Bibles Bible Studies Books

I read this book while working towards my associates degree through LCU. It is one of the most informative and refreshing books on healing available. I would highly recommend this to any believer (or not) desiring to learn in detail about healing, while also building and strengthening their faith in a God who can and will heal "whosoever will".

The three-volume Deeper Connections series produced by Zondervan is unique. Unlike any other Bible study available, this visually stunning DVD series is taught and written by biblical experts - six professors with specialized areas of knowledge. The three volumes in this study series are :

1. The Parables of Jesus
2. The Prayers of Jesus
3. Miracles of Jesus

The Teachers featured on the series are : Dr. Gary Burge, Wheaton College; Dr. David Garland, Truett Theological Seminary; Dr. Mark Strauss, Bethel Seminary; Dr. Michael Wilkins, Talbot School of Theology; Dr. Matt Williams, Biola University; Dr. Ben Witherington III, Asbury Theological Seminary.

Hosted by Jarrett Stevens and filmed in locations as diverse as Gloucester harbor, the Holy Land, Boston's Old North Church, and Chicago's lakefront, each volume consists of six fascinating sessions. Each session is taught by a different instructor and consists of three components:

1. Historical and cultural background
2. An engaging, close look at the biblical text and its meaning
3. Accurate, encouraging, and challenging applications of the Bible's message to life today

Each volume is accompanied by a Participant Guide which is available separately allowing participants to make deeper connections with a knowledge of historical background of the Bible, biblical text, and real life applications.

'The Parables of Jesus: Six In-depth Studies Connecting the Bible to Life' is one of the volumes of the Deeper Connections series focusing on parables of Jesus. Jesus communicated deep spiritual truths through simple, vivid, and engaging stories. Woven from the stuff of everyday life, the parables of Jesus made the kingdom of God understandable and accessible to his listeners. The study helps you gain new insights into his parables and their meanings that will help you to appreciate more fully their relevance for your own life.

Six Sessions included on this DVD are:

The Coming of the Kingdom
The Grace of the Kingdom
The God of the Kingdom
The Demand of the Kingdom
The Mission of the Kingdom
The Fulfillment of the Kingdom

Highly recommended for all students of the bible!

I really had to hunt to get all these, but I am seriously disappointed for 2 reasons. First, the presenter. Oh dear. OH DEAR. I am sure he's a great guy and all, but a presenter fit for filming he simply is not. His attempts to appear spontaneous and unscripted make him look VERY silly. VERY SILLY. You can see straight through it as clear as day. This ties in with the cinematography. Each presenter is teaching an invisible person. The camera angles follow the person if they are walking, or still, slightly to the side of the person. But where is the person the presenter is talking to? Oh my gosh. EYE CONTACT. They never eyeball the camera. It makes you feel very weird. I have never seen anything filmed like this. So the whole entire time you're watching you just want to see who the HECK are you talking to? but you never see, because there isn't anyone, and it is insanely frustrating. So it's like the presenters are talking to you, but they NEVER look at you. Argh. It's an exercise in patience as it just makes you want to slap the guy and say, "HEY, I'm over HERE, LOOK at me". The way I am expressing it, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but watch it and you'll find out. Imagine watching Katie Kuric on the evening news, but she's looking to the diagonal all the time, never at you, you'd want to slap the TV.

Another problem is the continual stop-start nature of the teachings. Every few minutes you need to hit play to keep going.

My second serious gripe is the way they have encoded the DVD. Clearly the DVD producer didn't know how to create scripts in the project because every chapter has been saved as a title. This means ripping the DVD to watch on your AppleTV or iPod, computer etc is impossible. To some this will not matter, but for me it's a big issue.

I am sure the teaching is great, if only I could stand to watch it, which I just can't. I have tried several times over the last few months and it's just frustrating. Overall it's an incredibly amateurish project totally out of character for something with Zondervan's name on it. This is why it simply must have a 1 star rating.

I am glad I happened to come across IA's review shortly after it was posted. IA's review is not only unacceptable but incomplete. If you're looking for one opinion about the dvd format and production, he/she may be of help. However, he/she even states "I am sure the teaching is great, if only I could stand to watch it" which implies that the review has nothing to do with the (outstanding) teaching but his/her opinions of camera angles and eye contact. Allow me to briefly introduce you to the actual content - the main reason why people buy Bible studies like Deeper Connections.

