Customer Reviews

Sermon on the Mount Hermeneia (Hermeneia: A Critical & Historical Commentary on the Bible)

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Hans Dieter Betz's book on the Sermon on the mount is the book to end all books on the Sermon on the Mount ( and the Sermon on the Plain ). It is a must in the library of every minister, every New Testament Scholar, every teacher of New Testament and everyone who wants to know everything about the Sermon on the Mount. There is an extensive bibliography. There are copious notes on every verse. There are comments on exigesis which are extremely helpful. There are even comments on the social and political events which may be relevant to understand the implications of the Sermon on the Mount. The only times it does seem to fall down is his few comments on the organization of the Sermon. Sometimes he expresses a lack of comfort about how one idea relates to another. He should have paid more attention to Michael Golder's "Midrash and Lection in Matthew's Gospel," which he quotes in one or two places. This explains the organization a little better. I highly recommend Dr. Betz's book. Any minister who wants to preach a sermon on any part of the Sermon on the Mount must have this as his primary source.

Betz has produced one of the best works on the Sermon on the Mount. There is something in his volume for everyone. The only downside is you have to wade through a lot of material to get what you want out of the volume. He does have very insightful comments on the individual sections of the Sermon.