Posted by Jeff Short on March 22, 2021 · Leave a Comment
Romans by Douglas J. Moo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I thought going in this was just an abridged version of Moo’s longer commentary, but was pleasantly surprised that was not the case. There are certainly times where the text commentary reads similarly, but it is usually in a shorter, summary form that can actually be helpful. The Bridging Contexts and Contemporary Significance sections add excellent practical applications that go beyond the longer commentary. If you were to only have one, I would suggest the longer commentary though it is more technical. However, it is worth having both as this volume is an excellent complement to the longer commentary.
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Posted by Jeff Short on March 22, 2021 · Leave a Comment
The Epistle to the Romans by Douglas J. Moo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a really good commentary on Romans. Moo gives a good balance of exegetical and theological work. For various passages, he interacts with different views and generally explains why he adopts the view he does. There were different places where I disagreed with Moo, some of those quite minor and some less so, but this is the kind of commentary that is helpful even when you disagree. He gives enough explanation for his view that it is helpful to work through it. This is a must have commentary for studying and preaching Romans.
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Posted by Jeff Short on March 11, 2021 · Leave a Comment
God Gave Wine: What the Bible Says About Alcohol by Kenneth L. Gentry Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gentry presents the moderationist view of alcohol in this book. He primarily restricts himself to the biblical data and interacts a good bit with opposing views. It is interesting where I have seen this debate lead people. If you’re truly engaged in a debate over the issue, you’re likely to talk about personal examples or history, the science of fermentation and pasteurization, the testimony of chemists, cultural practices of preservation in antiquity, a lot of quibbling over words, or even to the headquarters of Welch’s, and I do know at least one man who contacted them for help in settling these debates. I am surprised how quickly we leave the text of Scripture to have this debate out over a number of other issues.
Gentry does a good job of sticking to the Biblical data. He does address some common objections and common scripture passages used in favor of prohibitionism or abstentionism. It is a helpful book to think through the subject from the Bible.
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Posted by Jeff Short on March 7, 2021 · Leave a Comment
Reading Romans in Context: Paul and Second Temple Judaism by Ben C. Blackwell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book compiles articles from several scholars going chapter by chapter through Paul’s letter to the Romans in light of the literature and historical context of second temple Judaism. The authors compare and contrast the letter with writings from the Qumran community and the Apocryphal books, etc. to see what influence they may have had on Paul’s thinking.
Overall it was a good read. The book is insightful at times and also conjecturing and speculative at others. I don’t agree with the views of some that we have to read Paul through this particular lens in order to rightly understand him. However, this setting was a part of his milieu and does inform our understanding of the socio-historical setting of the New Testament.
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The Joy Project: An Introduction to Calvinism, with Study Guide by Tony Reinke
Book Review: Romans
Posted by Jeff Short on March 22, 2021 · Leave a Comment
Romans by Douglas J. Moo
I thought going in this was just an abridged version of Moo’s longer commentary, but was pleasantly surprised that was not the case. There are certainly times where the text commentary reads similarly, but it is usually in a shorter, summary form that can actually be helpful. The Bridging Contexts and Contemporary Significance sections add excellent practical applications that go beyond the longer commentary. If you were to only have one, I would suggest the longer commentary though it is more technical. However, it is worth having both as this volume is an excellent complement to the longer commentary.My rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Filed under Reviews, Short Booklog · Tagged with Commentary, Reviews, Romans