Unlike IA's experience, my small group and I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from this Bible study. The guide (or presenter) is actually over in Israel as he introduces each teaching, thus helping bring the text and teachings to life. Simply getting a glimpse of where Jesus walked, taught, etc. helped me to connect to the text in new ways. Moreover, his presentations were not cheesy, but informative and natural.

IA may not like the lack of eye contact, but we personally thought it was insightful (plus, why give a 1/5 stars for something like that?). It felt more like the teacher was part of the small group instead of having someone talk 'at' me. The difference with eye contact was noticeable at first, but my small group quickly and easily adjusted and it never became a problem. Please do not write-off this Bible study series based on a poor review. You will be missing out on quality teaching from these six professors who have a pastoral heart and a gift to communicate God's Word to His people. Zondervan has done an excellent job (also, the Participant Guide is excellent as well).

if you love the Psalms, this is a must have. if you don't know anything about the Psalms, this is a must have. any way you flip it, this is a must have...

Why did they publish this book with font and color making it so difficult to read? What a waste. Could be so much more.
Sorry I purchased.

Beautiful book. My wife likes it so much it is now open on our coffee table. We read from it to each other and share opinions on the beautiful illustrations.

What a beautiful way to read the Psalms. The artwork is a work of love & creativity. This book is an uplifting treasure and a perfect gift to buy for others.

This book provides a beautiful series of illuminations, printed on heavy paper, for each of the Psalms. The pictures are gorgeous, and they provide insights and thoughtful reflections on the words. The book would make a wonderful gift, as well as a companion to a daily prayer routine.

The last chapter (the only one I have actually read so far) is a hoot. The author summarizes the previous nine chapters and says things like "Blame the Babylonians -- it's not my fault", "Again, not my fault! I didn't fake any of it -- it just came out of the ground when I wasn't looking!", etc.

He then attacks the elements of the New Literary Criticism with comments like "No more than a half-truth at best", "Simply not the case', "Utter poppycock in practice", "Absolute trash", etc., followed by support for his statements.

This is followed by specific comments on specific minimalists. The preface (also very interesting) and the summary chapter alone are worth the price of the book.

You wouldn't expect such a long book--nearly 700 pages, including maps, charts, and indexes--to be entertaining, but Kitchen manages it. And, although he takes the orthodox view on most of the Old Testament he treats every issue in a fair manner, discussing the various points of view of the minimalists.

You can expect surprises no matter what your level of background in the subject. Take even the common belief that Akhenaten was the first known monotheist. "The Cairo Hymn to Amun in Egyp (ca 1500/1400) from well before Akhenaten's time, already Amen-Re (twice over) as creator of the other gods as well as of humanity, so that he was necessarily sole god before such a creation, conceptually. The hymn itself originated much earlier..." (p 331).

It's impressive to see such evidence for the authenticity of the Tenach marshalled by Prof Kitchen, but he has the irritating habit of jumping from scene to scene, his comments are not organised as well as they might be, although clearly often the product of great study and thought (his views on the merits on the rival datings systems of Kings of Judah and Israel is a marvel of concise but biting analysis). Perhaps it's unfair to ask for a more systematic presentation from an archaeologist (who's work is inevitably punctuated, incomplete and usually in process), but it feels unpolished.

After reading several books on archaeology of ancient Israel, I found it important to read a book which deals fairly and squarely with those scholars who question whether the United and Divided Kingdoms really existed, or whether the Old Testament is a distorted history to serve the needs of the priests of Israel and Judea. This is important issue, because of the bearing it has on the current turmoil in the Middle East and the claims by some states that the State of Israel has no right to exist.

Dr Kitchen tackles the task of proving the reliability of Old Testament by working backwards, starting with the time of the Divided Kingdoms of Israel (Chapter 2), for which there is considerable archaeoligical evidence to corroborate the biblical accounts of the these kingdoms, the conquest of the Israel by the Assyrians, the later dispersal of the inhabitants of Judea by the Babylonians, and the occupation of the country (Chapter 3) during the Babylonian, Persian and Greek periods.

