Ship of Fools: If you could recommend one series of commentaries?

Thread: If you could recommend one series of commentaries? Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Yerevan (# 10383) on :

Subject line says it all really [Smile]

I'm getting slightly bewildered by the range of options...

Posted by Oscar the Grouch (# 1916) on :

I wouldn't go for a single series!

For each book of the Bible, I would search out the best commentary I could find, taking into account what my specific needs are.

For example, my personal preference would be for something which will help me make connections between the biblical text and the world in which I am going to be preaching. I don't necessarily want something which is going to unpack every jot and tittle in minute detail. Someone else's needs may be rather different!

Having said that, I find that the Interpretation series has been pretty useful and I have gradually accumulated a fair few of the commentaries in the series (especially Brueggemann on Genesis!).

It also depends on how much you want to pay per book. I was prepared to splash out on the two volume commentary on Luke by Fitzmyer but it didn't come cheap and I can understand why others might baulk.

When I survey my bookshelf, I can see far too many commentaries which I now regret buying. Most of them were purchased because so-and-so told me that this was THE book on XYZ. I believed them rather than do my own spade work. Big mistake. So I have Motyer's commentary on Isaiah, far too many IVP commentaries, Hawthorne on Philippians - all of which rarely get opened.

Posted by Emma. (# 3571) on :

I was told at college to not buy a book without having read/used it first - the thought being that you would then know if youre likely to use it again. Not so easy when away from college libraries etc tho.

Id definately echo the advice about it being different for different books. As lovely and pretty as a complete "set" looks on a bookshelf - different authors have different styles etc and I would have more of a pic n mix approach to gathering the ones I want. You might also you want seveal on the gospels (for example) and you dont need all the minor prophets. I would tend then to go for a gradual building up of a collection as you needed it - and use a more general bible commentary when the depth isnt needed. (eg - Dictionary of jesus and the gospels/ Dictionary of Paul/ Dictionary of the church are a few I keep meaning to rebuy - very nice and easily to read - but i used a lot of excerts to get a general overview and a mix of scholars with good credentials [Smile]

Posted by Ex Cathedra (# 4579) on :

'Paul must himself have seen less darkly
had he but studied William Barclay.'

Posted by Matrix (# 3452) on :

It kinda depends on what you want to use them for? Are they to help you prepare sermons, to help you study, or for devotional use?

A series that would blend most of these needs would be the "Bible Speaks Today" series, that tend to look at the larger themes in the text and mix devotional as theological background.

They're not too expensive - £8-12 new, much much less second hand.

M

Posted by Newman's Own (# 420) on :

I would agree that the commentary best suited to one's needs and to study of particular books could vary. As a general rule, I find the New Jerome Biblical Commentary to be invaluable, and I especially like many of the volumes in the New International Greek Testament Commentaries. Anything by Raymond E. Brown, N. T. Wright, and Joseph Fitzmyer (the last mentioned being a major expert in Aramaic texts) is worth a look - and, for epistles of Paul in particular, I love Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, whose wry style often includes extremely insightful analyses.

For Old Testament, I, having the good fortune to have access to some excellent libraries, I try to read Jewish commentaries first - but there is no 'series' I could recommend.

Is your work with the scriptures mainly scholarly (presenting papers and such), academic lectures, or for preaching? I'm only asking because some Ship mates may have found that one series or another is better suited for particular uses.

Posted by Zar (# 4647) on :

If you want a fairly rigorous but not overly dense academic approach, Blacks' (NT only) are good, though some are more recent than others.

If you want full-blown, nit-picking, microscopic academia, then go for the ICC (International Critical Commentaries). I tend to use these just to look up particular verses that interest me - they're not the kind of thing you'd read cover to cover!

[ 02. August 2006, 21:49: Message edited by: Zar ]

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

Sacra Pagina, so far, if I were limited to only one. But I have everything from Word, which are very good, to Anchor, which are patchy, to NIGTC and NICNT to hermeneia to Interpretation.

