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.
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 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.
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.
While there are many commentaries written today, most have been products of Euro-American scholars who have sought to address questions and concerns of the western church. The New Covenant Commentary Series (NCCS) has provided an opportunity for scholars from the non-majority communities in Biblical Studies to engage fully with NT writings without bracketing their diverse backgrounds in the interpretive process. Consequently, in Andrew Mbuvi's interpretation of Jude and 2 Peter, the author seeks to both be faithful in the first century Greco-Roman world setting of the letters while also allowing aspects of his postcolonial, African, and liberation theology interests to inform his hermeneutics. Mbuvi reads the epistles within the context of first century Greco-Roman Associations since the communities of Jude and 2 Peter seem to share significant commonalities with these groups. The Fusing Horizons sections address aspects of concern to the Church, with inclination towards issues that have occupied the church outside of the western world (the Global South), home to the majority of Christians today. Mbuvi's useful analysis shows that Jude's and 2 Peter's message remains as relevant today as when the letters were written.
This fascinating study not only provides an entirely new translation of both 2 Peter and Jude, but also offers stirring commentary on the text that takes the reader inside groups located at the very edges of Christianity. Neyrey shows what it must have been like to lead a Christian life amid an unsympathetic environment and a treacherous imperial society.
A companion series to the acclaimed Word Biblical Commentary Finding the great themes of the books of the Bible is essential to the study of God's Word and to the preaching and teaching of its truths. These themes and ideas are often like precious gems: they lie beneath the surface and can only be discovered with some difficulty. While commentaries are useful for helping readers understand the content of a verse or chapter, they are not usually designed to help the reader to trace important subjects systematically within a given book a Scripture. The Word Biblical Themes series helps readers discover the important themes of a book of the Bible. This series distills the theological essence of a given book of Scripture and serves it up in ways that enrich the preaching, teaching, worship, and discipleship of God's people. Volumes in this series: Written by top biblical scholars Feature authors who wrote on the same book of the Bible for the Word Biblical Commentary series Distill deep and focused study on a biblical book into the most important themes and practical applications of them Give reader’s an ability to see the "big picture" of a book of the Bible by understanding what topics and concerns were most important to the biblical writers Help address pressing issues in the church today by showing readers see how the biblical writers approached similar issues in their day Ideal for sermon preparation and for other teaching in the church Word Biblical Themes are an ideal resource for any reader who has used and benefited from the Word Biblical Commentary series, and will help pastors, bible teachers, and students as they seek to understand and apply God’s word to their ministry and learning.
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."
With this groundbreaking commentary, Frey rightly draws our attention back to these texts' important role within the canon and early Christianity.--Rob Wall, Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies, Seattle Pacific University and Seminary
