning of the word too much. There is a good balance between giving open definitions and ones that still mean something. A most helpful resource that I use often.

A Small Gem
The Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms is a small, slim (122 pages) book which typically devotes five or six lines each to theological terms, major theologians, and theological movements and traditions.

It need hardly be said that a book which tries to squeeze a world of theology into a mere 122 pages will have its limitations. Nonetheless, it is surprisingly comprehensive, and refreshingly clear and concise. So, for example, it covers the Council of Nicea, the theology of Karl Barth, the meaning of fundamentalism, and more than 300 topics besides.

The authors state that their purpose is simply to "provide you with a foundational, working knowledge of the concepts". In this they certainly succeed - and with language that should be within the scope of most beginners. While most of their definitions would find general acceptance, they state that they give preference to a "broadly evangelical, Protestant perspective".

The one obvious shortcoming of the book is that it would sometimes seem to be capricious in its selection of terms. For example, salvation is defined, yet mission is not. The imago Dei is defined, yet the imitatio Christi is not. Adolf von Harnack receives an entry, yet Jürgen Moltmann does not. And finally - wait for it - Protestantism is defined, yet Roman Catholicism is not!

Having said this, many of the omissions (e.g. Roman Catholicism) would come into focus with a complete reading of the book, and this does not seriously detract from the usefulness of the book as a whole.

A full theological dictionary can "cost a ton", besides being difficult for beginners to cope with. This small book provides a cheap and handy alternative, and has the endorsement of leading evangelical seminaries. For what it is worth, it is a good reference work well written.

Not as thorough as they make you believe...
This dictionary is definitely for the layman's theologian. For those of a somewhat firm grasp of theological terminologies, you're better off sticking with a standard merriam-webster collegiate abridgement, or a larger, deeper theological dictionary. This dictionary is probably for the novice, or beginning student of theology or philosophy. There are many terms NOT included in this dictionary that I find often in theological studies that you'd think would be included. Where's the entry for "semiotics"? Where's the entry for "cosmogony"? Or how about "bibliomancy"? This book is very small, so at least they don't mislead you about its size. There are other theological dictionaries which have better application for the theology student/scholar in mind.

I suggest picking up Westminster's Dictionary of Theological Terminology by McKim for a more complete dictionary.