Michael, are you being philosophical, or is this for you to weigh a potential purchase?
Carson's is a "classic." (Matthew). You would probably want to purchase the series just for his volume, so you could refer to it first hand. But I have found other volumes helpful: Philippians, Hebrews, and I think Thessalonians. It also covered me in the OT when I had less to choose from, but I can't tell you which I found helpful. Some were, some were not.
I like Apples. Especially Honeycrisp.
Dan DeVilder: Michael, are you being philosophical, or is this for you to weigh a potential purchase?
12-volume EBC for $78 for the Pradis-owner pre-pub price. It's hard to beat that - i.e., nearly 1/2 the $148 Tyndale Libronix price from that unmentionable Website/vendor. So it's in my account to buy and ship 3/15.
Maybe when the Revised EBC set is done we who bought this old version will get an "upgrade" discount on the Logos version (probaly Logos 5 by then!). Not holding my breath, though, and it will be quite some time before Zondervan releases it to Logos. Plus, with Zondervan's GLO Bible program, they may want to keep some of their products restricted to Zondervan, though the new EBC would be a rather expensive purchase for a GLO user.
Optimistically Egalitarian (Galatians 3:28)
Michael,
I have the NAC, Word Biblical, a few individual volumes of Tyndale, and have the NIC volumes on John and 1 Corinthians (excellent by the way) - all on my bookshelves. Got NAC and in Logos when I upgraded to Silver back in November. I only say that to let you know that I have used many of the commentaries you mentioned.
To answer your question, no I do not believe that you will likely find very many "new perspectives" in the EBC - it will be very similar to the perspectives you will find in the NAC, the NIC, and to a somewhat lesser degree, Word Biblical. Since you already have these excellent commentaries (and many more) the primary advantage of having the EBC for you would be having it available as a respected resource when you do not have time to "plow through" a longer, more detailed commentary. While not a new perspective, it would give you a largely conservative, evangelical perspective quickly - with much more depth than devotional commentaries but much more concise than Word or BECNT.
In addition, the Matthew commentary in EBC is considered a classic - one of the all-time bests. It is tremendous. Hebrews is also very good and helpful as well. That's my thoughts. Hope they help you. Keep studying, Michael!
Thank you, Greg... That was very helpful!
How you guys actually knows which commentaries series is famous for certain books? E.g. how you know that EBC is great on Matthrew?
Another example, if I want to study Zech, which of the commentaries mentioned you would suggest?
Thanks.
Kolen Cheung: How you guys actually knows which commentaries series is famous for certain books? E.g. how you know that EBC is great on Matthrew?
Great website!
I was having a similar situation with the original author of this article. So, if I want to buy a first set of commentaries, no matter the price range, which of those will you guys suggest me to use first? e.g. The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (NICOT/NICNT 40 Vols.) seems very good. But will it be too technical for first time reader?
Michael: one good source of information is the website www.bestcommentaries.com
I construct a stat. about the "Top 2 commentaries" in the site you give: (the number in the second column is representing the number of occurrence that it appears in the top 2 commentaries of each book in the Bible)
So, it seems that NICOT/NICNT is really great! It is the single sets that has most count on the top 2 commentaries. BUT, Tyndale is the only one in the top of the list that is completed.
By the way, here is the one that covers the whole Bible:
Kolen Cheung:How you guys actually knows which commentaries series is famous for certain books? E.g. how you know that EBC is great on Matthrew?
Kolen, we "know" which commentary books are famous because of the many times they are referred to by other commentaries. We might also "know" because of the reputation we hear about in seminary or college classes. I might also experience how good they are by actually reading them and forming my own good (or bad) impression of them.
Carson is just well-known as a good and careful scholar. I don't always agree with him but I find his commentary very detailed, and he engages many authors and viewpoints. You could see he doesn't leave too many stones unturned (do you know that idiom? It means he examines nearly everything/issue).
Kolen Cheung:if I want to study Zech, which of the commentaries mentioned you would suggest?
