Raymond E. Brown Collection, 5 vols. (AYB Reference Library | AYBRL)

by Raymond Edward Brown

Publishers:

Yale University Press; Doubleday

, 1993–2003

Overview

Raymond E. Brown is recognized as a leading scholar of the New Testament. His commentaries have helped a generation of pastors and scholars interpret and understand the Gospel and epistles of John. His groundbreaking historical studies have become standard additions to theological and biblical libraries everywhere. Since his career began nearly fifty years ago, Brown has pursued a career of honest scholarship of New Testament exegesis and interpretation. The 5-volume Raymond E. Brown Collection contains Brown’s massive 2-volume commentary on Jesus’ Passion, his commentary on the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke, and two introductory volumes—one on the New Testament and the other on the Gospel of John.

Key Features

• 2-volume commentary on the Passion narrative
• Introductory volumes on the New Testament and on the Gospel of John
• All Scripture references linked to the Bibles in your library

Product Details

• Title: Raymond E. Brown Collection
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Volumes: 5
• Pages: 3,728

The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke

• Author: Raymond E. Brown
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 1999
• Pages: 752

In some ways the narratives of Jesus’ birth and infancy are the last frontiers to be crossed in the critical approach to the Gospels. For some, the stories of Jesus’ birth are given dubious historical value. For others, the popular character of these narratives—the exotic magi, birth star, angelic messengers, and so on—renders them as legends unworthy to be a vehicle of the pure Gospel message. Still others deem them simple Christian folklore devoid of any real theology—only written for romantics or the naïve. Yet each Christmas, Christian clergy and the people to whom they minister must continue to face them.

According to Raymond Brown, introductory materials on the New Testament in general and the Gospels in particular gives the infancy narratives short shrift, disproportionate to their role in Christian theology, art, and poetic imagination. Perhaps the most visible sign of this neglect is the absence of a major modern commentary which treats the two infancy narratives together.

It was from this felt need that efforts for a new commentary were undertaken. In The Birth of the Messiah, Raymond Brown is interested in the role the infancy narratives played in the early Christian understanding of Jesus. By treating the two narratives together in the same volume, Brown points out their common tendencies and emphases. By giving them two distinct treatments, however, he also shows how each fits within the theological framework of its respective Gospel, and thus offers us reasons for the differences between the infancy narratives.

In The Birth of the Messiah, Brown contends that the infancy narratives are, indeed, worthy vehicles of the Gospel messages. In fact, they contain the Gospel message in miniature. On a deeper level, this commentary reflects the instinct recognizing the infancy narratives as the essence of the Good News—namely, that God has made himself present to us in the life of the Messiah who walked the earth.

A line-by-line exegesis . . . that not only synthesizes a generation of modern scholarship but also provides a coherent and compelling explanation of what the stories of Christ's birth were meant to convey . . . Brown manages to rescue the Christmas story from both the contempt of experts and the sentimentality of naive laymen . . . Ordinary Christians can thank this priestly scholar for helping them to put the adult Christ back into Christmas.

—Newsweek

A work of highest critical historical scholarship in a form that is accessible to the average well-educated reader . . . Brown's treatment of the infancy narratives is definitive. It will undoubtedly be the standard work on the subject for years to come.

—Best Sellers

Recommended to readers at all levels and without reservation.

—America

A masterly work. Every conclusion is argued with the utmost thoroughness.

—Catholic Biblical Quarterly

A magnificent tome, which puts previous studies in the shade and which promises to remain standard for a very long time. A superb study, rich in content, profound in insight.

—The Living Church

One of the premier events in biblical publishing. . . . One thing is sure: This book will become a classic study on the nature and message of the infancy and message of the infancy narratives.

—The Bible Today

The Death of the Messiah, from Gethsemane to the Grave, Vol. 1

• Author: Raymond E. Brown
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 912

The Passion Narrative proceeds from arrest through trial to condemnation, execution, and burial. In each Gospel, it records the longest consecutive action of Jesus. It has captured the attention and imagination of dramatists and artists, and it has inspired the poetry and music of the church for two thousand years. Alongside “born of the Virgin Mary,” the other phrase that made its way into the creed, “suffered under Pontius Pilate,” has become a marker anchoring Christian belief about the Son of God to a Jesus who was a human figure of actual history.

