Bibles

There are many modern translations of the Bible into English. When you choose one for yourself, to understand the biblical narrative, you should try to find a reliable, common translation of the Bible. But you may also want to consult a more traditional Bible translation (like the King James Version) because it may resonate more with the kind of biblical language used in the biblical fictions you're reading.

Some recent, decent  translations of the Bible include:

the RSV (Revised Standard Version)

the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version)

the NIV (the New International Version)

the NASB (the New American Study Bible)

the NJKV (the New King James Version)

There are a plethora of translations, some accurate, some so inaccurate as to be paraphrases instead of translations.

This website attempts to preform an analysis of the "literalness" of various modern, English translations of the Bible using a few verses from the New Testament as "test cases." Remember: literalness does not always mean accuracy. The best translations probably fall somwhere in the middle of this analyst's chart. The translations at the top are so literal as to be less useful to the casual reader who does not know Hebrew or Greek; the "translations" at the bottom are really not translations at all, but rather interpretations or paraphrases.

This website gives generally sympathetic views of five "types" of translations: "Formal Equivalence," "Intermediate Adult," "Dynamic Equivalence," "Paraphase," and "Easy Reading." The first two "types" are appropriate for this class, the last three are not.

For this class, I have ordered a a Study Bible, which is a modern translation that includes notes and other helpful information to help you understand the biblical text. But you may use any Bible as long as it is not a paraphrase.

You may also choose to do your biblical reading online (if you do, please bring a digital or print-out of the assigned biblical readings to class). Online Bibles are also useful if you are trying to pin down a reference in a biblical fiction and it is not immediately apparent. Here are some reliable online Bibles:

Online RSV (http://quod.lib.umich.edu/r/rsv/): browseable and searchable

Online KJV (http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kjv/): browseable and searchable

Online NRSV (http://bible.oremus.org/): Note, because the NRSV is not in the public domain you cannot browse the Bible on this site and you can only view so many verses at a time. The online NRSV is searchable, however.

Databases

Through the Claremont Colleges you have access to a number of high-quality research databases that may assist you in completing your final project. These links will only work from a Claremont terminal, or by logging in through the library website.

ATLAS Religion Database. Online database of religious studies periodicals, very useful for finding scholarly articles and essays on biblical subjects (to research both the biblical "source text" as well as the biblical fictions themselves). You can also search by biblical passage.

MLA International Bibliography. Database of scholarly studies of literature and languages.

Book Review Digest Plus. A searchable database of book reviews from more than 100 publications.

LION (Literature Online). Searchable database of literature and literary criticism.

Academic Search Premier. A good starting place if you're looking for any scholarly treatment of a subject.

Lexis-Nexis. Originally a database of legal and congressional records, not indexes all major newspapers and magazines across the globe: a great place to search for recent reviews, trends, essays.

Other online resources

Journal of Religion and Film. Excellent resources, indexed by film and subject.

Internet Movie Database. Great resources for technical information on films, as well as links to reviews and discussion forums about films on the site.

Amazon. Now the largest bookseller in the world, and also a great resource for reader reviews of all kinds (of all media).

Bible Films Blog. "The largest source of information about Bible Films on the internet." Also has an index of biblical films that is very handy if you're searching for a final project topic.

Professor Jacobs' Library of Biblical Fictions: click here.