Wright's 'for Everyone' commentaries are great resources for bridging the gap between the text and the contemporary (Western) context. As a commentary, it falls a little flat. It is oscillates between being insightful and aggravatingly overly simple. But it is N.T. Wright, so most of the substance is brilliant, even if he doesn't have his scholar hat on for it. He draws out the meaning of the text through personal anecdotes. You get the sense here of how he might preach these texts to a church.

In the end, I appreciate his scholarship more, but this series should not be overlooked for devotional use. If you are seriously studying the prison letters, you will find this an insufficient resource for understanding the culture and the text, but it can be worth a glance. ( )

"Paul within thirty years of Jesus' death and resurrection has worked out a picture of what Jesus achieved of God's worldwide plan and how it all works out in the lives of ordinary people", writes Tom Wright. The author writes from his position as Biblical scholar, but makes his style anecdotal and understandable for his lay readers.

Tom Wright's "For Everyone" series offers a fresh translation of almost the entire New Testament, and his commentaries combine historial and theological rigor with everyday, accessible language. I've found them greatly helpful for teaching and personal study. ( )