James L. Mays on Psalms (Interpretation Commentary) 71% off at CBD

James L. Mays's commentary has become my primary "go-to" commentary on the Psalms when I'm looking for quick theological interpretation.  There are others I turn to when I have more time to work through the details of exegesis such as the three volumes in the WBC series (Marvin Tate and Leslie Allen) or Gerald Wilson's volume on Pss 1-72 in the NIVAC series (I still have Goldingay's 3-volumes on my "wish list").  However, I have found the introductory matter supplied by Mays along with his careful eye to highlight structural features consistent in each form along with theological continuity to especially helpful.  In particular, Mays's understanding of the various patterns of prayers in the Psalter and their basic features has been most helpful.

Along with this commentary, I would recommend a collection of essays and sermons by James L. Mays, Preaching and Teaching the Psalms, edited by Patrick D. Miller.  The essays included here very useful.
 

CBD currently has Mays's commentary on Psalms (hardcover) marked down to $9.99.  This is an excellent price!!!  It appears that this series has been re-published in paperback and also in digital format.  This more than likely accounts for the discounted prices on the older copies.  However, some of these older copies are still gems.  CBD currently has the following volumes in the Interpretation series marked down.  Take a look...

• Genesis, by Walter Brueggemann (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Exodus, by Terence E. Fretheim (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Leviticus, by Samuel E. Balentine (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Numbers, by Dennis Olson (hardcover)  [Recommended by many]
• Joshua, by Jerome Creach (hardcover)
• Ruth, by Katharine Doob Sakenfeld (hardcover)
• First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggeman (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• First and Second Kings, by Richard Nelson (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• First and Second Chronicles, by Steven Tuell (hardcover)
• Ezra-Nehemiah, by Mark Throntvait (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Job, by J. Gerald Janzen (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Proverbs, by Leo G. Perdue  (hardcover)
• Ecclesiastes, by William P. Brown (hardcover)
• Song of Songs, by Robert W. Jenson (hardcover)
• Jeremiah, by Ronald Clements (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Lamentations, by F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp (hardcover)
• Isaiah 1-39, by Christopher Seitz (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Isaiah 40-66, by Paul D. Hanson (hardcover)
• Daniel, by W. Sibley Towner (hardcover)
• Nahum-Malachi, by Elizabeth Achtemeier (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• Mark, by Lamar Williamson (hardcover) [Recommended by many]
• John, by Gerard Sloyan (hardcover)
• Acts, by William H. Willimon (hardcover)
• Romans, by Paul J. Achtemeier (hardcover).  [Interestingly, CBD also has the paperback edition marked down here.]
• Second Corinthians, by Ernest Best (hardcover)
• Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, by Ralph P. Martin
• Philippians, by Fred Craddock (hardcover)
• First and Second Timothy and Titus, by Thomas C. Oden (hardcover)
• Hebrews, by Thomas G. Long (hardcover)  [Recommended by many]
• First and Second Peter, James, and Jude, by Pheme Perkins (hardcover)
• First, Second, and Third John, by D. Moody Smith (hardcover)

James L. Mays on Psalms (Interpretation Commentary) 71% off at CBD

Further Update to Gospel of Mark Recommendations

I updated Gospel of Mark recommendations bibliography and posted it online today.  This particular list is serving as a test for displaying my vision for all of the TheoSource recommendation lists.  I believe that I've made some great strides with this, so I'd love to read your feedback.  Once I finalize my work on this list I will begin work on the other sections filling them out and conforming them to this format.

I use the information and recommendations from these lists as often as I purchase commentaries and study materials.  I want these lists to be useful to anyone who finds them.  Please feel free to share these.

