2 Samuel and Colossians - Brazos Theological Commentary (Brazos Press)

The Brazos Theological Commentary series is an ongoing work by Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants. The books are being published in no particular order, as far as I can see, and it also seems that they will only address the 66 books from the Protestant Bible and omit what some consider Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical, i.e., Tobit, Judith, etc. That fact is a bit disappointing, but with ecumenical commentaries, it's rare people buy the whole set, and instead pick and choose volumes from people of their faith background, i.e., Catholics will buy Catholic volumes. Today, I will be reviewing the latest two releases in this series 2 Samuel and Colossians.

Fr. Robert Barron, the author of the commentary on 2 Samuel, needs no introduction. He has reached celebrity status in more than the Catholic realm. Through the use of breathtaking videos and popular culture references, he has made the Catholic faith understandable, accessible, and approachable to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. One cannot ignore the fact that he is actually a brilliant theological mind, which he puts on display in this commentary of the often forgotten Old Testament book - 2 Samuel. Fr. Barron's commentary style is not verse-by-verse, where he analyzes every word for meaning. Instead, he focuses on five overall themes found in the book of 2 Samuel and how each chapter displays the particular theme. The themes are as follows:

1. David Comes to Power
2. Priest and King
3. David and Bathsheba
4. A Sword Will Never Leave Your Home
5. Toward the Temple

While reading this commentary, I was enlightened so much on what I had misread or just glossed over in my past reading of 2 Samuel. Fr. Barron does an excellent job of explaining terminology and phraseology that would have been used for the time, and in doing so, the passages actually started to make sense. He also does a nice job of explaining difficult to understand passages. For example, I always wondered why it was such a sin for David to take a census of the people. Fr. Barron explains that it is the act of a tyrannical king looking to reassure himself of his might and power. The most interesting chapter to me was Chapter 11 where David's story completely turned around with Bathsheba. In this chapter, he explains the sin of David and the shrewdness of Bathsheba. In this chapter, I learned that I had been completely blaming David for what happened and painting Bathsheba as innocent victim. This is not the case. The only victim in all of this was Uriah who was everything David should have been.

After reading through this commentary, I have a greater understanding of the book of 2 Samuel. It is not just some dry historical text, but a deep and beautifully written work that touches on the idea of priesthood; kingship; bad fathering and bad kingship; and the noncompetitive transcendence of God. Fr. Barron explains all of this and more in a manner that is appropriately profound yet easily understood. There are Catholic references in this volume as well as patristic references (like St. John Chrysostom), but it is not just a commentary for Catholics. I honestly wish he would have worked on both 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel in this series, but I guess I will have to buy 1 Samuel and see how the style and scholarship compares to this work. If you are looking for an excellent commentary on 2 Samuel, this one is 5 stars!

Colossians is one of St. Paul's shortest Epistles, and it was also written while he was in prison. The general consensus is that he was writing to correct errors found among the converts in the church of Colossae, such as false forms of worship, avoiding certain foods, and mortification of the flesh. Seitz, the commentator argues otherwise. When I received this commentary on Colossians, I was expecting a roughly 100 page book. The book was in fact 200+ pages, and it left me wondering, "How can you write that much on a four chapter book?" For starters, this is a verse-by-verse commentary, and anytime you analyze every verse in a Biblical book, you give yourself room for plenty of words. There are also many excursuses or narrative digressions sprinkled throughout the book. Seitz divides Colossians into the following sections:

1:1-2 Formal Introduction and Salutations
1:3-8 Paul and Associates Give Thanks
1:9-14 Our Prayers for You and Our Common Destiny in Christ
1:15-20 Hymn to Christ from His Scriptures
1:21-29 Christ's Reconciliation and Paul's Vocation
2:1-7 Striving Mightily for You
2:8-23 The So-Called Conflict at Collosae
3:1-17 Putting on the New Life in Christ
3:18-4:1 In Deed
4:2-18 Goodbye

There were two features of this commentary that I found interesting. The first is that Seitz read Colossians in the context of all of St. Paul's Epistles and the entire Canon of Scripture. The other part I found interesting was that Seitz ignored the Colossians heresy and focused instead on this being a shift from Paul the missionary apostle to Paul the letter-writing apostle. The former I greatly appreciated, and the latter I found disappointing. To completely ignore the heresy seems imprudent. This wasn't the best commentary I have read on Colossians, nor was it the best commentary in Brazos' series. If you are looking for a more traditional commentary, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a different perspective on this Biblical book to compare with other commentaries, pick it up. 3.5 stars.

These books were provided to me for free by Brazos Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found these reviews helpful, please click here and/or here and hit Yes!

