F. F. Bruce Biblical Studies Collection (18 vols.)

by F. F. Bruce

Publishers:

Kingsley Books; Doubleday; Creative 4 International

, 1980–2021

Overview

F. F. Bruce was a humble, brilliant scholar and devout Christian. He dedicated his life to the study of the New Testament, its history and interpretation. Affectionately known as the “dean of evangelical scholars,” F. F. Bruce was significant because in a time when the academic community looked down upon Evangelicals, he demonstrated that worthwhile academic work could be done by an Evangelical. At the same time, he persuaded Evangelicals that they should not turn their backs on academic methods of Bible study, even if the results might differ from traditional evangelical views. Nevertheless, despite his academic rigor, Bruce always had a heart for the church and the Christian church. This eighteen volume collection makes available many of Bruce’s writings that have heretofore been inaccessible to most Christians. Here is a collection that will warm the heart, enlighten the mind with its call of faithfulness to Jesus and his church.

Key Features

• Includes commentaries on various books of the New Testament
• Practical insights on the meaning of various New Testament passages from a leading biblical scholars
• Bruce effectively balances contemporary relevance and academic rigor

Acts: A Bible Study Commentary

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 245

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Written as part of Scripture Union’s Bible Study Commentary series, which encourages regular, systematic personal Bible reading, this commentary is also designed as a resource manual for group study. Acts is a pivotal book in the New Testament, says Bruce, “for it provided the sequel to the Gospels and the background to the apostolic letters.”

Be aware that F.F. Bruce also wrote a larger (580 pages) and more scholarly commentary on Acts as part of the New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) series. That larger book has been called "one of the best commentaries on this book of Scripture." This e-book is a shorter and more popular commentary on Acts. It reflects both Professor Bruce’s careful study of Acts as well as his passion for proclaiming the Bible as God's guide for our lives.

Defending First-Century Faith

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 123

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In their eagerness to tell the world about Jesus Christ, early Christians met religious opposition (from the Jews), cultural opposition (from paganism), political opposition (from the Roman Empire), and philosophical opposition (from “Christian deviations” such as legalism, Gnosticism, and Docetism). F.F. Bruce shows how early Christians responded to each such opposition.

They did not accommodate themselves to the worldviews they encountered. For instance, the believers regarded prophecy and miracles as “the strongest evidences for the truth of the gospel,” says the author. “Today they are more often felt to be an embarrassment,” and Bruce challenges contemporary believers “to inculcate a new awareness of the authority of the Scriptures as God’s Word written, and a new awareness of the power of God at work in the world which he created.”

Defending First-Century Faith is clear, concise, and deeply perceptive. It is factual, fresh and inspiring and written by the most outstanding evangelical scholar in Britain in the second half of the twentieth century.

In Retrospect: Autobiographical Remembrances

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 397

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Bruce was significant because in a time when the academic community looked down upon Evangelicals, he demonstrated that worthwhile academic work could be done by an Evangelical. At the same time, he persuaded Evangelicals that they should not turn their backs on academic methods of Bible study, even if the results might differ from traditional evangelical views.

"In Retrospect" paints a memorable picture of F.F. Bruce’s childhood in northern Scotland, his academic training at Aberdeen, Cambridge, and Vienna, and his career. His amazing memory is demonstrated in the book’s details; his delightful sense of humor in its stories of friends, and acquaintances; his equanimity in its accounts of academia and evangelicalism; and his spiritual heritage as one of the Brethren, a network of local assemblies. His modesty and reserve also come through in that he tells less than many readers would like to know about his own spiritual experience and his family life.

Israel & the Nations: The History of Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of the Second Temple

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 270

The story of Israel is one of the outstanding tales of human history. Israel, occupying a narrow strip of land between sea and desert, was positioned on an international highway of commerce and warfare. This was a people whose future would be intertwined with the stories of nations great and small. F. F. Bruce shapes the daunting complexities of this history, nearly fourteen hundred years from the exodus to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, into straight prose that sparkles with clarity. More than half of the book is devoted to the postexilic history of Israel, the "intertestamental" period and the first-century history that forms the backdrop of the New Testament. First published in 1963, Israel and the Nations has achieved wide recognition as an excellent introduction to the history of Israel. This new edition, carefully revised by David F. Payne, includes some new material and a revised bibliography.

The Letters of Paul: An Expanded Paraphrase

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 263

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This book is perhaps the most accessible introduction to the writings of St. Paul ever written in modern English. That’s because Professor Bruce does not approach his “expanded paraphrase” as a Bible translator, but as a storyteller recounting the life of Paul after his conversion and his correspondence with churches and individuals. This expanded paraphrase “is designed to make the course of Paul’s argument as clear as possible,” says F.F. Bruce.

One unique aspect of The Letters of Paul is that Professor Bruce tells the story of Paul—his early career, his conversion, and his missionary efforts—which then becomes the setting for placing each of Paul’s letters in context and in approximate chronological order. Bruce’s fascinating connecting narrative serves as the historical background for each letter.

This edition may be easily lets the reader can compare it with a favorite translation.

