Pitts Theology Library has initiated a trial with Oxford University Press to offer the Oxford Biblical Studies Online package to all Emory students, faculty, and staff, as well as walk-in users in the library, through Databases@Emory (link and description below). We are hoping that there will be sufficient interest in this excellent collection of online texts, commentaries, and reference works to justify a full purchase of the package, beginning in 2016. So, we invite you to explore these resources and come speak to the Pitts reference librarians about the content that is included. We are excited about the possibility of offering this on a permanent basis, and if we do purchase it, we will be developing instructional material soon.
Oxford Biblical Studies Online @ Emory: http://pitts.emory.edu/obso (requires Emory login)
Description from the Publisher
Oxford Biblical Studies Online provides a comprehensive resource for the study of the Bible and biblical history. The integration of authoritative scholarly texts and reference works with tools that provide ease of research into the background, context, and issues related to the Bible make Oxford Biblical Studies Online a valuable resource not only for college students, scholars, and clergy, but also anyone in need of an authoritative, ecumenical, and up-to-date resource. Easy to search and navigate, this site offers a ready access point for a wealth of Bible text and commentary—including the New Oxford Annotated Bible and five other popular Oxford Study Bibles—under the direction of a team of esteemed scholars headed by Editor in Chief Michael D. Coogan. Texts from selected Oxford Bibles can be viewed in side-by-side display with the user’s choice of commentary and annotations from the Study Bibles, the stand-alone Oxford Bible Commentary, and A-Z concordances for the NRSV and NAB translations. The Bible content is supplemented by collections of major apocryphal Old and New Testament texts in translation. In addition to the Bible texts, Oxford Biblical Studies Online offers quick access to over 5,000 A-Z entries from the Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Oxford Companion to the Bible, and a wealth of other Oxford references. Users can easily navigate to hundreds of topical essays within the Oxford Study Bibles themselves, in The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies, The Oxford History of the Biblical World, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, Oxford Bible Atlas, and other works, and access hundreds of searchable images and maps from these major scholarly publications. Research in Oxford Biblical Studies Online is enhanced by timelines, a special Tools & Resources section with informative tables and charts, a list of Internet resources approved and recommended by specialists in the field, a lectionary calendar, and suggested reading lists for further research. A Bible Verse Look-up feature and sophisticated search and browse capabilities allow for easy navigation through the site. Oxford Biblical Studies Online is updated with new content and revised articles twice a year. In addition to this, Focus On essays are updated six times per year, keeping researchers informed of advances in the field.
Key Texts Available Online (a select set; see a full list here: http://global.oup.com/obso/whats_inside/)
New Oxford Annotated Bible
Jewish Study Bible
Catholic Study Bible
Oxford Bible Commentary
Concise Concordance to the NRSV
Oxford Bible Atlas
Oxford Dictionary of the Bible
Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible
Oxford Encyclopedias of the Bible
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and the Arts