Commentary and Reference Survey

So as not to be redundant I heartily agree with the reviews of Peter Richert and Danny Hays. I do not think putting prices in the book is very helpful since we can quickly find them on the internet. There are two weaknesses in Glynn's book. (1) There is no author index. For this reason, I go to David Bauer's work first. (2) Also unlike Bauer, Glynn offers no annotations on his preferred selections. Bauer's are lengthy. A necessary strength of Glynn's work over Bauer's is the categorizing of the commentaries by theological perspective and the focus of the commentary. In the final analysis each person has his likes and dislikes and each guides's author has his own view. Total objctivity can not be achieved, even though their views are extremely informative. For this reason, I also have the works of Lynn Gardner, Carson and Longman. Five heads are better than one.

This is the best book of its kind. As a pastor, I am always on the lookout for the best Bible commentaries and the best resource books for studies that I lead. I've been burned many times before by spending lots of money on a book that turned out to be a dud. John Glynn understands this, and so he has prepared a guide to the best stuff available for the Bible student. The opening chapter discusses how to begin building a personal reference library, and he starts out by recommending the first 10 books you should buy (if you don't have them already). He then gives a rough estimate of how much you can expect to shell out to build up your library. He even suggests getting as many of your resources on CD-ROM as you can to save money. After he presents the bill, he makes an articulate defense for why it is worth your while as a Christian pastor/missionary to spend up to $5000 on a good library. He points out that this will cost roughly the same as a semester of education at a good Bible seminary, and that it will serve you well for all the days of your ministry. He then suggests commentaries (both liberal and conservative, technical, semi-technical, and application oriented) on each book of the Bible that are worth getting. There are also short sections on good theology and history books. I highly recommend this resource as a terrific guide to building your own library.

Those of us who are continually inundated by students with questions regarding which commentaries they should buy will be extremely interested in this guide to buying biblical/theological books. This helpful revision by John Glynn-the ninth edition of his book that first appeared in 1994-reflects a thorough and contemporary updating and it is thus exceptionally current, at least for the immediate future. Glynn evaluates a wide range of theological resources. The book is organized logically into the following 21 chapters: Building a "Must-Have" Personal Reference Library; On Commentary Series; OT Introduction, Survey, and Theology; OT Commentaries; OT Background; ANE History; NT Introduction, Survey, and Theology; Jesus and the Gospels; NT Commentaries; NT Background; Jewish Background; Popular Dictionaries, One- and Two-Volume Commentaries; General References; Biblical Hebrew Resources; NT Greek Resources; Exegesis, Interpretation, and Hermeneutics; Systematic Theology; Church History; Computer Resources; Internet Web Sites; and The Ultimate Commentary Collection. This book is a practical guide designed primarily for students. Commentaries are classified according to the extent that they require knowledge of the original languages (Technical, Semi-technical, Exposition). They are also classified according to general theological stance (Evangelical, Evangelical/Critical, Conservative/Moderate, Liberal/ Critical). Also included in each section are Glynn's recommendations. Rating commentaries and other theological books can be a bit like rating NFL quarterbacks; obviously, there is always some subjectivity involved. It is unlikely everyone will agree with every choice Glynn makes. However, overall, I found this work solid and extremely helpful. Glynn's recommendations are made from an evangelical viewpoint, but he is not narrow in his appreciation of serious biblical scholarship, and he recommends "Liberal/Critical" works when they are outstanding. Likewise, Glynn recommends theologies and commentaries across the theological spectrum. One of the features of the book that I appreciated the most was Glynn's discussion of commentaries that were in progress but not yet published. For instance, regarding commentaries on the Gospel of John, he notes that Craig Keener has a three volume work that is forthcoming (Hendrickson) and that Richard Bauckham is working on the NIGTC volume for Eerdmans. Glynn thus recommends buying the currently available works on John by Blomberg (IVP) and Carson (Eerdmans), but waiting for Keener and Bauckham to supplement these two. My only criticism-and it is a mild one-is that there is no price data given with the commentaries. Cost is always a factor when building a library. For example, the three-volume commentary on Matthew in the ICC by Davies and Allison is great, but its retail cost is $235! For that price one can purchase quite a few other commentaries that are also outstanding. All in all, however, this is a well-balan

John Glynn's survey is a bargain @311 pages for [$$] For comprehensiveness, it covers the same ground as D. A. Carson's New Testament Commentary Survey and Tremper Longman's Old Testament Commentary Survey with the added bonus of about a thousand other recommended resources ranging from the American Civil War to Computer Resources. It also features the introduction, "Building a 'Must-Have' Personal Reference Library" which narrows down the most essential titles for a pastor's library. Finally, under each commentary section, there is an analysis of what constitutes the best three or four commentaries on each biblical book. For a guide to which purchases one should obtain for a lifetime of ministry, one could hardly do better.

            So many commentaries, so little shelfspace. Glynn's comprehensive, up-to-date guide helps 'narrow the field' for pastors and students. Using input from many experts, he lists, ranks, and annotates over 800 commentaries; 1,200 volumes; and a wide selection of software. Resources are categorized by difficulty level and approach. Commentaries are separated into Technical/Semi-technical and Expositional categories with annotation concerning the top choices. For instance, in the Book of Romans, Glynn highly recommends the technical/semi-technical commentaries of Charles Cranfield (Moderate Anglican), and Douglas Moo (Lutheran), as well as the expositional commentaries of Thomas Schreiner ( So. Baptist), and John Stott (Evangelical Anglican). Glynn also suggests a few alternatives.        In the last few years Expositional commentaries have especially flourished. Many of these commentaries are applicational in nature, providing guidance for illustrations to spice up sermons. One cannot underestimate the value of illustrations in not only painting a picture of a biblical principle, but in keeping people's attention for 20-30 minutes. I don't know about you, but it only takes me 15 minutes to fall asleep (and I must confess it has actually happened)!               The foreword is by Dr. Darrell Bock (Dallas Theo. Seminary), and it is endorsed by Drs. Haddon Robinson (Gordon-Conwell), Daniel Block (Southern Baptist Theo. Seminary), John Walton (Wheaton), George Knight (Greenville Presbyterian), and Eugene Merrill (DTS). This survey is indispensable.