Here is a rough list of commentary series that I recommend for academic interpretation. I am not endorsing the opinions in any particular volume, and I am also not minimizing the value of commentaries that are non-academic. Those are often excellent for personal devotional study and for some small-group studies in your local church. What…
Read MoreSome Good Commentaries on Each New Testament Book
There are many, many academic commentaries on each book of the New Testament. So it’s no surprise that students often feel bewildered looking at the library shelf and wonder where to start. One excellent resource is A Guide to Biblical Commentaries and Reference Works by John F. Evans (10th edition; Grand Rapids: Zonervan, 2016). If you’re…
Read MoreGood (and Bad) Reference Works for New Testament Studies
It’s often difficult to tell which encyclopedias and reference works you should rely on for academic biblical studies. There are a lot of “Bible Dictionaries” that are too shallow to be very useful, or that don’t reflect modern scholarship. One helpful tool is A Guide to Biblical Commentaries and Reference Works by John F. Evans (10th…
Read MoreA Reading List on Paul’s Views of Women
Paul’s instructions about how women should (and shouldn’t) behave in some of his churches continue to drive real and often painful debates about women’s roles in the contemporary church. I’ve gathered here a representative collection of books on the topic and on the broader issue of gender roles. Since I don’t think that Paul’s statements…
Read MoreHelp with Improving Your Writing
Let’s face it–most of us were never taught how to write well. Either we somehow absorbed good style from hours of reading for pleasure, or we managed to get by with a “shotgun” approach: If I throw enough words at the idea some of them will be close enough! For many purposes this really is…
Read More