Book Review: The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media by Tom Thatcher, Chris Keith, Raymond F. Person, Elsie R. Stern, and Judith Odor

Abstract

The Dictionary of the Bible and Ancient Media (DBAM) is a response to the massive growth in research and publication in the area of ancient media studies. DBAM aims at providing a tool for the study of the interdisciplinary field of ancient media studies, which includes oral tradition, oral performance, personal and collective memory, ancient literacy and scribal practice and philosophy, visual culture, and ritual. The dictionary does more than touch upon these topics; it engages with issues surrounding critical and exegetical problems in biblical studies, rabbinical studies, studies of the history of Israel, and questions as to the origin of the Christian movement. This massive undertaking is spread out over 504 pages consisting of entries written by more than 120 contributors with high academic and publishing credentials in their respective fields of expertise. This all makes DBAM a very impressive and useful tool for modern Bible translation and Scripture engagement practitioners who want to get up to speed with the discussion in this field in a way that links theory with different fields of biblical studies. The demand for information on communicative strategies and the plausible filling out of details that were ignored or not sufficiently focused on in the written translation paradigm have increased exponentially in our day and age. Modern translation practice from a skopos theory perspective results in the demand for different types of translation (e.g., modernized children’s Bibles, basic language, illustrative translation, video, audio) where visuals as well as cultural understanding of the form of communication of ancient texts, the socio-cultural matrix of the ancient audience, and the tacit rules of engagement have become more and more important. Work with sign