Commentaries
1 2 3 John Anchor Volume 30
With this study--companion to the masterful two-volume The Gospel According to John--Raymond E. Brown completed his trilogy on the Johannine corpus. Meticulous in detail, exhaustive in analysis, persuasive in argument, it examines controversies that have long troubled both biblical scholars and lay readers. Questions of authorship, composition, and dating, as well as the debate over source theories, are discussed at length; but these are kept subordinate to the overall question of meaning.
What gives this commentary special interest and excitement is the bold, imaginative reconstruction of the setting of the Johannine work--in particular of the "opposition figures," who are only dimly sketched in the Epistles--so that we see clearly that the author is writing to his flock both about the dangers and difficulties confronting them, and about the eternal life that is theirs by the gift of God. In this way, the Epistles of John become intelligible as broadsides in a critical engagement between the forces of light and darkness.
In addition to his superb textual analysis of the letters, Raymond Brown has brought to life the community in which these works were formed and shaped. We are forcefully reminded that the Gospel and the Epistles were addressed to very real people living in the first century a.d., people with religious problems not unlike our own. In all respects, The Epistles of John stands out as a model of biblical scholarship and study.
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1 2 Chronicles (Kregel Exegetical Library)
The trauma of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the exile of thousands of Judea's citizens, and the subsequent return after seventy years to the homeland with the difficult task of starting the new covenant community virtually from scratch-- all contributed to a reassessment of Israel's meaning and destiny. The chronicler-theologian thus composed his work not just as a history of his people from their ancient beginnings but as an interpreted history, one designed to offer hope to the beleaguered community as well as to issue warnings that should they fall back into the ways of their fathers they could expect the judgment of God to be repeated.
Eugene Merrill's work on 1 and 2 Chronicles promises to be a significant contribution to the academic dialogue on these important books. This volume is helpful for the scholar but accessible and useful for the pastor. Merrill provides an exegetical study of each passage in these books, examining a number of themes, especially drawing out three principal theological subjects: (1) David and his historical and eschatological reign; (2) the renewal of the everlasting covenant; and (3) the new temple as a symbol of a reconstituted people. Merrill offers astute guidance to preachers and teachers in his insightful doctrinal commentary on the text.
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1 2 PETER 1 2 3 JOHN JUDE
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1 2 Thessalonians Story of God Bible Commentary
Understand Not Only What Scripture Says but How to Live It Today
A new commentary for today’s world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible’s grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike.
Three easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God’s story:
- LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible’s grand story
- EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting
- LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students
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1 Chronicles 1-9 Anchor
In his latest addition to the esteemed Anchor Bible Commentaries, scholar Gary Knoppers examines one of the most neglected books of the Old Testament and established its importance as a key to understanding the nation of Israel.
Who were the Israelites? Was Israel's first king, Saul, a hero or a disaster? Was David a gifted and accomplished leader or a murderer and a cheat? Did Solomon preside over the most glorious epoch in Israelite history or did he lead the nation into a fateful decline? In I Chronicles, the distinguished scholar Gary Knoppers addresses these questions through a thoughtful and exacting reading of one of the last books of the Hebrew Bible. He shows that Chronicles, which contains a variety of viewpoints on the major events and people, provides a distinct perspective on much of Israel's past, especially the monarchy. He discusses how the chronicler's introduction to the people of Israel redefines Israel itself; explains and defends the transition from Saul to David; and shows how the Davidic-Solomonic monarchy was not only a time of incomparable achievement and glory, but also the period during which the nations most important public institutions -the Davidic dynasty, the Jerusalem Temple, the priests, and the Levites--took formative shape. I Chronicles, part of a two-volume set, is the first to employ systematically the Dead Sea Scrolls to reconstruct the biblical author's text. Knoppers reveals how Chronicles is related to and creatively drawn from many earlier biblical books, and presents a fascinating look at its connections, in both compositional style and approach, to the historical writings of ancient Mesopotamia and classical Greece. Featuring a new translation and an extensive introduction that incorporates up-to-date research, this volume replaces the Anchor Bible I Chronicles commentary written by Jacob Myers in 1965.- Please log in to review this product
1 Chronicles 10-29 Anchor
In this latest addition to the esteemed Anchor Bible series, scholar Gary Knoppers examines one of the most neglected books of the Hebrew Bible and establishes its importance to understanding the nation of Israel.
