So I want to buy my first Commentary

My friend David Norman is wanting to start building a home library and I posted a comment.  I decided to migrate it over here as well, to see what series my readers like.  Everyone has their favorite series and I figured this is a good way to find out.   

Here is my comment.

My favs, in no particular order. I excluded the "usual" ones since most people know about those (NIV commentary, Matthew Henry, Wiersbe,..etc)

1. The Pillar series edited by D.A.Carson. Very accessible, and written in almost a novel fashion. It handles interesting textual issues and still remains conservative.

2. Ancient Christian Commentary on scripture-edited Christopher Hall. Using a computer model and all of the known patristic writing on scripture,the editors were able to put together an entire commentary series using the church fathers. Since the patristic fathers used alot of allegory, it would not be suitable for ones only commentary, but is really useful when it comes to explaining tricky passages.

3. The Sacra Pagina edited by Daniel Harrington. A Catholic series that is well rounded and engages the original language really well.

I also like the Brazos series, the Word Biblical (a standard) and the New International Greek Commentary on Scripture.

It would also be useful to have a few of the IVP Dictionaries, such as Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and the Dictionary of Paul's letters.

I have alot of little commentaries that I got at half price books and amazon used that I paid around 4 dollars for. They have turned out to be a real gem.

Just go to your library at school (or when you are traveling go visit other libraries) and poke around their collection, that is how I found out what big series I liked.

Well, what series do you like?

Comments

[Charles]

First, a disclaimer. Never buy commentaries just because of the series they're in. Word is a fantastic series, but a couple of the volumes suck majorly compared to those in a different series. I usually go by author, based on 1) how long he's been around and what he's been writing about, 2) where he teaches, and 3) his theological persuasion. All that being said, these are series that I find overall to be good:

1) Hermeneia. Not for the faint of heart, but the most solid as far as context and background goes. Draws from many theological persuasions and backgrounds, plus they cover things outside the 66 books of the Protestant Bible (Q [how do you even write a commentary on a hypothetical document?], Enoch, Didache, Ignatius, etc.). Way frigging expensive, though.
2) Word. Solid, with better-known authors perhaps than Hermeneia. Not a ton in the way of application (but that's the pastor's job anyway, right?)
3) NICNT/NICOT. Standard "evangelical" scholarship. Easy to read, footnotes provide linguistic/critical information. Good application.
4) (I can't believe I'm saying this, but...) NAC. I am amazed at how good a predominately Baptist commentary series can be.

Those are the main ones...like I said, though, there are gems in other series. Many of the Black's commentaries are fantastic (Bockmeuhl on Philippians, hello!); some of the individual books in the NIB series are good (N.T. Wright on Romans). Sacra Pagina I like...Anchor Bible I like...Brazos I like. The Ancient Christian commentaries are cool for picking out quotes, but otherwise I find them rather unhelpful, as they tend to neglect the context the comments come from.

Well, that's my two cents.

[Laura]

No particular commentaries to recommend, but I can recommend an excellent book to consult before making the purchase:

Commentary & Reference Survey, 10th edition
A comprehensive guide to biblical and theological resources
by John Glynn
(C) 1994, 2003, 2007 Kregel Publications
380 pages

He categorizes the works by theological perspective (Evangelical, Evangelical/Critical, Conservative/Moderate, Liberal/Critical, and All) and makes recommendations. The final chapter is "The Ultimate Commentary Collection."

I nearly always consult Glynn before deciding which commentaries to buy (or even use) for a project.

[David]

thanks for the input, Chad. and thanks to your other readers

[chad]

Laura's book is great, I have used it several times. There is also another volume "Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament", edited by DA Carson and GK Beale. There is also another text by Bauer that is required at Asbury that is in the same type of reference material.

[Isaac]

I frequently use commentaries that aren't part of a series. Some of the best ones come from authors who have spent their life's work on a particular book or set of books. Some examples of these are Barnabas Lindars, C.K. Barrett, and Boltmann (despite his de-mythologizing). I have found a couple of series, though, that are exceptionally good ones.

1. Sacra Pagina
2. The Greek New Testament Commentary

I use these the most, though the TGNTC is still working on some of the volumes.

[Steven]

My suggestion isn't a commentary, but it does have a lot to offer, and it is most valued in my home. Anyone who is a Christian, or in ministry, can only benefit from having the 7 volume set "Martin Luther's Complete Sermons" put out by Baker Books. (In actuality, its not his complete sermons, but it is quite a bit). In this is included the "House Postil" series, and much of that was written by Luther when he was in hiding at Wartburg.

I have found much balm for the soul, and interesting information on many passages on scripture, though Luther does often interpret scripture like other medieval and patristic Christians by using allegory alot.

This is a good series to have. It is not overly polemical, as Luther's lord Frederick the Wise charged Luther with writing something good and uplifting, though there are moments.