The point of working backwards becomes very clear when he moves to the analysis of the period of the United Monarchy of David and Solomon (Chapter 4), where there is only circumstantial archaeological evidence at best. This period follows the invasions of the Sea Peoples and coincides with the beginning of the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (on which Dr Kitchen is a foremost expert), and immediately before the establishment of the Assyrian Empire. The archaeological data and historical inscriptions are not only sparse, but seemingly full of contradictory evidence and he describes the evidence such as it is, showing that it is not inconsistent with the biblical accounts.

For the period of Joshua and the Judges (Chapter 5), he dissects these books in great detail, pointing out that they show quite clearly that the Israelites infiltrated into the land of Canaan rather than by rapid conquest. This is consistent with the archaeological record which indicates a group on incomers infiltrating the land of Canaan over a period of about a 150 years. There is, of course, no historical inscriptions that can verify this view, but the consistency of the archaaeological and biblical record is there. Dr Kitchen uses a similar technique in comparing the biblical account of the Exodus (Chapter 6), with the archaeological evidence in Egypt and Palestine which which he believes to have occurred in the last decades of the 13th century - this being the period of the reigns of Ramesses II of the 19th Dynasty of Egypt and his son Merneptah. He shows that the descriptions of the culture and behaviour of the Israelites who left Egypt are consistent with the culture recorded on many inscriptions in tombs, temples, etc of that period of the New Kingdom

I think these two chapters are the key parts of the whole book. Dr Kitchen clearly shows that the archaeological record does support the biblical account for the later periods, but here it is mainly the matter of comparing cultures and behaviour, and I think it best to read these chapters with the appropriate Biblical books in hand for reference.

Some people would argue that the biblical record in Genesis is simply a legend and bit of a fairy tale, but Dr Kitchen (in Chapters 7 and 9) does show that the culture of the Patriarchs, their predecessors, and the genealogical lists of peoples, is generally consistent with records on inscriptions of the first half of the 2nd millenium BCE but, of course, there is no direct evidence of the Patriarchs, only of peoples who seem to have had a culture similar to that ascribed to the Patriarchs

Chapter 8 is an interesting analysis of the culture of Prophets and Prophecy during the late 2nd millenium and 1st half of the 1st millenium BCE, and the final chapter (10) is a glorious polemic on the misinterpretations, mis-statement of facts, etc of those who deny the reliability of the Old Testament

The book is 650 pages long, has 100 pages of very detailed notes, 40 pages of maps and illustrations of objects, a subject index, and 14 pages of biblical reference. It is a very thorough book, and Dr Kitchen provides a full description and analysis of the archaeological evidence, and its relevance to the accounts in the books of the Old Testament. In doing so, he provides detailed notes on the findings and differing views of the various scholars, irrespective as to whether those views coincide with his or not. He is, of course, in major disagreement with many of these views, and is quite outspoken and often quite scathing about the "sloppy thinking", "blunders", and "failure to understand" of some of the most famous scholars. While this is quite amusing to read, it is somewhat disconcerting because, this kind of scoffing can be seen by some to be hiding a weakness in his own position. In his defence I would observe that where he does so, it is usually with a very thorough exposition of the weakeness of the other party s view and analysis of the facts. So even though his strongly held views permeate the whole book, I have to applaud his objectivity and overall fairness.
It took me a while to complete my study of this book. I read it from start to finish, and then read it in reverse order to make sure I had captured the major points. Dr Kitchen has done such a thorough job on this subject that I think it should be required reading by any serious scholar who has doubts about the Reliability of The Old Testament, as well as those students who wish to find the truth for themselves from their own studies.

Compared to equivalent works on the New Testament, Kitchen has written an encyclopedia. Kitchen provides meticulous and refreshing scholarly insight into the Old Testament. While many constantly minimize and undermine the Bible, Kitchen provides the evidence that undermines the underminers. Since such a volume with such an eye popping title can stir much inflamed passion, a few key points need to be addressed.