Liguori Catholic Bible Study - Introduction and The Gospel of Mark (Liguori Publications)

With the start of a new year, people make lots of resolutions. Some they end up keeping. Others not so much. One popular resolution among Catholics and other Christians is to read through the Bible in one year. If you have never done this before, I will testify as a survivor that it is doable. I use the word survivor, because it feels like a war of attrition. You have to average approximately 4-5 chapters a day, and books like Leviticus or Numbers can really weigh you down and make you question your decision. I do believe that everyone should read through the Bible once in their life (albeit not in the span of a year), and I believe the best way to do that is slowly. This year I am using the commentary series Liguori Catholic Bible Study. It isn't new (been around since 2012), but it is new to me! Today, I will be featuring two of the books from this series.

Introduction to the Bible is a 100 page book which not only serves as a guide to the Bible but is also an excellent jumping off point for the Liguori Catholic Bible Study. Before diving into the meat of the book, there is an introduction to the Bible study series and Lectio Divina. Fr. Anderson then begins by describing what the Bible is. A lot of people mistake it for one book, but it is in fact a whole library of books bound together. There are history books, prophetic books, wisdom books, etc. He then explains coventantal theology, talks about the Dead Sea Scrolls, and addresses different translations of the Bible. He seems to encourage use of the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), which I agree with, because that is what we hear at Mass every Sunday.

Chapters Two and Three walk us through the books of the Old Testament, providing summaries, key figures, key events, and/or historical context. The remaining chapters focus on the New Testament, but in a different way than the Old Testament was focused on. First, we see a chapter dedicated to what life was like in Palestine during the time of Jesus, which included politics, religious groups, and religious feasts. Next, we see a chapter that explains what life was like after Jesus' death and when the books of the New Testament were written. This chapter, like the previous one, again touches on the political rule of the time, but it also talks about the different sources the writers used when composing their New Testament book(s). The last chapter talks about the message from Jesus and the New Testament and how the ways we receive the message, study the message, and interpret the message have changed.

Overall, this was a very brief, but thorough introduction to the Bible. It was simple enough that anyone could understand it, but it waded into the deep end occasionally to keep the more advanced reader interested enough to continue reading. I appreciated that every chapter had review and reflection questions. These types of questions are vital for small group leaders, especially those lacking experience in leading a Bible study. The only thing that I wish would have been different is the end of the book. It felt like a very abrupt ending. I would have preferred a couple of closing pages that point you in a direction on what to do next. Perhaps, the author could have said something like, if you're completely new to reading the Bible, start with The Gospel of Mark, or if you have studied the Synoptic Gospels before try The Gospel of John. That gripe aside, I still recommend this book as you need some background before embarking on Bible study.

The Gospel of Mark is the first commentary from the Liguori Catholic Bible Study that I decided to study. It is approximately 150 pages, like most of the commentaries in this series and also includes an introduction to Lectio Divina and a how-to guide for both individuals and group study. There are eight lessons total with all of the lessons containing sections for group study and individual study, with the exception of Lesson One, which only has a section for group study.

Both group and individual study have ample review questions and opportunities for Lectio Divina with the individual study dividing the readings up into days of the week between group studies. The thing that surprised me most was that the individual sections didn't invite you to study Scripture passages from the group sections more deeply but instead focus on  passages that were not covered. It took a bit of getting used to, but I defer to the wisdom of those more experienced than me when leading Bible studies. The other surprising element was that the Scripture was not provided in the book. You have to have your own Bible. This is a pro (the book is smaller) and con (less convenient having to remember two books).

The aspect I enjoyed most about this book is that in addition to providing commentary on the passage you just read, there is also a guided reflection to ponder for Lectio Divina. I don't know about you, but my biggest stumbling block with Lectio Divina is that I never really know what I'm supposed to focus on when reading a Scripture passage and can oftentimes miss the forest for the trees. I have not completely worked my way through this book, as I am trying to go through it slowly, but I felt the need to share my positive experience with this book. It is very practical and provides you with an insight into how it was during Jesus' day and what message we can take from it presently. I look forward to continuing with this book as well as others in the series, so stay tuned as I plan to feature another one in the coming months.

These books were provided to me by Liguori Publications in exchange for an honest review. If you found them helpful, please click here and/or here and hit Yes!

Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life (Our Sunday Visitor)

Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life is the third commentary in the Opening the Scriptures series. George Martin's other two in this series include one on Mark and another on Luke. Alas, I do not believe there is a volume on John's Gospel. The book is laid out in a format where it gives a Scripture passage first to read. Then, it breaks up the passage into individual verses with a commentary for each verse. In addition to commentary, there are hundreds of questions for personal or group reflection, which are designed to make you think and grow in your understanding of Scripture. The sections that provide background information on the world Jesus lived in or the audience to which Matthew wrote his Gospel are invaluable if you are looking to dive deeper into the Gospel.

