Bibles Bible Studies Books

Gustavo Gutierrez is a liberation theologian from Lima, Peru. In this book he discusses the connection between the oppression of Job and his questioning God for his plight, and the need for the poor to do the same. Job, however, does not abandon God but remains faithful. When Christ on the Cross asks God why he has abandoned him, Gutierrez reminds us that we must hear those words and respond. "Those who suffer unjustly have a right to complain and protest," he says. Jesus will not be heard if "our tongues keep quiet about what our souls believe." Yet the message of the Cross must not be forgotten and leads to salvation. "Only if we know how to be silent and involve ourselves in the suffering of the poor will we be able to speak out of their hope." To be truly involved, Gutierrez assures us, removes us from being merely "sorry comforters" - what Job accused (rightly) his friends of being. Gutierrez's book is enlightening and profound and speaks to the poor and the faithful alike.

I am reading G. Gutierrez's book "ON JOB:God-talk and the suffering of the innocent" for the second time this summer (2000). I find it as refreshing and guiding as the first time that I read it several years ago. Not being a theologian, nor a biblical scholar, it helped me understand the Old Testament book of JOB, which I think is challenging to understand. There are two main reasons I liked it. First, it helped me understand the essence of religion, i.e., giving praise to God, rather than the rewards and punishment that can easily be promoted by western thinking or the petitioning of God "to do our will." It also lays the basis for deep prayer - contemplation. Second, it helped me understand the plight of the poor. Until all of us recognize that each of us is broken, i.e., "poor" to some extent there will be incomplete or no peace in this world. As a public educator, I think this is an essential understanding for working with the young in our society. Gustavo Gutierrez's reflection on JOB helps us gain that understanding. In my sharing with my colleagues I express the uniqueness of the gift of "listening". It is the best gift we can give our family, friends, or students. Gutierrez helps us see how JOB is a listener - a listener to hear the will of God. In our educated ways, whether in education, theology, business, medicine, law, etc., we miss it if we don't understand the wisdom of JOB. Gutierrez can help one understand it. A quote from the text: "The men (women) are competent, even if mistaken, theologians (or put the other professions); they are convinced of their teaching but they are unaware that it has nothing to say to suffering human beings." (p.27) Often times in writings and literature reference is made to JOB, however, Gutierrez's work on JOB helps me understand the depth of the wisdom. It helps me know if the reference to JOB is correctly understood. This is not necessarily an easy book to read, but with perseverance one can gain much wisdom from it.

In his book, On Job: God-talk and the Suffering of the Innocent, Gustavo Gutiérrez, an innovator of Latin American Liberation Theology, tries to discover the meaning of the Book of Job and how it can contribute to both how we talk about God and how we approach the reality of human suffering, in particularly, the suffering of the innocent. Gutiérrez shows readers how Job's experiences gradually cause him to doubt the theory of retribution and to evolve in his understanding of God's freedom, love, justice and gratuitousness.

Gutiérrez helps us to understand how difficult it is to talk about God when the innocent suffer and how empty theology sounds when it refuses to speak from the harsh realities of life. Gutiérrez incorporates the works of various scholars, priests, playwrights, teachers, theologians and Latin American poets to help readers understand his approach to the topic. Gutiérrez thoroughly analyzes the deep messages to be found in the Book of Job and concludes by challenging Christians to use the insights found in its text to contemplate God's gratuitousness and live in accordance with its demands as we seek to help the plight of the innocent sufferers in the world.

Gutiérrez believes that Job's suffering has made him more conscious of other innocent sufferers. Gutiérrez also insists that God's justice can only be understood in the light of God's gratuitousness. He insists that the world turns on God's gratuitousness, not the theory of retribution. Gutiérrez also insists that those who suffer and talk (or complain) about God with honesty may actually be more pleasing to God than those who, like Job's friends, worship and obey God out of self-interested hope of reward or fear of punishment. Gutiérrez insists that abstract talk of God and his love is not profitable unless it speaks from an honest and deep consideration of the most desperate of human conditions and a deep contemplation of the plan, justice and gratuitousness of God.

From the outset, Gutiérrez informs readers that his approach is rooted in his experience with the social injustices he has witnessed in Latin America and that his goal is to find in the Book of Job insights, answers and approaches that will help us to "speak well of God" in the face of the harsh realities of life. I think that Gutiérrez has succeeded in his goal.

I commend Gutiérrez for taking on the challenge of one of the Bible's most difficult texts, especially one that deals with the hardest of human questions: Why do the innocent suffer? Amazingly, Gutiérrez has taken on the challenge and provides readers with a brief,1 detailed, clear, thorough and concise book. I also commend Gutiérrez on his extensive research and his knowledge of the many points of interpretation which theologians have long debated in regards to the Book of Job. Gutiérrez also shows courage in his opposition to many of these traditional interpretations.