Changes include the following:

1. Font changes to make the list easier to read 
2. A complete addition of recommendations from Glynn's 10th ed., Decker's "Bibliography," Rosscup, and David Bauer's "Annotated Guide." 
3. A more thorough spell check 
4. Cleaned-up bibliography entries
5. A simplified citation for sources of recommendations
6. I also posted an Abbreviations guide here

Further Update to Gospel of Mark Recommendations

Recommendations on the Gospel of Mark

A new list has been posted focusing on book-length works on the Gospel of Mark.  I have been tweaking the TheoSource database in order to clean up the presentation of these lists.  I am still hoping for help with moving to a more web-friendly version of these recommendation lists, but for now this is the next best I have been able to develop.  A recognized issue with the format of the previous lists has been gaps and unnecessary markers indicating information not yet available.  I have been wanting to clean up the bibliographical entries in order to present them in a truer form.  I have found a way to do that, but the remainder of the lists need to be cleaned up.

Although this list is much cleaner and more concise, I am still limited to standard font.  Because of this, book titles do not appear in italics as I wish they did.  This will have to suffice until I find another solution.

A major distinguishing feature of the TheoSource Recommendation Lists is the inclusion of recommendation sources (i.e. Who has recommended this work?).  Most recommendations you will find are either individual recommendations, school recommendations, or aggregated recommendations supplying limited information as to who is recommending what.  The TheoSource project has as its aim to provide a platform for aggregating recommendations from as many sources as are available.

So, the list on the Gospel of Mark is embedded below, available via Google Docs.  I'd appreciate your feedback.  For an introduction and explanation of the TheoSource Recommendation Lists, read here.

Blessings,
Jason Button

Recommendations on the Gospel of Mark

New General Editor of the NICNT Series Announced

Joel B. Green

Eerdmans has announced that Joel B. Green will be the new General Editor of the NICNT series.  The NICNT volumes are a staple in the libraries of many evangelical Christians.  The reputation of this series for excellence is remarkable.

Joel Green will be the fourth General Editor of this series following Ned B. Stonehouse (1946-1962), F. F. Bruce (1962-1990) and Gordon D. Fee (1990-2011).

Congratulations!

Note: Joel B. Green is the author of the NICNT volume on The Gospel of Luke (1997).

With regard to the future of this commentary series, Green writes:

Gordon’s fingerprints will remain on the series for years to come. New volumes will appear soon, written by authors he recruited. These include commentaries on Hebrews [by Gareth L Cockerill], for example, as well as on the Gospel of Mark [Rikki Watts] and Galatians [David A. deSilva]. Longer-term, we will witness the ongoing renewal of the series, with new authors and new emphases keeping pace with the ongoing work of New Testament scholarship. And the NICNT will continue to model the priority given to engagement with the biblical text in the service of pastors and students – carrying on the good work for which the series has long been known.

The New International Commentary on the New Testament

New General Editor of the NICNT Series Announced

IVP - Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture CD-ROM

The ACCS series is now complete and available on CD-ROM working on the Libronix Digital Library System (TM).  This would make an excellent addition to your (and my) Logos collection.  Here are the details:

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture CD-ROM Complete Set

Windows Version
 (CD-ROM)
 General Editor - Thomas C. Oden


Expected Release: October 2010
Product Details

Retail Price: $385.00
Your price: $308.00 (20% Off Retail)
Length: 1 CDs
Size: 7 x 10 inches
Binding: CD-ROM
ISBN-10: 0-8308-2480-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-2480-9
IVP Order Code: 2480

Related Books
The Bible Speaks Today New Testament CD-ROM (The Bible Speaks Today Series)
The Essential IVP Reference Collection 3.0
Tyndale Commentaries CD-ROM(Tyndale Commentaries Complete Set)

~ Details from the IVP Website ~

About the Series
The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture does what very few of today's students of the Bible could do for themselves. With the aid of computer technology, the vast array of writings from the church fathers—including many that are available only in the ancient languages—have been combed for their comment on Scripture. From these results, scholars with a deep knowledge of the fathers and a heart for the church have hand selected material for each volume, shaping, annotating and introducing it to today's readers. Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early church.

