Best Commentary on the Epistles of John- Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

Written on October 29, 2010 by Michael Ray in 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, New Testament, Series, feature

Robert W. Yarbrough’s volume on 1-3 John is a thorough, detailed analysis of the epistles of John. This volume in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT) is the first commentary to pick up for anyone planning a study of John’s epistles.

With some scholars questioning the Johannine authorship of some or all of the epistles, Yarbrough makes the case that the letters were written by the apostle John. The book’s twenty-five page introduction explores the authorship of the books plus it gives the reader a quick overview of the history of the questions that have been raised about who really wrote the letters. It also explores the standard issues of date, provenance and the relationship of the epistles to the seven churches of Asia Minor.

Each section of the commentary begins with an overview of the issues and themes of that section. The exegesis that follows is very thorough and includes footnotes and charts throughout. There is a fair amount of technical language (shorthand references to various manuscripts and texts) along with frequent use of Greek words and phrases. The Greek is not transliterated into English. Each section concludes with ‘Additional Notes” where much of the more technical information can be found.

There are other good commentaries on the letters of John but this is the place to start. Yarbrough’s understanding of the issues comes through in a work that is fairly technical while remaining accessible to serious Bible students who may not be skilled in the Greek language.

1-3 John (BECNT) by Robert W. Yarbrough is 434 pages in hardcover. Yarbrough is one of the co-editors of the series. The book includes a lengthy bibliography and several indexes, including indexes of subjects, authors and biblical and ancient texts. List price is $39.99. Available from Amazon.

Our take: Highly recommended

Other recommended commentaries on the letters of John:

1, 2, 3 John by Daniel L. Akin (part of the New American Commentary series is somewhat less technical than Yarbrough’s volume. List price $29.99. Available from Amazon.

The Letters of John by Colin G. Kruse  in the Pillar New Testament Commentary series has a longer introduction and several useful sidebars on phrases and themes. List price $34. Available from Amazon.

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Best Commentary on the Psalms- NIVAC by Gerald H. Wilson

Written on January 4, 2010 by Michael Ray in Old Testament, Psalms, feature

Selecting “the best” commentary on the Psalms is challenging because so many good volumes exist. But for the preacher preparing a sermon or a serious Bible student preparing a lesson for class, there seems to be no better choice than Gerald H. Wilson’s Psalms Volume 1 in the NIV Application Commentary series.

Following the standard NIVAC format, Wilson actually does something many other writers in the series don’t: he spends more time on exegesis than application. Each psalm is discussed in three categories: Original Meaning, Bridging Contexts and Contemporary Significance (or application). While there is useful material in the Contemporary Significance sections, the real meat of this volume is often in the exegetical sections.

The Psalms are, of course, poetry. That’s a fact that many teachers and preachers overlook when teaching from the book using it instead to buttress doctrinal arguments. Wilson’s 60 page introduction spend much of its time exploring the issues of poetry and form, helping the reader understand the intricacies of Hebrew poetry. More than that, Wilson strives to understand the Psalms in their Hebrew context, something that is hard for Christian readers to do with many of the familiar phrases and texts.

In Psalm 22, for example, the phrase quoted by Jesus, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is very familiar to Christians. Wilson cautions against thinking of the Psalm only in light of Jesus’ use of it. Doing so, he says, causes us to ignore “its long history within the community of faith before Jesus…used it.” He adds, “Only as we understand what the psalm means on its own are we better able to understand why Jesus chose these words to reflect his own agony of abandonment by the Father” on the cross.

No knowledge of Hebrew is required to benefit from this study as only transliterated Hebrew appears, generally in footnotes.

Wilson had been scheduled to write volume 2 in this series but passed away in 2005 before writing the second volume. This volume covers Psalms 1-72.

Psalms, Volume 1 (NIVAC) by Gerald H. Wilson is 1024 pages in hardcover. The book is thoroughly footnoted and contains a scripture index and a subject index. Wilson was Professor of Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific University. List price is $39.99. Available from Amazon.

