The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.
In this new addition to the award-winning BECNT series, respected New Testament scholar and biblical interpretation expert Gene Green offers a substantive yet highly accessible commentary on the books of Jude and 2 Peter. With extensive research and thoughtful chapter-by-chapter exegesis, Green leads readers through the sociological, historical, and theological aspects of these New Testament books. As with all BECNT volumes, Jude and 2 Peter features the author's detailed interaction with the Greek text. This commentary admirably achieves the dual aims of the series--academic sophistication and pastoral sensitivity and accessibility--making it a useful tool for pastors, church leaders, students, and teachers. The user-friendly design includes shaded chapter introductions summarizing the key themes of each thought unit.
Filling a notable gap in scholarship on 2 Peter and Jude, Peter Davids artfully unpacks these two neglected but fascinating epistles that deal with the confrontation between the Greco-Roman world and the burgeoning first-century Jesus communities. Davids firmly grasps the overall structure of these oft-maligned epistles and presents a strong case for 2 Peter and Jude as coherent, consistent documents. Marked by exceptional exegesis and sharp, independent judgments, Davids's work both connects with the latest scholarship and transforms scholarly insights into helpful conclusions benefiting Christian believers.
How does a Christian behave when surrounded by a hostile world that doesn't understand who we are or why we do what we do? In three letters, Peter and Jude provide some powerful answers. These nine studies from Tom Wright show you the wisdom of their words for us today.
1-2 Peter and Jude is part of The Christian Standard Commentary (CSC) series. This commentary series focuses on the theological and exegetical concerns of each biblical book, while paying careful attention to balancing rigorous scholarship with practical application. This series helps the reader understand each biblical book's theology, its place in the broader narrative of Scripture, and its importance for the church today. Drawing on the wisdom and skills of dozens of evangelical authors, the CSC is a tool for enhancing and supporting the life of the church.
The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.
In this volume Ruth Anne Reese explores the theological and literary meaning of 2 Peter and Jude with an emphasis on theology for the church today. She seeks to meld together the best tools derived from the disciplines of both biblical studies and theology. Reese's 2 Peter and Jude begins with a general introduction to the two books and proceeds to look at each text, exploring the meaning of particular words and illuminating the text with elements of history, sociology, and literary study. The themes of each book -- and how they are played out throughout the biblical canon -- are examined from an explicitly theological angle. Reese brings together insights from the best of biblical scholarship with the work of theologians, both contemporary and ancient. The combination of disciplines leads to new insights on such issues as judgment, community living, and the relationship between faith and ethics.
The Book of Job, among the greatest masterpieces of world literature, deserves a commentary alert both to the windings of its arguments and to the massive theological problem it raises: the conflict of faith and experience, that is, does it have to do primarily with the why of suffering, or is the chief issue rather the problem of the moral order of the world, of the principles on which it is governed? While many feel that Job is too long, full of windy and tedious words, Professor David J .A. Clines shows in detail how every element is essential and how only the interweaving of literary and theological perspectives can reveal the richness of the writing. To this end, he supplies a uniquely comprehensive General Bibliography (as well as pericope bibliographies), unrestricted by scholarly apartheid, which includes works of sermons and popular devotions valuable for their theological and spiritual insights. A verse-by-verse commentary, this volume never loses sight of the forest for the trees and, especially in the Explanation sections, constantly surveys the progress of the Book of Job. A particular focus is the unraveling of the arguments and the identification of the distinctive viewpoints of the book's speakers. The textual Notes, which center on explaining why the English versions of Job differ so amazingly from one another, support the author's carefully worded Translation. In his Introduction, Professor Clines says: "Reading and close-reading the Book of Job, the most theologically and intellectually intense book of the Old Testament, is a perennially uplifting and not infrequently euphoric experience. The craftsmanship in the finest details, the rain of metaphors, the never-failing imagination of the poet are surpassed only by the variety and delicacy of the theological ideas and the cunning of this most open of texts confronting its readers with two new questions along with any answer."