I have heard that the Tyndale Comm. OT is one of the better ones. Of course, some here may disagree if they prefer a different way of interpreting apocalyptic literature. I specifically bought the Tyndale series for all the good recommendations in the OT that I have had for that set. Your own calculations from bestcommentaries shows that TOTC is quite well thought of--yes, lower marks than NICOT, etc, but also much lower price! :)
Kolen Cheung: The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (NICOT/NICNT 40 Vols.) seems very good. But will it be too technical for first time reader?
well, it is not 'fluff', but it is not like wading through the ICC series with loads of Greek, either. You seem rather smart. I would recommend it.
Kolen Cheung: I was having a similar situation with the original author of this article. So, if I want to buy a first set of commentaries, no matter the price range, which of those will you guys suggest me to use first? e.g. The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament (NICOT/NICNT 40 Vols.) seems very good. But will it be too technical for first time reader?
I would not recommend NICOT for the first time reader. I would highly recommend it for those with some seminary or teaching experience. I'd recommend Tyndale to those who are starting out in serious Bible study.
Kolen, you can look into these books if you want to have an idea how the commentaries differ and what people think of them: Old Testament Commentary Survey, New Testament Commentary Survey, Commentary and Reference Survey. The last one's actually got a section on bible software and of course you can find some good words about Logos in it.
Dan DeVilder:Your own calculations from bestcommentaries shows that TOTC is quite well thought of--yes, lower marks than NICOT, etc, but also much lower price! :)
Mark Barnes:I would highly recommend it for those with some seminary or teaching experience.
Amy Leung:Old Testament Commentary Survey, New Testament Commentary Survey, Commentary and Reference Survey
Kolen Cheung: Mark Barnes:I would highly recommend it for those with some seminary or teaching experience. What is teaching experience? And for the seminary, the question becomes: Which one is the "best" seminary? There are comments on best commentaries. How about the "best" seminary? Could any of you suggest some of them?
What is teaching experience? And for the seminary, the question becomes: Which one is the "best" seminary? There are comments on best commentaries. How about the "best" seminary? Could any of you suggest some of them?
What I meant was that if you had been to seminary, or you had good experience in teaching the Bible to others then I would recommend NICOT. If you haven't then I would recommend TOTC as a better start.
As for which seminary, that is a very big question that depends on many things. My seminary is http://www.west.org.uk/ but whether that is the best for you, I cannot say.
Mark Barnes:My seminary is http://www.west.org.uk/ but whether that is the best for you, I cannot say.
So, do you have any form of sholarship/assistantship/fellowship to help you to make a living?
Which Seminary is the best? lol, time to put on the boxing gloves, everyone! :)
It all depends on where you live, your financial resources, your desired educational and ministry goals, etc. Too open-ended of a question. The one I went to, few have heard of, but we do have some resources in Logos by some of the professors. But they train well, are quite good at equipping, and balancing theology and ministry. And the cost is relatively inexpensive, compared to more famous seminaries. But it is not cheap. Seminary costs and arm and a leg. Sometimes two.
Peace.
Dan
Kolen Cheung: So, do you have any form of sholarship/assistantship/fellowship to help you to make a living?
If only... No, I work full-time in addition to my studies.
Kolen Cheung: And for the seminary, the question becomes: Which one is the "best" seminary? There are comments on best commentaries. How about the "best" seminary? Could any of you suggest some of them? And a related question: what is the eligibility to enter it? Will there be scholarship/assistantship/fellowship so that I could still make a living?
And for the seminary, the question becomes: Which one is the "best" seminary? There are comments on best commentaries. How about the "best" seminary? Could any of you suggest some of them? And a related question: what is the eligibility to enter it? Will there be scholarship/assistantship/fellowship so that I could still make a living?
Why the School of Theology of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, but of course! I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Well, I could have but didn't try very hard!
Financial difficulties are often experienced by going to a seminary, especially if one has to transplant oneself to attend. Most students, at least that was my experience, have to work in order to support themselves and their families, but it was worth it to me. Then again, there are some good distance education opportunities. Many top-notch seminaries have courses that can be competed off campus. IIRC, Reformed Theological Seminary offers a Master of Arts in Religion via distance education.
Pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Clinton, SC