Commentaries: Whole Bible Sets

Publisher: Concordia Publishing House    Publication Dates: 1996-present
Location: Open Stacks; Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Pastors/seminarians
Original Languages: Makes thorough use of Greek (NT) and Hebrew (OT)

Notes: Generally seeking a balance between “scholarly” and “theologically applicable.” Niche: Solidly aligned with Lutheran doctrinal presuppositions.

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Newer volumes listed here (2008-Present)
Publisher: Yale University Press     Publication Dates: 1974–2014
Location: Open Stacks; Reference   Call numbers: Original or Later volumes
Level: Advanced students/scholars; pastors/seminarians
Original Languages: Hebrew and Greek are transliterated in (both?) newer (and older?) volumes.

Notes: Covers nearly the entire canon, and includes Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books. Series has been described as "uneven." Cautions: Often critical; best if balanced by another source.

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Publishers: Thomas Nelson, Zondervan     Publication Dates: 1989–2014
Location: Open Stacks; Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Pastors/seminarians; advanced students/scholars
Original Languages: Knowledge of Hebrew and Greek important (or at least helpful)

Notes: Approach to and view of the Scriptures varies, as does accessibility to pastors. Undergoing revision. Cautions: Generally moderately critical, but sometimes wildly so; best if balanced by another source.

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Publisher: Fortress Press     Publication Dates: 1971–2013
Location: Open Stacks; Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Advanced students/scholars
Original Languages: Knowledge of Hebrew and Greek necessary

Notes: Fairly technical, and also (in general) operating with a lower view of Scriptures. Some volumes, however, pay very close attention to the text as it stands. Older volumes are often translations from German and thus contain "heavy doses of German theological discussion" (Evans, 35, quoting Horsley). Volumes exist for several Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical books (including "Q"). Cautions: Generally historical-critical, and sometimes wildly so; best if balanced by another source.

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Publisher: Fortress Press    Publication Dates: 1986–2004
Location: Open Stacks; Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Advanced students/scholars; pastors/seminarians
Original Languages: Direct usage varies per volume, as does whether it is transliterated.

Notes: Generally comprises translations of scholarly German commentaries. Some newer volumes are less technically-oriented. Series does not cover whole Bible. Library owns 9 volumes. Cautions: Critical leanings

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Publisher: W.B. Eerdmans    Publication Dates: 2000–2012
Location: Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Advanced students/scholars; pastors/seminarians
Original Languages: Makes regular use of original languages

Notes: Series comprises 8 volumes total, and was never completed; it does not cover the whole Bible. Cautions: Critical leanings

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Publisher: T&T Clark, Bloomsbury    Publication Dates: 1895–2014
Location: Open stacks; Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Advanced students/scholars; pastors/seminarians
Original Languages: In older volumes, Greek and Latin (and Hebrew?) texts cited without translation or transliteration(?).

Notes: Under revision. Older volumes "remain helpful" for their "full handling of the technical questions... and little else" (Evans, 36); newer volumes are "exceptional" according to Carson. Cautions: Critical leanings

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Publisher: Broadman & Holman    Publication Dates: 1991–2014
Location: Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Pastors/seminarians
Original Languages: Transliterated in the text, but not in the footnotes.

Notes: Application-oriented; covers almost the entire Bible. Not intended to meet the needs of graduate students. Per Carson: "early volumes are generally competent enough, pitched at a middle level" (21). Cautions: Dispensational leanings

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Publisher: Zondervan    Publication Dates: 1994–2012
Location: Reference   Call numbers: (varies by volume)
Level: Pastors/seminarians; educated laypeople
Original Languages: No (special) knowledge required

Notes: Contains good "Bridging Contexts" sections which help move from exegesis to application. Uses the NIV for its base text.

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Publisher: Zondervan    Publication Dates: 2006-2012
Location: Reference   Call numbers: BS491.3 E976 (v.1 - v.13)
Level: Pastors/seminarians; Laymen
Original Languages: No special knowledge required
Also available: Expositor's Bible Commentary (older version)

Notes: Evangelical and generally conservative, but also better as an intro, or as a supplement to lengthier commentaries on individual books. Cautions: May have premillennial leanings, though Evans seems to suggest that this is not overbearing in the commentaries.

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Old Testament volumes     New Testament volumes
Publisher: InterVarsity Press     Publication Dates: 1998–2010
Location: Open Stacks; Reference   Call numbers: (OT)   (NT)
Level: Pastors/seminarians; laypeople; advanced students/scholars
Original Languages: N/A
See also: Reformation Commentary on Scripture (RCS) (OT or NT) below

Notes: Series focuses on commentary by early church fathers, allowing readers to gain insights that are more than a few decades old that would be otherwise inaccessible. Carson notes that understanding patristic context is important to avoid "misappropriation of ostensible parallels" (20).

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Old Testament volumes     New Testament volumes
Publisher: IVP Academic     Publication Dates: 2011–Present
Location: Open Stacks    Call numbers: (OT)   (NT)
Level: Pastors/seminarians; Laypeople; Advanced students/scholars
Original Languages: N/A
See also: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (OT or NT) above

Notes: Series focuses on Reformation-era commentary, and is a follow-up to ACCS. Both Old and New Testaments still in progress.

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Old Testament volumes     New Testament volumes
Publisher: A&C Black; Harper & Row    Publication Dates: 2005-Present
Location: Open stacks   Call numbers vary: OT volumes and NT volumes
Level: Pastors/seminarians; Scholars/advanced students
Original Languages: Basic original language knowledge necessary; Greek and Hebrew not always transliterated in the text and footnotes.

Notes: Written more in paragraph (versus verse-by-verse) form, and intending to blend biblical-exegetical and systematic-theological approaches to the Scriptures (Evans, 44). Evans notes this series' value for preaching. Cautions: Moderately historical-critical; use with discernment.

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Publisher: W. B. Eerdmans     Publication Date: 2001
Location: Open Stacks   Call numbers: BS534.5 .L43 2001 v.1-3
Level: Pastors/seminarians
Original Languages: N/A

Notes: Follows the Revised Common Lectionary, and is arranged in canonical order. Does not cover all books of the Bible. Applicability: sermon preparation

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Location: Reference Section