Historically, Jesus’ death was the most public event of his life. Theologically, Christians have interpreted the death of Jesus on the cross as a key element of God’s plan for the justification, redemption, and salvation of all. Spiritually, the Jesus of the Passion has been the focus of Christian meditation for countless would-be disciples who take seriously the command of the Master to take up the cross and follow him. Pastorally, the passion is the centerpiece of Lent and Holy Week, and the most sacred time in the liturgical calendar. From every point of view, the Passion is the central narrative in the Christian story.

The massive amount of material written on the Passion Narrative creates a need for a work that brings together the scattered views, proposals, and interpretations. In this 2-volume work, Raymond Brown sifts through the material to offer a full-scale commentary on the Passion Narratives of the Gospels.

The Death of the Messiah serves a variety of audiences: scholars, pastors, students of the religion and theology of the Bible, interested Christians, and those of any persuasion who seek knowledge about the passion and death of Jesus. Brown treats subjects in a readable way, even when it requires greater length or exposition.

Volume 1 covers the scenes of Jesus in Gethsemane, Jesus before the Jewish authorities, and Jesus before Pilate. This volume contains translation, commentary, and analysis of each passage.

Once again Raymond Brown has written a magnum opus. A stunning array of fresh insights into how the passion stories came into being and what—scene by scene—the four Evangelists really say about the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus.

—Newsweek

Father Raymond Brown has a strong claim to be the most distinguished of American New Testament scholars, and he has few competitors worldwide.

—New York Times

The Death of the Messiah is first of all a scholarly work, but it is also enjoyably readable and accessible to the interested layman.

—Newsday

Breathtaking! Raymond E. Brown's The Death of the Messiah crowns two millennia of Christian scholarship pondering the 'scandal of the crucifixion.' Brown has once again demonstrated his position as Father, Rabbi, and Teacher to us all.

—Burton L. Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary

The supreme achievement of a deeply pastoral scholar.

—Sandra M. Schneiders, Jesuit School of Theology and Graduate Theological Union

The benchmark by which any future study of the Passion Narratives will be measured.

—John P. Meier, University of Notre Dame

These volumes are a treasure that spans the ages.

—Phyllis Trible, Wake Forest University Divinity School

The Death of the Messiah, from Gethsemane to the Grave, Vol. 2

• Author: Raymond E. Brown
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 752

Volume 2 continues Raymond Brown’s project of commentary and analysis of the Passion Narrative, covering the scenes of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. This volume also contains nine appendices on non-canonical passion narratives, historicity, views of Judas Iscariot, Old Testament background, and Jesus’ predictions of his death. Volume 2 concludes with a detailed bibliography and a 25-page subject index.

Once again Raymond Brown has written a magnum opus. A stunning array of fresh insights into how the passion stories came into being and what—scene by scene—the four Evangelists really say about the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus.

—Newsweek

Father Raymond Brown has a strong claim to be the most distinguished of American New Testament scholars, and he has few competitors worldwide.

—New York Times

The Death of the Messiah is first of all a scholarly work, but it is also enjoyably readable and accessible to the interested layman.

—Newsday

Breathtaking! Raymond E. Brown's The Death of the Messiah crowns two millennia of Christian scholarship pondering the 'scandal of the crucifixion.' Brown has once again demonstrated his position as Father, Rabbi, and Teacher to us all.

—Burton L. Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary

The supreme achievement of a deeply pastoral scholar.

—Sandra M. Schneiders, Jesuit School of Theology and Graduate Theological Union

The benchmark by which any future study of the Passion Narratives will be measured.

—John P. Meier, University of Notre Dame

These volumes are a treasure that spans the ages.

