5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Scholarly Book by Scholar, July 6, 2005
This review is from: The Letter to the Romans (New Daily Study Bible) (Paperback)
Not sure what the previous reviewer meant- to me, any biblical commentary that includes discussion of the greek and hebrew words plus consideration of the historical/contemporary times of the writer is definitely scholarly.
That's just a weird comment!
Nonetheless, Barclay is an enigmatic figure, and any reading you do of his books must be tempered by your own doctrinal "take" on various issues.
I would agree in spirit of the other reviewer that this book is not an end-all-be-all, but what biblical commentary is?
B
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This series a must-have for serious Bible students, August 4, 2005
This review is from: The Letter to the Romans (New Daily Study Bible) (Paperback)
Barclay's New Daily Study Guide series is a treasure. Every student of the Bible should own--and use--a set. Barclay adds life to Bible stories by explaining the customs of the first century. He helps our understanding of the text by explaining word selection: The various meanings, where else in the New Testament the word was used, etc. When new characters enter the Bible text, he describes them fully. He goes outside the Bible for historical material that helps with understanding. My only quibble is that Barclay absolutely, positively does not believe in miracles, while I do--and have stories to tell that can't be explained any other way. So, I disagree strongly with Barclay about miracles, but this information-packed series is still very much worth buying and reading.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Barkley "snapped: 'I don't care what Paul said.'", March 25, 2010
This review is from: The Letter to the Romans (New Daily Study Bible) (Paperback)
A group of us have been using Barkley's THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS for several months. We chose this book because of the authors scholarly reputation. Recently, I looked up who William Barkley really was, and what his religious beliefs were. When I came upon an article on William Barkley by Wayne Jackson titled THE ENIGMATIC WILLIAM BARKLEY, I discovered Dr. Barkley is self-described as a "liberal evangelical." I tend to believe that one is either one or the other.
According to Wayne Jackson, "When two acquaintinances of (mine)visited with Barkley at his home in Glasgow, in the spring of 1970, the distinguished professor strongly denied that he believed that Jesus was devine, and insisted he never had endorsed that idea. He claimed that the Lord himself believed that he was devine, as did others, but personally, he did not. When Paul was cited as evidence to the contrary, the professor snapped 'I don't care what Paul said.'"
Hey, if we're studying Paul's Letter to the Romans, what's the point of writing a supposed Bible study book?
As far as writing for the common man, I question Barkley's references to "The Apoclypse of Baruch","Esdras" and other books of the Apocrapha and the "Sibylline Oracles." This common man is relatively unfamiliar with these writings.
Barkley may be a scholar, but if he doesn't care what Paul said, why does he write a book about his writings?
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