Bibles Bible Studies Books

The author is a colleague of my husband's. Frankly, I had a bit of an attitude about this book ten years ago after a day long seminar because I was ignorant and felt Russell might be overly confining God. Spring semester 2008 it was my text book for Biblical Interpretation and Spiritual Formation at Biola University. Midway through the book I found myself apologizing to Walt Russell for my previous attitude and utter ignorance and told him how much this book has helped me correctly read, understand and apply the Bible in my life. He received my confession with great amusement and humility. This book will help you understand how we all mis-read and mis-apply scripture in ingnorance. Russell is rock solid in his qualifications & knowledge as a scholar and this is a great book written for the common man. Easy read; IMPORTANT read.

After hearing some audio of Dr. Russell, I purchased his book and found it very relative to Bible endeavors. Without criticizing or comparing him to others, I found it very insightful. If you read this Mr. Russell, thanks-Mike

Dr. Russell has served as professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology since 1990. Among the courses taught by Dr. Russell is Hermeneutics (the art and science of biblical interpretation). Playing With Fire: How the Bible Ignites Change in Your Soul, exemplifies why Dr. Russell is such a respected professor by his students and fellow faculty members. In a succinct, engaging, and accurate format, he presents crucial methods needed in developing a balanced approach for proper understanding and application of the Bible. This book represents much of the content of his course on hermeneutics, a required course for all seminary students (for good reasons). Carefully interwoven into the fabric of methodology are the aspects of spiritual formation, often neglected in hermeneutics. One will especially profit from chapter 1 and Dr. Russell's explanation of how the western existential worldview "tints our perspective," and also from chapter 4 where he explains the use of Letio Divina (spiritual reading). I have taught both Bible survey and hermeneutics for several years, and it is without hesitation that I recommend Dr. Russell's book. One's Bible reading will be markedly enriched after reading and studying Playing With Fire.
M. Adler
Ph.D. Student, Talbot School of Theology

First, let me say that I read this book and Fee's and Stuart's book "How to Read the Bible for all its Worth" in the same month. My analysis: Although they were written in the same style and utilize similar material, I thought "Playing with Fire" was not quite as clear and not as thought-provoking as "Read the Bible." Truly Dr. Russell is a thinker--I am fully impressed with their Bible program at Biola--and if I had not read "Read the Bible" at the same time, perhaps I would have liked his book more than I did. Russell does utilize some beneficial charts and makes several good points throughout. However, while this book could be beneficial, I hestitate to recommend it when there is a better book on the same subject available to you.

Dr. Walt Russell's book, Playing With Fire, seeks to counter-act the existential interpretive method of scripture (or any literature for that matter). He is also interested in dispelling of the postmodernist idea about intentionality and content with the text. In other words, he rejects Derrida's view that the "meaning is outside of the text" and the modern existentialist view that the meaning resides in the text itself and is open to just about any interrpetation (regardless of how crazy it may be). In contrast, Russell offers a helpful hermeneutic that seeks to understand Scripture in terms of the genre. For example, one would interpret the Epistles of Paul differently than a historical narrative such as Joshua. It is all about what the author has in mind that we need to be concerned about. If we read a section from Scripture and find that Jesus calms the storm out at sea, we are not to interpret that to mean Jesus "wants to calm the storms of my our lives." This is what Russell essentially is attempting to reject.

Russell also explains the different types of ways to study. For example, in devotional reading, not much background information is necessary as compared to in depth work. He brings this around with similarly with the genres. For example, not as much information is needed for the poetic peices, as is necessary for the the prophetic books. He does a lot of work on comparing context vs pretext, top-down method, what he thinks are bibilcal ways of going about studying the word (meditations), etc.

The second half of the book consists of the application of Russell's method to Scripture in the various genres, where he points out certain information that enables you to better follow how the text should be interpreted. Russell is going to be interpreting this in light of his overarching view that, God has a plan that He is working out in human history to establish His Kingdom on earth and to bless all peoples of the world through faith, thus ultimately glorifying Himself. It should be pointed out (and this is crucial) that Russell's hermeneutic (as he presents it) is the method of progressive dispensationalists. For example, questions like "were the promises made to the church in the mind of the OT authors? No, so the promises are to be given to Jewish ethnic Israel." This is ultimatley why I reject Russell's method, but I think he has the right intentions on refuting the modern existential world view.