Firstly, some criticize Kitchen's mantra "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence!" since arguments from silence are considered incomplete, if not fallacious. However, careful readers will understand that Kitchen isn't really trying to argue from silence, but rather, Kitchen questions the assumption that a lack of archeological evidence means a recorded event did not occur. One must understand that much of what is known of Ancient History, especially the history of less developed civiizations, depends upon written sources and only small amount of archeological evidence. Kitchen thoroughly illustrates that though there maybe a lack of overt "hard" evidence, the Old Testament documents can still be corroborated by the little evidence that is available. After all, the whole point of Kitchen's work is to demonstrate that the Old Testament is a reliable documentary source.

This last point, points to another important point; Kitchen's book is supposed to be a work of apologetics rather than a strictly academic work. His purpose is to defend the reliability of the Old Testament just as F.F. Bruce defended the reliability of the New Testament, which was infact Kitchen's inspiration for this volume.

Further, it must also be understood ancient works of history are not only typically written long after the events they record, the ancients also regulary used colorful literary devices in order retell the past, Herodotus being the most obvious ancient example. That said, one must not so easily dismiss the Old Testament for not fitting modern "scientific" history. Of course, skeptics argue that Literary/Historical criticism helps reduce, if not eliminate, fact from fiction. But again, Kitchen rightly demonstrates how what the Old Testament does record has substantial historical merit.

Perhaps the biggest drawbacks to Kitchen's book are organization and readability. Since Kitchen begins his work with more recent history, and then works his way backwards, some may feel disoriented, especially if one intends to use the book in a classroom setting. One would best be served by using this book as a primer for Old Testament studies or after reading the whole Old Testament, rather than using it as a side by side Scripture study tool. Also, because the information provided is extremely dense, some readers may feel a bit overwhelmed. It would be best for first time readers to be familiar with the Old Testament within its historical and literary context, before reading this book. I highly recommend ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN THOUGHT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT by John H. Walton as a definite primer for Kitchen's masterwork.

Lastly, I'm very happy that Kitchen shied away from addressing questions concerning the Canon of the Old Testament in this book. I'm sure he has an opinion concerning this question, but he seems to have left this issue for others to decide. If one wished to delve into this juicy subject I think WHY CATHOLIC BIBLES ARE BIGGER? by Gary Michuta is the book to read.

I hope these comments can be of help to some. I absolutely think this book is a MUST read for any serious Bible student. If one wants to move onto the New Testament after studying the Old, hands down, one should read: THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS: ARE THEY RELIABLE? by F.F. Bruce and THE HISTORICAL RELIABILITY OF THE GOSPELS by Craig L. Blomberg. I hope readers won't prejudge Kitchen's volume because he's an ardent Christian, after all, most skeptical authors, such as the prominent Israel Finkelstein, make their positions well known from the get go in their own polemics. In the end, when it comes to this subject and the available evidence, it appears Kitchen carries the day.

As you can see, I'm a fan of the NIV for it's readability and it is used in this (and most other) great study bibles. What makes this one special is its "reformed" viewpoint. A little "deep" for the new Christian, but it gets my "best overall" rating."

Study notes are very good. NIV not my favorite translation. Type is rather small. Narrow spaces to write in. For someone new to Reformed theology this is proving to be a great tool. Despite the few short comings I would heartily recommend it.

There is no reason to add to the o so many good reviews. My own two cents is that this is THE BEST study bible on the market today and will likely be for a long time.

I'm a pastor who cares much about good, helpful, and accurate information. This is a fantastic study Bible. It's the best study Bible of all--better that the NIV Study Bible, which is good, and better than the ESV Reformation Study Bible.

Here is a study Bible that ALL Christians should get. It is filled with lots of spiritually instructive information, academic commentaries, and theological outlines that will give more than enough for one to start building a sermon on and starting up one's group bible study. I will even dare to say that it is better than the famed NIV Study Bible because of the amount of study notes, comments, and charts available.

Though the perspective given in the notes and commentaries is decidedly Reformed/Calvinist, it is still useful for evangelicals of all stripes - Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Baptists, Free Church Evangelicals, etc. - for personal Bible study. This is due to the highly orthodox and evangelical nature of the study notes and comments. Hence, reading the notes and comments will still be helpful for readers who are not Reformed. Except for some comments regarding passages that teach election and perseverance, a non-Reformed Christian will still be comfortable and secure enough to trust in the notes to guide their reading of Scripture.