My second choice would be the New Interpreters Bible

Posted by student (# 4927) on :

quote:
Sacra Pagina, so far, if I were limited to only one. But I have everything from Word, which are very good, to Anchor, which are patchy, to NIGTC and NICNT to hermeneia to Interpretation.

I have used most of these at various times. Sacra Pagina - wonderful, but for ease of use and ready availability, Word on CD is great. I prefer the physical feel of paper and books, but the ease of this is good.

You really need to consider what you are using them for, and how much you have to spend. Some are more readily available than others commercially. Do you have access to a good theological library so you can see some of those which Zappa has mentioned?

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Oscar the Grouch:
<snip> ... Hawthorne on Philippians - all of which rarely get opened.

a wise choice, IMHO [Biased]

(but don't tell Gordo I said that)

Posted by Barnabas62 (# 9110) on :

Peake's one-volume commentary on the Bible (Ed. Matthew Black) is available, 2nd hand, via Amazon for less than £20. The original text (itself a wholesale revision of the original Peake Commentaries) is 45 years old now, and I'm not sure if the latest paperback edition is a revision or just a reprint. But if you bear that in mind, I reckon it's a one-volume bargain and a useful addition to the shelves.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

{bump}

Posted by T.B.Cherubim (# 11582) on :

A good one volume commentary is often a place to start for first reference. New Jerome for instance. Also the Oxford Bible Commentary (editors John Barton for OT and John Muddiman for NT) is scholarly and accessible. It is due to appear in paperback soon. The hardcover also comes with a CD of the entire text - handy to lug around in your lap top.

Posted by jerusalemcross (# 12179) on :

Would echo the good advice of a single volume comprehensive commentary such as N Jerome supplemented by individually chosen separate-book commentaries - avoiding at all costs any of the ones by William Barclay please. And there are commentaries which you'll probably never ever need so don't use precious monetary resources in buying them, use library or inter-library borrowing services; or online services possibly accesible through your college or university. Having a hard-copy "set" is probably counterproductive. And very expensive.

Sometimes second-hand copies turn up in Amazon (UK and USA) or Barnes & Noble (USA).

Also backing up choices of Raymond Brown and Fitzmeyer as first-rate but pricey. Pity these aren't printed as paperbacks or limp-bound editions at lower cost (Anyone with influence in the publishing industry out there??)

Posted by iain67 (# 1583) on :

I would reccommend Walter Brueggemann (Interpretation, John Knox Press) every time - good writing, and especially good on theological themes / emphases, often quite left field or tying in with other biblical themes, which should be good for sermon preparation. Not great on exegesis or technical matters, but there is a real depth of scholarship underneath.

I've not read Robert Alter's 'Genesis', but I've read some of his other work, and articles / items on Gnesis, and I'll bet this would be an interesting read from a literary approach to the Bible- very fruitful and thought provoking, and among the most worthwhile of literary approaches (and pretty cheap too)

Iain

Posted by Custard. (# 5402) on :

In my opinion, the best single series for the not-especially-theologically-educated is the NIV Application Series. They're not stunningly good, but none of them is shockingly bad and there are some good volumes in it.

Best overall series in my opinion is probably the (very incomplete) Pillar series. The New American Commentaries are also meant to be generally good, but I've only got one of them.

I'm trying to put together a library of the best commentary I can find on each book. It's taking a while...

[ 09. January 2007, 22:22: Message edited by: Custard. ]

Posted by Ddraig (# 7572) on :

Have any Shipmates used e-sword ?

I mention it here because it has several commentaries free to download (although donations are welcome) and also a couple available for a fee. I am still exploring it, but of the Bible translations free to download includes several English language ones, Greek, Hebrew and Latin as well as many modern languages.

A list of the commentaries available is found here.
I believe the free ones are all ones that the copyright has expired on e.g. John Wesley's Notes on the Bible.

