The Word of the Lord Grows

The book is excellent in giving a synopsis of the books of the New Testament. The information provided in each chapter is precise and the authors use of key bullet points added value in making the reading easy to follow and more understandable. This is an excellent reference book in studying the New Testament. I gained some insight into the authors of these books because the author provided background information on what was going on during the time these books were being written. I would highly recommend this book for anyone trying to gain more knowledge about the challenges the Apostles faced in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The product was shipped as promised and arrived sooner than expected. It was an excellent experience.

The late Martin Franzmann was a gifted New Testament scholar who also displayed a gift for preaching and hymn writing. Both his expertise in exegetical theology and his expressive writing style easily make this the most readable text book this reader has come across. Franzmann treats all 27 New Testament books in the order in which he believes they were written, beginning with the Epislte of James and ending with the Book of Revelation. For each book, he gives a throrough introduction to the state of the known world and especially the state of Christianity at that time (and place), he introduces the author, covers the main ideas and unique aspects of the Biblical book, and gives a outline. These things prepare the student/reader for a meaningul reading of the Biblical text itself. After the outline of the Biblical book, Franzmann treats the more far-reaching aspects of the book. He comments on the value of the Biblical book (how it has served the Church and Christians during the centuries) as well as the authenticity of the book (what problems both ancient and modern scholars have with the book). As far as authenticity goes, Franzmann is clearly orthodox and conservative in his views. He describes the "problems" scholars have with books like Second Peter, Jude, the Gospel of John, etc., but refutes nearly all arguments against authenticity. There are a few aspects of this thorough introduction to the New Testament that this reader believes deserves special mention. Throughout the book, Franzmann displays a high respect for the activity of the Holy Spirit within the church--the Spirit which has directed the Church "into all truth," and to recognize these 27 books as divinely inspired as opposed to other books of the era (such as the epistles of Clement, the Shepherd of Hermas, etc.). Franzmann also displays a high regard for the scholarship of the ancient world. For example, he proudly holds up the fact that the church has never doubted the idea that the apsotle Paul wrote Second Timothy until recent times and uses that fact as reason to continue to uphold Pauline authorship. Finally, Franzmann covers a few aspect of modern scholarship which tend to confuse beginning theologians. Among these are "homologoumena" and "antilegomena" issues; the process by which the New Testament came into existence in its current form; and "form criticism" just to name a few. In all, this book is highly recommended. Those wishing to begin deeper studies into the New Testament, those who have been studying it but desire an overview, and even those who have been studying the New Testament for quite some time will all walk away with something positive from this book.

Using Luke's usage of this phrase "the word of the Lord grows," Acts 6:7,12:24, 19:20, this NT scholar provides a framework to in Franzman's words: "wear a path through my NT both historically and theologically." Wonderfully he achieves his goal.I truly cut my NT teeth using this book as that map and still turn to it often to get my bearings. Each NT book is covered by isagogical matters, who wrote it, when, theological meaning, outline.To provide a faint taste of this man's skill with words, this offering on the historical character of the NT: "The apostles are not religious geniuses, whose insights enrich and enlarge accumulated religious stores of mankind. They are recipients of revelation, witnesses to a Person and an act in history - and this Person and this act completely overshadow and dominate them. They are important, not for themselves, but for what they bear witness to."Highly recommended!