摘要：1]A careful exegesis of its title would leave those of us trained in close reading of texts with a mistaken notion of its contents. Like its first edition, Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible(hereafter, DDD) provides (in)valuable information on considerably more than just deities and demons in the Bible. In the editors' words, DDD "assesses the impact of contemporary religions on Israel and the Early Church by focusing on those gods that actually left traces in the Bible" (xv). Thus, the major criterion for the inclusion of a deity/demon in this reference work is its mention in the Bible. Even this seemingly straightforward criterion requires further clarification.[2]By defining "Bible" as the canon recognized by the Orthodox Churches, the editors have available the "most comprehensive canon currently used." More difficult to define is the "mention" of a deity/demon's name. "Mention" most obviously refers to direct reference (e.g. Dagon in 1 Samuel 5:1-7). However, the editors significantly expand the meaning of "mention" to include those deities/demons who appear as an element in personal or place names (e.g. Anat in Anathoh). Rightly acknowledging that the occurrence in a place name does not guarantee that that deity in question was worshipped by the inhabitants of a particular place, the editors nevertheless include that deity/demon because of its presumed "familiarity" to these inhabitants. In other words, the deity/demon was "part of the religious milieu of the Bible" (xvi).