Posted by Custard. (# 5402) on :

Yeah - I use it but I don't use the commentaries that much. Matthew Henry is, well, Matthew Henry and often has some good insights.

CCEL has much more out-of-copyright stuff.

Posted by Ddraig (# 7572) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Custard:
Yeah - I use it but I don't use the commentaries that much. Matthew Henry is, well, Matthew Henry and often has some good insights.

Could you possibly expand on this please? The commentaries on e-Sword are the first commentaries I've really looked at and so I don't have a lot of experience/reference for their biases and reliability (Scofield and John Wesley being the only ones I recognised and know anything about!)

Posted by Custard. (# 5402) on :

Matthew Henry's biography on Wikipedia says it very well.

He's a good commentator, but reads very much like an 18th century English presbyterian and sometimes goes off on good but irrelevant tangents. Some older English baptist preachers still sound like that...

For free stuff online, I still love Spurgeon's Treasury of David (on the Psalms) and Calvin's Commentaries (from CCEL) too, but they often concentrate so much on verse-by-verse and word-by-word analysis that they miss the macro-structure of the text.

Posted by Custard. (# 5402) on :

For a single volume commentary, I'd go for the New Bible Commentary.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Custard.:
In my opinion, the best single series for the not-especially-theologically-educated is the NIV Application Series. They're not stunningly good, but none of them is shockingly bad and there are some good volumes in it.

If, as the title indicates, this series is based on the NIV translation, there may be problems. Some people have serious reservations about the NIV translation. This thread has a discussion about it.

Moo

Posted by Rev per Minute (# 69) on :

I have to say that I rely a great deal on NT Wright's series on the New Testament as a starting point for study and sermons. But most of my deeper study of passages (for preaching purposes) comes from the 'net, especially 'The Text this Week' which can also be searched by book.

As others have said, much depends on what you want the commentary for, and what depth you want/need.

Posted by Genista (# 10027) on :

From the volumes I've seen (mostly of Luke) I rather like Nolland. Mostly he makes an interesting counterpoint to Jerome, which we generally have out on long-term loan from the university library. I particularly recall him being good on structural patterns in wider units of the text but he's jolly interesting on pericopes also. I only get to take him out for three weeks at a time, though, which limits my familiarity. Note: I'm using him for theology essays, not for devotion.

Posted by Amazing Grace (# 95) on :

quote:
Originally posted by jerusalemcross:
Would echo the good advice of a single volume comprehensive commentary such as N Jerome supplemented by individually chosen separate-book commentaries - avoiding at all costs any of the ones by William Barclay please. And there are commentaries which you'll probably never ever need so don't use precious monetary resources in buying them, use library or inter-library borrowing services; or online services possibly accesible through your college or university. Having a hard-copy "set" is probably counterproductive. And very expensive.

Sometimes second-hand copies turn up in Amazon (UK and USA) or Barnes & Noble (USA).

Also backing up choices of Raymond Brown and Fitzmeyer as first-rate but pricey. Pity these aren't printed as paperbacks or limp-bound editions at lower cost (Anyone with influence in the publishing industry out there??)

I got my "Intro to the New Testament" by Brown used on Amazon for far less than cover price.

Shop around!

Charlotte

Posted by Custard. (# 5402) on :

The New International Greek Testament Commentaries (NIGTC) are great on the NT if you can read Greek. Every single one in the series seems to be generally reckoned to be among the best on the book in question.

If you can't read Greek, they're not so useful at all, except as doorstops / paperweights.

Posted by Autenrieth Road (# 10509) on :

quote:
Originally posted by iain67:
I've not read Robert Alter's 'Genesis', but I've read some of his other work, and articles / items on Gnesis, and I'll bet this would be an interesting read from a literary approach to the Bible- very fruitful and thought provoking, and among the most worthwhile of literary approaches (and pretty cheap too)

He's got a whole Pentateuch (The Five Books of Moses) now, plus The David Story which is Samuel 1 & 2.

