John D. Davis (1) (1854–1926)

I acquired my copy of this treasure house of Biblical scholarship over twenty years ago shortly before my Grandfather sold his house. It is a 1915 reprint of the 1911 third edition. I find myself returning to this resource whenever I have a question of biblical history and I don't feel like turning to the vast expanse of the world wide web. This dictionary was written in the wake of the massive output of late 19th c. and perhaps very early 20th c. middle eastern archaeology. The illustrations and photography were undoubtedly at the top of their game for the time. It contains fourteen detailed maps at the back. Many of the entries are outright articles in and of themselves and they seldom fail to illuminate my understanding or spur me on to do further research. In addition to being historically rich the simplicity of its approach is refreshing and succinct in meaning. The extensive article on St. Paul starts with the simple statement: "The great apostle to the Gentiles." The entry of the Sun begins: "The luminary of the day, created by God, preserved by God and subject to God." Davis is no arcane erudite but a scholar with complete and accessible thoughts. My edition is so old that I turn the pages with trepidation but the writing is so well done that I can't just leave the book on the shelf. It was obviously well used by my Grandmother and I continue to use it while treating it with great care.… (mehr)