It would be impossible for me to touch on every passage in this book, so I am going to focus on the first chapter of Matthew, which details the genealogy of Jesus. A lot of commentators will make mention of a couple of big names in this genealogy, i.e., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but gloss over the genealogy as a whole. Mr. Martin, however, walks us through person by person, pointing out significant figures and also anomalies in the genealogy. The main anomalies are the women, Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. The first two women were not women of great moral fiber, yet they are part of Jesus' genealogy, and it shows us that God can bring about salvation through imperfect people.

The depth Mr. Martin dives in these books is astounding. I led a Bible Study on Luke last year, and, used his volume on Luke as my primary source. It was an immense help, and made me feel wiser and able to answer questions with certainty. The beauty of there being three volumes in this series is that each one corresponds with a specific Year in the Church (A = Matthew, B = Mark, C = Luke). Since next year is Year B, I would recommend purchasing the volume on Mark first. However, whichever one you choose to purchase first, you will not be disappointed and will want to own all three eventually. Five Stars!

This book was provided to me for free by Our Sunday Visitor in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Luke - Brazos Theological Commentary (Brazos Press)

When it comes to picking which commentaries you follow along with when reading your Bible, you can never be too careful. I have a couple of multi-volume Bible commentaries that I trust:

• Scepter Publishers has the Navarre Bible.
• Ancient Faith Publishing has completed their Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series, but that only covers the New Testament.
• Ignatius Press has had the New Testament completed for some time, and is working their way through the Old Testament slowly but surely.
• Baker Academic has the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, which is exciting but still not through the New Testament.

Even with these four, I am always on the lookout for more commentaries. Recently I have been introduced to Brazos Theological Commentary. Unlike the commentaries above, Brazos commentaries are not written strictly by Catholics or strictly by Orthodox or strictly by Protestants. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I am willing to give the series a shot on a book-by-book basis. Today, I will be reviewing their commentary on Luke.

The Brazos commentary on Luke by David Lyle Jeffrey is one of the more recent volumes in this series, but the first one I have had the chance to study and read. I must admit that I have never heard of Dr. Jeffrey, and it was the endorsements of Scott Hahn and Matthew Levering that sold me on this being a worthwhile volume in a series, with which I am unfamiliar. It turns out that Dr. Jeffrey "is known as a medievalist and as a scholar of biblical tradition in Western Literature and art." He is also a professor or literature and humanities at Baylor. This shows in the way he approaches his commentary on Luke.

The first thing I noticed about this commentary is the format. Almost every commentary I own, has the Scriptural text at the top of the page or in a block quote before the commentary. This one does not, so you will need a Bible to reference specific passages when studying with this book.. Dr. Jeffrey opts for three versions of the Bible - King James (KJV), New King James (NKJV), and Revised Standard (RSV). I'm not a fan of the first two, but that's a personal preference. The second thing I noticed was that unlike other commentaries, this isn't a verse-by-verse commentary. I have mixed feelings on this. On the one hand, I'm used to the verse-by-verse format. On the other hand, sometimes you can get lost in the minutia of interpreting each word or each verse that you miss the forest for the trees.

It's hard to fully analyze and review a commentary, so instead of attempting this monumental task, I am just going to talk about one passage in Luke that I always enjoy reading and how Dr. Jeffrey discusses. When it comes to the scene of Gabriel appearing to Zacharias, Dr. Jeffrey points out that Gabriel's name means, "power of God" or "emissary of God." He also points out that he only is mentioned four times in the Bible, but each time it contains a messianic message. He also references places Gabriel appears outside of Scripture like 1st and 2nd Enoch and the Qumran scrolls. He then goes on to compare and contrast Zacharias' doubt with Abraham's doubt and how Abraham was humble and doubting, but Zacharias was more brazen and bold in his unbelief. Dr. Jeffrey calls on many sources in this one passage of Luke, such as St. John Chrysostom and Venerable Bede. He also dissects the language and shows how beautiful in symbolism and wordplay the original Greek is. This plethora of opinions (including Aquinas, Calvin, etc.) and examination of language pervades the entire book and adds a richness to it that other commentaries on Luke do not have.

Despite the unique approach (not form-critical, nor philological, nor verse-by-verse), this was still a solid commentary on the Gospel of Luke. It is clear from reading this commentary that Dr. Jeffrey cares very deeply about this book of the Bible and the message within it. For those unfamiliar with Luke, that message is found in Luke 1:1-2 - "to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us." I cannot say that this will be the primary commentary I reference when reading Luke, it has earned a place on my bookshelf with other commentaries I reference. And I will definitely reference this again and again, especially when the Church's calendar rolls back around to reading primarily from Luke. I look forward to investigating other volumes in this series as well to see if they are just as good or better.

