What is the Quaker Bible Index?

The Quaker Bible Index is a comprehensive Scripture index to works of several 17th- and 18th-century Friends, compiled in 1992-93 by Esther Greenleaf Murer.

How is it published?

It is available electronically in a choice of format: IBM (WordPerfect or MS Word on 2 HD 3.5-inch disks) or MAC (MS Word 5.1 on 1 HD 3.5-inch disk).

How can I get it and what does it cost?

Special order from FGC Bookstore $50 for the pair (of which $20 goes to support the FGC hymnal, Worship in Song).

What is the scope, and how is it arranged?

It is arranged in canonical order, and there are separate indexes for each author, also in canonical order. In addition to the index proper, there are also NRSV texts for all references cited, with citation codes attached. There are two separate files containing all references for which I found five or more citations.

What works are included?

The index includes mainly works by 17th- and 18th- century Friends that were in print as of 1993. For a full list of works click here.

How exhaustive is it?

To put some bounds to what would otherwise have been an limitless task, I chose works in which scripture references are identified in the text, committing myself only to including citations so marked. I did make more use of a concordance than I had intended, finding many erroneous citations which had to be corrected; and as I went along I became more adept at spotting things. In short, I have included what I have included. The QBI contains between 9,000 and 10,000 references.

What about subject indexes?

There are no subject indexes at present. Barclay's Apology in Modern English is a useful rough-and-ready guide to the Biblical basis for specific Quaker beliefs.

I hope to do more with references grouped by subject in the future, and invite anyone who has worked along these lines to get in touch with me.

Is there any material discussing early Friends' use of Scripture?

There are statistical tables showing the most quoted books and the distribution by percentage among different parts of the Bible. These tables also show the differences in emphasis between Fox, Barclay and Penn--the three writers with enough citations to make such analyis meaningful. Users of formats other than WordPerfect have reported difficulty viewing these tables.

Will there be an expanded edition?

I have begun adding in 17th- and 18th- Quaker writings published since 1993, such as the Works of Isaac Penington in 4 volumes, Job Scott's Salvation by Christ, and two collections of writings by women: Hidden in Plain Sight and Wilt Thou Go on My Errand? Suggestions for other works to add are most welcome.

I don't know what form the new edition will take. That depends partly on what technology is available in 3 or 4 years. In the meantime, I shall post supplements to the existing index on this site.

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