Since reading this book, I have learned that the self-interested religion of Job's friends is not true faith, but is instead a subtle form of idolatry in which God becomes a predictable toy controlled by human behavior. Gutiérrez helped me to see the humanity of the author of the Book of Job and how God worked through the author to create a work of art that manages to ask the hard questions about God, faith and the harsh realities of life. Gutiérrez has helped me to see the Book of Job as a work of art that does not settle for quick and easy answers about the universal human experience but instead raises uncomfortable questions that, when asked, may open people's hearts for deeper experiences with the true God. Gutiérrez has convinced me of the importance of honest prayer and contemplation of God and that to truly understand God's justice one must understand God's gratuitousness.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has questioned God's goodness in the face of human suffering. I would also recommend this book to bible study teachers (it would make for great study and discussion), seminary students, pastors, ministers, pastoral counselors, social workers, and those who seek justice for "the least of these."

Gutierrez does an excellent job analyzing the Book of Job and explaining its relevant theological messages. Of special importance is the refuting of the social darwinistic doctrine of temporal retribution (which is the belief that people are rewarded or punished during their lives based on their sins). The theological arguments are rather complex, but are explained so clearly that they are easy to understand. While Gutierrez makes a connection between the message of the Book of Job and poverty in Latin America, this theme could have been expanded upon more in the book. All in all, this book is a very interesting read and is a must for those who wish to understand the Book of Job.

This gave our study group opportunities to walk in others' shoes, providing good discussion, and forcing us to use "out-of-the-box" thinking. Excellent leader's guide in the back of each study book provided variety of ways to further examine familiar parables in order to relate this re-examination to our daily lives and faith journey.

Nowhere in your description of this book do you state that it ia a video study. This is very misleading.

After hearing so much about this book, I, frankly, was disappointed.

The concept is good, even grand, and the book follows the idea--looking back at well known parables through the eyes and perspective of a little known person in the story. But it just doesn't deliver the power and impact that its "buzz" said it did.

Like many such books written by ministers, it needed an editor, somebody to keep it sharp and moving. At times it read more like a sermon. Needed to be written tighter and the idea flow moving faster. Needed to be told and written in a more crip manner.

His points, most of them good, all of them good actually, got lost in the words. And that's unfortunate.

My favorite Ellsworth Kalas book!! I loaned my first copy to several friends over the years until the last one did not return it. Because reading the "backside" of these parables gave me present-day insight to people, personalities and predicaments, I had to purchase a new copy. Needless to say, this one is not for loan. I direct friends to Amazon where they can purchase a copy of their own.

The "Backside" books give a different persepctive from the one we have always learned. They exemplify that there are two sides to every story; and, I have learned from Ellsworth Kalas to try to see all participants in a parable and consider their feelings. This has also been helpful in my own life.

I recommend all the "Backside" books.

Because the parables are stories with the kind of twist that can completely undo our usual ways of living our lives, I appreciated Pastor Kalas' attempt to tell us the story of these stories from a fresh angle. The 12 chapters in this volume are basically sermons. This, in fact, is the value of the book. If you are a pastor who has gotten a little too predictable in the way you create messages, this book will help you climb outside the 3 alliterated points box in a thoughtful, application-focused way.

Though I didn't find it especially helpful when I was writing my own books on the parables (Parablelife: Living the stories Jesus told in real time - FaithWalk, 2005 and Uprooted: Growing a Parablelife from the Inside Out, scheduled for release in late 2006) in terms of information, I did find inspiration in Kalas' pastoral approach and welcoming tone.

This is a wonderful tool to be able to share the gospel with our Japanese friends.

The English and Japanese texts run alongside each other, with the English at times spaced out so that the two translations of the same verse in the two languages are lined up as much as possible. That makes it easy to jump back and forth between the languages.

I do sometimes use a magnifying glass to read the furigana (hiragana pronunciations in extra small print directly above the kanji). As I am learning the symbols more and more, however, I am using the magnifying glass less. The book itself is smaller than I had envisioned -- comparable to my English study Bible.

I am very pleased with this purchase -- it is exactly what I was looking for!

This is an excellent Bible. My bone to pick is that it is very large and heavy. We give it as a gift to our Japanese exchange students while they visit the U.S. It is invaluable in helping them to understand their visits to church. The problem is that it uses up a lot of their 50 lb. checked baggage weight limit, when they fly back to Japan. We worry that it is the first thing to go in the garbage at the airport when their bags are overlimit. There is another bilingual Bible, in small format, with no helps in back, but I haven't been able to find one since 2004. We bought it for $25 back then. Please email me if anyone has a source for it. Now, this version is the only one we can find, and it is cheaper straight from the International Bible Society [...].

