Good commentaries

[dcyates]

The following are commentaries covering the Pauline Epistles

Romans:
P. Achtemeier (Interp)
C.K. Barrett (HNTC)
F.F. Bruce (TNTC)
C.E.B. Cranfield (ICC)
C.H. Dodd (MNTC)
J.D.G. Dunn (WBC)
P.F. Esler
J.A. Fitzmyer (AB)
#B.R. Gaventa (NTL)
#R. Jewett (Herm)
#R.N. Longenecker (NIGTC)
E. Käsemann
Martin Luther
D.A. Moo (NICNT)
D.A. Moo (NIVAC)
L. Morris (Pillar)
G.R. Osbourne (IVPNTC)
T. Schreiner (BECNT)
J. Stott (BST)
S.K. Stowers
P. Stuhlmacher
B. Witherington III (Socio-Rhetorical)
N.T. Wright (NIB - vol. 10)
(Moo - NICNT, #Longenecker - NIGTC, Schreiner - BECNT, Wright - NIB)

1 & 2 Corinthians:
B. Witherington III (Socio-Rhetorical)

1 Corinthians:
C.K. Barrett (BNTC)
#L. Belleville (WBC)
C. Blomberg (NIVAC)
#A. Brown (NTL)
H. Conzelmann (Herm)
#E.E. Ellis (ICC)
G.D. Fee (NICNT)
#D. Garland (BECNT)
R.B. Hays (Interp)
#A. Johnson (IVPNTC)
L. Morris (TNTC)
W.F. Orr, W.A. Walther (AB)
#B. Rosner (Pillar)
J.P. Sampley (NIBC)
M. Soards (NIBCNT)
A. Thisleton (NIGTC)
(Fee - NICNT, Thistleton - NIGTC, #Garland - BECNT, #Ellis - ICC, #Belleville - WBC, #Rosner - Pillar)

2 Corinthians:
C.K. Barrett (BNTC)
P. Barnett (NICNT)
L. Belleville (IVPNTC)
V.P. Furnish (AB)
D. Garland (NAC)
#G. Guthrie (BECNT)
S.J. Hafemann (NIVAC)
M.J. Harris (EBC - vol. 10)
M.J. Harris (NIGTC)
C. Kruse (TNTC)
J. Lambrecht (SP)
R.P. Martin (WBC)
#F. Matera (NTL)
J.P. Sampley (NIB - vol. 11)
#M. Seifrid (Pillar)
R.V.G. Tasker (TNTC)
(Barrett - BNTC, Barnett - NICNT, Hafemann - NIVAC, #Guthrie - BECNT, Garland - NAC, Harris - NIGTC)

Galatians:
H.D. Betz (Herm)
#M. de Boer (NTL)
#G. Borchert (TNTC)
F.F. Bruce (NIGTC)
E. De Witt Burton (ICC)
#D.A. Carson (Pillar)
R.A. Cole (TCNT)
C.B. Cousar (Interp)
J.D.G. Dunn (BNTC, 1993)
T. George (NAC)
G.W. Hansen (IVPNTC, 1994)
R.B. Hays (NIB - vol. 11, 2000)
J.B. Lightfoot
R.N. Longenecker (WBC, 1990)
J. Louis Martyn (AB, 1997)
S. McKnight (NIVAC, 1995)
#G. Stanton (ICC)
S.K. Williams (ANTC, 1997)
B. Witherington III (Socio-Rhetorical, 1998)
(Longenecker - WBC, Bruce - NIGTC, #Carson - Pillar)

Ephesians/Colossians/Philemon:
F.F. Bruce (NICNT)

Ephesians:
M. Barth (AB)
E. Best (ICC)
F.F. Bruce (NICNT)
#D. Dockery (NAC)
F. Foulkes (TCNT)
#S. Fowl (NTL)
H. Hoehner
#Wm. Klein (NEBC)
A.T. Lincoln (WBC)
P.T. O’Brien (PNTC)
P. Perkins (NIB - vol. 11)
R. Schnackenburg
K.R. Snodgrass (NIVAC)
J. Stott (BST)
#F. Thielman (BECNT)
#M. Turner (NIGTC)
(O’Brien - Pillar, Lincoln - WBC, Hoehner, #Thielman - BECNT, #Turner - NIGTC, Best - ICC)