—Phyllis Trible, Wake Forest University Divinity School

An Introduction to the Gospel of John

• Author: Raymond E. Brown
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 384

When Raymond E. Brown died in 1998, less than a year after the publication of his masterpiece, An Introduction to the New Testament, he left behind a nearly completed revision of his acclaimed two-volume commentary on the Gospel of John in the Anchor Yale Bible. The manuscript, skillfully edited by Francis J. Moloney, displays the rare combination of meticulous scholarship and clear, engaging writing that made Father Brown’s books consistently outsell other works of biblical scholarship.

An Introduction to the Gospel of John represents the culmination of Brown’s long and intense examination of part of the New Testament. One of the most important aspects of this new book, particularly to the scholarly community, is how it differs from the original commentary in several important ways. It presents, for example, a new perspective on the historical development of the Gospels, and shows how Brown decided to open his work to literary readings of the text, rather than relying primarily on the historical, which informed the original volumes. In addition, there is an entire section devoted to Christology, absent in the original, as well as a magisterial new section on the representation of Jews in the Gospel of John.

A bittersweet read! Intended as the introduction to a major revision of the landmark Anchor Yale Bible commentary on John, but sadly cut off by his death in 1998, this work stands alone as a magnificent survey of major issues in the study of the Fourth Gospel. With his accustomed thoroughness and respect for the work of others, even in disagreement, Brown updates and often moves beyond positions first articulated over three decades ago. Scholars will be long in debt to Francis Moloney for his own insightful introduction and conclusion as well as for signposts along the way which point to shifts in Brown's work along with developments subsequent to his death, and current bibliography. This eminently readable work will extend the influence of Brown well into the present century.

—John Donahue, Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies, St. Mary’s Seminary and University

An Introduction to the New Testament

• Author: Raymond E. Brown
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 1997
• Pages: 928

From the experience of a lifetime of scholarship, preaching, teaching, and writing, Raymond E. Brown covers the entire scope of the New Testament with ease and clarity. He walks readers book by book through the basic content and issues of the New Testament. While a wealth of information is contained in these pages, the work’s most impressive features are the basic summaries of each book, a historical overview of the ancient Greco-Roman world, discussions of key theological issues, and the rich supplementary materials, such as illustrative tables, maps, bibliographies, and appendixes. Using this basic data, Brown answers questions raised by today’s readers, relates the New Testament to our modern world, and responds to controversial issues, such as those raised by the Jesus Seminar.

Every generation needs a comprehensive, reliable Introduction to the New Testament that opens the biblical text to the novice. Raymond E. Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament is the most trustworthy and authoritative guidebook for a generation seeking to understand the Christian Bible.

Universally acknowledged as the dean of New Testament scholarship, Father Brown is a master of his discipline at the pinnacle of his career. Who else could cover the entire scope of the New Testament with such ease and clarity? This gifted communicator conveys the heartfelt concern of a beloved teacher for his students, as he walks the reader through the basic content and issues of the New Testament. Those opening to the New Testament for the first time and those seeking deeper insights could not ask for more in a primer to the Christian Bible.

Once again Raymond Brown has written a magnum opus . . . A monumental piece of scholarship that speaks to experts and novices alike. If a person could own only one book on the New Testament, this is the one to have.

—Bruce M. Metzger, Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary

This is the best Introduction to the New Testament available. I know no better synthesis of New Testament scholarship today.

—Daniel J. Harrington, Professor of New Testament, Weston Jesuit School of Theology

As the New Testament is emerging today—for the first time in history—as a legitimate field of academic exploration for Jewish readers, this is the premier text where I'll be directing my students for a fair weighing of the evidence. . . . Scholarship not measuring up to [Brown's] probing questions and reasoned responses may not be good scholarship at all!

—Rabbi Michael J. Cook, Professor of Judaeo-Christian Studies, Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, Ohio

At last, a topnotch introductory book for study of the New Testament! It is highly recommended for all Bible study groups, college students, seminarians, and pastors.

—Joseph A. Fitzmyer, author of commentaries on Luke, Acts, Romans, First Corinthians, and Philemon in the Anchor Yale Bible

About Raymond E. Brown

Raymond E. Brown taught for many years at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore and was Professor of Biblical Studies at the Union Theological Seminary for two decades. He was the author of three books in the Anchor Yale Bible series on the Gospels and Epistles of John. He died in 1998.