The Japanese-English Bible is so wonderful. I am a native-English speaker and am learning Japanese so it is wonderful to see English and Japanese translations of the bible side by side. The NIV is my favorite translation of the bible as well. it's hardcover so the bible last forever. there are two cloth bookmarks attached to the bible. i think every kanji has the furigana pronunciation above it. i was a little disappointed when i read "tomodachi" and only the "tomo"'s kanji was given since I have since learned the whole word's characters, but it is still good for me to know the pronunciation and what part of the word each kanji makes. this is a fascinating buy and it's something i don't regret!

If you are a native English speaker living in Japan or studying Japanese, and if you need the WHOLE Bible with side-by-side translations on each page, with furigana over the Kanji to show you how the Kanji is pronounced, then this is the Bible for you.

Daniel Berrigan's "The Kings and Their Gods" is a wonderfully prophetic and
poetic piece that deserves a spot among the other commentaries on one's
biblical bookshelf. Berrigan's ability to connect the dots over the span of almost three thousand years is truly phenomenal. But what I appreciate most was his adroit handling of two incidents which are not contained in the lectionary and so are never read before the congregation as part of our regular liturgical discipline: the story of Micaiah (1 Kings 22:8ff) during the time of Elijah and the incident of cannibalism (2 Kings 6:24ff) during the time of Elisha. Berrigan's commentary on these two segments alone would have made the book worth reading. On top of the full
panoply he unfolds before the reader renders it a real blessing.

This book is not for everyone. I couldnt follow the authors expressions and ideas. His vocabulary was way beyond me.

As this most recent installment of the Reverend Father Daniel Berrigan's exegetical Old Testament series falls upon this current year of presidential appointment (dare we yet nor ever again write election?) in direct response to such anointments this millennium and their bloody, bitter fruit, we must not avoid its careful contemplation as lectio divina, as reading the writing upon the wall, as warning and as holy prophecy. Other essential readings from this great series include Isaiah: Spirit of Courage, Gift of Tears, Jeremiah: The World, the Wound of God, Job: And Death No Dominion and Ezekiel: Vision in the Dust.

Indeed we read upon the cover the words of the great Jim Wallis (author of Faith Works: How to Live Your Beliefs and Ignite Positive Social Change and Living God's Politics: A Guide to Putting Your Faith into Action): "Part biblical commentary, part poetry, and part prophecy - this is Berrigan at his best."

Again, upon its book this sacred text bears these blazing and true words of the Reverend Father Andrew Greeley (author of A Stupid, Unjust, and Criminal War: Iraq, 2001-2007): "In this powerful and disturbing meditation on the books of Kings, Father Daniel Berrigan, with all his usual prophetic fervor and scalding wit, compares Israel in the time between David and Isaiah with the United States today."

Our beloved and revered Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister (author most recently of The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully) joins this holy chorus with these instructive words: The Reverend Father "Daniel Berrigan's Kings and Their Gods is not one book but three. The first book in question is scripture's two books of Kings, which most people ignore. The second book is Berrigan's own poetic, piercing interpretation of the books of Kings. The third book is about us - our country, our times, ourselves. In each case, the language is elegant and the narrative is dramatic and chilling. Most of all, Berrigan's interpretation is disturbingly real, frighteningly true. My advice is to read this book with the scripture in one hand and the newspaper in the other. But whatever you do, read it. Once you do, you'll never think of the books of Kings as useless history again. On the contrary, you may think of them all the time."

Like the great and grim Samuel Beckett curled seriously in a corner of a gay Parisian cocktail party when invited to join the fun responded he was drearily thinking about Dante, you might arouse from your deep meditations with the weary wail, you think only of Berrigan's Kings and their prophetic revelations within today's newspaper.

We have an octogenarian papacy in Rome continuing weakly to emit encyclicals which oddly fail to resonate, such as Spe Salvi Salvados En La Esperanza, Benedicto XVI which paints as grim and despairing a picture of human efforts as anything in Jean Paul Sartre. At least Camus granted Sisyphus the dignity of his existential efforts.

Here in Berrigan's Kings we find our Roman Catholic octogenarian prophet and priest of peace inscribing with the same profound clarity and concision, elegant grace and unsparing, courageous truth as when he wrote over forty years ago his monumental ode to peace and universal compassion Night Flight To Hanoi - War Diary With 11 Poems or his own chronicle from the court records The Trial of the Catonsville Nine.

This book calls us forth to individual repentance. This book encourages us bravely as Virgil along our way from darkness unto God's peace, stability and unity. This book calls us forth like Lazarus from the busy groaning grave of avarice and lust, of bloodletting and war, unto the fulfillment of the commandments of Love and of the blessings of Peace. The Reverend Father Berrigan speaks with authority and with truth, with courage and wisdom, with guidance as wise counselor, as merciful and compassionate father seeing us all so lost, and scattered, and eagerly pursuing that which leads to no peace.

To quote the great Catholic nun, Sister Joan, "But whatever you do, read it." You must read this book. Even if you have not seen the rest of his great and holy and prophetic opus, we must all now today, and forever, read this book, if we are to discover once more peace, and real hope.

