48 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but not the best for the non-professional., February 3, 2008
This review is from: Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)
The `Baker Exegetical Commentary On The New Testament' for `Acts' or `Acts of the Apostles' by Darrell L. Bock, the research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary is a generally good commentary on one of the less well appreciated books of the New Testament. In the spectrum of commentaries which range from very pastoral - friendly such as the `New Interpreters' Bible' to the heavily scholarly volumes which are practically worthless for pastoral use, such as those in the `Word Biblical Commentary' series, Bock's volume falls about two - thirds of the way toward the scholarly side. The book's greatest strength, as well as its greatest weakness, is that it seeks to be a scholarly study of all the latest commentaries on `Acts', most especially the Anchor Bible contribution from Joseph Fitzmyer, the Sacra Pagina contribution from Luke Timothy Johnson, The New International Commentary on the New Testament volume by F. F. Bruce, and `The Acts of the Apostles, A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary' by Ben Witherington. In fact, Bock refers so often to Fitzmyer and Witherington that I seriously wonder what I'm doing reading Bock, when I can be getting the goods from the horse's mouth. Surveys of the best (and worst) of scholarly opinions are great, but such books become books about the research rather than books about the scripture. As I read Bock, I often find myself vainly seeking to find what Bock himself thinks about a passage. And, there are times when I find Bock expressing an original opinion, only to find other experts disagreeing with him, and I agree with the other writers.
One of the better reasons for picking Bock is that he also did a commentary on the Gospel of Luke, the first of the Luke - Acts combination, written by the same author. I have not used Bock's commentary on Luke, because those by Fitzmyer, Johnson, and Joel Green are so good, and, Fitzmyer and Johnson have also done commentaries on both works.
A `simple' reason for picking Bock is that his book is quite new, so it covers all the major works written in the last fifteen years. Another simple reason for picking Bock is that in addition to pointing out the good stuff, he gives us what we need to know to avoid the bad commentaries. But, both of these reasons are a bit weak. If you happen to read this review and go with Fitzmyer, Johnson, Witherington, or Bruce, you really don't need Bock at all.
Since I always find it best to work with at least two commentaries on scripture for my lay Bible study teaching, I strongly recommend Robert W. Wall's commentary in volume X of the New Interpreter's Bible plus either Fitzmyer or Witherington. If Johnson has a point, Fitzmyer will have it in spades. Wall is especially good for lay study, and Fitzmyer is a good partner, as Fitzmyer (or the 'Word Biblical Commentary' volume) will have all the study critical material Wall avoids.
Last but not least, I found the Baker style of presentation just a bit difficult to follow; however, I must commend them on excellent typefaces for their readability. Otherwise, this is a book almost exclusively for scholars and teachers of courses on `Acts'.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Commentary Available on Acts, October 18, 2007
This review is from: Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)
I have used a number of commentaries on Acts over the years. Previously my favorites were Haenchen and Fitzmyer. Both had the most exegetical material available until the recent publication of Bock's wonderful commentary. Bock is thoroughly Evangelical and this will be helpful for those who previously had so few options for a good Evangelical commentary on Acts. Bock also does an excellent job of summarizing the findings of previous works. He is highly readable and has much to offer both laity and pastors. I am currently preaching through the book of Acts, and even though I was on chapter 9 when Bock's commentary was finally available, it has quickly become the first commentary I turn to each week!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Evangelical Commentary on Acts, March 19, 2009
This review is from: Acts (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)
This commentary is one of the best commentaries available on the book of Acts. There are not many questions that Darrell Bock overlooks. He interacts with the secondary literature, informing his readers of the various positions, then carefully explains the rationale for his own conclusions.
Knowledge of Greek is not required for this commentary, but helpful. Greek words and phrases are rendered in Greek, but are also transliterated with the meaning close at hand in the immediate context. On occasion, however, a previous understanding of Greek grammar is sometimes assumed. For example, he may incidentally mention such things as "epexegetical infinitives," "datives of purpose," and "ingressive aorists" without explanation. When a grammatical observation is particularly significant, however, he does give a thorough explanation.
If you could only have one evangelical commentary on the book of Acts, it should either be this one by Darrell Bock or the one by Ben Witherington. Together, they form a dynamic duo. If you are looking for a brief commentary, check out Richard Longnecker or I H Marshall.
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