Monday, April 6, 2015

thoughts on a commentary on the Book of ACTS

               How do you review a 600 page commentary without getting into minutia and quibbling over details? That was the question that I had to ask myself as I set out to look at the Volume on ACTS  EP Study Commentary : " A Study  Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles" by Guy Prentiss Waters (EP Books 2015).  So I opted to be very general in my comments.

                I like the book of ACTS and for some time have wished that I could find a readable commentary that stayed true to scripture. I think I've found it.  Waters has done an excellent job or placing scripture into context.  Waters writes from a reformed perspective, but his work should be useful to anyone, regardless of their theological leaning.

                Starting with a "Prelude to Pentecost" the reader is walked through Pentecost, and  the story of How Peter and Paul helped with the spread of Christianity, complying with the Resurrected Christ's command to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth - Rome as world geography might have been understood at the time .   I particularly like the way Waters explains how portions of the  book relate to other portions of the book, and the results of word studies that he has done as part of his research for this book.  The frequent references to Old Testament passages also serve to show that the Bible is not just a collection of books, but a collection of accounts that together make up the biblical metanarrative.

                  All in all this is a very readable volume; that it is not written in a heavy scholarly language adds to rather than detracts from its usefulness.  Especially helpful are the "Applications" found in each chapter.


              A welcome addition to my Library!

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