Near the end of this great and holy book, the Reverend Father Dan Berrigan writes: "There came an interruption. A stick was driven in the chariot spokes of empire. The impediment was thrust in place by the hands of prophets, the great disequilabrists of self-interest and murder. They denounced the old order as inept, intolerable. They defended and cherished the poor, challenged and rebuked the oppressors. To Isaiah and his like, all praise (p. 201)."

Father Dan then soon recalls the first words of public ministry of Jesus, read from the scroll of Isaiah: "What we find in the Gospels is hardly reassuring: a strict repudiation of the wars of the Hebrew Bible. No word indicates admiration or empathy for the violence of Saul, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and the others. Jesus never draws on them, even by way of rebuttal, to enlarge or illustrate his teachings. The contempt, the silence are deafening. In place of the kings, images of the prophets loom large. In the synagogue of Nazareth, through the words of Isaiah, Christ conveys the substance of his vocation. Works of mercy and mitigation will mark his days: 'Good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, liberty for the oppressed . . . (pp. 201-202)"

"Blessed - and lonely and powerless and intent on the Master - and, if must be, despised and scorned, locked up - blessed are the makers of peace."

Read this book; whatever you do, read it.

In her memoir Things Seen and Unseen, Nora Gallagher recalls meeting Daniel Berrigan (b. 1921) in the spring of 1986. When she asked how many times he had been jailed, he responded, "Not enough." Poet, playwright, peace activist, and Jesuit priest, Daniel Berrigan has spent a long life obeying the good news of Jesus rather than the bad news of caesar. He and his brother Philip did time on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. In 1968 he and eight other activists stole 378 draft files of young men who were about to be sent packing to Vietnam, dumped them into two garbage cans, poured homemade napalm on them, and burned them in the parking lot of the Catonsville, Maryland, draft board. In 1980, he trespassed into General Electric's nuclear missile plant in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, poured blood on some warhead nose cones, then hammered away to punctuate his prophetic point.

Now eighty-seven, age has not extinguished Berrigan's fire. Death row, smart bombs, Iraq, and what he calls "abortion mills" still provoke his ire. These meditations reflect on the books of 1-2 Kings and, as you would expect, draw parallels to our own pathologies of political power today. How should we read these ancient texts about a territorial god who slaughtered his pagan enemies? In what sense are these pages inspired?

Berrigan reads 1-2 Kings as self-serving imperial records that portray Israel's kings as they saw themselves and wanted others to see them -- God is with us and against our enemies. He blesses us with their booty. No war crime is too heinous as a means to these delusional ends. And so on page after page we see hell explode on earth. There is one political end: extra imperium nulla salus, "outside the empire there is no salvation." There are many pathological means to this end: untrammeled imperial ego, political power with absolute impunity, military might, revisionist history, manipulation of memory and time, grandiose building projects, economic exploitation, virulent nationalism, and, sanctioning it all with divine approval, religious legitimation. In 1-2 Kings, says Berrigan, the Bible is thus "deconstructing" itself; "the medium itself is the message." A few dissenting voices object to imperial power, but they are silenced as unpatriotic and seditious. Only with the eighth-century prophets are these "official" texts amended so that we see and hear the real perspective of Yahweh about justice, kindness, and humility for all peoples everywhere.

1-2 Kings also function as mirrors in which we see our own reflection today. "Do our leaders differ, in any large degree, from the rulers of old? They are hardly different at all." Drawing upon the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz, letters from his friend Thomas Merton, and revealing snippets from the NY Times, Berrigan joins the hermeneutical horizons of ancient text and contemporary context. The last word on his final page? "One must urge (to his own soul first) a firm rebutting midrash; bring Christ to bear. Read the gospel closely, obediently. Welcome no enticements, no other claim on conscience. Mourn the preachers and priests whose silence and collusion signal plain revolt against the gospel. Enter the maelstrom, the wilderness; flee the claim that would possess your soul. Earn the blessing; pay up. Blessed -- and lonely and powerless and intent on the Master -- and, if must be, despised, scorned, locked up -- blessed are the makers of peace."

Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians by Tom Wright. Bishop Wright, Anglican Bishop of Durham, has given us an outstanding review of the theology of St. Paul. He includes his own translation of the text as he writes. He is very insistent on always translating the Greek word CHRISTOS with the meaning that the word had for all of the Jewish Christians of the first century and, as they began to enter the Church, the meaning that the Gentile Christians also accepted--MESSIAH. JESUS CHRIST WAS NOT THE SON OF MARY CHRIST AND JOSEPH CHRIST. CHRISTOS MEANT "THE ANNOINTED" AND TRANSLATES THE HEBREW "MESSIAH" WHICH ALSO MEANS "THE ANNOINTED". A SIGNIFICANT INSIGHT.