Over all, I think Russell is a good scholar and a good thinker (despite my many disagreements with him). I would recommend him for pro-dispensationalists but also suggest reading people like Vern Poythress and Gorden Fee as well.

Joel Green, a professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky, writes this commentary from a Methodist perspective. His commentary resembles narrative-criticism. That is to say, Green does not necessarily concern himself with a critique of the textual evidence, nor does he examine the "sources behind the text," nor does he speculate about any "Lukan Community," he doesn't even address whether the events contained in Luke actually happened. Instead he gives a scholarly analysis of Luke by treating it as a purposefully written, carefully constructed, unified narrative account. The resulting commentary shows Luke's portrayal of Jesus as the perfectly obedient Messiah who breaks social barriers, blesses the unlovable, and irrevocably/violently divides all peoples.

In so doing, he does a masterful job of showing Luke's major themes (leitmotifs) manifesting themselves throughout Luke and shows how Luke carefully constructs his narrative for maximum effect. While he makes a strong argument that Luke and Acts (both written by Luke) were always intended to be read in light of one another, he makes few connections with other New Testament books. The result is that Green allows Luke to speak for himself; no attempt is made to matrix Luke with Paul, John, Matthew, etc. However, Green does contextualize Luke as he critiques it from both the perspective of Roman society and from the perspective of Second Temple Judaism. During the many meal scenes Luke relates, Green shows how they parallel Roman symposium meals. He also pays close attention to the dominant Roman social network of benefactors and vessels. Each of these examinations draws out meanings in Luke that are normally lost when read through 21st century Western eyes. Green also emphasizes the Jewish notion of cleanliness versus uncleanliness, Jewish-Roman relations, and shows how Luke relies heavily on the Old Testament. Each of these also help the reader in understanding Luke's message. Especially appreciated by this reader is the Green's efforts to make clear Luke's continual connections between Jesus and Moses/Jesus and Elijah.

The negative aspects of Green's commentary are relatively minor but should be mentioned. In his narrative, Green prefers to use a multi-syllabic, uncommon word where more common words would be more beneficial for the reader. Green, writing as a Methodist, views Baptism and Holy Communion as symbolic and thus Sacramentalists will find his comments on certain passages (Jesus' baptism, the Last Supper) lacking. While Green shows that Jesus and Luke are very concerned about eschatology, Green does not show a systematic/unified teaching of eschatology in Luke/Acts. Finally, devotionally, Green emphasizes sanctification (righteous living and attitudes) as opposed to the faith that naturally produces such attitudes. The overall feel is "act like Jesus" as opposed to "believe in Jesus." While this commentary is not necessarily intended to be devotional in nature, the places where application is pointed out, the outcome is emphasized over and above the source.

Nevertheless, these criticisms are minor and should not detract the reader from absorbing and enjoying this excellent commentary on Luke's Gospel. In the author's preface, Green thanks his family who can look forward to "conversations that do *not* turn so quickly to Luke!" Green's dedication to the text, his depth of thought, and his hard work are evident and edifying. Highly recommended.

Like Fitzmyer, this is a fully technical commentary, but the intervening 18 years have led to different emphasis. Green takes a literary critical approach, with more emphasis on the meaning of the text as narrative and less on the sometimes reductionistic approaches of the high critical methods. Solid and reliable. A major work by a leading scholar.

This commentary is excellent. Dr. Green skims over historical-critical issues and treats the Gospel of Luke (and Acts) as one single narrative deeply embedded in the eschatological hope of the Jewish Scriptures. The life and teaching of Jesus is firmly put within the social and religious context of Roman society (the issue of patronage and the consequent rights and obligations of both benefactors and beneficiaries) and Second Temple Judaism (its definition of religious cleanliness and uncleanliness and the resultant status within the community). The Kingdom's truly revolutionary ethic (social, religious, economic and political) comes to full expression showing how bland and tame most of our current Evangelical preaching and teaching truly are.

It is a massive 900-plus pages, and maybe not for the novice, but I really enjoyed reading it from cover to cover. Studying Luke using this commentary was truly a blessing as I have come to know my Lord and His message in a way I have never had before.

