Recently in Commentary Recs Category

You can get folks to roll their eyes just mentioning the Book of Revelation, and mostly they do this because of the utter silliness of so much that is said and believed about the book these days -- and, yes, that is a comment about the left behind series and similar observations. The Book of Revelation has been subjected to the highest level of serious scholarship, and I mention five really good commentaries, but before I mention that, here's a good book on how the Revelation works:

No commentary is as complete as JH Elliott on 1 Peter, and it is the result of a career of studies on the letter: 1 Peter (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries) .

We don't know who wrote Hebrews, but it surely wasn't Paul even though some still contend he did. Anyway, no major commentary today argues that Paul wrote it, and these are the major ones I turn to ... and, once again, there is an abundance of really fine commentaries. No one can suggest we are in serious need of a good commentary on Hebrews. I'm sure I've missed some good ones, so speak up if you think I have.

I begin with Harold Attridge, in part because I worked through it carefully with a class years back when it first appeared: Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible) .

After Attridge, I read W.L. Lane's 2-volume Word commentary: Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 47a, Hebrews 1-8 and Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 47b, Hebrews 9-13 .

Then Craig Koester's more recent Anchor Bible: Hebrews: A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary .

Then Paul Ellingworth's thoroughgoing commentary in the NIGTC series: The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary) .

And I check Luke Timothy Johnson: Hebrews: A Commentary (New Testament Library) .

When it comes to the Pastoral epistles of 1-2 Timothy and Titus, there is such an abundance of good commentaries that one might say it is is ridiculous. I'm not sure why there are so many top notch, career-shaped commentaries on the Pastorals, but that's the way it is. Again, what do you find helpful on these letters?

And at the top of the heap, and the only one you need if you have it, is Phil Towner, The Letters to Timothy And Titus (New International Commentary on the New Testament) .

Then, from the evangelical side, I turn to (the incredibly expensive) commentary by I. Howard Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (International Critical Commentary) , to William Mounce, Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 46, Pastoral Epistles and to G.W. Knight III: The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary) .

Then one can turn to Luke Timothy Johnson, The First and Second Letters to Timothy (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries) . Then to R.F. Collins, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: A Commentary (New Testament Library) . And finally to J.D. Quinn, The Letter to Titus (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries) and his never-going-to-end commentary on 1-2 Tim: The First and Second Letters to Timothy .

This week's version of Pastor's Bookshelf is commentaries on 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

Because it's my old stand-by, I turn first to F.F. Bruce, 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Word Biblical Commentary) (Vol. 45) but there are two recent commentaries that shake things up:

Charles Wanamaker, The Epistles to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary) .

Abraham J. Malherbe, The Letters to the Thessalonians (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries) .

Then I turn to Ben Witherington 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary and to Ernest Best First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians .

I'm not keeping up with this commentary list, spending too much of my time doing what Paul seems to be doing to the left, but here goes on Philippians.The first commentary I consult on Philippians is Gordon Fee, and I...

I'm going to begin a series on commentaries for pastors, teachers, and those who want to study the New Testament. I will try to give my top five commentaries, but one has to make judgments each time and there are...