Posted by Autenrieth Road (# 10509) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amazing Grace:
I got my "Intro to the New Testament" by Brown used on Amazon for far less than cover price.

Reading Brown, and adoring it, because of the introductory chapters and the appendices, even leaving apart the commentary itself.

Does someone know a similar book for OT? I want to use it as a strong supplement to the EFM readings: i.e. something that will cover the similar whole "Intro to the OT and its world and comment on all the books" spectrum. In just one or possibly two Big Fat Books, but not 35.

Posted by Amazing Grace (# 95) on :

AR, I have a book by Bruggemann (sp? the post-op kitten is sleeping on me and I don't wish to disturb her) that came recommended on the Ship. Haven't read it yet, as I was done with Year 1 when I got it. Maybe this coming summer.

Charlotte

Posted by Amazing Grace (# 95) on :

here's the title

Charlotte

Posted by Custard. (# 5402) on :

I must admit, I'm a big fan of "A Biblical History of Israel" by Provan, Longman and Long.

Posted by J.S. Bach (# 9633) on :

While I have not read this book myself, one of our pastors used Old Testament Survey by William Sanford LA Sor, David Allan Hubbard, et al., when teaching Bible teachers. He used Brown's book for the NT.

Blessings,
JSB

Posted by AngCath (# 12378) on :

As far as single volume commentaries go I recommend New Jerome.

For multi-volume commentaries the New Interpreters Bible is always a good place to look.

Posted by T.B.Cherubim (# 11582) on :

quote:
Originally posted by AngCath:
As far as single volume commentaries go I recommend New Jerome.

For multi-volume commentaries the New Interpreters Bible is always a good place to look.

Last century when I was a studying theology I was encouraged to buy the (old) Jerome Biblical Commentary, which I still refer to from time to time, although the print is now far to small for these aging eyes. There were excellent general articles as well. I have not looked into the New Jerome. Apart from being updated in scholarship, does it also include some of the helpful essays on topics like hermeneutics, biblical inspiration etc?

Posted by dalej42 (# 10729) on :

Can anyone suggest a good commentary on the Book of Daniel? I'd like to find something in print in the United States which covers the history of the book, the apocryphal sections such as Bel and the Dragon, as well as the historical references in the apocalyptic chapters.

Posted by Nigel M (# 11256) on :

quote:
Originally posted by dalej42:
Can anyone suggest a good commentary on the Book of Daniel? I'd like to find something in print in the United States which covers the history of the book, the apocryphal sections such as Bel and the Dragon, as well as the historical references in the apocalyptic chapters.

Looks like this one has floored everyone! The only commentaries that I am familiar with on Daniel focus on the 12 chapters, excluding the stories of Bel and the Dragon. You might have to look at Orthodox or RC commentaries for those sections.

As far the first 12 chapters go, I found John Goldingay's work in the Word Biblical Commentary Series very helpful on background and aanalysis. the Amazon USA link to it is here.

Hope this is helpful,

Nigel

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :

If preaching, as they are largely preached texts, it is worthwhile looking at Calvin's Commentaries.

A word of warning on the New Century Commentaries. They are using texts which can be decades old. I know this because I know one of the authors and he thought it was out of print. He sold copyright on it to the original publishers, about forty years ago.

Another group of commentaries at the lower end which is worth looking at is The People's bible Commentary published by the Bible Reading Fellowship ones. They are by modern Scholar, those I know include Loveday Alexander, John Ponter and James Dunn, but are aimed at a general readership.

Jengie

Posted by Evagrius (# 12587) on :

I've found these very good:

New Interpreter's Bible Commentary
Word Bible Commentary
New Jerome Bible Commentary
Sacra Pagina (only N.T.)

Posted by calisnenath (# 11927) on :

quote:
But most of my deeper study of passages (for preaching purposes) comes from the 'net, especially 'The Text this Week' which can also be searched by book.

