Where Are Commentaries?
Commentaries can be found in both the reference collection and the stacks - some commentary titles can even be found in both sections. You can find commentaries in the following call number sections:
BS 490 - BS 511
(Old & New Testament Sets)
NOTE: One exception to this is the Anchor Bible Commentary set - this is located in the BS192.2 section that includes Bibles since it contains an original translation of the biblical text.
BS 1150.2 - BS 1151.3
(Old Testament Sets)
BS 1221 - BS 1615.53
(Pentateuch & Individual Old Testament Books)
BS 2333.2 - BS 2341.3
(New Testament Sets)
BS 2574 - BS 2826
(Individual New Testament Books)
What Are Commentaries?
Bible commentaries go through a particular book of the Bible in order by verse, and the author "comments" on the verses. Commentaries provide some sort of analysis of the Biblical text. Some are more detailed and academic than others, and others might choose to focus more on theology and/or application. Below, you'll see an excerpt from the New International Commentary on the Old Testament (one of the more analytical commentaries) on Psalm 23.
Find Commentaries
You can find all of the commentaries for a particular book of the Bible by doing a search in the library catalog using the following steps:
- Go to the library catalog.
- At the top of the page, select Everything from the first drop-down menu, and Subject from the second drop-down menu.
- In the search box, type the following words: bible [book of Bible] commentaries. If you are looking for commentaries on Genesis, you would type: bible genesis commentaries.
- Click Search.
To find online commentaries (only PTS students, staff, and faculty can access these remotely), follow these instructions:
- Go to the library catalog.
- At the top of the page, select Ebooks from the first drop-down menu, and Subject from the second drop-down menu.
- In the search box, type the following words: bible [book of Bible] commentaries. If you are looking for commentaries on Genesis, you would type: bible genesis commentaries.
- Click Search.
Analytical/Academic Commentary Sets
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Anchor Bible Commentary
The letters of Paul to Timothy, one of his favorite delegates, often make for difficult reading in today's world. They contain much that make modern readers uncomfortable, and much that is controversial, including pronouncements on the place of women in the Church and on homosexuality, as well as polemics against the so-called "false teachers." They have also been of a source of questions within the scholarly community, where the prevailing opinion since the nineteenth century is that someone else wrote the letters and signed Paul's name in order to give them greater authority. Using the best of modern and ancient scholarship, Luke Timothy Johnson provides clear, accessible commentary that will help lay readers navigate the letters and better understand their place within the context Paul's teachings. Johnson's conclusion that they were indeed written by Paul himself ensures that this volume, like the other Anchor Bible Commentaries, will attract the attention of theologians and other scholars.
Call Number: BS192.2 .A1 -
The JPS Torah Commentary
by
The JPS Torah Commentary series guides readers through the words and ideas of the Torah. Each volume is the work of a scholar who stands at the pinnacle of his field. Every page contains the complete traditional Hebrew text, with cantillation notes, the JPS translation of the Holy Scriptures, aliyot breaks, Masoretic notes, and commentary by a distinguished Hebrew Bible scholar, integrating classical and modern sources. Each volume also contains supplementary essays that elaborate upon key words and themes, a glossary of commentators and sources, extensive bibliographic notes, and maps.
Call Number: Ref BS1151.2 .J67 -
New International Commentary on the Old Testament
by
Call Number: Ref BS491.2 .N48 -
Word Biblical Commentary
The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.
Call Number: BS491.2 .W67 1982
Commentaries From Particular Perspectives
You will find several commentaries below that come from various points of view. These are all one-volume commentaries, with the exception of the Wisdom Commentary series.
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Africa Bible Commentary
by
The Africa Bible Commentary is a unique publishing event - the first one-volume Bible commentary produced in Africa by African theologians to meet the needs of African pastors, students, and lay leaders. Interpreting and applying the Bible in the light of African culture and realities, it furnishes powerful and relevant insights into the biblical text that transcend Africa in their significance. The Africa Bible Commentary gives a section-by-section interpretation that provides a contextual, readable, affordable, and immensely useful guide to the entire Bible. Readers around the world will benefit from and appreciate the commentary's fresh insights and direct style that engage both heart and mind. for Africa - and for the world; section-by-section interpretive commentary and application; more than 70 special articles dealing with topics of key importance in to ministry in Africa today, but that have global implications; 70 African contributors from both English- and French-speaking countries; and, it transcends the African context with insights into the biblical text and the Christian faith for readers worldwide.
Call Number: BS491.3 .A47 2006ISBN: 0310264731 -
Five Books of Miriam
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Weaving together Jewish lore, the voices of Jewish foremothers, Yiddish fable, midrash and stories of her own imagining, Ellen Frankel has created in this book a breathtakingly vivid exploration into what the Torah means to women. Here are Miriam, Esther, Dinah, Lilith and many other women of the Torah in dialogue with Jewish daughters, mothers and grandmothers, past and present. Together these voices examine and debate every aspect of a Jewish woman's life -- work, sex, marriage, her connection to God and her place in the Jewish community and in the world. The Five Books of Miriam makes an invaluable contribution to Torah study and adds rich dimension to the ongoing conversation between Jewish women and Jewish tradition.
