-- Walther Library Staff

From the formal reports of hieroglyphics to ostraca, ABZU is your gateway to the academic study of the Ancient Near East. Sponsored by the University of Chicago's renowned Oriental Institute, the resources indexed on this site range from email discussion groups to the official websites of archeological digs, from museum resources to dictionaries and word lists. ABZU is a great place for the serious exegete of the Scripture to look for resources to understand the culture of the Biblical world.

Beginning with his stay at Wartburg Castle in 1521, Dr. Luther translated the Bible into the German language. With the help of his friends, the reformer continued to refine the translation up until his death. This electronic edition is the text of the 1545 edition, considered the last authoritative printing.

Information technology has finally found its way to the quiet world of academic journals. One by one, even journals written for the disciplines of theology have begun to move their texts to the World Wide Web. Biblical Studies on the Web, an exegetical journal that appears only in electronic form, has provided this helpful guide to online versions of journals that publish articles on Biblical exegesis. A table contains the journal title, what has been placed on the web and what information is freely accessible. The titles are linked to the home pages of the respective periodical. Visit here to read your research from the comforts of your own computer.

The website for this PBS documentary series provides a wealth of images, scholarly articles, maps and more. Although the series tells the story of Jesus and the early church from the viewpoint of the Jesus Seminar, a gathering of liberal scholars whose viewpoint is at odds with that of conservative scholars, the evidence and images presented at the site are useful even to confessional Lutheran scholars.

Cyril of Alexandria, Defender of the Theotokos, is one of the most respected fathers of the Christian Church. This site has begun to collect electronic versions of the writings of this beloved bishop. Included here is Cyril's Commentary on Luke. Rev. Ted Mayes, an LCMS pastor, also provides links to other texts across the internet. A bulletin board is also available for those interested in discussing Cyril, his life and works.

"Perseus is a continually growing digital library of resources for studying the ancient world."[2] An awesome tool for the exegete of New Testament texts, this site provides a searchable version of the authoritative Liddell-Scott classical greek dictionary, texts and articles on themes in Greek and Roman culture. Use this site to deepen your understanding of the world in which Jesus lived and the Early Church grew.

The Summer Institute of Linguistics is a well-respected organization devoted to the study of lesser-known languages and linguistic groups. It provides support for the study of these tongues, the development of writing systems, literacy and translation of the Bible and other literature. This site provides electronic versions of many of SIL's high-quality resources, support for the use of computers to aid linguistic and translation work, software, fonts and more. This site is an essential first stop for the translator of God's Word.

You're in the study of your first parish. Preparing for your sermon, you reach over and open a systematics text to prepare your sermon right? Not! You look at the lessons for the week. The Text This Week is an index of worship and study resources designed to work the way you do -- from the text to the meaning of the passage to your sermon. A few warnings, are in order. The site uses the Revised Common Lectionary, not the historic one year or the three year ILCW lections. The commentators and resources tend to express the opinions of liberal theologians. Still, the work is well done. More than a few gems are referenced here. You will likely gain many insights visiting this fine site.

Dr. Judisch prepared these sermon notes on selected pericopes from the ILCW three-year lectionary. They are intended as an aid to understanding the meaning of the passage.

So what did Luther look like? Where can I find an image of the Wise Men adoring Jesus? This online art gallery is an amazing resource that can help you quickly find the painting that you need. The database already includes well over 10,000 images of art work from various places in Europe and periods in history. Still, the collection is thin in some spots and you may not find the exact item you have in mind. Yet the search engine is fast. By painter (called "author"), by a word in the short description, by period or by school of art. This is a great place to start your work.