Black's New Testament Commentaries – serie

Simon Perry contributes a new addition to the renowned Black's New Testament Commentary series, with his new work on the Gospel of St. Luke. The key questions for scholars and students of Luke are comprehensively scrutinized, with examinations of questions of historicity, the use of historical traditions and sources, the relationship of Luke to other Gospel books in the New Testament, and its reception. Perry analyses these issues in order to present the heart of the academic debate to a wider audience.

Modern commentaries based on new English translations made by the respective editors and intended, while adhering strictly to sound scholarship and doctrine, to bring out above all the theological and religious message of the New Testament for the contemporary Church.

This is part of a series of modern commentaries based on new English translations made by their respective editors. While adhering strictly to sound scholarship and doctrine, they intend, above all, to bring out the theological and religious message of the New Testament to the contemporary Church.

"Second Corinthans is one of the most difficult writings in the New Testament to interpret. Yet, this commentary, which follows Barrett's works on Romans and I Corinthians in the same series, is superb in every respect. The author's command of the Greek language, his skillful use of the Old Testament and background writings, and his sensitive handling of complex exegetical problems provide a panorama of a mature scholar's work which is at times almost breathtaking. Moreover, the restrained use of Greek and technical terms makes this commentary as useful for the layman or pastor as it is for the scholar."-Review and Expositor

This is part of a series of modern commentaries based on new English translations made by their respective editors. While adhering strictly to sound scholarship and doctrine, they intend, above all, to bring out the theological and religious message of the New Testament to the contemporary Church.

C.F.D. Moule shows how the earliest Christian writing developed as a response to the daily demands of Christian life in societies indifferent or even hostile to Christianity, and how the selection of certain writings to constitute the basis of Christian belief was a response to specific needs.

In this new commentary Muddiman questions the assumption that if Ephesians is not by Paul it must be wholly accounted for as an example of post-Pauline pseudepigraphy. He explores an alternative: that it is an authentic letter subsequently edited and expanded with the aim of adjusting the Pauline tradition to meet a new situation. All the perspectives of major modern scholars are discussed and assessed particularly on the question of Ephesians' relationship to Colossians. The implications for the question of the authorship on Paul's theology are extensively explored.

In this new commentary Muddiman questions the assumption that if Ephesians is not by Paul it must be wholly accounted for as an example of post-Pauline pseudepigraphy. He explores an alternative: that it is an authentic letter subsequently edited and expanded with the aim of adjusting the Pauline tradition to meet a new situation. All the perspectives of major modern scholars are discussed and assessed particularly on the question of Ephesians' relationship to Colossians. The implications for the question of the authorship on Paul's theology are extensively explored.

St Mark's Gospel is among the earliest records about Jesus of Nazareth. This commentary focuses primarily on the problem of understanding what Mark himself intended to convey to his readers when he set out to write the good news of Jesus Christ'. There is an examination of information in the gospel about the historical Jesus, about the early Christian community and about Mark's theological concerns. There is, also, consideration of the sources for the Gospel, of the tradition behind it and of interventions by editors. Professor Hooker's new commentary takes account of the many lasted twentieth-century Markan studies and comes with her own translation of the Gospel. References to Greek sources are included but do not require a knowledge of Greek.

This is a new commentary on the 'Book of Revelation' for the 'Black's New Testament Commentary' series. George Caird's Black's commentary on Revelation was a masterpiece of clarity and accessibility. However, Revelation scholarship has moved on since Caird wrote, and Ian Boxall's new commentary engages with these more recent developments. Much work has been done on the nature of apocalyptic, which has shifted the emphasis away from eschatology to the revelation of heavenly mysteries. Boxall's book contains a more substantial introduction which explores the nature of Revelation as a visionary text, emphasises the author's Patmos context, and pays more attention to the overall structure of the work. It also engages with the Apocalypse's rich and varied reception history. Following the example of Morna Hooker on Mark, Ian Boxall also includes excurses tackling subjects such as numerology, the number of the beast, and the portrayal of Revelation's female figures. Here is a commentary which is fully up-to-date and which brings fresh understanding to a most controversial book on the Bible.

