John: The NIV Application Commentary [Hardcover]

Gary M. Burge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000 | Series: NIV Application Commentary, The

Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from our world to the world of the Bible. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. In other words, they focus on the original meaning of the passage but don't discuss its contemporary application. The information they offer is valuable---but the job is only half done! The NIV Application Commentary Series helps us with both halves of the interpretive task. This new and unique series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into a modern context. It explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it can speak powerfully today.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from our world to the world of the Bible. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. In other words, they focus on the original meaning of the passage but don’t discuss its contemporary application. The information they offer is valuable—but the job is only half done!

The NIV Application Commentary Series helps us with both halves of the interpretive task. This new and unique series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into a modern context. It explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it can speak powerfully today.

About the Author

Gary M. Burge (PhD, King's College, Aberdeen University) is a professor of New Testament in the Department of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College and Graduate School. Gary has authored a number of books, including Who Are God's People in the Middle East? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians; John and Letters of John in the NIV Application Commentary series; The New Testament in Antiquity (coauthored with Lynn Cohick and Gene Green); and the first two volumes in the Ancient Context, Ancient Faith series, The Bible and the Land and Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller. Gary specializes in the Middle East, its churches, and its history in the Hellenistic period. SPANISH BIO: Gary M. Burge es profesor de Nuevo Testamento en Wheaton College and Graduate School, Wheaton, Illinois, y autor de numerosos libros sobre Jesus.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 1ST edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310497507
• ISBN-13: 978-0310497509
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When Lebanon's tragic civil war broke out in the early 1970s, I was a student at the American University of Beirut studying politics and Islam. I never realized what an indelible mark this year would put on me as this dangerous national tragedy unfolded before our eyes. Since the university witnessed sporadic closures, I began studying at Beirut's Near East School of Theology (an Arab-Armenian seminary) and there for the first time was exposed to the technical study of the New Testament (under the guidance of Middle Eastern Christian scholars). It seemed that from here my life found its twin navigational markers: the New Testament and the world of the Middle East.

Following graduation from Fuller Seminary in 1978, I completed a Ph.D. in New Testament at King's College, Aberdeen University, Scotland, where I worked under Professor I. Howard Marshall. In 1987 my research was published as The Anointed Community, The Holy Spirit in the Johannine Tradition (Eerdmans) and this launched a long-standing interest in the literature of John which continues to this day in books and articles.

But in addition, I have also retained my passion for the Middle East and travel there regularly. Here too there has been evolution and specialization. Teaching the historical geography of Israel and working at dig sites has today become a specialized interest in first century Galilee. I have also had the good fortune of being befriended by many Palestinian Christian pastors and learning with dismay about the suffering of the Palestinian church in modern Israel.

In 1993 I wrote a study of this dilemma entitled, Who Are God's People in the Middle East? (Zondervan). I have also become active in an evangelical advocacy groups, Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding and Middle East Fellowship, which work to facilitate dialogue between Arab and western church leaders. In 2003 I wrote a second, more thorough volume on Israel/Palestine entitled, Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians (Pilgrim Press). And in 2010 I will publish Jesus and the Land. How the New Testament Challenges Holy Land Theology (Baker Academic). This last book studies how the New Testament views the Holy Land and raises difficult questions for many who invest too heavily in prophesy and the modern Middle East.

As I teach New Testament at Wheaton, I want my students to grasp how knowing the unique world of the Middle East in antiquity shapes how we read the New Testament today. This is the purpose of the small illustrated books The Bible and the Land (2009), Jesus the Middle Eastern Story Teller (2009), and Encounters with Jesus (2010). These books retell well-known stories with an eye to ancient culture. (Scholars will recognize this as a popular treatment of contextual exegesis. For more details, go to: http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Authors/Author.htm?ContributorID=BurgeG&QueryStringSite=Zondervan.)

Jesus' cultural reflexes were different than ours and unless we understand him in his world, we risk misrepresenting his story. The setting of first century Palestine must be the lens through which we read the gospels. This has been the passion of my career since the 1970s and I want my students to inherit it.

