Acts

Upon opening this commentary, one notes several distinctive features compared to most commentaries. There is a CD-ROM in the back that contains the text of the commentary and has a search facility. The pages have “sidebars” that contain text in a different color from the main text, as well as artwork, charts, and other items that are intended to aid readers with interpretation. The visual layout and goals of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series are explained in the “Series Preface” and “How to Use This Commentary” sections. The editors state that this series “is a visually-stimulating and user-friendly series that is as close to multimedia in print as possible” (xvii). This series seeks to bring “insightful commentary to bear on the lives of contemporary Christians” (xvii). The commentary uses icons in the sidebars to aid readers in knowing what a given sidebar seeks to convey, such as an icon for “culture/context.” While references are made to the underlying Greek text of Acts, Greek words are transliterated, which makes this work easier to use for those without knowledge of Greek. None of this should be taken to suggest that the commentary is superficial, however. Chance deals with many issues in the interpretation of Acts and points out often where the text of Acts does not explain some aspect of the narrative. When that occurs, Chance notes that there is a “gap” that must be accepted rather than filled with speculations. In addition to interpreting Acts, Chance, in keeping with the goal of the series, offers “Connections,” or applications to contemporary Christians. [Full Review]