Philippians:
K. Barth
F.W. Beare (HNTC)
M. Bockmuehl (BNTC)
#C.B. Cousar (NTL)
G.D. Fee (NICNT)
G.D. Fee (IVPNTC)
#G.W. Hansen (Pillar)
G.F. Hawthorne (WBC)
M.D. Hooker (NIB - vol. 11)
R.A. Martin (TNTC)
R.P. Martin (NCBC)
R.P. Martin/G.F. Hawthorne (WBC, rev. edn.)
P.T. O’Brien (NIGTC)
#J. Reumann (AB)
Moisés Silva (BECNT)
F. Thielman (NIVAC)
M.R. Vincent (ICC)
#D. Whitely (ICC)
B. Witherington (NT in Context)
(Fee - NICNT, O’Brien - NIGTC, Bockmuehl - BNTC, Martin/Hawthorne - WBC rev. edn., Thielman - NIVAC, #Hansen - Pillar, Silva - BECNT)

Colossians/Philemon:
#G.K. Beale (BECNT)
F.F. Bruce (NICNT)
J.D.G. Dunn (NIGTC)
D. Garland (NIVAC)
M.J. Harris (EGGNT)
#G. Hawthorne (Pillar)
A.T. Lincoln (NIB - vol. 11)
E. Lohse (Herm)
M.Y. MacDonald (SP)
R.P. Martin (NCBC)
C.F.D. Moule (CGTC)
P.T. O’Brien (WBC)
#J. Sumney (NTL)
#S. Wilson (ICC)
N.T. Wright (TNTC)
(O’Brien - WBC, Garland - NIVAC, #Beale - BECNT)

1 & 2 Thessalonians:
G.K. Beale (IVPNTC)
E. Best (BNTC)
F.F. Bruce (WBC)
#K. Donfried (ICC)
V. Furnish (ANTC)
G. Green (Pillar)
#H. Hendrix (NTC)
M. Holmes (NIVAC)
#E. Johnson (NTL)
#H. Koester (Herm)
A.J. Malherbe (AB)
L. Morris (TNTC)
I. Howard Marshall (NCBC)
A. Smith (NIB - vol. 11)
J. Stott (BST)
C.A. Wannamaker (NIGTC)
#J. Weima (BECNT)
(Wanamaker - NIGTC, Malherbe - AB, Bruce - WBC, Best - BNTC, Green - Pillar, Holmes - NIVAC, Marshall - NCBC, Beale - IVPNTC, #Weima - BECNT)

1 & 2 Timothy, Titus:
C.K. Barrett (NCB)
J.M. Bassler (ANTC)
M. Dibelius, H. Conzelmann (Herm)
J.D.G. Dunn (NIB - vol. 11)
G.D. Fee (NIBCNT)
D. Guthrie (TNTC)
L.T. Johnson (AB)
J.N.D. Kelly (HNTC)
#R. Kidd (BECNT)

#A. Köstenberger (NEBC)
G.W. Knight III (NIGTC)
W. Liefeld (NIVAC)
#A.J. Malherbe (Herm)
I. Howard Marshall (ICC)
Wm. D. Mounce (WBC)
T. Oden (Interp)
P. Towner (IVPNTC)
#P. Towner (NICNT)
#T. Wilder (Mentor)
#R. Yarbrough (Pillar)

1 & 2 Timothy:
J.D. Quinn/Wm. C. Wacker (ECC)

Titus:
J.D. Quinn (AB)

(Marshall - ICC, Mounce - WBC, Quinn/Wacker - ECC/Quinn - AB, Fee - NIBCNT, Knight - NIGTC, Johnson - AB, Kelly - BNTC, #Towner - NICNT, #Kidd - BECNT)

Philemon:
M. Barth/H. Blanke (ECC)
J. Burtchaell
C.H. Felder (NIB - vol. 11)
(Barth/Blanke - ECC) [See also Colossians/Philemon above]

 

[dcyates]

The following are commentaries covering the General/Catholic Epistles and Revelation

Hebrews:
Harold Attridge (Herm)
F.F. Bruce (NICNT)
G.W. Buchanan (AB)
#Donald A. Carson (BECNT)
P. Ellingworth (NIGTC)
Donald Guthrie (TCNT)
George H. Guthrie (NIVAC)
Donald Hagner (NIBCNT)
P. Hughes
#Luke Timothy Johnson (NTL)
Craig R. Koester (AB)
William L. Lane (WBC)
James Moffatt (ICC)
#Peter O’Brien (Pillar)
David deSilva (Socio-Rhetorical)
(Attridge- Herm, Lane - WBC, Ellingworth - NIGTC, Koester - AB, DeSilva, Guthrie - NIVAC, #O’Brien - Pillar, #Carson - BECNT)

