12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic volume!, June 21, 2007
This review is from: From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation (Hardcover)
In a word, Outstanding! This book fills a void for the every-day Christian, meaning it's not written for the "scholar," but for the Sunday to Sunday pew-packing Christian. The "novice" will gain great insights from this volume, and the mature Christian will be allowed to go "deeper" into the text while learning a great deal.
Dr. Blomberg's layout for this book is just outstanding, giving enough "historical background" to be interesting, but not overwhelming. In addition to the "historical background," the structure is superb, with Dates, Authorship, Audience, Purposes, Literary Genre, etc. for each book. Also, he has an excellent Commentary for each book; brief enough to be read quickly, but enough "meat" to get the understanding. And with the understanding of "what it meant" to those living back "then," he then proceeds to the Application and, after all, one must know what it "says" before one can understand how it "applies"! There are also some excellent "Questions" at the end of each chapter to ponder. Thanks Dr. Blomberg for such a well-researched book with all the "current journal articles" and finally, "additional books" in a "Select Bibliography" with commentaries categorized as: "Advanced, Intermediate, and Introductory" for further study.
This book is Christ-centered throughout. And the crucial point that Dr. Blomberg clearly believes and says well, is that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world!
Dr. Blomberg often summarizes those thorny, controversial passages. Of course, some "theology" will be debated until the end of time, but he is often "balanced" in his approach concerning those difficult texts, and is always "fair". Buy this book, I assure you that you will not be disappointed! Perhaps an overstatement, but this book could very well surpass the current "Standard" Introductions to the New Testament such as Guthrie's and Kummel's (at least from Pentecost to Patmos, or Acts through Revelation) due to the excellent current research. (Dr. Blomberg is more in line with Guthrie, i.e., to his credit, he is "conservative.") I believe this book deserves to be in every "theological school" and seminary in the country! And ministry students would be wise to obtain a copy for their personal library. I found it to one of the best books I've ever read and wish it a wide circulation!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Summary Overview of the Epistles,Acts, and Revelation, December 22, 2006
This review is from: From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation (Hardcover)
Craig Blomberg is one of the best New Testament authors that I have come across in the last 10 years. I have his books on the Parables, the Gospels, and the Gospels as History. He is solid, reliable, an excellent communicator and gives you your money's worth.
This book is an excellent book to use to get the flavor of a book and its background. He also puts in some light commentary. It is a bit better than a single volume commentary of the New Testament because he doesn't break everything out in a section. The background and occasion are being discussed throughout his coverage of each book. As he hits key passages, he explains what they mean without going into a lot of detail.
This is a summary work. It is not a real detailed coverage of finer points of exegesis. You will need the single volumes on the books of interest to get that depth. However, to get the flow and direction of the author's intent and communication and arguments, this is an excellent work. I am teaching books of the New Testament and have found it very illuminating and helpful as a foundation for more detailed study. For the average teacher (read, not a PhD in New Testament), I think you will find this book very useful.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!, May 12, 2007
This review is from: From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation (Hardcover)
I had Dr. Blomberg as a professor and we used his book about the gospels. I am not of school, but I wanted a book that I could read fairly easily, but also would give me in depth study. The balance that this book provides is great. It's readable and enjoyable and yet Blomberg gives great insight into the scripture. I would definitely recommend this book to someone want an overview with some depth.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No