Included on this CD-ROM from series editor Tom C. Oden is the full text of all twenty-nine commentaries from the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Arranged canonically, each volume allows the living voices of the church in its formative centuries to speak as they engage the sacred page of Scripture. Now even more accessible in digital format, this series will prove an uncommon companion for theological interpretation, spiritual reading, and wholesome teaching and preaching.

Inside you'll find

• all twenty-nine volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
• commentary by the church fathers on all sixty-six books of the Bible and the Apocrypha
• introductions by world-renowned patristics scholars
• a money-saving package
• the new revolutionary Libronix Digital Library System (TM)
• a free KJV Bible
• unlockable versions of the Bible, including NASB, NRSV, NLT, RSV and The Message
• The Essential IVP Reference Collection (unlockable for a fee)
• a complete user's manual on the CD

System requirements: Windows 98 and beyond, Pentium II 350MHz (Pentium III 700MHz recommended), 64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended), CD-ROM drive, 800 x 600 display (1024 x 768 recommended), Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.

Contents
Genesis 1-11 (Old Testament Volume 1)
Genesis 12-50 (Old Testament Volume 2)
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (Old Testament Volume 3)
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel (Old Testament Volume 4)
1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Old Testament Volume 5)
Job (Old Testament Volume 6)
Psalms 1-50 (Old Testament Volume 7)
Psalms 51-150 (Old Testament Volume 8)
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (Old Testament Volume 9)
Isaiah 1-39 (Old Testament Volume 10)
Isaiah 40-66 (Old Testament Volume 11)
Jeremiah, Lamentations (Old Testament Volume 12)
Ezekiel, Daniel (Old Testament Volume 13)
The Twelve Prophets (Old Testament Volume 14)
Matthew 1-13 (New Testament Volume 1a)
Matthew 14-28 (New Testament Volume 1b)
Mark (New Testament Volume 2, 2nd Edition)
Luke (New Testament Volume 3)
John 1-10 (New Testament Volume 4a)
John 11-21 (New Testament Volume 4b)
Acts (New Testament Volume 5)
Romans (New Testament Volume 6, 2nd Edition)
1-2 Corinthians (New Testament Volume 7, 2nd Edition)
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians (New Testament Volume 8, 2nd Edition)
Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon (New Testament Volume 9)
Hebrews (New Testament Volume 10)
James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (New Testament Volume 11)
Revelation (New Testament Volume 12)

"Chronological snobbery--the assumption that our ancestors working without benefit of computers have nothing to teach us--is exposed as nonsense by this magnificent series. Surfeited with knowledge but starved of wisdom, many of us are more than ready to sit at table with our ancestors and listen to their holy conversations on Scripture. I know I am."

—Eugene H. Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College

IVP - Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture CD-ROM

Sample Pages of the New EGGNT Volume Available

B&H Academic has made available an excerpt of the new EGGNT volume (see our previous post): Murray J. Harris. Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament: Colossians and Philemon. B&H Academic, 2010.

Click here to view the 68-page PDF.

Sample Pages of the New EGGNT Volume Available

Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (EGGNT)

Today, I received the following book from B&H Academic:

Murray J. Harris. Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament: Colossians and Philemon. B&H Academic, 2010. [NOTE: The preview at Amazon is of the 1991 edition. This B&H Academic edition is an update of the 1991 edition.]

Now here's a book that I can really use!

The plan set forth in the General Introduction is clear and promises to be a guide for pastors and student who feel "stranded" from the Greek text.  Here's how Harris, who is also the General Editor of the series, explains the purpose of this series:

The [EEGNT] aims to close that gap between stranded student (or former student) and daunting text and to bridge that gulf between morphological analysis and exegesis.  Each volume of the Guide seeks to provide in a single volume all the necessary information for basic understanding of the Greek text and to afford suggestions for more detailed study.  The individual volumes are not full-scale commentaries.  But they should prove helpful to those who need some aid in understanding the Greek New Testament and in particular to several groups of persons: students preparing for examinations in New Testament studies, ministers and pastors who are hard-pressed for time yet eager to maintain the momentum in the study of Greek that they gained in their theological training and who wish to use the Greek text as the basis for their sermon preparation, and teachers seeking to help students gain confidence in reading the Greek New Testament. (xiii)

The EEGNT is a new series revived by B&H Academic.  This volume was originally published in 1991 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, however the series was discontinued (for reasons of which I am not aware).  Having had a chance to preview this initial volume, I am thrilled that B&H Academic has taken up this project.  I'm confident that this will be a highly useful series for students, teachers and pastors.  Please take a few minutes to look this over.