Rev per minute

I use this frequently too and find it very useful although you need to exercise a fair amount of quality control. Is is a eclectic mix from the web. Need I say more.

Although not in the original post I also find a Bible Dictionary an invaluable tool for getting theological background on topics and definitions of terms. I use Lutterworth Dictionary of the Bible but I'm sure others will have different suggestions.

I can't comment on commentaries as my Dad writes the best ones.

[Razz]

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

bump

Posted by dalej42 (# 10729) on :

What is considered the best commentary on the Gospel of Mark?

Posted by Nigel M (# 11256) on :

quote:
Originally posted by dalej42:
What is considered the best commentary on the Gospel of Mark?

As always, dalej42, it rather depends on who you talk to and what you are looking for! I have found that Mark tends to get short shrift in commentary series, which is a shame, but the following from the publisher Eerdmans are worth a browse to see they (or one of them) suit(s):-

R.T. France's work in the The New International Greek Testament Commentary series;

William Lane's work in New International Commentary on the New Testament series; and

J.R. Edwards' work in the Pillar New Testament Commentary series.

These are all pretty much from the evangelical stable. Perhaps others can assist with works taking a different approach?

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

A woman who attends my church has written a book about Mark.

Her name is Elizabeth Struthers Malbon, and the book is called Hearing Mark: A Listener's Guide.. It's not a verse-by-verse analysis; it's a discussion of how Mark's gospel is put together. I found it very interesting.

Moo

Posted by Hart (# 4991) on :

Harrington and Donahue wrote the Sacra Pagina commentary on Mark, which I've heard good things about, though never used.

Posted by Jayhawker Soule (# 14012) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Autenrieth Road:

quote:
Originally posted by iain67:
I've not read Robert Alter's 'Genesis', but I've read some of his other work, and articles / items on Gnesis, and I'll bet this would be an interesting read from a literary approach to the Bible- very fruitful and thought provoking, and among the most worthwhile of literary approaches (and pretty cheap too)
He's got a whole Pentateuch (The Five Books of Moses) now, plus The David Story which is Samuel 1 & 2.

He has also recently published The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

Originally posted by cg on the Finding a Bible thread

I'm bumping this thread in the hope that people here might be able to suggest a one-volume Old Testament commentary that draws on patristic interpretations of the OT. Perhaps something like the Catena Aurea for the Gospels. But even more useful if has some of the standard stuff as well, but minimal detail on textual variants. I've become intrigued by some of the patristic commentary in Nocturn II of the Matins readings, when Nocturn I is taken from the OT.

Is the Jerome Bible Commentary any use in this regard? I've not been able to get to see a copy. But I do have plenty on the NT so one for only the OT would be preferable.

Posted by Custard. (# 5402) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Custard.:
In my opinion, the best single series for the not-especially-theologically-educated is the NIV Application Series. They're not stunningly good, but none of them is shockingly bad and there are some good volumes in it.

Best overall series in my opinion is probably the (very incomplete) Pillar series. The New American Commentaries are also meant to be generally good, but I've only got one of them.

I'm trying to put together a library of the best commentary I can find on each book. It's taking a while...

A few years and a theology degree later, and I disagree with myself. I'd still say NIVAC for the "lightweight" commentaries, but I'd now go for the various series by Baker Academic for the first choice. Instead of doing one single series for the whole Bible, they've split it into different mini-series (e.g. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament is the biggest, but there are several OT series), and they are often the best when they exist...

They're also fairly up to date, being all fairly recent.

Posted by A.Pilgrim (# 15044) on :

quote:
Originally posted by dalej42:
What is considered the best commentary on the Gospel of Mark?

If you find the NIGTC too heavyweight, I recommend the volume in The People's Bible Commentary (published by BRF) which was also written by Dick (R.T.) France. It's written as a series of daily readings (which might not be what you want). I've just worked through it myself, and found it very enlightening.