The only quibble I have with this book, or rather with the series' editors, is that they have not let Dr. Green finish the narrative with a commentary on Acts. I would love to have Dr. Green guide me through the second part of this incredible account of the triune God's acts in the world.

`The Gospel of Luke' by Joel B. Green in `The New International Commentary on the New Testament' is a major surprise and a welcome relief to anyone who is really trying to make sense of Luke's verses in the course of a serious Bible study class. The surprise is based on my experience that several other titles in this series appear to be works by young beginners, fresh out of Divinity school. Many are literally a reworking of these graduates' Doctoral dissertations. This means the scholarship will be fresh and accurate, but the exegesis and hermeneutics may be just a bit raw, as I found in William Lane's commentary on the Gospel of Mark. On the other hand, there are titles in this series by `old hands' such as Douglas Moo's commentary on Romans. So, as with every major series of commentary volumes, you have to take each author and volume on their own merits.
This is the sixth Luke Commentary I have consulted, and it is unlike almost all the others in a way which is good news for the lay reader or pastoral interpreter. At one end of the spectrum is the three volume work by John Nolland in the `Word Biblical Commentary' series. While I have often found things in books from this series which were nowhere else, the format is dense to the point of distraction. This series is explicitly for scholars who need a survey of everything which has ever been written on a particular book of scripture.
Similar, but somewhat better for the lay or pastoral reader is Joseph Fitzmyer's two volume commentary in `The Anchor Bible' series. The word I get from seminary professors on this series is that it is quite uneven. But, the writers of all the other sources I consulted unanimously agree that Fitzmyer's commentary is THE authority for sound exegesis. The linguistic and historical notes are easier to assimilate than Nolland's dense thickets of sources, and the commentary is more lucid and useful for pastoral interpretation.
The short course for those who prefer the classic Nolland and Fitzmyer approach can be found in Luke Timothy Johnson's offering in the `Sacra Pagina' series. This has the advantage of being written by someone who has also done a commentary on Acts in the same format. Johnson is always my second source, followed by Green's excellent volume.
My first source (first only because our church library has a copy of it) is R. Allan Culpepper's commentary in `The New Interpreter's Bible' (NIB). Like all commentary in the NIB, this may be the best presentation of hermeneutics for pastoral uses, but it is lighter than the others for detailed searches of Old Testament precursors and Hellenic and Hellenistic parallels. I have consulted other commentaries as well, but these four are the most useful, complete, and authoritative.
The single most important recommendation for Green is that more than once, he has provided a clear explanation of a passage in Luke which the other commentaries simply did not address or actually may have gotten wrong. I say `may' because so much of Biblical exegesis is simply common sense and good judgment based on a deep understanding of the whole text. And, there may simply be more than one interpretation of some pericopes, as with the most famous story of the Good Samaritan.
Green is also far better than Culpepper on laying out the overview of Luke the evangelist, although L. T. Johnson's book is equally good on this score.
Finally, Green not only provides insights in areas where others skip over or get wrong, he does it in a style which, while still scholarly, is far more readable and digestible than the excellent works by Fitzmyer and Johnson. I cannot recommend this as your ONLY commentary, but it is and excellent companion to use with either Fitzmyer or Johnson.

I am currently preaching through the Gospel Acccoding to Luke. While there are many excellent commentaries available, I consistently find that Green's literary criticism leads me in the direction of getting to the heart of Luke's message. If you are a pastor or bible student and need a commentary to anchor your study, this is the best of the best.

Mounce's book seems to be the preferred text today, but for over 50 years, Machen was *the* standard for Protestant Greek education. This is a thorough, meticulous book, a harking back to rigorous grammatical instruction.

If you can swing the high price, get it for your bookshelf.

I highly recommend this introductory grammar of New Testament Greek.

I began my study of Greek with William Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek, and I really think Mounce has the best system around. However, I also firmly believe that anyone who studies Machen in addition to Mounce, say, after completing Mounce, will greatly profit by it. ~ I have!

I also believe that if someone is inclined to learn Greek solely by the traditional method, they would probably do best if they went with Machen.

The exercises in the book are a real help, especially the English to Greek, which tends to force the student to think in Greek in a way the Mounce system does not.

