TOOLS FOR THE UNASHAMED WORKMAN

Dispensational Truth is `Right Division' in application, and he who

rightly divides the Word of Truth must be reminded continually of 2 Timothy

We believe the following notes will be of service to the `unashamed

workman' although Dispensational Truth may not appear as the immediate theme.

We have spoken elsewhere (in Vol. 33 and 34 of The Berean Expositor)

about some of the most important `tools' such as Concordances, Lexicons,

Translations and the like, but there are a number of works that do not fall

so easily under such distinct headings that are nevertheless valuable.  In

the absence of any particular order, and wondering just what would be the

best way to interest the reader still further in this phase of witness, we

will imagine that our library is accessible to all our readers, and that

these notes are something of what we should say if asked by a student as to

some of the books on our shelves.  We do not pretend to have a `choice' set

of books, and most of those we have obtained have been gathered during the

years past from bookstalls up and down the country.  Some of them are

endeared to us by the memories of friends who have passed them on, others are

equally endeared because they have meant in days gone by going without

something else in order to buy them.  In no case do we advocate loading

oneself with books; let the selection be made with care and they will be all

the more useful.

To begin with, a good Biblical Dictionary is never an ill store, and

while there are Bible Dictionaries that run into many large volumes, these

are not generally worth the space to the average student.  Something concise

is all that is needed.  Here again, in the process of our own collection, we

have had no option but to purchase what came before us, and we speak of what

we possess and have used, not intending thereby to leave the impression that

others are not better.

Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible, edited by Charles Taylor,

eleventh edition, published in 1847 is a work that cannot fail to serve.  It

is a large volume of over 950 pages and gives a vast amount of information on

Biblical subjects, geographical notes, biographical notes, references to

manners and customs ...

For the last five minutes we have ceased writing, having accidentally

opened at a page dealing with Paul, and having caught sight of a number of

citations from Greek Poets, that illustrate the words of the Damascus

experience `Why kickest thou against the pricks'.  Quotations are given from

Pindar's Pythian Ode, Agamemnon and from the writings of Euripides.  We give

one as a sample:

`Thou shalt be taught, old man, what at thy age

Is a hard lesson, prudence --

Against the spurs (kentra as Acts 9:5) kick not, lest thou be hurt'.

Calmet's Dictionary has long been out of print, but it can be seen