Paul for Everyone series has been such a blessing for the average layman who wants practical information/ideas rather than scholarly work.

It is hard for me to remember when I have used the above words to describe a book. Reading in this area for me is an exercise in the historical investigation of the early Church and Roman antiquity. I have "no dog" in the theological fights that propel much of the discussion of the early Church history and Biblical commentary. Therefore, Tom Wright would not normally be on my list of scholars to read. He is the Bishop of Durham in the High Episcopal Church of England. He is after all a believer in the divinity of Jesus as a matter of faith and grace. I picked this book up as I was under time pressure to prepare for a discussion on Galatians. I already had books by Esler and Nanos on Galatians and a commentary by J. Louis Martyn, as well as, "The Galatians Debate" which is edited by Mark Nanos. That amounts to in excess of fifteen hundred pages of tough scholarly reading on the book of Galatians.

However, this short one hundred seventy eight page book would have to do. And what a surprise it was. First of all I concluded that Wright is a scholar of the first rank. Second, I very much like his rejection of the "Lutheran" Paul which has infected so much writing over the last few centuries. Third, I was amazed at the relatively simple translations done by Wright that seemed to convey the message of the epistles under consideration with extreme clarity. And lastly, the book conveys a well established understanding of these epistles as internal documents of early Church history. It is this reader's opinion that the epistles of Paul have far more to say about the history of the early Church and the person of the historical Jesus than is normally granted.

Wright's "new perspective" stance on Paul allows for a reconciliation of Paul and the Jerusalem Church headed by James the relative of Jesus. It becomes clear that Paul's message about Jesus was known and accepted by James. If one fails to engage New Testament writings as a strong source of information about the early church and the historical person of Jesus, then one's understanding of that history will remain skewed. One star was deducted for a lack of ultimate depth. Many of the more complex and troubling issues about these epistles have been avoided by Wright. However, that in no way denigrates the value of this book. It is accessible to the general reader, and any open minded person will find much of value here. N. T. Wright may just be the best conservative scholar working in this area at this time. I shall be reading more of his work and recommend this book highly to all but the most advanced students of the epistles of Paul.

N.T. Wright is among the very best Biblical scholars in the world. His genius is evident in how clearly he brings Paul's letters alive for us today. Rememnber, this stuff isn't rockewt science and the enduring truth of Paul's theology and counsel has always been meant for EVERYONE.

Revd. Wright is one of the best of the advocates of the New Perspective on St. Paul and his insights on these letters area happy corretive to several centuries of erroneous interpretation. This book is accessible to the educated layman and pastorally helpful. Highly recommended.

These books have given me a new lease on life.
Also a brighter outlook on the future.
Thanks so much.

I believe that this was an inspirational book for women studying the Bible!
Women were very important, much more important than some of our male leaders would like us to understand.

I also believe this will be a daily research tool during my studies of the
word of God. Well written, easy to follow.

This has good information of the women in the Bible. It gives detail about the times in which the women lived.

This is a wonderful book for you want a deeper look at women in the bible. This book gives us a little background of each woman, Bible scripture where we can read more ourselves and how we can apply their amazing lessons to our lives today. I found it very interesting and uplifting to women. This book also shows women have a very important role in God's plan and we're not weak or powerless. It's nice no know he has faith and confindence in our strength that can only come from being a woman!

Lightfoot does a good to excellent job introducing the original MSS of Scripture, the origins of the text, and an overview of the accuracy of the Bible (until the mid-20th century).

However, Lightfoot does not present the history of the Vulgate in a strait-forward manner. On p. 42, he claims that Jerome failed to produce a masterpiece because he merely revised the Old Latin translation (which was not very accurate). But this strains the truth, and on p. 72, Lightfoot admits that Jerome spent many years translating the OT from the original Hebrew. On p. 43 he accuses the Church of preserving the Vulgate better than the original Greek (the NT), but admits that Jerome made his NT translation directly from the Septuagint (p. 24). Lightfoot insists that Protestant Bibles are more valid precisely because they are translated directly from the Septuagint, something he denies of the Catholic Bible. Did he write these pages in two separate decades? He goes on to say that the Vulgate, despite its shortcomings, was wrongly made the "official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church," and in this he is mistaken.

Lightfoot asserts that a book attains canonicity by its "general acceptance" as Scripture. Ignoring that one billion Catholics accept 1 and 2 Maccabees as Scripture. He says that no Church or group bestowed on any book of the Bible its infallibility. Okay, fine. But this is rarely contested. In the very next sentence Lightfoot substitutes the word "infallibility" for "canon," claiming that no Church can make a book canonical (he himself distinguishes between the meanings of these words). How then does a book become canonical? By its "general acceptance" of course. Not by Church council? No. Even though Martin Luther took this license himself? No. Even though Lightfoot himself does so when he denies the canonicity of certain portions of the Bible in this very book? Portions of scripture that can be found in all but a few very ancient MSS of the Bible all the way up to the present? Still no. It was "wrong" for 1500 years, but now it's back on track?

