Judges and Ruth (New Cambridge Bible Commentary) [Paperback]

Victor H. Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 2004 | Series: New Cambridge Bible Commentary

Bringing to life the world portrayed in the stories in Judges and Ruth, this commentary offers readers an "insider" perspective on the narratives. After establishing a cultural and literary context, Victor Matthews analyzes each episode separately and as a whole.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Matthews has written a fine, very readable commentary...I recommend it highly for students in colleges, universities, and seminaries." The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Gale A. Yee, Episcopal Divinity School

"Before he launches into a chapter-by-chapter commentary, he provides very helpful bibliographies that focus on these and other methods, specifically literary, redactional, feminist, social scientific, and historical critical analyses. It presumes significant biblical background and a basic knowledge of Hebrew." The Bible Today

"Judges and Ruth is written to accomodate a wide range of readers, from the serious Bible student to the scholar...A strength of the book comes in its annotated bibliography. Matthews includes eighteen pages of bibliography divided into separate disciplines of study; commentaries, literary studies, redaction studies, feminist studies, social world and archaeohistorical studies, social scientific studies, historical-critical studies and additional articles and monographs of interest." - Sara Fudge, Cincinnati Christian University

"The author's contribution lies in...his rich treatment of concrete tales. A seasoned scholar, Matthews brings to the text a keen literary analysis and an unusual grasp of comparative ancient Near Eastern literature, archaeological data, and cross-cultural studies." - Carolyn Presler, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities

Book Description

This commentary brings to life the world portrayed in the stories in Judges and Ruth, offering readers an "insider" perspective on the narratives. Having established a cultural and literary context for Judges and Ruth, the commentary then treats each episode separately and as a whole. It is written to be accessible for a wide audience of clergy, scholars, teachers, seminarians, and interested lay people. A "Suggested Reading List"--a feature of all volumes in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary--serves as a point of entry for the new serious student of Judges and Ruth. The entire NRSV translation is provided throughout the text as a convenience to the reader.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521000661
• ISBN-13: 978-0521000666
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,082,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Short Commentary, July 2, 2010

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Reader From Aurora - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Judges and Ruth (New Cambridge Bible Commentary) (Paperback)

The following comments pertain to Victor Matthews' commentary on Judges and Ruth published as part of the New Cambridge Bible Commentary series. For those unfamiliar with the author Matthews is a well known American Old Testament scholar. His exegesis is from a mainstream modern perspective.

I particularly enjoyed the text's brevity. While there is demand for detailed technical commentaries, this short work is a nice change of pace. And, though it lacks the exhaustive technical notes that characterize contemporary biblical study it exemplifies first rate scholarship and solid analysis.

Strengths include:

* Good introductions that provide essential context;

* Concise, clear and readable prose well suited for the lay reader;

* Partially annotated bibliography (texts grouped into different subject headings) and recommendations for further specific reading;

* Use of New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) text. While opinions vary, I find the use of standard translations often preferable to the more idiosyncratic individual translations that are often characteristics of commentaries..

Overall, this is a nice short commentary. I recommend it for readers seeking a high quality and concise overview of Judges and Ruth. After this experience with the New Cambridge Bible Commentaries I am encouraged to look at other instalments in the series.