The People's Bible Commentary |
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Review from:
Fransiscan magazine – January 2008
These two volumes (Genesis and Acts), together with others on Isaiah and Daniel, bring to completion the People’s Bible Commentary series in 32 volumes covering all the books of the Old and New Testaments. Each day a short reading of typically five to 15 verses is given two sides of comment and reflection. The authors are recognised biblical scholars from around the world – Gerald West (Genesis), for example, is a South African professor from the University of Natal. The comments do not shy away from critical issues, but are aimed at a non-academic audience, with an underlying reverence for the scriptures that you would expect from the publishers BRF. Each day’s reading ends with a short prayer or reflection. The price is very reasonable, and there are even vouchers in the back so that for every four volumes you buy you can send off for one extra volume free. Even the covers are tastefully designed and would make an aesthetic contribution to any bookshelf.
For the thinking man or woman in the pew: altogether, a highly recommended series.
PBC Acts From: The Journal for the Study of The New Testament - August 2007This is a commentary for lay people and preachers, written in simple language with few technicalities. The text of Acts is divided into 87 passages, each of which gets two pages on which the text is explained. Some devotional thoughts are always included, while at the end a prayer, a thought for reflection or a question for discussion appears. At the beginning of the book a concise introduction provides the necessary background and a bibliography. Alexander thinks Acts was written after AD70 by a former travelling companion of Paul and she argues that the speeches stem from him rather than from the book's characters.
Reviewed by Pieter J. Lallerman From: The Church of England Newspaper – 19 January 2007Although the series was only launched in 1996, the People’s Bible Commentary is now complete. Its four most recent volumes were published in 2006, among them Loveday Alexander’s splendid commentary on Acts. Like other volumes in the series, the format of this book means that it may be used either as a resource to consult on particular passages in Acts, or as a text that may be read as a whole, perhaps as part of a daily devotional reading of Scripture. Acts is divided into 87 short sections. Each commentary concludes with a reflection, prayer or pointer for further thought and discussion. Alexander’s tone is warm and engaging, and her text accessibly and attractively written. At the same time it includes a wealth of insight and comment that reflects the years that Alexander has devoted to the academic study of Acts in the light of other texts from the ancient world. Alexander is not only Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield, but also an Anglican Priest and Canon Theologian at Chester Cathedral. Her book is a good example of how the fruits of detailed academic work can be used in the service of the church. Alexander’s emphasis is on hearing Acts on its own terms, but her prayers and reflections offer useful ways to apply the text today, and she is not afraid to raise challenging questions on topics such as what Acts might say about personal wealth or multiculturalism, or about how we should interpret Scripture today. Reviewed by Andrew Gregory
From: The Reader – Winter 2006One of a series in The People’s Bible Commentary, this book aims to ‘bring together both personal devotion and reflective study, combining the latest scholarship with straightforward language.’ It succeeds admirably. The book consists of 107 brief commentaries on a passage from the gospel, concluding with a short prayer. Each one may be read in ten or fifteen minutes. There is an excellent general introduction to the gospel and the author elicits the multi-layered meanings behind the writer’s words, with additional cross-referencing and, where appropriate, illumination from the original Greek. Inevitably the author’s preferred interpretation occurs in places but there is a comprehensive bibliography for further research and comparison. For example, the explanations of John chapter 6 can be compared with comments by William Barclay and Paul Beasley-Murray on the same passage. The Bible is our source book so any intelligent study of it is worthwhile especially for the preacher of the Word. Here is no exception, and this commentary can be employed not only for one’s own quiet time but also for group discussion and sermon preparation. Reviewed by Douglas McMurtrie
From: The Reader – Winter 2006This book is one of the People’s Bible Commentary series. It has the approach of daily readings progressing in order through the gospel. Each day is presented as a double page spread with a recognizable title, and four or five headed paragraphs. A Bible is essential as the text is not included, and there are arresting insights that demand another read of even familiar material. They can be read in ten minutes and then carried through the day, or prayed over in a longer read. At the end of each is a neat, very short prayer for reflection. This is a useful book to have in the collection of material for private worship, sermon thoughts, and perhaps especially to inspire phrases for public intercessions. Reviewed by Peter Jackson