(From the publisher)

Exegetical Guide to the

Greek New Testament

Colossians and Philemon

by Murray J. Harris

ABOUT THE BOOK
The Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament: Colossians and Philemon is the first book in a projected series of twenty volumes that seeks to bring together classroom, study, and pulpit by providing the student or pastor with the information needed to understand and expound the Greek text of the New Testament. Author Murray J. Harris aims to close the gap between grammatical analysis and exegesis, leading the reader into an in-depth understanding of the New Testament Greek text by guiding him or her through the processes of thorough exegesis flowing into sermon construction.

Each volume provides the following for the biblical book or books on which it is written:

• Brief introduction on authorship, date, occasion, and purpose
• List of recommended commentaries
• Lists of recommended resources (i.e., monographs and articles) on various topics for further study
• Extensive exegetical notes
• Translation and expanded paraphrase of the whole book
• Comprehensive exegetical outline
• Glossary of grammatical and rhetorical terms

Murray J. Harris is professor emeritus of New Testament Exegesis and Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, and former warden of Tyndale House in Cambridge, England.

I also recommend Harris's excellent volume in the NSBT series: Slave of Christ: A New Testament Metaphor for Total Devotion to Christ. Volume 8. NSBT. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP, 2001. 222 pages.

Final Note

The second book in the EGGNT series will be on James by Douglas J. Moo is slated for release in October of 2011.

Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (EGGNT)

Covenant Theological Seminary: Commentary Guide BETA

For years I have referenced the Covenant Theological Seminary Commentary Guides.



Today,  I noticed that they have begun work on converting the PDF files to HTML pages that link each recommended volume with the CTS library online catalog.

This list is not yet complete, but what is available is very useful!  Try it out.

Covenant Theological Seminary: Commentary Guide BETA

Commentary Recommendations by Joel Beeke

For a list of classic commentaries on the OT and NT, especially those from a Reformed perspective, see Joel R. Beeke's list posted on the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary website.

• Dr. Beeke's Recommended OT Commentaries
• Dr. Beeke's Recommended NT Commentaries

They have also included a 28-page Bibliography of Secondary Sources on the Puritans which was excerpted from Beeke's Meet the Puritans (Reformation Heritage Books, 2006).

I've also added these links to our Book Rec's page.

BTW, if you know of any other recommendation lists, please let me know. Thanks.

Commentary Recommendations by Joel Beeke

Pillar NT Commentary Sale at WTS

Get an extra 10% off of EVERY Pillar
volume when you purchase 2 or More.
*Sale ends March 9th

Example of Pillar Sale:
	+		Retail Price: $110.00 WTS Price:   $70.37 Extra 10% Off:  - $7.03 Final Price: $63.34
WTS: $39.65 (39% Off)		WTS: $30.72 (36% Off)

Available Commentaries in the Pillar New Testament Commentary Series:

• The Gospel According to Matthew by Leon Morris
• The Gospel According to Mark by James R. Edwards
• The Gospel According to John by D. A. Carson
• The Acts of the Apostles by David G. Peterson
• The Epistle to the Romans by Leon Morris
• The Letter to the Ephesians by Peter T. O'Brien
• The Letter to the Philippians by G. Walter Hansen
• The Letter to the Colossians and to Philemon by Douglas J. Moo
• The Letters to the Thessalonians by Gene L. Green
• The Letter to the Hebrews by Peter T. O'Brien
• The Letter of James by Douglas J. Moo
• The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude by Peter H. Davids

The only volume I currently own is James Edwards' commentary on Mark.  I am using it alongside of Guelich (WBC), Cranfield and a few others.  It is helpful especially in that it draws upon the New Exodus motif drawn out in greater detail by Rikki Watts and Joel Marcus.  Although I haven't found it to be "the best" commentary on Mark, it is very profitable.

