A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew (International Critical Commentary) Volume III (Hardcover)

by W. D. Davies (Author), Dale C., Jr. Allison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'How should this massive work of scholarship be assessed? The three volumes stand as one of the major commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew in which all future interpreters of the Gospel will find a source of fruitful dialogue and helpful ideas. It is a "must have," both in libraries and in footnotes. Davies and Allison are to be thoroughly commended on the fruits of their considerable toil.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 789 pages
• Publisher: T. & T. Clark Publishers (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 056708518X
• ISBN-13: 978-0567085184
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,630,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, September 20, 2008

By	William Pinches "PC(USA) Pastor" (Mason, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Matthew 19-28: a Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew (International Critical Commentary Series) (Paperback)

I own a lot of biblical commentaries. I have shelves and shelves full of commentaries. As a pastor, I have a responsibility to make sure that the message I am proclaiming is a responsible, well-informed, theologically grounded interpretation of the biblical passage at hand that says something to us about who God is and what that means for how we are called to go about living our lives. Some biblical passages are, quite simply, difficult to understand. I routinely take comfort in the fact that there have been countless generations of Christians before me who have wrestled with similar questions about how to interpret scripture faithfully in a particular context. There are many people who have devoted much time and energy to reading scripture and telling others what it all means. Frankly, I find some much more helpful than others. Sometimes I read commentaries and find myself thinking, "I didn't learn a thing from that." Other times, I think, "Well, that was interesting historical background, but I'm still left with the question of what this means for me and for the community of faith for which I have a responsibility to provide spiritual leadership." And at other times, I find myself thinking, "I could have done better than that myself."

In all my travels through the scriptures, and in all the time and energy I have spent poring over commentaries and other theological tomes, I have found only two commentaries on Matthew's gospel that I consistently find to be helpful, clear, informative, grounded, articulate, and thought-provoking. I have found only two that, when I read them, I have "Aha!" moments, and I find myself energized and amazed by what I am reading, and can't wait to share it with others. I have found only two that have a solid understanding of the historical context combined with a tremendous depth of theological insight. One of them is Thomas G. Long's commentary in the Westminster Bible Companion series. The other is this three-volume commentary in the International Critical Commentary series.

This is a heavy tome indeed. There is well over two thousand pages worth of material in these three volumes. This is not for the casual reader, not for an average lay person who is just wanting a fairly straightforward interpretation without a lot of technicality. If you're looking for that, try Long's volume instead. If, on the other hand, you want solid critical scholarship that offers a careful reading of the Greek text, an analysis of historical and literary issues that impact on the meaning of the text, AND (not least!) that tremendous depth of theological insight that I mentioned a moment ago, this set of books is just what you need. How nice it is -- just to give one example out of hundreds I could give -- to read several pages of pretty heavy-duty commentary on the parable of the laborers of the vineyard in Matthew 20 and then come to words like this: "For the main teaching is indeed about how God rewards human beings according to his unexpected goodness -- although that teaching functions as much as warning as encouragement. Hence the less deserving may receive as much as the more deserving. Like the Spirit, the divine grace blows where it wills." This is a critical commentary that dares to be theological as well -- and does so in ways that I find consistently impressive. Thank you, W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., for the work that YOU have done laboring in the vineyard.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very fine scholarly commentary, April 25, 2009

By	Quentin D. Stewart (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Matthew 19-28: a Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew (International Critical Commentary Series) (Paperback)

This is a very fine scholarly commentary. It goes through Matthew in 3 volumes. Sometimes its comments are brief, but it does not disappoint. This is for a somewhat advanced student of Scripture who has a knowledge of Greek. D.A. Carson in his analysis of available commentaries recommends it.