From: The Reader – Winter 2006The People’s Bible Commentary is a devotional commentary spanning the whole Bible. It splits the book to be explored, here Isaiah, into chunks that can be read each day as part of an on-going study of the Bible and ends with a prayer or short reflection. This volume takes the reader on a whistle-stop tour of the book of Isaiah from the gloom of the earliest passages to the glorious hope of the later chapters. This is not intended to be scholarly or complete in any way but is a devotional companion to the book of Isaiah that looks at issues, asks questions and challenges you to give some deeper thought to what Isaiah says. Anyone who feels that their Bible reading has hit a dead end and wants to try some serious in-depth engagement with one of the most important books of the Old Testament would enjoy using this commentary. Reviewed by Paula Gooder From: Christian Marketplace – December 2006We begin by congratulating BRF on finishing their People’s Bible Commentary and Loveday Alexander’s book on Acts is one of the last to be published. These snapshots of the Bible are excellent starting points for Bible study and studies but this does not mean they are short on theological astuteness as Alexander, professor at Sheffield University and Canon Theologian at Chester cathedral, demonstrates. The PBC remains easily the most complete (at last!) and accessible starting point for discovering more about the Bible. From: The Methodist Recorder – 26 October 2006The publication this year of four further volumes in the People’s Bible Commentary series from BRF brings the total number of volumes to 32. Each volume is priced £8.99 although the publishers operate a voucher scheme whereby purchases of four volumes may request a fifth free of charge: each book contains the necessary vouchers. The last is the latest quartet are: Genesis, by Dr Gerald West, of the University of KwaZulu- Natal, South Africa; Isaiah, by Dr Jo Bailey Wells, a past Dean of Clare College, Cambridge and Tutor in Old Testament at Ridley Hall, Cambridge; Daniel, by Dr Doug Ingram, of St. Johns College, Nottingham; and Acts by Rev Canon Prof Loveday Alexander, of Sheffield University. Each book is produced in the same easy-to-read format with daily two-page sections devoted to a chosen group of verses and concluding either with a prayer or a reflection. Accessible and helpful. From: The Door – May 2006Philip Johnston has contributed a useful book on Deuteronomy to The People’s Bible Commentary series published by BRF. Each page covers a few verses in an engaging and accessible style. There are many contemporary references, sub-headings to help guide the reader and prayerful reflections throughout. It is a book for those wanting to find a commentary containing insights for daily life, spiritual principles and a degree of background study. It is a good resource for group study leaders, church ministers or for private devotion. Along with the encouragement to love and serve God as its basis, the book gives a thoughtful approach to more complex issues. Controversial subjects such as ethnic cleansing , slavery, gender inequality and nationalism are addressed, with the understanding that this was a very different culture from our own, facing different conflicts and under a different covenant. There is no suggestion that we need to adopt the same laws, practices and attitudes. We are also warned against appropriating the claims of Deuteronomy for ourselves too literally: ‘They were promised prosperity for obedience, while we are given the gospel – the two are quite different.’ However, Philip Johnston demonstrates how scripture from a different culture can still engage with us and help us critique our own life and times. Deuteronomy speaks to us on many contemporary issues such as money, sex, politics, the environment, justice and social action. It is perhaps primarily a book that encourages us in our relationship with God, and we can gain from reading it with thought and insight. This commentary should help many people do that. Reviewed by Dave and Eve Lockett
From The Baptist Ministers Journal January 2003Ezekiel can be a daunting and forbidding book. It catalogues the strange visions, rigorous teaching and often bizarre behaviour of one of Judah’s great exilic prophets. Parts of it are difficult to understand and elements are difficult to reconcile, in any straightforward way, with our contemporary Christian view of the world. Meanwhile the aim of this commentary series is to provide daily readings that both ‘instruct the head and warm the heart’. It must therefore provide comment on every part of the text, taking it and it’s context very seriously, yet relating it to the teaching of the New Testament and making links between the Scriptures and the lived Christian faith of today. This aim presents any commentator on Ezekiel with a considerable challenge. It says a great deal for Dr Ernest Lucas’s skill as an exegete and a communicator that he has fully achieved the goal. He has written a very helpful book indeed. After a brief introduction to the historical context, the prophet, the book and its main theological themes, Lucas offers 103 sections that take us through the 48 chapters of the book. There is commentary on the text, devotional ideas are drawn from it leading to reflection on contemporary church and society. An appropriate prayer or meditation follows each day’s reading. At the end are some very helpful figures depicting Ezekiel’s vision of the restored Israel; the temple and the land. Of course, the book is not a replacement for a more detailed commentary. Furthermore, the suggestions for further reading are rather brief and there is no index. However, for someone preparing to preach on Ezekiel who wants some reliable material and some hints as to how the text might be applied today, or for anyone who wants an informed devotional guide to the text, this book is definitely to be recommended.
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