Customer Reviews

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament

5 star:		(26)
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2 star:		(1)
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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.

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.

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.

This book does an awesome job of digging and ferreting out the important cultural nuances of the New Testament. It sheds light on even the more notoriously difficult passages. This book will save the busy pastor time and money. And it rewards close reading.

I was given this book as an ordination present back in 1996, and I have used it faithfully ever since. It is the work of Craig Keener, New Testament professor at Eastern Seminary. He works verse by verse from Matthew through Revelation, giving cultural and historical information that lies behind the text. He teaches about the different kinds of tax collectors, the roles and responsibilities of the teachers of the law, and Jewish customs and traditions that bring to light the meaning of certain verses.

This is one of the first books I consult when I am researching information for a Sunday sermon, and I am always rewarded with something to chew on to give to my people. I highly recommend this resource as one of the ten books every Bible teacher should own.

I've found it to be priceless to have this book (and the OT edition also) at the table whenever doing a Bible study. When I do group Bible Studies (especially inductive studies), people love to crack this reference book open so that they can get more clues into the significance of objects and names and motivation of the characters in the Bible. I am not a Biblical scholar, so there would simply no way for me to learn about some of the more obscure details we come across during even common passages for study. I also own the electronic version of this book, so that I have it with me wherever I go with my laptop.

Just to give a disclaimer, I've only had this book a couple of weeks and have used in preaching through the book of John.

So far (John 10 and John 15) it has been quite disappointing. Both times i've looked at it the cultural information has actually been less than what i had got from an ordinary commentary (in my case D.A. Carson's excellent commentary on John).

I'll give you a sample:

John 15 - the true vine
I was hoping for all kinds of cultural information on viticulture in the ANE. this is what you get:

15:1. The Old Testament and Jewish literature sometimes portrayed Israel as a vineyard (e.g., Is 5:7), or less frequently as a vine (e.g., Ps 80:8; Hos 10:1), and God as the vinegrower. A golden vine in the temple symbolized Israel's power, and Jesus may here portray the disciples as the remnant of Israel (see comment on 15:16). The most basic point of the imagery is the obvious dependence of branches on the vine for their continued life.
15:2-3. Here is another of John's plays on words (cf. comment on 3:3): "prunes" also means "cleanses," which is a motif in John (cf., e.g., 2:6; 13:10). The Old Testament prophets often called on Israel to "bear fruit" for God (e.g., Is 27:6; Hos 14:4-8).
15:4-8. Dead, fruitless branches of vines are obviously of no use for carpentry; their only possible value is for fuel. Jewish teachers believed that God had awful punishments in store for apostates, because those who had known the truth and then rejected it had no excuse (cf. 15:22-24).

Not dreadfully helpful, and all information plus more is actually in Carson's commentary.

hope this helps.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this commentary. I liked all of the insight and background provided in this book. One of the best I have read to date. The part that would have absolutely made this book a home run would have been if the author would have documented the sources for further study in notes that were accessible either at the bottom of the page or organized by number at the back of each chapter. I could not tell what were his thoughts or what he pulled from commentaries and which ones. All I had to go by was a lengthy list of books he used at the beginning of each chapter. Not being able to reference where the work came from was a big disappointment to me.

I am a huge book fan, I own and use thousands.

But my title to this review is no joke.

If you only had one book besides the Bible, this should be it.
Ironically, in our day, we need it (or something equivalent, and not much comes close) to grasp the profound and crucial historical, cultural background of the Bible.

I am a pastor and Bible teacher. I am a firm believer in the inspiration of Scripture, so of course I believe The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, and will help us to understand the Bible.
But until we grasp what the Bible said and meant to its original readers, we miss being in the place where the Spirit can show
us fully what it says and means for us today.

An indispensable resource.

This Background Commentary provides the setting you need in order to understand and teach Scripture. It's an excellent BASIC resource for those who want to dig a little deeper and understand Scripture a bit more.

This commentary uses easily understandable terminology. It is not intended to "parse" the text, but rather to give a commentary on the cultural background and context in which the Scriptures were written.

If you've ever wondered - "How much was a talent of Gold" or "What was the first hour" or even WHY did they talk about it this way - you'll find easy-to-understand answers to your fundamental questions.

On the other hand, if you are looking for an in-depth commentary breaking down the text and struggling with its intrinsic meaning, you will need a much more detailed commentary.

I highly recommend this for church libraries and those who teach Adults or lead Adult Bible Studies. It's also a handy (and quick) reference for pastors who are just looking for an answer or two when someone pops into their office.