Research Guides: BITH 213: Commentaries

Bible Commentaries - Search Tips, Non-Western authors

SEARCH TIPS:

Searching for Bible commentaries in the library:
- Looking for a Matthew commentary? Use bible commentaries matthew (as subject or keywords) in your Library Search of books in the library.
- Limit your results to ebooks by clicking "Available online" in the left column of filtering options.
- Consider changing the "Sort by" limit to "Date-newest" from "Relevance" to ensure more recent scholarship.
Locate other forms of biblical scholarship (e.g. monographs, edited volumes) on your Bible passage by adding "interpretation" or "criticism" in place of "commentaries"
Looking for commentaries by people of color? Try some form of the following search strategy:
- Start with the Database of Works by Ethnic Minority and Majority World Scholars.
- Additionally, use a form of the following Library Search strategy relevant to your topic: (africa* OR india* OR asia* OR global) AND bible commentaries (cut and paste this string into the search box below and modify there)

The specialized commentaries below represent biblical commentary from the early church and Reformation periods.

Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture
Call Number: Click on title above
ISBN: 9780830814862
"Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early church." Click on the series title above to see the individual volumes in Buswell.
Reformation Commentary on Scripture
Call Number: Click on title above
ISBN: 9780830829699
NOTE: This is an ongoing project and not all books of the Bible have been published. -- In each RCS volume you will find the biblical text in English, from the English Standard Version (ESV), alongside the insights of the leaders of the Reformation.

How to cite the two commentary series above SBL style...
Example citations are near the bottom of this page.

Background commentaries

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Set by Clinton E. Arnold (General Editor)
Call Number: Ref BS2341.52 .Z66 2002 - Not available online
ISBN: 9780310217404
Publication Date: 2002-08-11
This passage-by-passage commentary on the New Testament presents archaeological findings, historical explanations, geographic insights, notes on manners and customs, and more.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary by Craig S. Keener
Call Number: Ref BS2341.52 .K44 2014 - Click on title for the ebook version.
ISBN: 9780830824786
Publication Date: 2014-01-03
To understand and apply the Bible well, you need two crucial sources of information. One is the Bible itself. The other is an understanding of the cultural background of the passage you're reading.Only with the background can you grasp the author's original concerns and purposes. This unique commentary provides, in verse-by-verse format, the crucial cultural background you need for responsible--and richer--Bible study.

NT Commentaries series

Anchor Bible Commentary
It is ecumenical, moderately critical, and designed to extend through both Testaments, including the Apocrypha.
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Assessment taken from: D.A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey, sixth ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
Dr. Peeler has been impressed with the quality of this series.
Hermeneia--a critical and historical commentary on the Bible
"Hermeneia must be regarded as the premier biblical commentary series in the English-speaking world today [....] The quality of scholarship throughout is first-rate. The Hermeneia commentaries have set a standard of excellence in biblical interpretation that future series will be hard-pressed to meet." Michael L. Barr
International Critical Commentary
A project more than a century old, is not being renewed. The old volumes include some major commentaries that still set a high standard, even if they are now seriously dated.
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Assessment taken from: D.A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey, sixth ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
New American Commentary
Its authors have been drawn from Baptist ranks both within and outside the SBC. They early volumes are generally competent enough, pitched at a middle level.
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Assessment taken from: D.A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey, sixth ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
New International Commentary on the New Testament
It is a still-incomplete series of commentaries that adopts conservative critical views and is concerned to offer an exegesis of the Scriptures themselves.
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Assessment taken from: D.A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey, sixth ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
The New International Greek Testament Commentary
It is up-to-date, bibliographically almost exhaustive, exegetical and within the evangelical tradition, broadly understood.
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Assessment taken from: D.A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey, sixth ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
New Testament Library - Westminster John Knox Press
One of Dr. Peeler's recommended commentary series.
NIV Application Commentary
It provides fairly lightweight commentaries, easily accessible, that are then filled out by application of various kinds.
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Assessment taken from: D.A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey, sixth ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
Word Biblical Commentary
It is a full-scale series that aims to cover every book in the Bible. The series offers fresh translation, an original format, thoughtful interaction with literature, and a commitment to handle both exegetical and literary/critical concerns.
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Assessment taken from: D.A. Carson, New Testament Commentary Survey, sixth ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).
Zondervan exegetical commentary on the New Testament
This series features many respected evangelical biblical scholar including Craig Blomberg, Clinton Arnold and former Wheaton professor Karen Jobes. Some NT books are not yet available.