I don't think that I, nor anyone else, can find anything bad to say about the Machen grammar. It's the old school method, but as learner-friendly as the old school method can get, and as I mentioned, a great "second opinion" to one's studies in Mounce's introductory grammar.

I myself purchased a used, out of print edition (really cheap!), on ebay, but other used outlets or private sellers are circulating them as well(Amazon Marketplace, for instance). So, I cannot really speak to this new (very pricey!) edition. My older edition had no answer key for its exercises, though, and I had to scavenge around for one. Perhaps this new edition has an answer key.

I am pleased with the book. Machen provides excercises which are incredibly helpful in learning Greek. Each lesson is broken up effectively making it easy to follow. However, I found it necessary to receive instruction from a teacher along with each lesson.

I started Greek with this book and went on to major in Greek. Machen's systematic presentation of grammar is as clear and approachable as you'd want it to be. I've been away from Greek for decades and after spending my career teaching Latin, I've returned to this little book and found it invigorating as I relearn what I once knew so well. I own other Greek grammars, but Machen's is really all I need. If you buy this--and I highly recommend it--get Thompson's workbook too. As a combination they can't be beat. Thompson, by the way, provides excellent additional review and practice material that makes a difficult language more accessible.

This is a great textbook for anyone who has never studied Greek and needs to have an understanding of the languages for New Testament studies. The chapters are short and easy to understand and the exercises are well paced.

When I first began this book I was pretty excited as I didn't know that much about archaeology as this book came off to me as some exciting quest into antiquity to discover some profound, riveting truth. I was a little confused after a chapter or two, but I thought it was just me. Then as the chapters went on and on I began to wonder if someone had sabotaged this book or if the author was insane. Based on the cover and description of the book, I concluded that it was a treatise on proving the historical accuracy of the Bible based on archaeological evidence. Every chapter seemed to follow this premise, until the last page or few. The author would go on and on about how it was when Abram lived in Ur and this new and exciting truth about this and that that changes peoples perspectives and all this and his tone came off as one who was pretty enthralled by this discovery, and then at the end of the chapter he would basically refute everything he had previously argued.

Basically, a chapter consisted of 80%: the evidence is undeniable Abram lived in ancient Ur as a cosmopolitan in the big city wow! and would be followed by: oh, but Abram actually was a rural shepherd or whatever and it would be impossible for him to have lived in Ur; and in your mind you wonder why he bothered to mention the initial hypothesis in the first place. Simply I didn't understand this author at all. Why would someone write a book where they set forth a bunch of new ideas and then refute every single one of them?

Though the title claims to be a treatise upholding the accuracy of the Bible (and the author concurs in the introduction), if the author conveyed anything to me at all aside from utter confusion, his ending conclusions of each chapter entirely uproot the argument he apparently intended to uphold, unless it is that he is secretly trying to do just that, but who knows what this guy is really trying to convey?

Everything was as expected. Very happy with the condition of the book. Actually better than I expected for its age.

I see several reviews here that attack this book for daring to acknowledge the historical accuracy of the Bible. Those reviews say more about the bitterness and intolerance of the reviewer than they do about "The Bible As History."

After reading all of them, I wonder if they're more fueled by fear than their smug arrogance: if the Bible proved to be historically accurate...then what if the rest were true? (Those arguments are best left to the many other books out there).

Anyway, if you're intrigued by archaeology and the Bible, I would definitely recommend this book. Written by a German journalist and originally published in the 1950s (I believe), it's a book that badly needs to be updated or at least perhaps someone should undertake a second volume that's as well written for the general masses as this one. The discrediting of Kathleen Kenyon's attempt to discredit the Bible should be addressed, along with the discovery of bone boxes of Jesus' Jewish judge and the amphitheatre step with King David's name on it should be added to this incredible story.

What I loved about this book was the early history of archaeology in the Middle East and how many people literally used the Bible as a map to locate entire lost cities under the sand. It's as fun as it was fascinating to read.

As more and more discoveries are unearthed there every few years--and all of them only attest to the Bible's impregnable authenticity as a record of history--a book like "The Bible as History" becomes as essential as it is enjoyable to read and keep on the shelf.

If the athiests weren't so afraid of what the sand and stones still yield, they might even enjoy it too.