Call Number: BS1225.3 .F67 1998ISBN: 9780060630379 -
The IVP Women's Bible Commentary
by
What does the Bible say to a young mother at home nursing her baby?What role models for intelligent, talented women can we find in Scripture?What was everyday life like for women in biblical times?What does Scripture say to women who have been abused or raped?What can men learn from women by viewing Scripture through their concerns and insights?This surprising commentary searches Scripture in light of the many theological, biblical, sociological and psychological concerns of women. Led by editors Catherine Clark Kroeger and Mary J. Evans, an international team of contributors offers thoughtful, engaging insight to complement more traditional approaches that have viewed Scripture primarily through the experiences and understanding of men. Fresh, practical and helpful, the IVP Women's Bible Commentary shows how relevant Scripture is to the legitimate concerns of men and women alike--and just how transforming God's Word can be when viewed from unaccustomed perspective.This reference work will be welcomed by pastors developing sermons, by Bible study teachers and leaders preparing lessons, by college and seminary students researching study assignments, and by individual readers who want to broaden their understanding of the richness of biblical revelation.
Call Number: Ref BS521.4 .I97 2002ISBN: 9780830814374 -
The Queer Bible Commentary
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The Queer Bible Commentary brings together the work of several scholars and pastors known for their interest in the areas of gender, sexuality and Biblical studies.Rather than a verse-by-verse analysis, typical of more traditional commentaries, contributors to this volume focus specifically upon those portions of the book that have particular relevance for readers interested in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues such as the construction of gender and sexuality, the reification of heterosexuality, the question of lesbian and gay ancestry within the Bible, the transgendered voices of the prophets, the use of the Bible in contemporary political, socio-economic and religious spheres and the impact upon lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Accordingly, the commentary raises new questions and re-directs more traditional questions in fresh and innovative ways, offering new angles of approach. This comprehensive, cutting-edge commentary is prefaced by an introductory essay by Professor Mary Tolbert. Contributors draw on feminist, queer, de-constructionist, utopian theories, the social sciences and historical-critical discourses. The focus is both how reading from lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender perspectives affect the reading and interpretation of biblical texts and how biblical texts have and do affect lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender communities. The commentary includes an extensive bibliography that directs the reader to a full range of literature relating to queer interpretation of scripture.
Call Number: BS680.H67 Q44 2006ISBN: 9780334054429 -
Wisdom Commentary (feminist)
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Feminist biblical interpretation has reached a level of maturity that now makes possible a commentary series on every book of the Bible. It is our hope that Wisdom Commentary, by making the best of current feminist biblical scholarship available in an accessible format to ministers, preachers, teachers, scholars, and students, will aid all readers in their advancement toward God's vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all. The aim of this commentary is to provide feminist interpretation of Scripture in serious, scholarly engagement with the whole text, not only those texts that explicitly mention women. A central concern is the world in front of the text, that is, how the text is heard and appropriated by women. At the same time, this commentary aims to be faithful to the ancient text, to explicate the world behind the text, where appropriate, and not impose contemporary questions onto the ancient texts. The commentary addresses not only issues of gender (which are primary in this project) but also those of power, authority, ethnicity, racism, and classism, which all intersect. Each volume incorporates diverse voices and differing interpretations from different parts of the world, showing the importance of social location in the process of interpretation and that there is no single definitive feminist interpretation of a text. Book jacket.
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Women's Bible Commentary
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The Women's Bible Commentary is a trusted, classic resource for biblical scholarship, written by some of the best feminist scholars in the field today. This twentieth anniversary edition features brand new or thoroughly revised essays to reflect newer thinking in feminist interpretation and hermeneutics. It comprises commentaries on every book of the Bible, including the apocryphal books; essays on the reception history of women in the Bible; and essays on feminist critical method. The contributors raise important questions and explore the implications of how women and other marginalized people are portrayed in biblical texts, looking specifically at gender roles, sexuality, political power, and family life, while challenging long-held assumptions. This commentary brings modern critical methods to bear on the history, sociology, anthropology, and literature of the relevant time periods to illuminate the context of these biblical portrayals and challenges readers to new understandings.
Call Number: BS491.3 .W66 2012ISBN: 066423707X
Theological/Application Commentary Sets
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NIV Application Commentary
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The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.
Call Number: Various -
Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary
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Written by accomplished scholars with all students of Scripture in mind, this innovative new commentary series is designed to make quality Bible study more accessible. Pastors, professors and students of Scripture are discovering that this commentary is a wonderful new tool for enhancing interpretation.
Call Number: Various
