John G. Nordling

This book is a useful introduction to the more complex Greek of Josephus and Maccabees for those who either know Attic or are coming from a New Testament perspective. As someone coming from Attic Josephus uses a lot of strange vocabulary but his grammar is very simple say compared to Thucydides. Most of the times the commentary gives you a direct translation of the text with a smattering of grammatical notes, which I find less helpful. However, the background information and cross-referencing is certainly worth the price of the book and an excellent resource. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t carry this title but it is available directly from the publisher as a print-on-demand title. A welcome edition to the sparse language-help available for these ancient sources.… (mais)

The thing I love about a good commentary (or Bible study, for that matter) is that it causes a definite shift in my perception of the original subject matter. In the case of the book of Philemon, I've experienced two shifts. The first, a brief session years ago at a retreat, gave me a better understanding of the story behind the book. Now Dr. Nordling's tome has given me a better handle of the significance of those 25 Biblical verses. Like any good Lutheran commentary, Philemon the commentary connects its subject to Christ. It does it in the first half of the book, where Dr. Nordling gives extensive information on the background of the letter--including an in depth look at slavery in the ancient world. It also does it in the second half, where he analyzes the text itself. Needless to say, I'll be keeping this one on my shelf.… (mais)