Our take: Recommended

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Best Commentary on Ephesians- Harold W. Hoehner

Written on November 30, 2009 by Michael Ray in Ephesians, New Testament, feature

Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary by Harold W. Hoehner is the best, most thorough technical commentary available today on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

The fact that many scholars today question, or even deny, that Paul wrote Ephesians is addressed at length in the opening pages of the commentary. Hoehner devotes nearly 60 pages to exploring the authorship of Ephesians. In fact, he spends several pages listing the views of dozens of commentators from Erasmus and Luther to 21st Century writers. There are reasons to question the Pauline authorship of the book and Hoehner handles those arguments fairly but in the end, he concludes that the historic position in favor of Paul is correct.

Other introductory material is also very thorough, including an extensive listing of commentaries, standard sections on purpose, setting and theology of the book plus a detailed bibliography related to the authorship question. There are also eight excursuses scattered through the book dealing with such issues as election, mystery, textual problems in Ephesians 1:1 and slavery in Paul’s day.

Each section of text begins with the Greek text followed by Hoehner’s own translation. There is a fair amount of Greek, and even the occasional Hebrew word (when referencing a Septuagint translation from Hebrew to Greek) throughout the book. Familiarity with the original languages would be very helpful but is not essential as Hoehner moves through the text phrase by phrase.

As an example of the depth with which each passage is treated, the section in Ephesians 4:1-16 dealing with Christ’s gifts to the church takes up more than 40 pages.  The author often concludes a discussion of a section of Ephesians with a helpful summary that concisely states his thoughts on the passage.

For anyone doing a serious study of Ephesians, this commentary should be your first stop.

Ephesians: An Exegetical Study by Harold W. Hoehner is 930 pages in hardcover. In addition the introductory material noted above, the book is extensively footnoted and contains an author index and scripture index. Hoehner is Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. List price is $59.99. Available from Amazon.com.

Our take: Highly Recommended

Other recommended commentaries on Ephesians:

Less technical, no knowledge of Greek needed: The Letter to the Ephesians (The Pillar New Testament Commentary) by Peter T. O’Brien.

Expositional commentary, great for Bible class teachers or others interested in application: The NIV Application Commentary- Ephesians by Klyne Snodgrass.

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The Best Commentary on Romans: A Review of The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT) by Douglas Moo

Written on October 19, 2009 by Michael Ray in New Testament, Romans, feature

You will be hard-pressed to find a better, more in-depth commentary on the book of Romans than The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT) by Douglas Moo. Moo is a professor at Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois, and has, in fact, written more than one good commentary on the book.

Like other commentaries in the New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT), its target audience is one with a more technical knowledge of the New Testament. A knowledge of Koine Greek isn’t required but at least a familiarity with the letters and language is helpful. Most Greek citations are located in the footnotes so they aren’t terribly distracting. For theologians and very serious Bible students, this is the commentary you’ll want. Others may find his volume in the NIV Application Commentary series more useful (see note below)

The mark of a good Bible scholar is a willingness to set aside his previous understanding of the text when his ongoing study leads him to a new interpretation. Moo does that when he comes to Romans 6. His conclusions will likely cause some to rethink the significance of baptism in the conversion process.

Moo writes from a conservative/evangelical perspective and he does occasionally show a preference for a dispensational approach. Even so, he generally does a fair job of presenting the alternatives.

I don’t think you’ll find a better commentary on Romans…if you’re up to handling very substantial discussions of a theologically deep book. Many will find Moo’s commentary on Romans in the NIV Application Commentary to be of great help, either as a substitute for the NICNT volume or as a companion to it.

The Epistle to the Romans, New International Commentary on the New Testament by Douglas Moo. The book includes a subject index, author index, scripture index and an index of extrabiblical literature. Suggested retail price is $62. Available from Amazon.com.

