Customer Reviews

The Acts of the Apostles (Daily Study Bible (Westminster Hardcover))

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If you desire to understand how Christianity begun, this volume is a must. I am collecting William Barclay's books on the New Testament. I especially like the 1975-76 publication. Incidentally, Barclay gives background information on the the life and times of the these apostles.

The Barclay books are an excellent resource for those who teach Sunday School. They provide insights beyond what one often finds in the traditional study guides for lessons.

Format makes for easy reading as Barclay preceeds each explanation with the actual scripture verse. This commentary is ideal for individual study, teaching, or together as Bible study group members.

This is not a scholarly exegesis. It is chatty in tone and is geared for use as life instructions for the modern reader, using Barclay's meditations on Acts as a starting point. That's fine in and of itself, as long as you know what you're ordering.

Barclay's meditations, however, are extremely slanted. He makes no distinction between historical fact, traditional interpretation, and his own thoughts. He frequently includes quotations, but does not state who he is quoting; if there were ever any references, they have not been included in this edition. He provides imaginative interpretations of the thoughts and motivation of Paul, Peter and the other persons in the book of Acts. He puts forth disputed theology and history as if it were plain fact: for instance, stating that the Jews "failed" to uphold the Covenant and were discarded by God and supplanted by the Christians, and that Simon the Magician, in chapter 8, was a charlatan whose trickery was believed by the superstitious Jews.

While these are both opinions with more than a few proponents, Barclay does poor service to the breadth of Christian scholarship when he ignores all other interpretations of the passages. The result is that the uninstructed audience for whom he is writing will come away misinformed.

Barclay's commentaries are incredible--his knowledge of Greek as well his familiarity with the customs and traditions of the time resolve many questions.

Our Bible study group has used several of Barclay's study books and this is our latest one. We are using several editions of his book and it is interesting to note the subtle changes in language in this latest edition. We can always find plenty to discuss as we read through his text. We usually take a year to get through the book as we meet weekly for one and one-half hour.

D. DeFreese of the Richfield United Methodist Church, Richfield, Minnesota

This book is excellent if you wish to have a deeper insight of the book of Acts.