Gary M. Burge, Ph.D.
Wheaton College & Graduate School

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Solid Intermediate Commentary, November 16, 2006

By 

Chad Davies "Downhill" (Barnesville, GA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John: The NIV Application Commentary (Hardcover)

I purchased this commentary after being very pleased with Burge's commentary on the Letter of John from the same commentary series. I was looking for a commentary that laid out the issues and ideas of mainstream theological thought about John's Gospel without getting bogged down in either the details of the Greek or the complexity of academic discourse. In short, I was looking for a commentary I could use to get a "lay of the land" in terms of modern scholarly interpretation before plunging into the more detail oriented commentaries found in the Word and NICGT series. Additionally, in Burge's other commentary I found a willingness to consider some of the issues and currents coming from the emerging movement and how they might be addressed Scripturally.

I found that this commentary not only met my needs but exceeded my expectations. While I have a great fondness in my heart for Bruce's commentary on John, I have found myself reaching first for Burge's work when preparing to lead a group of college students in a study centered around examining answers to Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am?" I have found that Burge fairly and insightfully includes the work of others (Bruce, Morris, Beasley-Murray, etc.) in his comments, notes and bibliography even when it is clear that he doesn't agree with their conclusions. Unlike other reviewers, I have found Burge's comments on the contemporary significance of the Gospel insightful and relevant for the types of conversations our group seems to have. Finally, I have really appreciated Burge's willingness to allow both the mystery and sacramental perspectives of traditions within Christianity to be considered even if his own faith tradition may not accept these from a theological perspective. This is rare for a commentary written from an evangelical perspective.

A note or two of caution. First, this is not intended to be a scholarly commentary. While there is certainly enough here to keep most students of the Gospel intellectually engaged, those who are looking for something weightier and meatier in academic discourse would be better served by Beasley-Murray's or Morris' commentaries. Secondly, Burge isn't afraid to express his opinion and challenge the thinking of those he doesn't agree with. I found that in those places where he does have an opinion he is careful to express it as such and is respectful towards those who do not hold it. Those looking for a commentary to boost up or support their own agendas will find themselves challenged here. In terms of speaking to issues and perspectives of interest to the emerging movement, Burge offers valuable insights while not being afraid to expose some of the shoddy thinking that can creep into the emergent conversation.

In closing, I would strongly recommend this commentary to any student of the Gospel who is looking to move past the number of devotional style commentaries one finds and into something with a substantial amount of meat. This commentary is perfect for Bible study leaders with a beginning to moderate background on the Gospel of John and for seekers looking to add to their understanding of Christ without having to commit to the massive time commitments some of the more "learned" commentaries require.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, January 26, 2006

By 

Troy McClure (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: John: The NIV Application Commentary (Hardcover)

I have read 5 to 10 of the NIV Life Application Series commentaries (a quality series), and Burge's volume on John is easily my favorite. Burge's scholarship and writing are solid and the book is a joy to read. The book of John comes alive when the context is discussed along side the text. You will never view the phrases "bread of life," "living water," and "light of the world" the same again.

Regarding the Contemporary Significance, Burge does spend *some* of the discussion on Israel and Palestinians, a touchy subject to say the least. Dr. Burge has spent a great deal of time in the middle east, and it is a subject that he is passionate about. However, his "controversial" statements are things like, "There are thousands of Palestinian Christians in Israel who are not terrorists; they are brothers and sisters in Christ and part of the international church, and they deserve our support." It is something that many Christians never hear about (and need to hear about), and I found his coverage of the subject to be refreshing. Nevertheless, that topic is only a small part of the Contemporary Significance; there is much more to be gained if you read it.

I could not recommend this book any higher.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as many insights as I was hoping for, October 27, 2006

By 

Jim V. Butcher II (WV, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: John: The NIV Application Commentary (Hardcover)

I purchased this commentary for an in-depth study that I was doing on Wednesday evenings. I carefully checked a bunch of commentaries on Amazon, hoping to find the one that would help me with insights that I could share in the study.

Unfortunately, this volume hasn't lived up to my hopes. I didn't need something that would offer the obvious points (I can do that myself). I was hoping for something that would offer insights into some of the more difficult and confusing passages, including thoughts on how those passages apply to our lives today. I've been disappointed. I am now well into the study and rarely even check the book anymore as I'm gathering information.

I was between this one and the Carson commentary. Obviously, I think I made the wrong decision. (Not that there's anything theologically wrong in the text - it's just not what I was hoping for.)