This is a new commentary on the 'Book of Revelation' for the 'Black's New Testament Commentary' series. George Caird's Black's commentary on Revelation was a masterpiece of clarity and accessibility. However, Revelation scholarship has moved on since Caird wrote, and Ian Boxall's new commentary engages with these more recent developments. Much work has been done on the nature of apocalyptic, which has shifted the emphasis away from eschatology to the revelation of heavenly mysteries. Boxall's book contains a more substantial introduction which explores the nature of Revelation as a visionary text, emphasises the author's Patmos context, and pays more attention to the overall structure of the work. It also engages with the Apocalypse's rich and varied reception history. Following the example of Morna Hooker on Mark, Ian Boxall also includes excurses tackling subjects such as numerology, the number of the beast, and the portrayal of Revelation's female figures. Here is a commentary which is fully up-to-date and which brings fresh understanding to a most controversial book on the Bible.

"The magnificent series of biblical commentaries known as Black's New Testament Commentaries (BNTC) under the General Editorship of Professor Morna Hooker has had a gap for far too long - it has lacked an up to date commentary on the Fourth Gospel. Professor Andrew Lincoln now fills this gap with his excellent new commentary. The key questions for scholars are gone into thoroughly- questions of historicity, the use of historical traditions and sources, relationship to the Synoptics, authorship, setting, first readers and Professor Lincoln makes his own position on these issues abundantly clear. The Fourth Gospel raises a number of problems generally known as The Johannine Question. According to tradition the Gospel was written by St John the Apostle. The authenticity of the tradition is examined in the introduction but the textual issues are examined within the commentary itself. For example one problem is that Chapters 15 and 16 seem in early versions to have preceded chapter 14. Chapter 21 must have been a later addition. The purpose of the Gospel as stated in Chapter 20 v 31 is to strenghten the reader's faith in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God.But even the celebrated prologue has given rise to much speculation, whereas most commentators believe it is the key to the Gospel as a whole. These issues are meat and drink to scholars but in Professor Lincoln's expert hands they are extremely interesting and highly pertinent to our contemporary understanding of the Gospel."

The 1974 estimate by Interpretation that Ernest Best’s volume on 1 & 2 Thessalonians “is probably the best exegetical study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians available … a superb commentary” continues to ring true forty years later. This is indeed one of the finest commentaries on 1 & 2 Thessalonians available—in any language. The Journal of Theological Studies called it “exhaustive” and concluded that the commentary is “reliable, judicious, and nearly always lucid. He [Best] … takes us as far as we can reasonably go in understanding the mind of Paul as it expressed itself in these writings.”

The Epistle to Ephesians contains powerful statements of Pauline doctrine, but many questions can be raised about its authorship and intended readership. John Muddiman's exposition of this text explores these issues and their theological implications, deploying the latest scholarship to provide a thorough and illuminating commentary on this epistle.

A number of important recent studies of the social and religious context of first century Philippi are here considered with the author offering a critical engagement with several of the newer approaches to Pauline interpretation, including questions of rhetoric and social convention. Theological highlights include themes of Christian joy in all circumstances, the Philippians active stake-holding partnership in the Gospel, and above all the pervasive passion for union with Christ in following his self-humbling example of service. Giving due attention to both the theological heritage of St Paul's Jewish background and to the Graeco-Roman social and religious setting of his readership, this commentary relates a well grounded understanding of the letter's first century impact to the wider concerns of Christian theology.

Foster provides the commentary on Colossians in this renowned series of biblical commentaries, under the General Editorship of Professor Morna D. Hooker (Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity Emerita in the University of Cambridge, UK). As with other volumes in the series, the key questions for scholars are scrutinised thoroughly - questions of historicity, the use of historical traditions and sources, the relationship of Colossians to the rest of the New Testament in particular the Pauline letters, authorship, and setting. Foster examines these issues in such a way as to present the heart of the academic debate to a wider audience, as befitting to the series reputation for rigorous commentary, which not only advances the knowledge of students and pastors, but also makes a contribution to the academic discourse in its own right.

Foster provides the commentary on Colossians in this renowned series of biblical commentaries, under the General Editorship of Professor Morna D. Hooker (Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity Emerita in the University of Cambridge, UK). As with other volumes in the series, the key questions for scholars are scrutinised thoroughly - questions of historicity, the use of historical traditions and sources, the relationship of Colossians to the rest of the New Testament in particular the Pauline letters, authorship, and setting. Foster examines these issues in such a way as to present the heart of the academic debate to a wider audience, as befitting to the series reputation for rigorous commentary, which not only advances the knowledge of students and pastors, but also makes a contribution to the academic discourse in its own right.