If Lightfoot cannot accept the importance of the Catholic Church and the historic Church councils in the formation of the canon and the preservation of Scripture then on what authority does he teach about the Bible? Apparently on his own authority, and that is not good enough.

Excellent product. Book is informative and easy to read, with helpful summaries at the end of each chapter as well as review questions to highlight key ideas and insights.

This book is succinct and replete with information. Lightfoot addresses most of the major questions pertaining to the process of Scripture being written, copied, preserved and transmitted through the course of history. He is very economical with his words, avoiding pedantry and maintaining a readable style. While this book will lead the serious student to do further reading, one cannot ask more from an introductory text on this topic. Highly recommended.

This is a good basic introduction to how the Bible was passed down. While not as scholarly (or as long)as Geisler and Nix's work (A General Introduction to the Bible), there is plenty of information presented in an easy to read manner.
The summaries at the end of each chapter give an excellent overview of each chapter.
Even though this is the fifth printing of the third edition it does feel dated from time to time. This is true especially in light of recent developments such as the Monastery of St Catherine's Library preservation project.
Overall the book gives an evenhanded treatment to a topic that can raise strong feelings in a lot of people.

This is an excellent introductory level work on how we came to have the Bible. A word of caution: if you don't like reading about ancient manuscripts and how they were translated or found then you will find this a bit dry and boring. However, if you are willing to follow the evidence of these ancient clues then you will be rewarded for your hard work reading about some of the Bible's fascinating history. The strengths of this book include a very helpful introduction to the history of writing materials and their significance for the Bible's own transmission. The treatment of the Old Testament and New Testament documents in separate chapters helps readers understand the different issues related to their reliability and preservation. Vignettes on significant manuscripts adds helpful narrative surrounding their discovery and the effects these had on Bible translation. The personal stories of significant translators in the history of the Bible also add to the richness of its history of translation and preservation. The textual criticism section provides a helpful introduction to the issues related to translation and taking into account ancient witnesses. The brief description of major modern translations provides some insight into why we have various translations today and the strengths and weaknesses of each. Overall the book is very strong in its communication of the methods of transmission and preservation over time of the Bible and provides a more accessible description of the issues related to these phenomena. The footnotes in the back of the book seem especially helpful for pursuing future topics in more detail. The only weaknesses if you can call them that is there is not as much detail on the particular types of errors committed by Scribes that would be relevant for a more in depth look at textual criticism. There are better works on this subject but the book does a good job of highlighting a few that can be seen with relative ease. Also, some attention is given to describing the order of the books we have today but mostly reasons are given for the Old Testament. The New Testament receives some attention but there could be a little more description given on why we have the books in their particular sequence. A great read for those who are interested in the subject. I highly recommend it.

This study goes with the First Place program. It is an easy study taking about 15-20 minutes/day. But the spiritual impact is far beyond the difficulty level or the amount of time spent. I can't recommend this program enough for a well rounded Christian--body, mind, and soul.

This book gives positive reinforcement to those persons participating in the First Place weight loss program. I recommend ths book to anyone who might be considering participating in the Christian based program.

Wow! This is an excellent study--the second I have done in this series. The first was okay, but this one addressed issues in my life and in the life of the rest of the group that we all needed to work on. Working through each day's section of the study only took half an hour, but it dealt in refreshing ways with the topic of spiritual warfare. The accompanying memory verses were very relevant. The first one kept me going throughout: "What I am asking you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach." This study is not so much about transforming your waist line as it is changing you from the inside (heart, attitude, thoughts) outward. Everyone in our group, without exception found these studies to be outstanding.

So far, I'm enjoying the First Place program and the Bible Studies. This is our second study, and while it's easy and keeps me focused on my goal of keeping Christ first place in my life, the second study is not that different from the first. They aren't real deep studies, so they're perfect for someone who's just starting a new routine of daily Bible study. Others might want to get something deeper to use alongside the First Place studies. EVfEP is a great follow up to Giving Christ First Place.

This is the second of the First Place Bible studies that I have done. I find it easy to use, not consuming too much time, but providing MUCH food for thought. I especially love the CD's that accompany the studies that help with scripture memorization.

This is a very comprehensive study of the New Testament. It thoroughly covers the historical context of the Gospels as well. The only negative aspect I noticed was that it has a secular viewpoint which isn't necessarily bad, only at times rather than explaining the New Testament writings the author seems to denounce them. Overall it is a well researched yet slightly pessamistic view of the New Testament.

My textbook was in excellent shape and is just what I needed for class. Thanks a lot.

My professor had us buy this book for a NT class. I must say, the required readings were interesting and I enjoyed Ehrmans' non-biased views. I would highly recommend this book for any professor looking for a new textbook.