What I really liked about this Bible is that at the end (after the concordance) there contains a section of all of the Reformed creeds and confessions of history (pp. 2143-2218). This is a truly remarkable feature of this study Bible. In fact, these confessions will help Reformed Christians better understand their own theological history and allow non-Reformed Christians to have some exposure to the teachings of the Reformed tradition.

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this Bible to all Christians. Trust me, you won't regret purchasing this study Bible. Too many study Bibles out there are either too simplistic or theologically sub-standard. This study Bible, however, combines good academic scholarship with good practical applications for the laity. I would also get the leather bound edition since it is so much nicer to hold and look at.

The book was in good condition but the previous owner had made written notes through the book. I would have liked to have known this.The hand written notes were in ink and impossible to get rid of.

Kay Arthur has rendered a real service for hurting people with this jewel of a book. We use it in our church for women, especially, who have suffered abuse in their past that they are struggling to move past. It's not psychology, but a God-centered, Christ-exalting source of help that points people to the only real hope for healing their hurts, which is the finished work of Jesus Christ and his ongoing gracious help provided for them through his life, death and resurrection.

I would recommend this product to anyone that is hurting or has been hurt. This is a great book for all whether you have been hurt or know someone that has been hurt.
Patty

Excellent! This study brought healing to my life in significant areas. A must do. Study examines Biblical passages using inductive study tools of marking key words, making lists, and applying the scripture to ones life. Old Testament and new testament passages.

I can not begin to tell you what this book and Kay Arthur have done for me.

Through the tools that Kay and this book furnished me I was driven into God's word to find healing for my pain and emotional hurts that years of counceling and medications had not been able to help me with.

By understanding that Jehovah Raph, God who heals truly does love me, I was set free from years of depression. This was my "ahaa" moment...

I am now teaching this as a class, and see so much healing coming to other lives. Don't get me wrong, there is still a need and time for counceling and sometimes medication.

But run first to the great physician and your redeemer. Learn from the Bible how to be healed.

This item is very Great I love it so much I have it on
my two computers at work and at home

I would recommend this to any curious christian, or curious nonchristian! I'm 20 years old and I enjoy using it! It's fun and informative, and the animations are my favorite part

I purchased this as a gift for my wife. Not only does she love it, but our three-year-old son loves the videos. It is very easy to study the Bible, as well as look up information, cross-reference, etc. I saved at least $20 by ordering online. Great purchase!

An excellent Bible Encyclopedia on a computer instead of a set of books! Very easy to use and very excessible!

Love this software!!! I use it on a daily bases, and love the extra's.
The only complaint I have is the scrolling arrow it is a bit to fast, so I use the bar instead. Great resource for any age of beliver.

The NIGTC series positions itself as intending to be somewhat conservative, to deal in detail with the Greek text as well as to focus on the theology of the book. France is in that mold. He considers Mark as a storyteller, even as a "raconteur." Thus he is doing very much a literary critical approach to the text. There isn't much here on history of interpretation, form criticism, etc. He focuses on Mark as Mark, not as a defective first draft of a gospel.

A couple of examples. He take the two-stage healing in 8:22-26 as a bridge passage, linking both what came before and what followed and sees this unique story as referencing the disciples inability to clearly "see" who Jesus is. In discussing the ending he takes the view that 16:8 isn't likely to be the real end of the text. While ending at 16:8 excites us moderns due to its existential, open, daring character, he thinks it very unlikely that Mark or his culture would see it that way. He thinks the real ending has likely been lost and 16:9-20 was written later to replace what was lost. While he defends what is a minority view, his discussion of the topic is sober, presents other points of view fairly and he definitely has reasons for his view.

That is typical of the entire commentary. Albert Lukaszewki in a review for SBL called the book a "model of tempered scholarship." I agree. Even if you disagree with a specific conclusion, you will find much to appreciate in his careful, reasonable, and intellectually honest presentation.