(I was delighted to find the People's Bible Commentary series, as I find the typical daily bible reading books/booklets just too devotional and subjective.)

(And from reading this thread I find that R.T. France wrote the NIGTC commentary on Mark - I must get it!) [Smile]

Posted by Oferyas (# 14031) on :

I found myself wondering whether I was looking at a broad enough tradition of interpretation, and treated myself to a few volumes of the 'Ancient Christian Commentaries' series. The patristic material is these tends to be drawn from ancient sermons - I felt the series title promised much but delivered little, and certainly can't say reading these altered my preaching or informed my Bible Study.

Our parish Bible Study group launched into Genesis using that volume of the Jewish Publication Society Torah Commentary. A fairly dense read at times, but it completely transformed our understanding of the Creation accounts, for example. Expensive, but wonderful.

I managed to obtain the 16 volumes of The Interpreter's Bible Commentary on ebay for an idiotically low price, and the James volume is helping me through a dry night in the sermon factory tonight!

Hope this helps!

Posted by cg (# 14332) on :

It's good to know that someone else is thinking in the same direction, Oferyas. I went and ordered a couple of volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentaries on Scripture series for the books I'll be reading in the next few months, to try them out. That was before I read here that you found them disappointing. I'll see how I find them.

Are you familiar with the Orthodox Study Bible (see link on the 'picky, picky' Bible thread)? If so, how do you find it?

Posted by Oferyas (# 14031) on :

Best of luck with them!

I haven't tried the 'Orthodox Study Bible', having been put off by a couple of reviews. I did see a copy in our ex SPCK bookshop, but didn't want to give money to 'St Stephen the Great' in view of how they were treating their staff.

Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :

I rather like the Concordia Commentaries, what I've seen of them. But VERY academic, though at least translation is provided.

And I've got a copy of the new Lutheran Study Bible! It appears to have lots of stuff from the church fathers in the notes. I haven't had time to go all through it, yet, though.

Posted by cg (# 14332) on :

Oferyas - yes, I've now read enough negative reviews of the Orthodox Study Bible to know that it won't do for my purposes. Someone suggested I look at a couple of books by Johanna Manley from St Vladimir's Seminary Press: The Bible and the Holy Fathers, and Wisdom let us attend (the third section of it). Do you know either?

Posted by Oferyas (# 14031) on :

Sorry, don't know either of those.

Posted by WearyPilgrim (# 14593) on :

I still have my set (minus one volume) of the original Interpreter's Bible from the 1950s, and continue to find it very helpful after thirty years. I also have several of Raymond Brown's excellent books on the NT, the whole set of the Expositor's Bible Commentary from my con-evo days (a good, solid mainstream evangelical perspective) and William Barclay's Daily Study Bible NT set. Barclay's exegesis of some passages had a profound effect on the evolution of my theology. He was also a good, clear writer.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

{bump}

Posted by Grape is thy faithfulness (# 15430) on :

quote:
Originally posted by A.Pilgrim:
If you find the NIGTC too heavyweight, I recommend the volume in The People's Bible Commentary (published by BRF) which was also written by Dick (R.T.) France. It's written as a series of daily readings (which might not be what you want). I've just worked through it myself, and found it very enlightening.

(I was delighted to find the People's Bible Commentary series, as I find the typical daily bible reading books/booklets just too devotional and subjective.)

I've been looking for a while for materials suitable for personal study. I have read a number of the Tom Wright books but find them rather unsatisfying - the chunk-by-chunk approach doesn't lend itself particularly well to drawing out themes and patterns, and the commentary element doesn't generally give any hint about the degree of scholarly/church consensus or controversy about each passage. I've also bought the Nicholas King SJ translation/commentaries on the NT and Wisdom literature - I look forward to getting to grips with those.

