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Anchor Bible Commentary: The Acts of the Apostles by Joseph A. Fitzmyer

“For anyone interested in the origins of Christianity, Joseph A. Fitzmyer’s The Acts of the Apostles is indispensable. Beginning with the Ascension of Christ into heaven, and ending with Paul proclaiming the kingdom of God from a prison in Rome, this New Testament narrative picks up where the Gospel of Luke left off. The Acts of the Apostles is indeed a journey of nearly epic proportions–and one that requires a guide as adept as Fitzmyer. Since Acts was most likely written by the same person who composed the Gospel of Luke, it is only fitting that the Anchor Bible Commentaries on these New Testament books should be written by the same author. With The Acts of the Apostles, Fitzmyer gives readers the long-awaited companion to his two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke.” – Yale University Press

Anchor Bible Commentary: The Epistles of John by Raymond E. Brown

“With this study—companion to the masterful two-volume The Gospel According to John—Raymond E. Brown completed his trilogy on the Johannine corpus. Meticulous in detail, exhaustive in analysis, persuasive in argument, it examines controversies that have long troubled both biblical scholars and lay readers. Questions of authorship, composition, and dating, as well as the debate over source theories, are discussed at length; but these are kept subordinate to the overall question of meaning. What gives this commentary special interest and excitement is the bold, imaginative reconstruction of the setting of the Johannine work—in particular of the “opposition figures,” who are only dimly sketched in the Epistles—so that we see clearly that the author is writing to his flock both about the dangers and difficulties confronting them, and about the eternal life that is theirs by the gift of God. In this way, the Epistles of John become intelligible as broadsides in a critical engagement between the forces of light and darkness. In addition to his superb textual analysis of the letters, Raymond Brown has brought to life the community in which these works were formed and shaped. We are forcefully reminded that the Gospel and the Epistles were addressed to very real people living in the first century a.d., people with religious problems not unlike our own. In all respects, The Epistles of John stands out as a model of biblical scholarship and study.” – Yale University Press

Anchor Bible Commentary: The Letter to Philemon by Joseph A. Fitzmyer

“The apostle Paul’s letter to his friend and fellow Christian Philemon, which focuses on the question of slavery, has long inspired debate. Onesimus, one of Philemon’s slaves and a Christian himself, has left his master’s house and sought refuge with Paul. In a letter to Philemon, Paul assures his friend that he is sending Onesimus back into captivity, but pleads for mercy on the slave’s behalf, asking Philemon to treat him as a beloved brother and as he would treat the apostle.Examining Paul’s letter within the context of the social, political, and economic realities of the times, Fitzmyer sheds light on the question of whether Paul was suggesting that Onesimus be granted freedom from slavery or whether he was simply advocating a lenient treatment of this particular slave. His insights not only clarify Paul’s position but show why the letter is relevant in the Church today.” – Yale University Press

Anchor Bible Commentary: Zechariah 9–14 by Carol L. Meyers and Eric M. Meyers

“This commentary and new translation of Zechariah 9-14 continues the appraoch adopted in the authors’ 1987 Anchor Bible volume (25B) on Haggai and Zechariah 1-8. Authors Carol and Eric Meyers are perhaps uniquely qualified for this work because of their backgrounds in biblical archaeology and the social sciences. Employing the highest standards of pilological, literary, and historical research, they shed light on many enigmatic passages and offer an entirely new perspective on the history of Israel and its religion in the Persian period. Whereas many scholars have viewed this point in the history of Israel as a time of deterioration of the beliefs and practices of biblical religion, the Meyerses paint a picture of an innovative and vibrant community struggling to maintain its identity within a rapidly changing world dominated by the mighty Greeks and Persians. In the face of this the author of Zechariah 9-14 makes extensive and transformative use of earlier biblical writings and of the sayings of previous prophets, and articulates a radically new view of Israel’s future. The Meyerses are the first modern commentators to see in these ancient texts the central role played by the Greco-Persian Wars in shaping the postexilic Restoration Community of Israel and its views of an expansive and glorious future. And althought Zechariah 9-14 is often regarded as the swan song of biblical prophecy, the Meyerses clearly demonstrate that the new modes of prophetic discourse found within this text helped biblical religion to meet one of the greatest challenges in its long history.” Yale University Press