This is an excellent commentary, one of the best, in fact, I've ever seen, and definitely THE best on the Gospel of Mark (out of the eighteen or twenty that I'm regularly dipping into). It is a commentary on the Greek text, and the Greek is not transliterated or translated, but it is still amazingly readable, lucid, and engaging. France's introduction to the Gospel of Mark is the best intro I've read, and alone worth the price of the book. He views Mark's gospel as a narrative - a drama in three acts; yet he resists imposing superficial structures on the book. He writes with a desire to hear Mark's text afresh, and tends to focus in his comments on the unfolding theological narrative itself. Yet he is obviously well-read and conversant with both the primary ancient documents themselves and the relevant literature on Mark (commentaries, monographs, essays in journals, etc.) and engages them frequently when helpful. His theology is generally conservative, with a high Christology. He is cautious with overly novel interpretations. He articulates a partial-preterist position on Mark 13. France would probably be a bit too technical for the purposes of a lay-person, but preachers can hardly afford to be without him. I would recommend reading him along side the commentaries by James Edwards (Pillar), William Lane (NICNT), and David Garland (NIVAC). Excellent!

I work slowly through the Greek text in preparation for sermons or classes. France's commentary is a great aid for me in this process because of his discussion of key Greek words and terms. But, you do not have to know Greek to profit immensely from this commentary! I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get deeply in the context of Mark. There is material here for the theological student writing his paper, but also for the minister working up a lesson for this Sunday! His engagement of the text helps to move you right into the stories he is discussing, and then right into your own presentation. You won't be disappointed with this purchase.

I liked this commentary a lot. I have not focused much effort on Mark over the years, but wanted to look at it while I did a complete rereview of my Greek. It was better than I expected. The interesting comments on the Northern - Southern Kingdom's impacts on the cultures of Jerusalem and Galillee were helpful, as were the comments on the book's unlikely chronological layout. It is all good and balanced and worth reading. I for one would have liked more Greek, but it is not a real problem and makes the book for useful for a wider audience.

I find it truly amazing that there is still so much lively discussion about a Gospel of the New Testament which has been a cornerstone of Christian faith for almost 2000 years; however, the more I study New Testament exegesis, the less I'm surprised. The thing that makes the dialogue over The Gospel of Mark special is not Romans' deep theological arguments. Martin Luther, for example, in his 55 volumes of works translated into English barely mentions the Gospel, while doing an entire commentary on the Gospel of John.

The primary interest lies in the fact that less than 200 years ago, the basic opinions on dating Mark changed from its being considered a copy of Matthew to being an earlier source of both Matthew and Luke. This lively discussion was enriched even further by exegesis in the last 50 years, with the founding of `redactive' analysis by Marxson in Germany.

I've surveyed five different exegeses of Mark and have found much common ground, but also many differences, lying primarily in the translations and in the extent to which they address the history of commentary on Mark. Even though some of the volumes deal much more deeply with previous scholarship than others, all limit themselves to work done in the 20th century, and even to work done in the last 50 years. One thing I must say that although there are important differences, all of these volumes represent sound work at the deepest levels of scholarship. Some are more suitable for pastoral use than others, but none are `lightweights'.

The six volumes I surveyed follow:

`The Gospel According to Mark', William L. Lane, 1974, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., `The New International Commentary on the New Testament' Series.

`Mark 1-8:26', Robert A. Guelich, 1989, Nelson Reference & Electronic, `Word Bible Commentary' Series based on the author's own translation.

`Mark 8:27-16:20', Craig A. Evans, 2001, Nelson Reference & Electronic, `Word Bible Commentary' Series based on the author's own translation.

`The Gospel of Mark', Pheme Perkins, 1995, in Volume VIII of The New Interpreter's Bible with side by side NIV and NSRV translations.

`The Gospel of Mark', R. T. France, 2002, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., The New International Greek Testament Commentary Series.

`The Gospel According to Mark', James R. Edwards, 2002, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., `The Pillar New Testament Commentary Series'.

After having read commentary volumes from most of these series on both The Epistle to the Romans and The Epistle of James, I find a lot of consistency across volumes in the same series, so if you become comfortable with the way that `The New Interpreter's Bible ` approaches things, then you are probably on solid ground if you continue with that source, especially if you invested some big bucks in the complete 12 volume set (or there is a set available in your library's reference section, as it has appeared in every library I have visited).

