Richard N. Longenecker - Böcker

From the dramatic events recorded in Acts and the various teachings found in the Epistles of Paul, Richard Longenecker traces the history and the theology of the "apostle to the Gentiles." Educated under Gamaliel, who was one of the greatest rabbis of the first century, Paul was thoroughly familiar with both the Old Testament and Jewish tradition. At first a persecutor of the church, he became a builder of churches. This book describes the dramatic change. Paul's theology is discovered in his writings. It developed as there was need for instruction and it is therefore a living theology. It grew as his ministry grew, and his ministry was almost as broad as the world of his day. The author points out that Paul's life was centered in one unalterable purpose: to present the divine plan of redemption in Christ. In fulfilling this purpose, Paul wrote on various issues of Christian living and carefully refuted errors. These issues and refutations all find a place in Dr. Longenecker's discussion

Over 2 million copies sold in The Word Biblical Commentary series.This commentary series delivers the best in biblical scholarship from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation.It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence, resulting in judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.Overview of Commentary Organization:Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology.Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope.Translation—the author’s own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English.Notes—the author’s notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation.Form/Structure/Setting—a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here.Comment—verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research.Explanation—brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues.General Bibliography—occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliography contains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.