Anchor Bible Commentary: Zephaniah by Adele Berlin

“With keen insight and lucid analysis, Adele Berlin brings the dramatic words of the great prophet Zaphaniah to life. Living under the tumultuous reign of King Josiah of Judah (640-609 BCE), Zephaniah predicted the final day of judgment when God would come to the fate of Israel and other nations. The book of Zephaniah is composed as a charged dialogue between God and the prophet. As their conversation unfolds, we learn of the doomed destiny which are indifferent to the Lord’s power and of humans who have become too enthralled worldly riches. As piercing as any modern day social critic, Zephaniah proclaims salvation only for those who lead a life of simplicity, faith, and humility. The new translation by Adele Berlin, a literary as well as biblical scholar, celebrates the vivid and powerful language of this ancient poet. In staccato exclamations, elevated rhetoric, and a rich tapestry of metaphors and similes, Zephaniah paints a world beset by corruption, idolatry, and war. Berlin’s contemporary commentary illuminates not only the beauty of Zephaniah’s poetry, but also the political meaning behind his anguished verse For the biblical scholar, Berlin draws vital between Zephaniah’s references and the rest of the Hebrew Bible. For general readers, Berlin’s accessible Zephaniah is an invitation to explore the political and socially turbulent times of this ancient prophet’s world.” – Yale University Press

Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 vols.) by David Noel Freedman

“The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (AYBD) remains the gold standard reference for biblical Studies. Walter Harrelson wrote of the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (AYBD) in the Journal of Biblical Literature: “Nothing of its kind exists in any language.” And Logos customers have called it the “best resource I’ve ordered” and “a masterpiece.” And it’s easy to see why. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (AYBD) is a six-volume state-of-the-art dictionary with more than 6,000 entries from 800 international scholars—complete and unabridged with illustrations—making it an exceptional and powerful research resource. Its impressive, broad swath of subjects spans the Old and New Testaments making it a valuable aide to a spectrum of users—from serious scholars to newer Bible readers. Even younger Bible students will benefit from Anchor’s straightforward and easy-to-understand explanations.” – Logos

Ancient Prophecy: Near Eastern, Biblical, and Greek Perspectives by Martti Nissinen

“This book is a comprehensive treatment of the ancient prophetic phenomenon as it comes to us through biblical, Near Eastern, and Greek sources. Once a distinctly biblical concept, prophecy is today acknowledged as yet another form of divination and a phenomenon that can be found all over the ancient Eastern Mediterranean. Even Greek oracle, traditionally discussed separately from biblical and Mesopotamian prophecy, is essentially part of the same picture. The book gives an up-to-date presentation of textual sources, whether cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia, the Hebrew Bible, Greek inscriptions, or ancient historians, the number of which has increased substantially in recent times. In addition, the book includes comparative essays on topics such as prophetic ecstasy; temples as venues of prophetic performances; prophets and political rulers; and the prophets’ gender which can be either male, female, or non-gendered. The book argues for a common category of ancient Eastern Mediterranean prophecy, even though the fragmentary and secondary nature of the sources allows only a restricted view to it. The ways prophetic divination manifests itself in ancient sources depend not only on the socio-religious position of the prophets but also on the genre and purpose of the sources. The book shows that, even though the view of the ancient prophetic landscape is restricted by the fragmentary and secondary nature of the sources, it is possible to reconstruct essential features of prophetic divination.” – Oxford University Press

ANTC: 1 Corinthians (FORTHCOMING) by Richard A. Horsley

“This commentary highlights both the socio-political context of 1 Corinthians and the clash of significantly different religious viewpoints represented by Paul and the congregation he had founded in Corinth. In particular, Richard Horsley shows that this letter provides a window through which one may view the tension between the Corinthians’ interest in cultivating individual spirituality and the apostle’s concern for building up a social-religious community devoted to the common advantage, for the flourishing both of personal dignity and a humanizing solidarity.” – Abingdon Press

AOTC: Deuteronomy (FORTHCOMING) by J. Gordon McConnville

“In this outstanding commentary, J. Gordon McConville offers a theological interpretation of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy in the context of the biblical canon. He gives due attention to historical issues where these bear on what can be known about the settings in which the text emerged. His dominant method is one that approaches Deuteronomy as a finished work. McConville argues that in the context of the ancient world, Deuteronomy should be understood as the radical blueprint for the life of a people, at the same time both spiritual and political, and profoundly different from every other social, political and religious program. The book incorporates the tension between an open-ended vision of a perfectly ordered society under God, and practical provisions for dealing with the frailty and imperfections of real people. Hence, it is capable of informing our thinking about the organization of societies while maintaining a vision of the kingdom of God.” – IVP Academic

AOTC: Joshua (FORTHCOMING) by Pekka Pitkänen

“The Bible is both a divine and a human book. It is the inspired word of God for his people, whether in biblical times or for the church today. It is also a fully human book, written by different people in a variety of cultural settings. Knowledge of biblical language and society is essential if the meaning of the human writer is to be grasped fully. The Apollos Old Testament Commentary aims to take with equal seriousness the divine and human aspects of Scripture. In this volume, Pekka Pitkänen shows the relevance of Joshua to modern readers. While he remains anchored in the world of the text throughout the commentary, Pitkänen brings contemporary geopolitical issues (like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) to bear on Joshua and the genocidal ‘Israelite conquest tradition.'” – IVP Academic

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