`The New International Commentary on the New Testament' may be the weakest of the five series, as all it's volumes use the `American Standard Version' translation of 1901, considered to be a very literal rendering of the Greek text. While I like this over the NRSV's `politically correct' translations here and there, I suspect the newer NIV may be more up to date on the latest scholarship, especially, as I said, there has been so much done over the last 50 years. William Lane's volume in particular is nicely done, especially since it relegates a lot of the details to footnotes, so you can skip a lot of the lexical stuff.

The two volumes from the `Word Bible Commentary' series by Guelich and Evans should be your first choice if you are especially interested in the literature from the last 50 years, as their bibliographies are superb. While they are also quite deep, they nicely separate the material one wants for pastoral work from the linguistic analyses. It also represents by far the largest and most detailed work of the five. Professor Evans took over work on the second volume after Professor Guelich's death, and much of the material is based on notes from Guelich. I also like these authors' outline, as it simply deals with all the individual pericopes, and does not incorporate any speculative hypotheses about what author John Mark had in mind as he wrote.

`The Gospel of Mark' by Pheme Perkins in Volume VIII of The New Interpreter's Bible may be my least favorite; however, it may be the best option for pastoral users. It raises the fewest questions and presents two of the very best modern translations (NIV and NSRV) side by side. It also offers excellent reflections on the theological use of the paragraphs.

`The Gospel of Mark', R. T. France in `The New International Greek Testament Commentary Series' is also near the bottom of my list, as the volume offers no translation of the text on which it is commenting. While this is actually a plus for many readers, it also makes a point of not offering a lot of commentary on other interpreters' writings, even though it does have a lot to say on other writers' opinions on the structure of `Mark'.

`The Gospel According to Mark' by James R. Edwards in `The Pillar New Testament Commentary Series' is a step down from the quality of Douglas Moo's commentary on James in the same series. And, unlike Moo, Edwards offers no translation. He also seems to have the most speculations about the intentions of author Mark in pointing out irony and structural details. Edwards and France may be the two most enjoyable to read; however I suggest you buffer your reading of these authors with copies of Guelich and Evans at your elbow.

Guelich and Evans together is my favorite for serious study. France and Edwards may be the best modern introductions, if you don't mind having a copy of the Gospel open to follow their commentary.

Even though it is very small, Carson's book is deep, practical, straight-forward and challenging. It makes a great resource for pastors. It is like a mini-commentary on the book, full of great insight. Buy a copy soon and use it for personal devotion or as a starter for sermon ideas on Philipians.

I bought this book only because I've read Exegetical Fallacies by Carson and I was doing a sermon series on Philippians. While comparing this book to other works on Philippians, it is lacking in technical detail on many issues, but it outshines my other resources in presenting the thrust of the book in a memorable and practical way. So for a preaching/teaching minister who is working through Philippians, I think this is a valuable resource.

For example...when working through Philippians chapter 1 I had come to a summary conclusion on my own...and adjusted it after reading other commentaries. I had to rethink everything after reading Carson and eventually rewrote my sermon notes because of this perspective...I found it compellingly accurate. Instead of simply evaluating Paul's emphasis on thanksgiving and prayer as most works do...and showing the patterns in detail that relate to ancient forms of writing...Carson analyzes the content of these two paragraphs in Philippians 1 and says that the key is 'Put the gospel first'. He then applies that in different arenas...such as in your prayer life...fellowship with other believers and so on. When you reread Philippians 1 again it is clear that he has pointed out accurately what was going on.

Fresh summary from a deeper perspective. I had lost that perspective in the details of the verse by verse analysis with my other commentaries (some of the very best included). So this is an excellent book. It's different than anything else I have on Philippians. Highly recommended!

This is a great little commentary. D A Carson has done an excellent job of teasing out the flow of the letter as Paul might have intended it. It is because of this and the exceptionally practical nature of Carson's exposition that I can recommend this book to every Christian. It is also set out in such a way as to be useful for group Bible studies.

Another one of Carson's books which began as expositions at a Christian conference. Reading this book, you can almost hear the author speaking to you.He tells a number of helpful stories throughout the book which powerfully bring home the points he is illustrating.

The book is simple, but it shows a deep understanding of Paul and his theology. It will help you to fall in love with Paul's letter, but also with the Christ whom Paul urges us to emulate and serve.