What was the place of the monarchy in the history of ancient Israel? Was Israel's first king Saul a hero or a disaster? Was David a highly gifted leader and accomplished king or a murderer and a cheat? Did Solomon preside over the most glorious epoch in Israelite history or did he lead the nation into a fateful decline? Knoppers show how the Bible itself contains a variety of fascinating perspectives on major events and characters. One of the most misunderstood books of the Bible, Chronicles presents a distinctive and important viewpoint on much of Israel's past, especially the monarchy. Knoppers shows how Chronicles defends the transition from Saul to David and upholds the Davidic-Solomonic monarchy as a time of incomparable Israelite achievement and glory, a period in which the nation's most important public institutions--the Davidic dynasty, the Jerusalem Temple, the priests, and the Levites--took formative shape. I Chronicles 10-29, part of a two-volume set on I Chronicles, is the first to employ systematically the witness of the Dead Sea Scrolls to reconstruct the biblical author's text. Knoppers shows how Chronicles is related to and creatively drawn from many earlier biblical books and presents a fascinating look at its connections in both compositional style and approach to historical writings attested in ancient Mesopotamia and classical Greece.- Please log in to review this product
1 Chronicles WBC
The Old Testament book of Chronicles presents unique problems to students of the Bible. Here Dr. Roddy Braun takes a fresh look at the biblical text and sheds light upon its meaning for God's people in both Old Testament times and today. Taking careful note of Chronicles' dependency upon earlier Old Testament writings, he leads the serious Bible student through such issues as: The relation of 1 Chronicles to parallel passages in Samuel and Kings What "the Chronicler" intended to convey with his own independent contributions to Israel's history and theology The role of Solomon's temple as a uniting force for the Chronicler, who faced the reality of the division between Israel in the north and Judah in the south The book's emphasis upon God's covenant with David as reaching its goal in the construction of the temple.
Dr. Braun investigates thoroughly the effect of God's covenant with David in this important part of Scripture. Did the tragic division of the kingdom following Solomon's death mean God had forsaken the covenant? Were the northern tribes too a part of that "all Israel" that was being summoned to return to faithful observance of the priestly services at Solomon's temple in Jerusalem? What was the meaning of such a summons at the time of the Exile, when both Israel and Judah lay in ruins? Such questions are explored with an expert's eye to history and background, theology, and textual considerations.
The author-with his remarkable combination of scholarly insights and pastoral experience-also notes the themes of unity, joy, and generosity in worship emphasized by the Chronicler. He was apparently anxious not simply to reunite the kingdom, but also to restore spiritual depth and enthusiastic support to worship-issues that continue to be vital to the people of God today.
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1 KINGS ANCHOR
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1 KINGS ESTHER NIB V3 NR
Download The NIB Vol. 3 Errata Sheet
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1 KINGS WBC
First Kings is not so much a book of history as a book of religion, says Dr. Simon J. DeVries. Through the historic events it relates, the religion of the Hebrew people was being shaped.
Dr. DeVries s thorough overview of the world of 1 Kings its geography, its culture, its politics, and the religious situation brings the biblical record alive in its time and place. Upon this foundation is superimposed a comprehensive, lucid discussion of sacred history as theological testimony, and responsible consideration of 1 Kings as literary composition.
In this commentary, Dr. DeVries provides keen insight into the intricacies of both the events and the textual difficulties of 1 Kings: The throne succession from David to Solomon Solomon s reign his influence and his failings The building of the Jerusalem temple and its significance The division of the United Kingdom The puzzling chronology of the Hebrew kings The problem of heathen shrines and cult objects The role of the prophets in Elijah s time.
For this second edition, he has updated and expanded the bibliography.
Prophecy, a burgeoning new religious impulse of the period of 1 Kings, receives special emphasis as a particularly rich source of profound theological truth communicated in the effective linguistic forms of prophet-narratives.
Whether appearing as historiography or as pious story, the contents of 1 Kings offer themselves as testimonies to the ways of God with men, Dr. DeVries notes. The scene is history; the players are kings and prophets; behind the curtain is the Lord of history, challenging his players to make history the scene of salvific revelation. "
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