Reading the New Testament Commentary (12 vols.)

David Garland’s commentary provides thorough guidance through Matthew’s story of Jesus, revealing the movement of the story’s plot while highlighting Matthew’s theology. The gospel writer’s intent, besides telling the story of Jesus, is to bolster faith, convince and refute, explain present historical circumstances, to exhort, and to arm for mission. This commentary concentrates on Jesus as the Messiah, His ministry to Israel, and His passion and resurrection.

Sharyn Dowd examines the Gospel of Mark from literary and theological perspectives, suggesting what the text may have meant to its first-century audience of Gentile and Jewish Christians. Dowd sees the gospel of Mark as a Greco-Roman biography written in an apocalyptic mode, its theology based on the message of the prophet Isaiah—the proclamation of release from bondage and a march toward freedom along the “way of the Lord.”

Charles Talbert's effective and insightful commentary enables the reader to grasp the full force of the literary masterpiece that is Luke’s Gospel. Talbert concentrates on Luke’s version of the prophetic nature of Jesus’ life, His anointment by the Holy Spirit and His Galilean ministry, His journey to Jerusalem and His ministry there, and His Martyrdom and Vindication. The author includes two appendixes: one on the fulfillment of prophecy in Luke and Acts, and the other on miracles in Luke and Acts.

New Testament scholar Charles Talbert’s unique commentary considers the entire scope of the works attributed to John, their literary settings and particularities, and their continuing theological importance to the Christian story. Thoughtful and engaging, Reading John provides throughout a careful analysis of literary structure and development; it addresses the fundamental theological message and context of these works and adds a host of illuminating parallels from both Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. A clear style and a sharpness of precision further make this volume a very attractive addition to Johannine scholarship.

The approach of this commentary is to ask how ancient Mediterranean auditors would have heard Acts when it was read in their presence. To be successful Talbert divides this approach into two parts: how Acts would have been heard in its precanonical context and in its canonical context. He examines Acts thematically from the perspective of preparing for the church’s Mission to fulfilling the Mission. In the sections of fulfilling the Mission, Talbert concentrates on Pentecost, Philip’s Mission, Peter’s preaching, and Paul’s conversion and missionary journeys. Talbert includes two appendixes, focusing on the historicity of Acts and aspects of biography in Mediterranean antiquity.

The Epistle to the Romans is considered to be the classic of Reformation theology. Luke Johnson, a scholar from the Roman Catholic tradition, invests this commentary with breadth of perspective and clarity of expression. He focuses on understanding the key themes and their relationship to the whole of Pauline writings and the shaping of Christianity.

Paul wrote his letter to the Roman Christians to win their financial support for a new stage in his mission. How could an apostle, unknown by sight to the Roman believers, recommend himself, except by sharing his understanding of how God was at work through the Good News that Paul proclaimed to Jews and Gentiles? The book of Romans starts with a practical goal and becomes a theological masterpiece of great historical importance and of enduring significance to all believers. This fresh reading of Romans pays close attention to Paul’s theological argument as it unfolds.

Johnson shows how Paul understands “righteousness by faith” as the faith of the human person Jesus, how “salvation” means inclusion in God’s people, and how the work of the Holy Spirit transforms human consciousness so that believers can share with each other the faith and the love shown them by Jesus.

Paul's letters to the Christians in Corinth portray a young church struggling to live out the demands of the gospel amid the life of a thoroughly urban setting. Biblical scholar, Charles Talbert helps his reader to grasp what was at stake in the conversations between Paul and the Corinthians. What we find there is not only a word for the struggling faithful in Corinth, but an always truthful word for the church today.

In studying Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, Talbert draws our attention to what is said and how it is said. The first letter to the Corinthians is largely deliberative, that is, it aims at producing a decision about future action; whereas the second letter is mainly judicial, in that it seeks to bring about a judgment of past events.

Charles Cousar interprets three letters of Paul, each of which shows the apostle in a different light. In Galatians, Paul contends for the gospel against a group of Jewish-Christian missionaries who have come into the congregations. In Philippians, Paul addresses his favorite community in intimate terms to offer thanks for a gift they have sent him and to urge them to maintain unity in the face of opposing forces. The first letter to the Thessalonians is written to encourage the congregation in that city to lead lives worthy of the gospel. The commentary traces the movement of the letters, paragraph by paragraph, and pays particular attention to the literary character of the writing and to the theological implications of the text for the church today.

This commentary on Colossians, Ephesians, and 2 Thessalonians focuses on comprehending the major themes of the epistles and their relationship to the understanding of the early Christian communities. Centering on the work in its entirety rather than a verse-by-verse methodology, Thurston provides an introduction for each epistle, a commentary and bibliography.

Marie Isaacs’ commentary offers a clear path through the unique and often divisive content. She expertly considers questions of authorship and historical context while also making both Hebrews and James undeniably relevant for today's faith.

The commentaries on Peter and Jude underscore the light that these letters shed upon one another and focuses on the snapshots they provide of early Christian communities as they encountered the social and religious environment in which they were situated. Careful reading of 1 Peter reveals the complex world of the post-apostolic period. Jude and 2 Peter provide a sober look at the early community's evolution in doctrinal and moral terms.

This volume discusses the social relations Christians are to have with outsiders, about the Christian challenge of living in a non-Christian environment, and about the Christian community’s growing pains as they increased in membership and complexity.

Joseph Trafton was concerned that much of the popular understanding of Revelation was based on traditions of interpretation and not on the book itself. Having done his masters thesis on Revelation, Trafton came to see how crucial it was to view the book in its historical and conceptual contexts. He reveals the Jewish thought-world that underlies the book and shows how the various sections of the book fit together with one another. His goal in writing the commentary on Revelation is that the book will “make sense” to the reader. He believes many interpreters inundate their explanations with extraneous ideas that actually prevent or get in the way of a clear understanding of the text. Trafton hopes that Reading Revelation will help readers see what is actually there.