I'd be interested in others' comments on their experiences:
- what sort of books would you recommend for the enquiring person in the pews;
- how open are these books about the theological orientation of the author, and the range of other interpretations that are possible (and why the author favours their particular standpoint);
- how helpful are the books in looking at context - the context of the particular book of the Bible within the Bible, within the religious framework of that book's author
etc

I may be a wimp, but I don't fancy commuting with the New Jerome or Oxford Bible commentary!

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :

The BRF Peoples Commentary aren't by Tom Wright in fact none of the current published ones are. They seem to use a wide range of scholars. I certainly could spot: Anglicans(at least on liberal), Methodist, URC (conservative) and people who sounded as if Roman Catholic.

They seem to have taken people who are scholars but also good at presenting research to lay people in an open way.

Jengie

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

I'm a fan of the New Jerome commentary, too. But even though mine's the paperback version, it is rather heavy to carry around.
But, quite coincidentally, I've just had cause to look up a bible verse online and added 'meaning' after the verse, which brought up references to online bible commentaries. You'd need to spend some time checking if you were happy with their approach (which I expect would vary) but it sounds like some of these could be a useful potential resource.

(And welcome to the ship, Grape!)

[ 22. January 2010, 15:36: Message edited by: Chorister ]

Posted by Grape is thy faithfulness (# 15430) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
The BRF Peoples Commentary aren't by Tom Wright in fact none of the current published ones are. They seem to use a wide range of scholars. I certainly could spot: Anglicans(at least on liberal), Methodist, URC (conservative) and people who sounded as if Roman Catholic.

They seem to have taken people who are scholars but also good at presenting research to lay people in an open way.

Jengie

I appreciate that the BRF books are not Tom Wright - but they seem to me to share the disadvantage of being strongly focused on daily chunks, rather than looking across the book. But thanks for your thoughts!

Posted by tclune (# 7959) on :

I wanted to bump this thread to share an incredible online resource that I stumbled across, Tyndale Seminary's virtual reading room This site has a HUGE collection of resources for Biblical scholarship. They are tied into Google's effort to make everything available online. The books are often not completely available through the site -- for example, there are only a few of the 15 volumes of the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament available without buying them. But you can really explore different texts that are current and see if they fit your interest and level of appreciation for the subject. Just don't click the link if you don't have a few days to waste...

--Tom Clune

Posted by Bran Stark (# 15252) on :

I really like The Interpreter's Bible. Twelve volumes, with "text, exegesis, and exposition". And said text is parallel-column KJV and RSV. Ironically the IB seems to have been considered a horrific liberal work when it came out, but today is very much on the "conservative" side of things. Rather like the RSV itself.

I don't really like it's supposed successor The New Interpreter's Bible as much. It includes the Apocrypha, which is good. It updates the RSV to the NRSV, which is fine and I even support, but on the other column then for some unfathomable reason it chucks out the KJV for the terrible clunky NIV.

Posted by tclune (# 7959) on :

I just want to add one enjoyable new find: I got the first volume of The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture which is a 28-volume commentary on all of scripture. It is a real pleasure, although it would be less than ideal to use as your only commentary.

The OT commentary is heavily biased toward jumping-to-Jesus, which was the style for many years but makes for a very unbalanced theological diet if that's all you consume. Nonetheless, it is a delight to see the words of so many of the Church Fathers in elucidation of the scriptures. FWIW

--Tom Clune

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

The following two posts have been copied from "Commentary recommendations".

--------------------------------------
Jengie Jon- Posted 17 December, 2011 09:52
Rosa Winkel wrote on the inquire within thread in All Saints:
Could anyone recommend a Bible study book for Year B, or for the Gospel of Matthew (which I know isn't the Gospel focussed upon in Year B)?

I thought about Tom Wright..

Given that we have just started a new lectionary and are approaching a new calendar year, and it got roundly ignored on inquire within (except by me), I thought I would bring it here and see if it would kick off a thread not about Bibles but about commentaries and other resources.

Jengie

--------------------
Chamois

I'd also be interested in people's responses.