Dr. Ehrman gave me a good review/update. I needed this very much as I earned my degree from seminary in 1958 and so much has happened since then. The book was very readable; it was in tended for his students. I appreciated his bibliography. As an historical overview it does not cover all the material that is necessary for a rounded education. Sometimes his conservative Christian theology creeps in to his evaluation of material. I find his insistance that Jesus is an apocalyptic prophet is unconvincing, and it pervades a good deal of his findings of other New Testament books. That John the Baptist was apocalyptic and that the early Christians had among them people who were apocalyptic is not proof of Jesus' position. I feel it is possible, but nopt probable. Read Crossan or Funk for another view.

Ehrman's agenda is crystal clear. I cannot recall ever having read a more biased piece of "historical" text than this.

Ehrman claims (in his disordered "Historian vs. Believer" section) that he will not try to persuade the reader into believing one thing or another about what he presents. With Ehrman being a proclaimed agnostic ("deconverted" from Christianity, I might add, for the very reason of being exposed to the historical approach that this book is based on!), it is hard to believe that such a statement could hold true. Upon reading the book, one can easily find out that it does not. The reader does not even have to proceed past the first chapter to witness the first signs of Ehrman's lack of committment toward any type of neutrality. The other one-star reviewers are entirely correct in their statements that Ehrman presents a particular idea, and speculatively accepts it as fact. He then proceeds to base entire sections of the book on these perceived historical "truths," for many of which there is no possible way ever to prove them as being so, such as the claim that "Jesus' disciples never do come to understand who he is," an idea that holds as much historical truth as it's counter-claim; yet Ehrman does not only accept the idea as being obviously true, but uses it to establish a whole other set of "truths," each of which have their own ignored flaws. I must ask in light of this particular claim, how does Ehrman consider the passage:

But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."

Well, Ehrman concludes that Peter perceived Jesus "only dimly" as the Christ. How? Because Peter rebukes Jesus after he states that he must suffer and die. Therefore Peter misunderstood what kind of messiah Jesus was.

Yes Peter rebuked him, but what if it was only a dissaproval? What if Peter was setting his mind "not on divine things but on human things" through his earthly desire to keep Jesus alive as a good friend? Does this necessarily mean that Peter misunderstood Jesus' messiahship? Ehrman concludes, surely. Others surely doubt it. The fact that Erhman remains so one-sided reveals his true agenda (or at least his ignorance).

Another particular example is Ehrman's claim that "It does not appear that the authors of the early Gospels were eyewitnesses to the events that they narrate." Whether this is true or not, Ehrman not only fails to provide proof of such a claim, let alone some substantial evidence, but continues from that point on as if it were a definitive fact. This is most likely because if he approached the idea correctly (as well as the entire subject of the historical Jesus), as if it were not definitive, the majority of his book would have to be rewritten. Considering who Ehrman is, this would require writing a book that goes against his worldview.

What one gets from reading the book, is that Jesus was just another miracle-working "son of God," claiming to be the messiah (not a crime according to Ehrman), talking about the Son of Man yet to come (also not a crime). So how does Ehrman deal with the fact that Jesus is crucified for blasphemy? Easy. Jesus never commited blasphemy! Rather, the Gospel authors made up that he did because of their own beliefs! So now, what can this say about what Ehrman thinks of Jesus' execution? The obvious answer: either it never happened, or it happened for no apparent reason. This doesn't seem to fit with how scripture reads, but it sounds like a pretty accurate conclusion for someone who takes the Gospels as nothing more than 4 guys making up stories. Remember, these are narratives, but not "real life," as Ehrman states assuredly.

Ehrman also states that ancient writers were not concerned with historical facts but rather with conveying a particular moral truth, simply because modern society is. In addition to such an absurd, ungrounded claim, Ehrman tries to defend the idea using the story of George Washington admitting to cutting down his father's cherry tree. The event never happened, but we Americans today use the story to establish a moral truth (namely, not to lie). Ehrman then concludes that because this story exists, Americans today care more about main ideas than historical accuracy. He then further concludes that this tendency was the same 2000 years ago. Since this is automatiicaly true in Ehrman's mind, it then makes sense to him that historical facts were not only omitted in the New Testament, but "made up"! What's worse than this gross generalization is the obviousness to which Ehrman reveals his agenda...the underminding of Christian scripture, and subsequently Christianity.

Ehrman's technique in persuading the reader towards skepticism is not blatently outright, but rather subtle. He uses specific phrasing, shaky logic, incomplete descriptions and ideas, insufficient development, and somewhat odd organization to create an overall sense of skepticism when considering the accuracy of Christian scripture. He does not challenge Christian scripture outright, but uses gradual development of inconclusive ideas to undermine it's credibility, while completely leaving out any crucial ideas that would support biblical accuracy, or at least other types of biblical inaccuracy. His methodology is very unprofessional, and frankly, somewhat childish. The sad part is that not only is it completely illogical to state that the New Testament is inaccurate as a whole, but the manner in which Ehrman goes about trying to do this is appalilng. I could go on for volumes citing examples of Ehrman's obvious bias, but I find it more important to inform any Christian, and any person (Christian or not) concerned with neutrality within such a genre, to consider another text on the historical approach to the New Testament...not as if any true Christian would be interested in such a subject in the first place.