This is a pretty good read. The author covers a great amount of territory to explore the extent to which there is historical evidence to bolster Biblical text. The author, in his "Introduction," notes that "In Palestine, places and towns which are frequently mentioned in the Bible are being brought back once more into the light of day. They look exactly as the Bible describes them and lie exactly where the Bible locates them." He concludes his introduction with the statement that, after poring over great amounts of material (page 24), ". . .there kept hammering in my brain this one sentence: `The Bible is right after all.'"

The book itself looks at many Biblical passages--on the "flood," on Canaan, on the Israeli's term in Egypt, on the forty years in the Wilderness, on the historical arc from Joshua to Saul, and--finally--to the New Testament. Keller concludes that there is much historical evidence that is consistent with many passages in the Bible.

Some question, though, must be considered. He tends to be fairly accepting of the validity of the Shroud of Turin (although he does note some questions), which is, needless to say, under great question. And the book by Robin Lane Fox, "The Unauthorized Version: Truth and Fiction in the Bible," raises many questions about the inconsistencies and historical inaccuracies in Scripture.

Nonetheless, this is an interesting work. While I think that the historical facts are less clear-cut than the author, he makes his case eloquently.

Everyone should read this book. I reinforces so much and at the same time it helped me understand the old testement like never before. The entire bible should be written like a history book for all to understand better.

As the faith formation director of a small rural parish, I wear several hats and I recently inaugurated a middle school youth group for our pre-teens. How to get Catholic kids this age to read scripture? How to plan scripture-based programs on timely topics that pre-teens will engage in and that untrained volunteers and kids can lead? This Bible has filled those needs beautifully and then some. Within the Bible are 21 glossy sections, each focused on a timely topic (i.e., anger, peer pressure, responsibility) with scripture references, Church teaching and discussion questions. (The publisher also offers a leader's guide and music CD to enhance each topic session.) The kids love it! And parents tell me that their kids are actually reading their Bibles at home, on their own, without coaxing or prodding! The volunteer leaders love it, too, because they can use the leader's guide and CD to put together a GREAT session for the kids effortlessly. Fireside's given us a wonderful tool!

I am very impressed with this Bible along with the Music CD and Activities Workbook (these activities can be viewed on-line and printed for your use). I love the many themes that are spread throughout the Bible and the Activities Workbook & Music CD. Great for use with teens young and old. The accompanying church teachings along with each theme can even be used with adults who are in the process of becoming Catholic. I highly recommend this product. I was hesitant at first because I've been using the Catholic Youth Bible but this is very user friendly.

This is a good, N.A.B. bible, with excellent inserts on Catholic prayers, saints, and traditions. I do find the The N.A.B. translation and footnotes at times difficult and better suited for adults. I wish there was a simpler translation for teens along with inserts that would be more tied into the passages at hand. But overall this is a great resource and comes in an attractive cover.

We compared this and the St. Mary's Press Catholic Youth Bible. This is simply more complete and thorough from a Catholic standpoint. The colorful and thematic pages really re-enforce positive and upbeat Catholic thinking and practice of the faith from a teen's perspective. The authors did an outstanding job of writing on a teen's level and choosing pertinent subjects to address. It is also the lowest cost Catholic Youth Bible on the market that we found. We highly recommend this Bible for Catholic youth and those who instruct them.

This book is one that my daughter needed to have as a requirement for religion class, but one that she will keep for years to come. It is really well written, and on a teenage level, not as if someone "old" wrote it for them. There are many helpful items contained inside from peer pressure to religious beliefs that will benefit her throughout her teen years.

This is good stuff for a person who is interested in the bible. It contains maps, lost of comments and also take up interesting historic facts. So if you want to get more out of the bible then I suggest this one. It will make even the hard parts of the bible more fun to read! Since I got a study bible I now read it through twice a year!!!!! and it also creates an bigger desire to read it.

This is a well designed, attractive and organized Bible but needs two things...

1.) Why aren't the Words of Christ in red? (We're talking Jesus here; the most important Man who ever walked the earth.)

2.) A month by month scheduled Bible reading plan in the back to help new believers stay in the Word daily would be nice.

Otherwise, a good version.

I really enjoy studying with the NKJV Bible Study. It is very thorough and easy to understand. The only thing is the print is kind of light and small. I would prefer large bolder print.