Matthew: An Open Your Bible Commentary

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 237

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Gospel of Matthew, written for Jewish Christians, focuses on who Jesus is, why he came, and how he fits into God’s bigger purposes. Matthew shows that Jesus is the long-expected Messiah, the bringer of God’s kingdom. The most prominent feature of this gospel is the teaching of Jesus, which is arranged in five discourses that dominate the book’s structure.

This commentary is written by one of the most influential biblical scholars in recent times. F.F. Bruce’s writing is clear, illuminates the biblical text, and explains the cultural context of the Bible. The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Each reading is short, but the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. Nearly 100 daily readings let you explore the Gospel of Matthew in depth.

New Testament History

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 1980
• Pages: 462

The classic text, authoritative and ably researched. This book recounts the Roman and Jewish context of New Testament times...the lives of John and Jesus, and the history of the first two generations of the Church.

The New Testament Development of Old Testament Themes

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 161

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

After His resurrection, Jesus met Cleopas and another disciple on the Road to Emmaus and explained to them everything the Old Testament said about Himself. To understand the Old Testament themes that were fulfilled in Jesus, we need to understand Old Testament thought. F.F. Bruce reveals the context of the New Testament writers’ understanding of the Old Testament by focusing on seven Old Testament themes. “These and other themes,” he says, “are fulfilled in Jesus.”

Bruce’s work guides us through the complexities of messianic prophecy. It serves as a condensed and valuable guide to the enormity of Old Testament proclamation about the Messiah.

—Daniel Wright, Concordia University

Paul and His Converts: How Paul Nurtured the Churches He Planted

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 104

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In this commentary on five of Paul’s letters— to the churches in Corinth, Thessalonica, and Philippi—F.F. Bruce focuses on Paul’s pastoral care and the growth of the people he loved so much. Since we face today so many of the problems and issues Paul and his converts faced, this book acts as a guide for growth. How can we encourage and build up fellow believers? How can we correct their shortcomings?

As an ambassador of Christ, Paul speaks to the Thessalonians about the Second Coming of Christ, the Christian Hope, and the conquest of evil. He speaks to the Corinthians about Christianity in a pagan surrounding, Christian liberty, marriage and family, Christian unity, apostolic succession, Christian stewardship, co-operation of all, and the power of love. He speaks to the Philippians about the mind of Christ. When it comes to these topics, Paul is speaking not only to first-century Christians, but to Christians today as well.

The Pauline Circle

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 104

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Pauline Circle Paul, writes F.F. Bruce, attracted friends around him as a magnet attracts iron filings. The New Testament evidence for Paul’s wide circle of friends is plentiful, both in Paul’s own writings and in the Book of Acts. In this book, Bruce, who is widely known as one of today’s foremost Pauline scholars, looks at several of Paul’s closest friends and associates as well as several of the countless co-workers, hosts, and hostesses he encountered in his life and ministry. Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, Luke, Priscilla and Aquila, Onesimus, and Mark are among those discussed in terms of both their relationship to Paul and their relationship to the early church. Bruce surveys the biblical evidence for the stories of these people, placing it against its first-century background, and examining the relationships that underlie the New Testament references. The result, written in Bruce's usual engaging and accessible style, is a fascinating look at the men and women who surrounded Paul and influenced the New Testament church.

Peter, Stephen, James, and John: Non-Pauline Diversity in the Early Church

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 132

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

It is plain from Paul’s writings that presentations of the Christian message other than his own were current during his apostolic career. This concise and scholarly study describes four of the non-Pauline movements in the early church, each of which can be identified with a particular leader: Peter, acknowledged leader of the apostles; Stephen and the Hellenists (Jews who spoke Greek culturally and linguistically); James and the Church of Jerusalem; and John and his circle, including his influence at Ephesus. It is easy to view the early church through the eyes of Paul because so much of the New Testament contains his letters. This book, however, gives a sense of the diversity in the early church.

F.F. Bruce gives New Testament readers a better historical understanding of the non-Pauline traditions. If you want to properly understand Paul, you need to understand historical context. This text does the job. Bruce comes to terms with pluralism in the early church’s understanding of the person and work of Christ. The chapters reflect a great deal of compression and merit concentrated study.

Second Thoughts on the Dead Sea Scrolls: The First Book to Read about the Story, the Scrolls, and their Significance

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In this reader-friendly overview, one of the twentieth century's leading biblical scholars offers his insights into the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for biblical studies and the histories of Judaism and Christianity. He tells the story of the discovery of the scrolls and their ongoing significance.

Contents:

• Prologue
• The First Discoveries
• Later Discoveries
• Dating the Finds
• Khirbet Qumran
• Wadi Murabba’at and Khirbet Mird
• The Scrolls and the Old Testament
• Biblical Interpretation and the Messianic Hope
• The Teacher of Righteousness and His Enemies
• The Qumran Community
• Qumran and the Essenes
• Qumran and Christianity Epilogue

The Books and the Parchments: Original Languages, Canon, Transmission, and How We Got Our English Bible

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 443

The Books and the Parchments is a classic text on the history and origins of the Bible. It explains the languages in which the Bible was written, how the books of the Bible were chosen, and the Bible’s transmission and translation – from the earliest translations to the most popular English versions. Included are sections on the “Lost Books of the Bible” and the Apocrypha and other early Christian books. Professor Bruce makes it clear that he was writing for “non-specialists . . . and . . . continued to bear in mind the questions which are most frequently asked about these matters, and to answer them to the best of my ability.”