It is important to realize that most of the historical approach to Jesus can never be definitive in any sense. While it is a "historical" approach, it can never become "history" (unless other ancient manuscripts pop up sometime in the future). Rather, it is grounded wholly on speculation and hypotheses (hence the Four-Source "hypothesis"). MANY prominent scholars and institutions reject the Synoptic Problem and Four-Source hypothesis (including the Roman Catholic Church). There are MANY different solutions to the Synoptic problem. Any "historian" would have to at least acknowledge them. Ehrman fails miserably at maintaining this necessary neutrality.

By now, you are probably steaming. So please, go ahead and click the "No" button next to "Was this review helpful to you?", not because you disagree with the review, but because you're just another internet secularist blindly opposing anything that criticizes ideas representing your worldview, whether the criticism is valid or not. Also, please feel free to comment negatively for the very same reason. Most importantly, realize that if you do either or both of these things, you are simply confirming what I have just put forth. The more the better. Thanks!

Exodus (The New American Commentary) I found this book to be extremely informative and helpful in leading a small group study of the book of Exodus.

I am very pleased with the book and the time that it took that i got it. Not to mention if you are interested in the Book of Exodus this is a good commentary to look through. he (Stuart) is very interested in the event of the exodus.

This is a wonderful commentary. He writes in an easily understandable style. The commentary is very thorough. A good evangelical commentary.

The thing that most impressed me about Douglas Stuart's commentary on Exodus for the New American commentary series (Broadman & Holman) is the easy proficiency with which Dr. Stuart exegetes how a particular Hebrew word or phrase should be taken in context, weaves in the ANE background, and demonstrates the way the theology not only relates to Exodus and the rest of the Pentateuch, but to entire biblical corpus. Those familiar with Dr. Stuart's prior work will not be surprised by the depth of scholarship undergirding his insights here. For a conservative commentary that is sufficiently meaty but still easy on the eyes, one could do no better.

Exodus is a pivotal book, a key volume not only in the Pentateuch but in the whole of the Hebrew bible. And Douglas Stuart is a first rate evangelical Old Testament scholar (who has already penned commentaries on Ezekiel and some of the Minor Prophets). Put the two together and you have an important and powerful combination.

There have been a number of good commentaries on the book of Exodus. Many consider the 1974 volume by Brevard Childs (Old Testament Library) to be the best written, albeit by a non-evangelical. Good volumes of a somewhat more conservative and evangelical variety have been penned by Enns (NIV Application Commentary, 2000) and Durham (Word Biblical Commentary, 1987). But this is the newest and perhaps best treatment of the book. Part of the New American Commentary series, this just released volume will long serve as the first port of call for evangelical assessments of this important Old Testament book.

Good commentaries offer a balance of two things: the technical, grammatical, cultural and other background material, along with sound theological analysis. Both exegesis and exposition are required. This volume fulfils both requirements nicely.

Stuart has clearly done his homework. (He says he consulted over 1700 items, not all of which are featured in the bibliography.) He is up on all the relevant literature, and is aware of the current debates. He also writes well, and is able to provide the theological sense of the book, and individuals passages throughout.

Given the constraints of the series, his introductory remarks do not occupy much space (only 50 pages out of an 800 page work). But more detailed discussions of important points are scattered throughout the commentary. Thus a number of excurses into various disputed issues, difficult topics, or theological hot potatoes are interspersed in these pages. Surprisingly however one such item, the Divine name YHWH as revealed in Exodus 3:14, receives no separate excursus, but just a half page discussion (along with a half page footnote, leading the reader to further study).

While acknowledging that extra-biblical evidence for Exodus is thin, he is more optimistic than writers like Durham about the book's historicity. He also ascribes Mosaic authorship to the book.

His thematic approach to this book is to highlight the servant theme: Israel's' exodus from Egyptian servitude is replaced by servitude to Yahweh. The transition from being servants of a bad king to being servants of a good king is the overriding motif of the book, although Stuart lists eight other key themes, including the necessity of law, the promised land, and covenant relationship.

The commentary itself is a nice blend of giving the sense of the text along with the various technical considerations that need to be addressed. More scholarly discussion is reserved for the footnotes, which are plenteous and lengthy. Thus the main body of the text can be easily followed, but the numerous excurses and footnotes take the reader to more advanced levels, when deeper considerations are called for.

All in all this is a very fine commentary indeed, which should serve both student and scholar for many years to come.