I was eager to purchase this Bible thinking that Nelson would make an already good product even better. I have mixed feelings about this one:

PROS

Cultural Notes
Jesus in the Scriptures

CONS

The print is smaller than in the first edition
The words of Christ are not in red letter.
The notes are smaller and are in a light shaded blue (The notes in the first edition could be more easily seen. The word studies, for example, were more darkly shaded and were at the top of the page).
The FullView Bible Summaries charts are gone. These charts had excellent information about Doctrine in the Scripture, the Trinity, the Doctrine of Salvation, etc.

This study Bible is good, but not as good as the first edition.

I will admit I was very leary about purchasing this bible as I had a few beefs with the first edition (even though I had purchased it and use it as my primary study bible). After reading a few reviews, I went to our local Christian bookstore to check it out for myself--taking my current "handy dandy" first edition with me.

All I can say is WOW! Yes, Nelson still has the issues of using a bit flimsier paper than some and that lends to some bleed through, but it's actually a touch slimmer than the old version--and removing those "inserts" that were in the heavier paper--all I can say is Hallelujah! (I found them SO annoying because if I was near one of them in my reading my bible would keep trying to flip pages on me unless I held them down).

The other thing I like about this is that it's a bit easier on the eyes (at least, to me). As stated in another review, there's some "two-toning" going on in this version (as compared to black, more black, and grey) with a nice selection of shades of blue. Kinda odd to have blue in a black bonded leather bible, but hey. :)

The addition of the CD Rom is a nice touch--I haven't gone through mine yet to know how useful it'll be, but for those who do a lot of computer research, I would think, the more resources the merrier!

While every translation and (especially) study bible has pros and cons, I definitely think this is a good solid bible. The notes are good for new Christians and seasoned ones as well...excellent value (esp when you consider how much more a lot of the other study bibles are).

F.B. Meyer's quiet language slices through complacency to awaken in a tired, sometimes disillusioned soul the hunger to know the God that Moses met, worshiped, served and came to know intimately. I found myself wanting to devour the work in one sitting; yet, needing to pause after each chapter to allow the depth of teaching to take hold. His style is one of conversation rather than dislogue. You become intimately a part of Moses journey through Meyer's sincere love and hunger to know God.

I've spent the last 35 years reading through the Bible in one form or another. Reading charts. Study Bibles. One Year Bibles. Nothing compares to The Daily Message. It was complied by Eugene Peterson, a theologian and working pastor of forty years. It took him ten years to put together. Even in the information age, it will remain impactful for many, many years to come. It's the kind of language you hear on the radio, or on the television, or out in the community. It's fresh; vibrant; grabs your attention immediately. Even the novice reader is immediately impacted. It's broken into small passages so the reader doesn't become overwhelmed. Read the daily suggestions, or only parts of them. The important thing is to read. Just read. Read the most important conversation of your life. Read your conversation with God.

i ordered this product used. when i received the product it looked as if the book had never been opened. so to me it was a good deal because i paid for a used product and received a new one. I think everyone likes to save a little money, with gas so high!!!!! but the book is great for an understanding of the bible in one year!!

Well written and easy to follow. I look forward to my daily reading and find I am finally understanding all the major players I've heard about all these years and how they fit together. I think I will actually complete the goal of reading the bible in one year thanks to this text!

I have given 6 of these away and everyone who recieved one has loved it. It has added a whole new dimension to their quiet times and understanding of the scriptures. I highly recommend it.

The Message is a very readable translation. Eugen Peterson does a good job of 'translating' the text. There is some personal interpretation, but that's ok if it causes one to read and dig deeper. I purchased this particular 'in a year' version for my mother in law. I have the standard book and it is quite readable. For reasons I do not know, the one year version was printed in teeny, tiny, almost need a microscope font. My mother in law cannot see it at all. I have 20/20 and must squint and focus to read it.

A very good read. Informative and engaging. Packs a ton of useful information into an efficient outline. Extremely helpful to those who are diving into the OT for the first time in a focused study.

I had to read this book as a text for O.T. Survey, a class I took while in Bible College. Mr. Merill wrote a wonderful book that does not confuse Bible students nor casts doubt on the certainty of the validity of the O.T. Scriptures. Great infromation and well documented. I also like his charts and foot notes.