The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament [Hardcover]

Craig S. Keener (Author)

Book Description

Series: IVP Bible Background Commentary | Publication Date: February 1994

Voted one of Christianity Today's 1995 Books of the Year! To understand and apply the Bible well, you need two crucial sources of information. One is the Bible itself. The other is an understanding of the cultural background of the passage you're reading. Only with the background can you grasp the author's original concerns and purposes. This unique commentary provides, in verse-by-verse format, the crucial cultural background you need for responsible--and richer--Bible study. It includes a glossary of cultural terms and important historical figures, maps and charts, up-to-date bibliographies, and introductory essays about cultural background information for each book of the New Testament. Based on ten years of in-depth study, this accessible and bestselling commentary is valuable for pastors in sermon preparation, for Sunday-school and other church teachers as they build lessons, for missionaries concerned not to import their own cultural biases into the Bible, for college and seminary students in classroom assignments, and for everyday Bible readers seeking to deepen and enhance their study of Scripture.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Keener has accomplished a monumental task in assimilating a vast amount of primary and secondary material on first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman culture and making it accessible to nonspecialist readers. In addition, he displays a wide knowledge of New Testament scholarship (Pauline studies, gospel studies, etc.). To make this commentary useful to a diverse audience, Keener has minimized theological comments and emphasized historical, cultural, and social background. The text is clearly written and fairly free of technical jargon. There are few citations in the text to primary sources (and none to secondary ones), since the author felt they would be cumbersome to lay readers; some readers (the more curious or skeptical ones) may feel shortchanged by the omission of such references. But in light of the overall quality of the commentary, it's a small matter. This volume should be a useful addition to public, academic, and seminary libraries.
- Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A rich and lucid resource for understanding God's Word. This work is presented in a way that serves the needs of pastors in their sermon preparation, as well as lay members in personal Bible studies." (Charles Blake, Presiding Bishop of Church of God in Christ )

Product Details

• Hardcover: 842 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (February 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830814051
• ISBN-13: 978-0830814053
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Craig Keener is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky. Three of his many books have won national awards, and his background commentary has sold over half a million copies (including electronic copies and translations). Craig is married to Dr. Medine Moussounga Keener, who holds a Ph.D. from University of Paris 7. She was a refugee for 18 months in her nation of Congo, and together Craig and Médine work for ethnic reconciliation in the U.S. and Africa.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique resource, March 13, 2000

By 

faience (Murrells Inlet, SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Hardcover)

Finally, here's all the stuff I always wanted, but could never get in the notes of a study Bible. Keener's book is 831 pages of double-columned passage-by-passage commentary, readable but never "dumbed down." "Background" refers not only to history, but to society, culture, and everyday life, and the book is both interesting and illuminating.

IVP is an overtly Christian publisher, which might make some readers, those who want objective scholarship, wary. It need not. The vast majority of this commentary is concerned with documented fact. Not all, of course. Some events are matters of controversy among historians -- for example, Herod's "slaughter of the innocents," which is mentioned by no other document than the Gospel of Matthew, and which many scholars think never happened. But, on checking the relatively "liberal" HarperCollins Study Bible, I find this isn't mentioned there either, which indicates that the verdict is still out, and that Keener has acceptable reason for taking Matthew's word on the subject. If the objectivity question bothers you, you could use Keener's book in conjunction with an ecumenical study Bible, such as HarperCollins or New Oxford Annotated. But this volume seems, to me, to be that rare book that both faith-based Bible readers, and objective scholars could love.

My biggest complaint is that, while the binding and paper are high quality, the paper is heavy & the binding stiff. It will not open flat for easy back-and-forth referral between it and the Bible text you're using.

Other than that, it's a wonderful piece of work on all counts.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful book for in-depth study of New Testament, June 13, 1998

By 

Curtis Evans ([e-mail]) (South Hamilton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Hardcover)

Craig Keener is a very good scholar. His use of source material (primary and secondary) is very judicious and sound. I have always wanted a book that tried as much as possible to avoid giving interpretation, but instead focused on background customs and "everyday" perspectives of the peoples of the first century. This book does just this. However, one cannot entirely avoid interpretation in a volume like this. Still, Keener's work will help you get more out of your Bible study and it will help you avoid esoteric explanations of the Scriptures. This book is especially good for those who are weary of commentaries. Thanks again to Keener for the work put into this book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Bible study resource, June 26, 2004

By 

Cintron (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Hardcover)

Keener, in my opinion, wrote the best Bible study resource available. What seperates this referance book from others is its thoroughness, and scholarly tone. This book reveals information based on complete cultural studies. The cultural point-of-view sheds light on confusing or seemingly outdated passages in the Bible. Keeners work puts Bible passages in its proper context--how the readers of the time would have read it. Keener manages to write thoroughly and concisely, rarely seen in the scholarly world of books. He writes what you need to know and not a word more. No long explanations, unless necessary. No elevated word choices(you don't need a dictionary to understand what he's saying, unlike the MATHEW HENRY COMMENTARY).

This book may also be used in place of a regular commentary. It may also be used as a referance for similar or related Biblical passages (many cross referances are given), or, a word study, as the cultural meanings and original usages of words are given.