Acts

As a novice commentary reader, I generally appreciate the Tyndale series. This volume as usual had a solid intro, but the commentary too often simply repeated the text using more words. Simple ideas were often repeated and the whole book often felt mundane even to a novice. The other issue is that the author was often criticizing another author with whom he disagreed. It was rather like listening to a one sided phone conversation. To be fair, I'm not sure how exactly you would write a commentary on Acts as it is unique in Scripture since it is church history. The life and theology of Jesus and the kingdom that permeates the Gospels and the Pauline theology of his many letters are missing here. This is more a commentary on a work like Josephus' histories than a tradition New Testament book. Since I'm an armchair historian, I may simply have been exposed to better writers of and about history and history books. There are moments of insight and I'm sure the book has uses for pastors with little historical knowledge.

There are many academics who I've found to be awkward and clumsy when writing lay level commentaries. I. Howard Marshall however, seems to flourish at it. Most pastors I know own, and regularly use this volume. Worth having in your collection.

I. Howard Marshall has written many commentaries; his work on Acts is regarded as one of his finest. Because this is a volume in the reader-friendly TNTC series, it will make an excellent choice for the casual reader. However, it is apparently also an invaluable resource for the preacher. [Full Review]

Worth having this in your library. Often includes a bit more info than Bruce. One I won't skip in my preparation.

For those seeking a good introductory level, non-technical commentary on the book of Acts, the volume by Marshall in the Tyndale series is a good place to start. Like the other volumes in the series it is simple to read without being simplistic in content. [Full Review]

[Full Review]