Our take: Highly Recommended

Other works by Moo:

Romans: The NIV Application Commentary

An Introduction to the New Testament

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Review of Backgrounds of Early Christianity by Everett Ferguson

Written on October 17, 2009 by Michael Ray in New Testament, New Testament Backgrounds, Reference, feature

Everett Ferguson has a well-earned international reputation as a church historian. A Bible professor at Abilene Christian University, Ferguson has written or contributed to more than a dozen books, most dealing with the early history of the church. This book should be on the shelf of anyone wanting to better understand New Testament backgrounds.

In Backgrounds of Early Christianity, Dr. Ferguson explores the geographic, historic, religious, cultural and Judaic backgrounds of Christianity. He also explores the interaction of early Christianity with the world around it.

Ferguson starts out with the political history that impacts the Bible lands. Understanding Alexander the Great’s expansion to the east and the subsequent division of his empire and Rome’s rise to power play an important role in understanding the sudden shift of political landscape from the end of Malachi to the beginning of Matthew. Backgrounds helps bridge that gap.

Many average Bible students may have some sense of the political history of the region but the chapters on Society and Culture deal with issues such as slavery in the Roman Empire, Roman citizenship, morality, economics,  music and the arts. As an example, American readers who, when they read of slavery in Paul’s letters, think of slavery in terms of their own nation’s history will benefit from the book’s discussion of societal structure in Rome, including slavery.

One of the things I like about the book is its updated bibliography at the end of each section. Those working on research papers or who simply want to know more about a given topic will find ample resources cited that can point you to both original sources and recent works. One downside is that all cited works are print versions; there are no listings of web resources in the book.

As Ferguson notes in the Preface, this is “a textbook, not a history of the ancient world.” That means you may not find as much material as you would like on some niche topic but overall, Ferguson has earned his reputation as a historian and his efforts on this book, now in its third edition, have proved useful.

Backgrounds of Early Christianity, Third Edition, is 648 pages in paperback. It contains an index of subjects, an index of scripture references plus charts, maps and scores of photographs. Suggested retail price: $38.00. Available from Amazon.com.

Our take: Highly Recommended

Other works by Ferguson:

Baptism in the Early Church– The most in-depth study of baptism in the first few centuries of church history. Destined to be the definitive study of baptism for years to come.

Church History, Volume 1: From Christ to Pre-Reformation

Encyclopedia of Early Christianity

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The NIV Application Commentary Series Review

Written on October 8, 2009 by Michael Ray in New Testament, Old Testament, Series

I’ll have to admit that I’m a big fan of the NIV Application Commentary series. I say “admit” because I’ve seen some reviewers who seem to think that “application” in the series title means it must be full of fluff. Granted, it’s not littered with Greek and Hebrew but it does generally offer solid, if not thorough, exegesis of the text. And, like any multi-author series, the quality of the volumes varies; nonetheless, many of its volumes have found their way onto my shelves.

What makes the NIVAC stand out is its emphasis on bridging the gap of time and culture between the biblical text and modern day expositors. When you pick up a volume in this series, you can expect each writer to use the same format to explain the text.

Each passage is dealt with in three sections in the NIVAC:

  1. Original Meaning: As you’d expect, this section focuses on the “historical, literary and cultural context of the passage.” This is where you’ll find discussions of the meaning of words in the original language (no knowledge of Greek or Hebrew required).
  2. Bridging Contexts: Some aspects of scripture are timely, that is, they are tied in to specific situation, cultures and contexts of the ancient world. Others are timeless, meaning there is a principle that applies across all time and all cultures. This section begins to bridge the historical distance between then and now.
  3. Contemporary Significance: Preachers and teachers should always look for application and that’s a key part of this series. Generally, these volumes are helpful in giving both specific applications and in raising issues and questions that will be relevant to a modern audience.

The best parts of each volume are sections two and three, areas of sermon preparation that even experienced preachers often fail in: How do I help my listeners understand how to apply this  text in their own lives. Teachers and preachers will find many useful suggestions for application of each text. And while the suggested applications can sometimes be applied as is, often I find the suggestions start me down my own path of application.

Widely regarded volumes in the series include Gerald Wilson’s Psalms (Volume 1) and Peter Enns’ Exodus. you can find more detailed reviews of individual volumes on this site (soon).


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