J's Pages

by Tremper Longman III
 

This was the commentary I bought to assist in my preparation to lead the Thursday morning Bible class in studying the book of Daniel. Harvest Logos had a few references from which to choose, and even though it was a hardcover and cost more, I went with this one. It's part of the NIV Application Commentary series, which attempts to show the meaning the Bible has for contemporary American life. The format focuses first on the original meaning of the text, or how it would be understood by its original audience. Then it focuses on bridging the ancient and modern contexts, eventually wrapping up with the contemporary significance of the chapter. In the case of Daniel, it seemed somewhat easy. The main message is simple: God is in control. That was shown both in the stories of the first half and the cryptic prophecies of the second. Anyway, there's more to be gleaned from the book from that main point, and Longman does it quite well, in my opinion. He holds a theologically conservative view of the work, but also mentions the other prevailing arguments. And he's even honest enough to admit when the other side has a good case for their view. In a sense, it's everything I would want from a commentary: background information for understanding and insight as to how I might adapt it to my life. This one's staying on my shelf. 

LibraryThing link

Labels: OnMyShelf, TremperLongman

// posted by John @ 11:59 PM