Of the various Bible study resource in my library, the Bible background commentaries are the ones I use nearly every week. I have the IVP Bible Background Commentary two-volume set, which I really like. It's insightful, full of information, and written in a concise way that's easy to use as a resource. I also have …
On Buying Commentaries
Having been a pastor for over seven years now (a brief time in the larger scheme of things), I’ve had to buy quite a few commentaries. As some of you may know, it’s not overly easy to select commentaries when you’re beginning to study a book of the Bible. Commentaries are quite expensive and there …
Psalms: Crucial Texts For Theology
Over the last few years, I've come to appreciate James L. Mays’ commentary on the Psalms. Here’s an instructive paragraph from the introduction of this commentary: “Because of their character and content, the psalms have always played a special role in reflection and thought on the Christian faith. The Book of Psalms is composed …
The Prologue of Mark’s Gospel
I found Eugene Boring’s description of Mark’s prologue (1:1-14) quite helpful. Here’s what he wrote: “The function of the prologue is to set the stage for the (post-Easter) audience, so that they may see and hear the body of the narrative in the perspective intended by the author, a frame of reference the (pre-Easter) characters …
Lesslie Newbigin on the Gospel of John
In case some of you are unaware of it, I want to point out Lesslie Newbigin's exposition of the fourth Gospel: The Light Has Come. It isn't a critical-exegetical commentary, so it won't replace those on your shelves. However, Newbigin does interact with the story of John quite well and draws out some threads and …
The Reformed Reader Blog 