James:
Richard Bauckham (NTR)
Martin Dibelius/Heinrich Greeven (Herm)
Peter H. Davids (NIGTC)
#Joel Green (NTL)
Luke Timothy Johnson (AB)
#John Kloppenborg (Herm)
Sophie Laws (BNTC)
Ralph P. Martin (WBC)
#Dan McCartney (BECNT)
Douglas Moo (TCNT)
Douglas Moo (Pillar)
J.H. Ropes (ICC)
#Donald Verseput (NICNT)
(Bauckham, Davids - NIGTC, Moo - Pillar, Johnson - AB, Martin - WBC, #Verseput - NICNT)

1 Peter:
Paul J. Achtemeier (Herm)
C.E.B. Cranfield
Peter H. Davids (NICNT)
#Lewis Donelson (NTL)
John H. Elliott (AB)
Leonhard Goppelt
Wayne Grudem (TCNT)
#Scott Hafemann (Pillar)
#Daniel Harrington (Sacra Pagina)
#Karen Jobes (BECNT)
J.N.D. Kelly (BNTC)
I. Howard Marshall (IVPNTC)
#Troy Martin (NIGTC)
Scot McKnight (NIVAC)
J. Ramsey Michaels (WBC)
#Earl Richard (Smyth & Helwys)
Thomas Schreiner (NAC)
E.G. Selwyn
E. Walter & J. Daryl Charles (BCBC)
(Achtemeier - Herm, Michaels - WBC, Davids - NICNT, Goppelt, Elliott - AB, Marshall - IVPNTC, #Hafemann - Pillar, #T. Martin - NIGTC)

2 Peter/Jude:
Richard J. Bauckham (WBC)
#Peter H. Davids (Pillar)
#Lewis Donelson (NTL)
E.M.B. Green (TCNT)
#Gene Green (BECNT)
#Scott Hafemann (NIGTC)
#Robert Harvey (IVPNTC)
Dick Lucas & Christopher Green (BST)
J.N.D. Kelly (HNTC)
Douglas Moo (NIVAC)
Thomas Schreiner (NAC)
Robert Webb (NICNT)
(Bauckham - WBC, Moo - NIVAC, #Davids - Pillar, #Hafemann - NIGTC, #Green - BECNT)

1, 2, 3 John:
Daniel Akin (NAC)
Raymond E. Brown (AB)
Rudolf Bultmann (Herm, 1970)
#D.A. Carson (NIGTC)
Colin Kruse (Pillar)
#Judith Lieu (NTL)
I. Howard Marshall (NICNT)
Rudolph Schnackenburg
Stephen S. Smalley (WBC)
John R.W. Stott (TCNT)
Marianne Meye Thompson (IVPNTC)
#Robert Yarbrough (BECNT)
(Marshall - NICNT, Kruse - Pillar, #Carson - NIGTC, #Yarbrough - BECNT)

Revelation:
David E. Aune (WBC)
G.K. Beale (NIGTC)
George R. Beasley-Murray (NCBC)
I.T. Beckwith
#Brian Blount (NTL)
G.B. Caird (HNTC)
#D.A. Carson (Pillar)
Catherine Gunsalus González & Justo L. González (WestBC)
Dennis Johnson
Craig S. Keener (NIVAC)
George Ladd
J. Massyngberde Ford (AB)
Bruce J. Malina/John J. Pilch (Soc-Sci)
Leon Morris (TNTC)
Robert H. Mounce (NICNT)
Grant Osborne (BECNT)
Ben Witherington III (NCBC)
(Aune - WBC, Beale - NIGTC, Mounce - NICNT, Keener - NIVAC, Osborne - BECNT, #Carson - Pillar)

 

[dcyates]

[/color][/size][/b][/left]
Did you compile this data yourself—or did you get it from someone else who compiled it?

Have you read most of these volumes yourself—or are you relying on someone else’s compilation or reviews of these works?

I compiled these lists myself. I didn't, however, do this just recently (as in, as a response to the OP of this thread). I rather did it over the last few years.

And I won't claim to have read each and every one of these commentaries from cover-to-cover, but I have perused and utilized each of them at one time or another--and the majority of them quite extensively.

 

[PrincetonGuy]

I compiled these lists myself. I didn't, however, do this just recently (as in, as a response to the OP of this thread). I rather did it over the last few years.

And I won't claim to have read each and every one of these commentaries from cover-to-cover, but I have perused and utilized each of them at one time or another--and the majority of them quite extensively.

I know from personal experience that compiling such lists and keeping them up to date is a lot of work, especially when you don't just rely on the opinions of others. Great Job! Thank you!

