In this second of two volumes on the "Gospel According to Luke", beginning with chapter 10, Joseph A. Fitzmyer builds on the exhaustive introduction, definitive new translation, and extensive notes and commentary presented in his first volume. Fitzmyer brings to the task his mastery of ancient and modern languages, his encyclopedic knowledge of the sources, and his intimate acquaintance with the questions and issues raised by the third "Synoptic Gospel".In "joining the spirit to the letter" and scholarship to faith, this two-volume commentary on "Luke" has, as the "Journal of Biblical Literature" predicted, "rapidly and deservedly become the standard work on Luke." "Luke's" unique literary and linguistic features, its relation to the other "Gospels" and the book of "Acts", and its distinctive theological slant are discussed in detail by the author. The Jesus of "Luke's Gospel" speaks to the Greco-Roman world of first-century Christians, giving the followers of Jesus a reason for remaining faithful. Fitzmyer's exposition of "Luke" helps modern-day Christians hear the Good News afresh and understand it like never before.
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Joseph A. Fitzmyer is a Jesuit priest and professor emeritus at the Catholic University of America. A past president of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association, and coeditor of The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Father Fitzmyer has written the Anchor Bible commentary on Romans and Acts of the Apostles, as well as books and numerous articles on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
`The Gospel According to Luke I - IX' and `The Gospel According to Luke X - XXIV' by Professor Joseph Fitzmyer comprises the `Anchor Bible' series commentary on the Gospel of Luke, the third Evangelist. The very best thing I can say about this work is that virtually every other commentary, from all ends of the spectrum, cites this work as a reliable authority on the subject. One should still take some care before investing in the purchase of a copy of these two relatively pricy volumes.
The first consideration is that you may actually have trouble finding the first volume, as it appears to be out of print. I was lucky enough to get it from an alternate source available through Amazon, and I'm quite happy to have acquired it, as it lives up to its reputation in every way. But here we meet a second consideration. This is the fact that this great work, weighing in at over 1600 pages, is at the highly scholarly end of the spectrum of Gospel commentaries. The only work which may be larger is the three volume study by John Nolland in the `Word Biblical Commentary' series. Aside from being just a bit shorter, I like Fitzmyer far more than Nolland because Fitzmyer's format is far more accessible to the non-scholar. And yet, it is still a work almost exclusively for exegesis. For hermeneutics and pastoral use, most of Fitzmyer's information will only work as deep background. The lion's share of the commentary is dedicated to the study of the most basic documentary sources, lexical issues, and exegesis. For example, there are frequent references to the original Codices found from the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, and to the slight differences in text found in alternate documents. For the Bible scholar, these are necessary. For the lay Bible study student or teacher, they are a distraction. Thankfully, makes them less of a distraction than Nolland and the rather Byzantine structure of the texts in the `Word' series.
With great humility, I may also suggest that Fitzmyer's translation of the Gospel tends to the `politically correct', as when he translates the Greek word for `slave' as `servant'. The NRSV translates this as `slave' and in the Greek text; the dominant meaning is `slave' according to both a Greek dictionary and the `Dictionary of New Testament Theology'.
In spite of all these considerations, I, a lowly amateur teacher of Bible studies, still find Fitzmyer extremely valuable (as I do Nolland, if I have time to wade through his pages.) The first and foremost value I find might be the highly valuable `serendipitous' finding. There is so much here, on can hardly help tripping over something really useful. The latest finding is a reference to a work on New Testament theology, an aspect of scriptural study which is almost totally absent from Bible commentaries. Another great value I've found is that in spite of the `politically correct' translation, I find Fitzmyer's explanations of many words, as with Jesus talking about the Pharisees' `leaven' or `yeast', his explanation is far better than any other volume. And, his use of `leaven' is probably far more accurate than `yeast', as I suspect Hellenistic science had not the faintest knowledge of these microorganisms, even though they were thoroughly familiar with natural leavening. Lastly, I find Fitzmyer's introduction to the Gospel one of the best (although Johnson's introduction (see below) is also excellent for a smaller price). This is especially unfortunate, as it appears in the hard to get first volume.
If you are looking for only pastoral guidance, I recommend Joel Green's commentary or the New Interpreter's Bible. If you want a brief of this exegesis, go for Luke Timothy Johnson's excellent commentaries on Luke (and Acts).
My last thoughts about these volumes is that they bring me back to my very first experience with Biblical exegesis and the Anchor Bible, which was launched in the late 1950s, but which seems to have fallen on hard times, as the reputation and availability of many of its volumes is thin.