The Epistles of John: A Verse-by-Verse Exposition

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 209

The Epistles to John were written to Asian Christians at the end of the first century to encourage them in the face of false teachings and to assure them that they were following the truth of Christ. John’s clearly stated purpose is that his reader “may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13) and “that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ and . . . that your joy may be fulfilled.” (1 John 1:3-4).

The Gospel of John: A Verse-by-Verse Exposition

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 493

This outstanding commentary is easy to read, informative, and intended for the general reader interested in serious Bible study. The translation used is Bruce's own. He sets passages in their historical and cultural context, compares them with the other three Gospel accounts, and opens the meaning of the verses. The book has won such praises as "scholarly, concise, and practical"; "the best overall commentary on the Gospel of John"; and "clear-headed and consistently informative."

Drawing on thirty years of research, Bruce introduces his commentary with discussions of the Gospel’s authorship, its significance for the early church, and its message. He touches only lightly on textual, linguistic, and other critical questions. "The chief aim," of the commentary, Bruce says, "has been to communicate what I myself have learned of the Evangelist's meaning and message."

John wrote his Gospel so "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, you may have life in his name." For nearly 2,000 years the Gospel’s "straight, unequivocal words about sin and salvation somehow go home," Bruce quotes, "and carry conviction to the most abandoned, while its direct invitation wins a response that nothing else does."

"The Gospel of John" by F.F. Bruce is written for ordinary Christians who want to know their Bible better. It draws out the rich depths of John’s marvelous Gospel.

The Spreading Flame: The Rise and Progress of Christianity from Its First Beginning to AD 800

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 537

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This story of the early Christian church – from its infancy to the conversion of the English in about A.D. 800 – pictures a church that is an unquenchable spiritual force organized for tribulation. Its spiritual resources are never stronger than in times of seeming disaster. Bruce gives the reader a feel for the evangelistic fervor of the Apostles and the early Christians in a narrative filled with solid, well-reasoned, richly researched facts.

The book is divided into three sections: “The Dawn of Christianity” deals with the Church from its infancy to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, “The Growing Day,” which continues to the accession of Constantine in A.D. 313, and “Light in the West,” which covers Christianity in Rome and its spread to the British Isles.

[The Spreading Flame] gives us a concise and very readable account of the origins of the Christian Church, its chequered history, the heresies which challenged it, as well as the development of its worship, discipline and government

—The English Churchman

Understanding Biblical Criticism

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 111

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The term “biblical criticism” simply means discerning the most accurate text of the Bible (“textual criticism”) and then exploring issues such as who wrote the various books of the Bible, when they were written, and the circumstances of the writing (“higher criticism”). Yet because the word “criticism” can imply fault-finding and because some prominent biblical critics come to their study with a skepticism of the historical value of the Bible, biblical criticism often stirs up suspicion or even hostility. F.F. Bruce assures us that we don’t have to be afraid of biblical criticism—textual, higher, source, form, or other approaches. Instead, he says, biblical criticism “can serve to confirm the validity of the Gospel record.”

The essays in this book are clearly and concisely written. They demonstrate a deep knowledge of the subject, and they flow from an even deeper and abiding commitment to Christ and faith.

—Dr. David Capes

What the Bible Says about the Work of Christ

• Author: F.F. Bruce
• Publisher: Kingsley Books
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 163

Who was Jesus and what did he do? These questions are right on target for understanding Jesus as a figure of history. But Christians mean more than that when they ask these questions. They go on to ask, Where did he come from? What is he doing? What is he going to do? For Christians, Jesus is the preexistent Son who became incarnate. And as the resurrected and living Christ, he continues to act, and he will yet do great things in the future.

In this book, F.F. Bruce, one of the eminent New Testament scholars of the late twentieth century, explores the New Testament teaching on the work of Christ. The lines of his argument are simple and straightforward, but like a piece of fine, handcrafted furniture, they are true to the grain and soundly constructed, even where the eye cannot see.

Here is a brief but illuminating introduction to a central strand of New Testament teaching: the past, present, and future work of Jesus. It is the perfect starting point for groups and individuals wanting to explore the fundamentals of Christ and His work.

About F.F. Bruce

F. F. Bruce (1910–1990) was one of the founders of the modern evangelical understanding of the Bible and served as the Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester. After teaching Greek for several years, first at the University of Edinburgh and then at the University of Leeds, he became head of the Department of Biblical History and Literature at the University of Sheffield in 1947. He studied at University of Aberdeen, Cambridge University, and the University of Vienna. During his distinguished career, he wrote many bestselling commentaries and books, including Paul, Apostle of the Heart Set Free, A Mind for What Matters and several titles published by InterVarsity Press. He also served as general editor of The New International Commentary on the New Testament.