The Bible

Some Resources on Friends and the Bible

Quaker Bible Index: Esther Greenleaf Mürer has worked since 1992 to compile "a comprehensive scripture index to early Quaker writings in print." The last time she posted a count she had cataloged 35,000 references! It's really a fantastic resource for those of us who want to understand how the Bible shaped the theology and world view of early Friends. Bonus: Quaker blogger Mark Wutka pulled together a list of the most quoted verses from the Quaker Bible Index.

eBible.com: Blogger Kirk Wattles of has been using this service to tag verses that "mean the most to me, relating to Quaker faith and practice, particularly in the historical context." These includes references from William Penn, the Quaker Bible Index and Vail Palmer. Here's Kirk's eBible profile, which includes his links and his "friends," many of whom are active Quaker bloggers.

Read-the-Bible.org: This project comes from Friend Sue Jeffers, a professor at Earlham School of Religion and Bethany Theological Seminary, both in Richmond Indiana. She describes the site as "peace church bible study" and it has an extensive set of links.

Quakerinfo.com's Friends and the Bible: Bill Samuel has a great page that starts with an explanation of how early Friends related to the Bible and then goes on to link four centuries of Quaker statements and testimonies! His Friends Christian Renewal listing is a great guide to some hard-to-find meetings and worship groups.

The Scriptures as Understood & Used by Conservative Friends: An introduction from Quakerspring, an annual gathering at Barnesville Ohio that brings visitors from across the Friendly spectrum.

Bible Reading in the Manner of Conservative Friends is a technique for using scripture in meeting for worship. In this interview Charles Martin of the Christian Friends Conference introduces it and explains it's particular utility in introducing Christ-centered worship to audiences not accustomed to it.


The photo above is George Fox's bible, photographed in Swarthmoor Hall, England.