This book was provided to me for free by Brazos Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

Meditations on the Divine Liturgy (Holy Trinity Publications)

For the first 5 years of my life, when I was growing up Baptist, there was a Greek Orthodox Church literally on the other side of the road. I didn't even know that it was there, let alone who the Orthodox were and what they believed. Our Baptist church eventually "upgraded" facilities, and I didn't see that Orthodox Church again for another 10 years, despite living less than a mile from it. So lately it seems that I find myself leaping at every chance I get to learn about Eastern Orthodoxy. This does not mean that I am converting. It just means that I would like to understand my Eastern brethren more fully, in the hopes of one day being reunited. So today, I get the joy of reviewing a new edition of the book

Meditations on the Divine Liturgy is divided into three sections - "The Office of Preparation," "The Liturgy of the Catechumens," and "The Liturgy of the Faithful." Each section contains description and commentary of all that is taking place leading up to the Divine Liturgy and during the Divine Liturgy. It also contains, in bold typeface, the words spoken by the priest, deacon, and lay faithful in attendance. I found these parts especially helpful, as the book also contained the secret prayers the priest says and that the laity doesn't get a chance to hear.

The section I enjoyed the most was "The Office of Preparation." I never realized how much went preparation went into the Divine Liturgy. The prayers made you pause and reflect, and the great detail on how the bread is cut; what each piece of bread symbolizes; and the how and why of the way the bread is arranged on the diskos or paten. There is so much rich and beautiful symbology in this office that I never knew existed. I also appreciated how the book started. It begins, "The priest who intends to celebrate the Liturgy should be abstinent in body and spirit from the previous evening, should be at peace with all, and should avoid holding a grudge towards anyone." This is excellent advice for laity as well.

Most of the time religious books of this nature are written by the clergy or those with advanced degrees in theology. What is refreshing about this book is that it was written by a layman, Nikolai Gogol, who was one of the great Russian authors of the 19th Century. He understood the importance of the Russian Orthodox Church and used his talents to serve the Church. To read more about him, check out the publisher's page on this book or by clicking here for a PDF. If you're looking for an excellent introduction and thorough guide to the Divine Liturgy check out this book. In fact, I'd pair it with the book Journey to the Kingdom.

This book was provided to me for free by Holy Trinity Publications in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

The Acts of the Apostles: Spreading the Word (Ancient Faith Publishing)

There is no book that I love more than the Bible. For this reason, I have always loved Bible commentaries, even back in my Protestant days. I want to know and understand God's Word to the best of my ability, and I can only do that with the help of minds greater than mine. Currently, I am collecting and reading two sets of Bible commentaries - one Catholic and the other Orthodox. Today, I will be reviewing the the latest Orthodox volume called The Acts of the Apostles: Spreading the Word.

The Acts of the Apostles: Spreading the Word is the twelfth volume in The Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series. The series is not intended to be an in-depth word-by-word study, but instead an approachable study you can use either solo or with a group. Fr. Farley begins by explaining that the Acts of the Apostles was written by St. Luke to explain to Theophilus four apologetic points - 1. The Church was not politically suspect; 2. The Church is a legal religion and the True Israel; 3. The Holy Spirit guides the Church; and 4. Gentiles are welcome in the Church as it is God's will. After this introduction, he then dives into the commentary for Acts of the Apostles.

Like every volume in this series, Fr. Farley gives the reader both Scripture and commentary. The commentary provided is scholarly yet approachable. With some passages, he takes time to highlight key words and give their Greek equivalent and meaning. This helps take the passage to a deeper level than one could obtain by just reading the Scripture alone. As helpful as this is, especially for someone like me who is trying to learn Greek, I found the excursuses (or expositions on topics) even more enlightening. A few of the topics addressed in these expositions were the Resurrection of Jesus, Ascension of Jesus, and Lessons from St. Paul's Aeropagus sermon. Each mini-essay gives the reader an extra level of depth, and, since they are asides, the reader has the option to go deeper or just stick with the commentary.

I have been waiting for this one to come out for a few years since one should read Luke and Acts together, and it did not disappoint. Fr. Farley is very astute when he refers to the Acts of the Apostles as both a door and a bridge. It is a door because it gives us a small glimpse of what the Church was like in the First Century, and it is a bridge because it connects the Gospels to the Epistles. If you want to understand Acts better, then this is the book for you. I wholeheartedly recommend it, but I recommend that you purchase it with The Gospel of Luke: Good News for the Poor. Stay tuned in 2014 for the final volume of the New Testament entitled The Epistle to the Hebrews: High Priest in Heaven.

This book was provided to me for free by Ancient Faith Publishing in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!