I'd like to know which commentaries in this series you have used and would recommend to me.  O'Brien's commentary on Hebrews is the latest release (March 2010) and it is drawing a good bit of attention around the blogosphere.  I've heard many times that Carson's is a "must have" on John.  What about the others?

Pillar NT Commentary Sale at WTS

Top Commentary Rec's from Ligonier Ministries: Excellent!

I have been following this series and am delighted that it is completed. Here is an index published this morning by Ligonier Ministries.

Top Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible

from Ligonier Ministries Blog

Over the course of several months, Keith Mathison put together a list of his top 5 commentaries for each book of the Bible. With his recommendations of commentaries for Malachi and Revelation, he has now completed both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Here is a round-up of the complete series.

OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 & 2 Samuel 1 & 2 Kings 1 & 2 Chronicles Ezra & Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

NEW TESTAMENT: The Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Luke The Gospel of John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians & Philemon 1 & 2 Thessalonians The Pastoral Epistles Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter & Jude The Epistles of John Revelation

*****

For more recommendations, see our Recommended Reading List.

I have not yet added these recommendations into the TheoSource list, but will do so in the near future. In the meantime,here is the link to the TheoSource Top Recommended Commentaries.

Top Commentary Rec's from Ligonier Ministries: Excellent!

IVP NT Commentary Series (Free Online at BibleGateway)

This is a commentary series I have only recently been introduced to. In many ways it is similar to the very popular Tyndale Commentary Series. I recently purchased M. M. Thompson's commentary on 1, 2, and 3 John and have appreciated what I have found in it. This is a fantastic way to get familiar with more volumes in this series!

Bible students will be happy to know that there are 16 commentaries on New Testament books --- written by noted evangelical scholars --- that are available online for free.

A select few of the commentaries from the IVP New Testament Commentary Series (InterVarsity Press) can be found online at the BibleGateway.com website.

New Testament scholar Donald Carson describes the series this way: "... they are brief, simple, and designed to be immediately nurturing. Quite a few have now appeared, and if several are bland, several others are outstanding (W. Larkin on Acts, I. Howard Marshall on 1 Peter, Linda Belleville on 2 Corinthians, Rodney Whitacre on John)," in New Testament Commentary Survey, 6th ed. (Baker Academic).

Grant Osborne is the series editor, with Haddon Robinson and Stuart Briscoe serving as consulting editors.

The IVPNTC titles are as follows (title links will direct you to the free version at BibleGateway.com):

• Matthew, Craig Keener
• Mark, Ronald J. Kernaghan
• Luke, Darrell L. Bock
  
• John, Rodney Whitacre
  
• Acts, William J. Larkin, Jr.
• Romans, Grant R. Osborne
• 1 Corinthians, Alan F. Johnson
• 2 Corinthians, Linda Belleville
• Galatians, G. Walter Hansen
• Ephesians, Walter L. Liefeld
• Philippians, Gordon Fee
• Colossians & Philemon, Robert A. Wall
• 1-2 Timothy & Titus, Philip Towner
• 1-2 Thessalonians, G. K. Beale
• Hebrews, Ray C. Stedman
• James, George Stulac
• 1 Peter, I. Howard Marshall
• 2 Peter & Jude, Robert Harvey & Philip H. Towner
• 1, 2, 3 John, Marianne Meye Thompson
• Revelation, J. Ramsey Michaels

Thanks to Jon Rising (Word & Spirit) for pointing this out!

IVP NT Commentary Series (Free Online at BibleGateway)