James

Douglas Moo is a fine writer who is both pastoral and informative in this volume. The introduction is strongly pro-Janes the brother of Jesus as the author and does a good job of explaining why while interacting with other view points. The commentary has depth without going deep into academic jargon. The book has both a moderate academic feel and practical teaching on one of the most practical books in the Bible. I appreciated that the writer didn't shy away from controversies such as the question of grace versus works as James and Paul sometimes seem to be at odds with each other. The author feels that Paul is referring to works before salvation while James is demanding fruit after salvation. I'm not fully convinced, but it is a good argument and may well be correct. One of the New Testament commentaries in this series that is worth buying on its own.

Moo provides an excellent, readable and relatively concise commentary on James. He discusses interpretive options fairly and argues for his own views persuasively. He provides good referencing to other biblical and extra-biblical documents. He even steps into application and does so with pastoral sensitivity (for example on healing in ch.5). I haven't read his larger commentary, but I found this at a great level for someone preaching through James.

Though Moo has now written a larger commentary on James that sits at the top of most people's recommendations for the book of James, this one is also very good. Though I see no reason why one should buy both, for those on a budget or see this one in the local used book store, it is a great find with many of the insights from his larger work. This is one of the best commentaries in this Tyndale series. He writes clearly at an easy to understand level. He explores different interpretations before giving his own preference but does not get weighed down in complicated details.

Not as thorough as his Pillar Commentary.