''Smith's Bible Dictionary'', originally named ''A Dictionary of the Bible'', is a 19th-century
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
dictionary containing upwards of four thousand entries that became named after its editor,
William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to:
Academics
* William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic
* William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...
. Its popularity was such that condensed dictionaries appropriated the title, "Smith's Bible Dictionary".
Overview
The original dictionary was published as a three-volume set in 1857 in London by
J. Murray, followed by a second edition in 1863, in London and
Boston, USA
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...
. This was followed by ''A Concise Dictionary of the Bible'' (1865), intended for the general reader and students, and ''A Smaller Dictionary of the Bible'' (1866), for use in schools. ''A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Bible'' (1868), was published simultaneously in London and New York, and a four-volume ''Dictionary of the Bible'' (1871), was published in Boston, amongst other things incorporating the appendices of the first edition into the main body of the text.
In the UK, a corresponding second edition of the first volume in two parts, edited by Smith and
J. M. Fuller, was published in 1893.
The original publications are now in the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
; some derivative, commercial versions are still in copyright.
Noted contributors to the dictionary include
Harold Browne
Edward Harold Browne (6 March 1811 – 18 December 1891) was a bishop of the Church of England.
Early life and education
Browne was born on 6 March 1811 at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the second son of Robert Browne of Morton House in Buck ...
, bishop of Ely;
Charles J. Ellicott, bishop of Gloucester and Bristol; and the
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
scholars
J. B. Lightfoot
Joseph Barber Lightfoot (13 April 1828 – 21 December 1889), known as J. B. Lightfoot, was an English theologian and Bishop of Durham.
Life
Lightfoot was born in Liverpool, where his father John Jackson Lightfoot was an accountant. His m ...
,
William W. Selwyn, and
Brooke Foss Westcott
Brooke Foss Westcott (12 January 1825 – 27 July 1901) was an English bishop, biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death. He is perhaps most known for co-editing ''The New Testament in the Orig ...
, who would later become bishop of Durham.
One of the American contributors was
George Edward Post
George Edward Post (1838–1909) was an American surgeon, academic and botanist.
Biography
George Edward Post was born in New York City on December 17, 1838, the son of Alfred Charles Post.
He was a Professor of Surgery at the Syrian Pro ...
, a medical doctor and botanist (of the
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...
(AUB)).
[Robert E. Thompson. ]
Editions
*''A Dictionary of the Bible'', edited by William Smith (3 volumes: London, John Murray, 1863).
*''A Concise Dictionary of the Bible'', edited by William Smith (London, John Murray, 1865).
*''A Smaller Dictionary of the Bible'', edited by William Smith (London, John Murray, 1866).
*''A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Bible'', edited by Samuel Barnum (New York, Appleton; London, Little Britain, 1868).
*''A Dictionary of the Bible'', edited by H. B. Hackett (4 volumes: New York, Hurd and Houghton, 1871).
*''A Dictionary of the Bible'', edited by William Smith and J. M. Fuller, 2nd edition (vol. 1 part I, vol. 1 part II: London, John Murray, 1893).
*''A Dictionary of the Bible'', revised and edited by Rev. F. N. Peloubet and M. A. Peloubet, "with the latest researches and references to the
Revised Version
The Revised Version (RV) or English Revised Version (ERV) of the Bible is a late-19th-century British revision of the King James Version. It was the first (and remains the only) officially authorised and recognised revision of the King James Vers ...
of the New Testament" (Philadelphia: Porter and Coates, 1884; Reprint: Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co., 1948).
See also
*
Public domain resources
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds the exclusive ri ...
*
''Easton's Bible Dictionary'' (1897), another popular 19th-century Bible dictionary
References
External links
''Smith's Bible Dictionary'' – Table of Contents''Webster's'' 1828, ''Easton'' and ''Smith's Bible Dictionaries'' - Android App''Webster's'' 1828, ''Easton'' and ''Smith's Bible Dictionaries'' - IOS App
{{Authority control
1863 non-fiction books
Reference works in the public domain
Bible dictionaries