The first consideration is that you may actually have trouble finding the first volume, as it appears to be out of print. I was lucky enough to get it from an alternate source available through Amazon, and I'm quite happy to have acquired it, as it lives up to its reputation in every way. But here we meet a second consideration. This is the fact that this great work, weighing in at over 1600 pages, is at the highly scholarly end of the spectrum of Gospel commentaries. The only work which may be larger is the three volume study by John Nolland in the `Word Biblical Commentary' series. Aside from being just a bit shorter, I like Fitzmyer far more than Nolland because Fitzmyer's format is far more accessible to the non-scholar. And yet, it is still a work almost exclusively for exegesis. For hermeneutics and pastoral use, most of Fitzmyer's information will only work as deep background. The lion's share of the commentary is dedicated to the study of the most basic documentary sources, lexical issues, and exegesis. For example, there are frequent references to the original Codices found from the third, fourth, and fifth centuries, and to the slight differences in text found in alternate documents. For the Bible scholar, these are necessary. For the lay Bible study student or teacher, they are a distraction. Thankfully, makes them less of a distraction than Nolland and the rather Byzantine structure of the texts in the `Word' series.
With great humility, I may also suggest that Fitzmyer's translation of the Gospel tends to the `politically correct', as when he translates the Greek word for `slave' as `servant'. The NRSV translates this as `slave' and in the Greek text; the dominant meaning is `slave' according to both a Greek dictionary and the `Dictionary of New Testament Theology'.
In spite of all these considerations, I, a lowly amateur teacher of Bible studies, still find Fitzmyer extremely valuable (as I do Nolland, if I have time to wade through his pages.) The first and foremost value I find might be the highly valuable `serendipitous' finding. There is so much here, on can hardly help tripping over something really useful. The latest finding is a reference to a work on New Testament theology, an aspect of scriptural study which is almost totally absent from Bible commentaries. Another great value I've found is that in spite of the `politically correct' translation, I find Fitzmyer's explanations of many words, as with Jesus talking about the Pharisees' `leaven' or `yeast', his explanation is far better than any other volume. And, his use of `leaven' is probably far more accurate than `yeast', as I suspect Hellenistic science had not the faintest knowledge of these microorganisms, even though they were thoroughly familiar with natural leavening. Lastly, I find Fitzmyer's introduction to the Gospel one of the best (although Johnson's introduction (see below) is also excellent for a smaller price). This is especially unfortunate, as it appears in the hard to get first volume.
If you are looking for only pastoral guidance, I recommend Joel Green's commentary or the New Interpreter's Bible. If you want a brief of this exegesis, go for Luke Timothy Johnson's excellent commentaries on Luke (and Acts).
My last thoughts about these volumes is that they bring me back to my very first experience with Biblical exegesis and the Anchor Bible, which was launched in the late 1950s, but which seems to have fallen on hard times, as the reputation and availability of many of its volumes is thin.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the second of a two-volume set. I have owned both of them for over 20 years. These are primarily reference books of a technical and seasonal nature. They are like a companion that you don't see for a while but reacquaint yourself with periodically. Every three years, when the Catholic Church is in Cycle C of the Lectionary, the readings are primarily from Luke's gospel. These are great for following the Church through the weeks of this cycle. I am not a Biblical Scholar. What's more, I have only a rudimentary working knowledge of Greek and am therefore somewhat limited to the amount of research I can do. As well, I am limited by time. I have a number of other sources to use. Nevertheless, when I need strict Biblical interpretation for weekly writing or teaching, I prefer to use these volumes, before going anywhere else.
I do not regard every volume of the Anchor Bible series to be of equal weight; however, I always find myself returning to Fitzmeyer for exegesis and hermeneutics on the Gospel of Luke. His work in these volumes has stood the test of time. Nothing like them has come along during this time which can compete with them in this regard.
As I look at these volumes within my library, maybe the greatest compliment I can give Fitzmeyer is that the books look used and the dust jackets worn over the years. I have appreciated and valued his scholarship.
I do not regard every volume of the Anchor Bible series to be of equal weight; however, I always find myself returning to Fitzmeyer for exegesis and hermeneutics on the Gospel of Luke. His work in these volumes has stood the test of time. Nothing like them has come along during this time which can compete with them in this regard.
As I look at these volumes within my library, maybe the greatest compliment I can give Fitzmeyer is that the books look used and the dust jackets worn over the years. I have appreciated and valued his scholarship.
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