P.S. I may comment later on some of your specific choices and other matters, but I certainly do appreciate your posting these lists!

 

[PrincetonGuy]

If you want electronic copies, you can get a ton of commentary sets for use with e-sword. E-sword is a free Bible study software.

E-Sword is an excellent program offering more than 50 English translations of the Bible plus translations into many other languages. The program also includes Bible dictionaries and commentaries, a Bible atlas, and many other items helpful for Bible study and Christian growth—and yet it is VERY user-friendly and easy to use! This program is modular and you can download just the modules that you want—the vast majority of which can be downloaded for free! Just click on the link below and following the directions.

http://e-sword.net/downloads.html

 

[dcyates]

I know from personal experience that compiling such lists and keeping them up to date is a lot of work, especially when you don't just rely on the opinions of others. Great Job! Thank you!

P.S. I may comment later on some of your specific choices and other matters, but I certainly do appreciate your posting these lists!

Thank you for your kind words. I would welcome your comments. I realize my determining which commentaries are 'must-haves' is at least somewhat subjective, but I do try to choose among those that are widely respected by a broad range of Bible scholars. However, this has been kind of a personal project for me, and this marks the first time I've shared my list with anybody. So I would be very interested in seeing how somebody else would approach this.

 

[PrincetonGuy]

The following is a more-or-less comprehensive list of the better major commentaries of the OT books. The ones that have a number sign (#) before them are forthcoming. The initials after each one stand for the level of scholarship of each one, which is not always easy to categorize--thus some are identified as a combination (L=layman; M=ministerial; S=scholarly). Those in bold possess superior qualities and the asterisks designate their usefulness within their level of scholarship, as well. The ones in parentheses are virtual must-haves (or will be must-haves when they are released).

I would like to suggest that a different classification of Bible commentaries would be more helpful. The commentators themselves, in naming their commentaries, typically use the following designations:

• Homiletical
• Devotional
• Expositional
• Exegetical
• Critical

Homiletical commentaries include those that were originally prepared as a series of sermons, and those commentaries that were written primarily for preachers and that include homiletical outlines, sermon illustrations, and other helps intended specifically to assist preachers in preparing sermons on the Bible.

Devotional commentaries include those that were originally written primarily for the purpose of bringing about a closer walk with God on the part of their readers.

Expositional commentaries include those that expound upon an English (or other language) translation of the Scriptures, bringing out and driving home the meaning and message of the English text. The quality of expositional commentaries varies greatly, and so does the detail to which they go and the education level of the reader for which they were written.

Exegetical commentaries include those that in a very detailed manner consider the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek text and try to come to an accurate understanding of the author’s meaning and intent.

Critical commentaries include those that attempt, by application of textual criticism, form criticism (literary and historical), and redaction criticism, to establish the most likely original Biblical text in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek.

Not all commentaries, however, can be pigeonholed into one of these five types. Indeed, very often a single commentary is a combination of two or three of these types of commentaries. And the quality of the commentaries of each of these kinds ranges from those that are very poor to those that are excellent.

For the purpose of studying the Bible, homiletical commentaries that were originally prepared as a series of sermons are typically of little value, but that is not always the case. Homiletical commentaries that were written primarily for preachers and hence include homiletical outlines, sermon illustrations, and other helps intended specifically to assist preachers in preparing sermons are essentially useless for the purpose of studying the Bible. Devotional commentaries, as valuable as they may be for their intended use, are also essentially useless.

Expositional commentaries are typically very subjective, giving the reader the author’s interpretation. Exegetical commentaries, at least the best of them, include very large amounts of data and a fairly objective discussion of the data with the author’s conclusions. Therefore, even if the author’s theology and conclusions are very different from the preference of the reader, the reader has the data to study and consider for himself.

Exegetical commentaries, however, since they are commentaries on the ancient texts rather than a modern translation of those texts, are written primarily for those who have a good knowledge of the Biblical languages, as well as Latin, and many of them assume that the reader also has a good knowledge of German and sometimes French. Therefore, these commentaries are difficult to use if one does not have a knowledge of those languages.

Fortunately, however, there are many commentaries that take a middle ground between being an expositional commentary and an exegetical commentary, discussing the English translation, alternative English translations, and the more common interpretations that have been proposed.

Critical commentaries are essentially of two different kinds. Those that are also exegetical in nature and comment on the text from the start to the finish of the text, and those that that are not also exegetical in nature and which approach the text according to the various literary and historical themes rather than from the start to the finish of the text.