I've experienced great trouble myself getting recommendations for commentaries. I recently asked a number of clergypeople I know to recommend a commentary on Isaiah - without getting any response at all until I brought the question to this forum. It made me wonder how many clergypersons use commentaries themselves.....

I'm sure some of the erudite Kerygmaniacs will come up with something.

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Posted by Hart (# 4991) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
The following two posts have been copied from "Commentary recommendations".

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Jengie Jon- Posted 17 December, 2011 09:52
Rosa Winkel wrote on the inquire within thread in All Saints:
Could anyone recommend a Bible study book for Year B, or for the Gospel of Matthew (which I know isn't the Gospel focussed upon in Year B)?

I have to admit I haven't look at it personally, but a commentary that is arranged according to the Sunday lectionary is "The Word we Celebrate" by Patricia Datchuck Sanchez. It was recommended to us in preaching class. The prof is a very good preacher and says this is his most used weekly preaching resource.

My go to commentary on Matthew is Daniel Harrington's (SP 1). It's academically respectable whilst having a pastoral / application bent.

Posted by Custard (# 5402) on :

I'm a minister and a bit of a commentary geek... Matthew is quite tricky for commentaries - I still haven't found one I'm completely happy with. For commentaries generally, I find bestcommentaries.com helpful - it's an amalgamation of loads of commmentary reviews from various sources.

Commentaries on Isaiah:

The best is widely considered to be Oswalt's massive multi-volume commentary in the NICOT series. Helpfully, he's done a condensed (700pp) and less technical version in the NIVAC series.

For something shorter as an introduction or for devotional use, Webb in the BST series is very good.

Posted by venbede (# 16669) on :

quote:
Originally posted by cg:

Are you familiar with the Orthodox Study Bible (see link on the 'picky, picky' Bible thread)? If so, how do you find it?

Father Ephrem Lash's unenthusiastic review here:

http://www.anastasis.org.uk/bible_review.htm

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

bump

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

Originally posted by Hart on a new thread.

quote:

I'm looking to get a commentary on Wisdom. I'm not about to make an intense study of it, I'm more interested in something to help with preaching it, so I'd be looking for something on the more applied / pastoral end of commentaries, rather than something that spends a lot of time analyzing textual variants, etc. I'd prefer something on the shorter side, but the Collegeville commentary is only 88 pages, which might be a little too short (on my maybe list, though). Any thoughts?

Posted by Trudy Scrumptious (# 5647) on :

Originally posted by Truman White on a new (and now closed) thread:

quote:
I'm thinking of investing in a commentary on John. What do you like and why?

Any suggestions welcome since I haven't worked out what kind of commentary I'm after yet.

Surprise me.

Hope the commentary-wise among us have some advice to offer on these specific requests.

Posted by Gildas (# 525) on :

Put me down for another vote for Robert Alter. Also John Goldingay for the Old Testament and N.T. Wright for the New. Note that this is not an endorsement of everything the three of them have to say but that they are interesting, scholarly and thought provoking.

Posted by Hart (# 4991) on :

I think I gave my best answer to the generic "what NT commentaries are good?" question here.

quote:
Originally posted by Trudy Scrumptious:
Originally posted by Truman White on a new (and now closed) thread:

quote:
I'm thinking of investing in a commentary on John. What do you like and why?

Any suggestions welcome since I haven't worked out what kind of commentary I'm after yet.

Surprise me.
Hope the commentary-wise among us have some advice to offer on these specific requests.

On that, I note that I mentioned both the Sacra Pagina one and Ben Witherington's John's Wisdom. Since then, I've recently picked up Craig Koester's Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel to try to get through before the lectionary takes its Lenten Johannine turn. It's not technically a commentary, but he goes over almost every pericope in the gospel, not chronologically, but organized by symbol. So, all the water passages are together, as are all the light passages, etc.

[ 16. February 2014, 20:00: Message edited by: Hart ]

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