EBC good first "premium" commentary?
Comments
-
Kolen,
It's completely impossible to answer your question without knowing more. There are 100 different factors, but principally: what's the purpose of study, what's your theological position, what's your current experience, what language(s) do you speak, where in the world do you want to study?
Studying is a very personal things. There are good seminaries and bad seminaries, but without being able to narrow down what you want, but the best seminary for a pastor from Burkina Faso with a large family, is going to be very different from the best seminary for a bachelor New Yorker.
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
0 -
So, it seems that it has many dimensions in measuring/comparing the seminaries. What I am seeking might be the seminary correspondence of this: http://www.thepastorslibrary.com/recommendations/articles/buildinglibrary/trinity_badke.html. This site mentioned that there are different dimensions (the author use the word "pole") in different commentaries. And he listed out.
So, are there any catalogs on seminaries that we can know which is better in which sense? What I am seeking is a catalog that lists only the bests (may be 10~20) on each different aspect/dimension/pole. Obviously I am not able to look at all the seminaries in the world. But if there is such a catalog, I can try to grasp the big picture before I narrow it down.
For those question, it is very difficult to answer. Purpose of study? very general: to be equipped to serve God. What's my theological position? I have, but what if what I have is wrong? I shouldn't choose a seminary according to what I believe (as long as I am still called a Christian. I definitely do not want to go to heresy). For languages, I speak English and Chinese (And I believe the best seminaries is in the English world. It is true at least in the sense that when I want to find out the best tools to study the Bible, all are in English (and Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic, of course)). Where? I am willing to move to anywhere to be better equipped. (of course financial problem will always be an issue. That's why I need to plan at least a decade ahead, and if God is willing, might be 6 years later).
0 -
Kolen, you made these comments about Paul and his training!
Might be I should share what I think:
““I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. ” (Acts 22:3, ESV)
Paul was under that strict training before he was saved. Though that training lead him to prosecute Jesus, but it is the same training lead him to be able to write 13-14 epistles.
What I am seeking is exactly today's Gamaliel.
I think you have come to the wrong conlusions and that if you are seeking a Gamaliel or any man expecting his teachings to make you the servant God wants you to be you are missing what Paul taught on this subject.
Paul did not write those books because of his earlier training but because God had called him to do so and God revealed to him what to write. God calls each of us and He teaches us and He gives us the gifts to do whatever it is that He wants to do through us. Take as closer look at these two passages and see what you think! 1 Cor 1:18-1 Cor 2:5 and Phil 3:2-11.
I am not saying that God does not use teachers in our lives, but they are not the source only the containers. If they are our focus, we are making a mistake and God will show us this the hard way, if He has to.
In Christ,
Jim
0 -
That's why I am kind of hesitate to share what I think.
This is what I think now. And even I think so, and even what I think is right, God might not lead me in this way.
I don't dare to do that without God's guidance.
But on the other hand, it hurts me to see even the some of the non-believers knows the original words than most of us.
By the way, sad to tell the truth: up to now I don't think God will lead me to enter any seminaries. I was just dreaming about it. And I wish the dream might come true...
0 -
Kolen, don't forget many early beleivers never even had a copy of the scriptures, and many could not read but they new Jesus was their savior.
Our biggest problem is not that we don't know the word, but that we can't even believe what we do know!
Time after time the scriptures talk about faith and yet we get centered on what we do rather than what we believe, or who we must believe in.
The word of God is very important to me, but it's message is about a relationship with God, it is revelation that points us to knowing Christ, not just knowing the scriptures for the sake of knowing the scriptures.
We are called to be in Christ, we have been placed in Christ, we learn this from the scriptures, we are not placed in the scriptures, they are to lead us to faith in Christ.
Knowing Christ, is better than going to Seminary, it is Life!
In Christ,
Jim
0 -
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ” (Isaiah 55:8–9, ESV)
Might be I should focus on my own research before I dream about seminaries. But I am really seeking a way to know Him more. It is kind of frustrated to see that there are so many denominations, so many different approaches to the Bible, so many different school of thought, etc. Up to now, at least I found one characteristics of great Christians: they are open minded, read a lots of books, listen to what others understand the Bible, etc. And these great guys seems starting to see the Big picture of the Bible. And so far I cannot find places other than seminaries to allow me to have these all round training on His word. What else other than seminaries I can know God in this way? A Church, a denomination? But that has there own view point already.
I found this situation a bit like a non-believer seeking for God among different religions. But now it is a believer seeking for God among different denominations. Well, all are saved, all are Christians, but which one is after God's heart?
Again, I want to be equipped to serve God according to His will, to be after His heart. And I believe equipping myself is mostly dealing with His Word. Of course I need to pray diligently for that because his ways are higher than my ways.
By the way, hope that it is not too far from the original post....
0 -
JimVanSchoonhoven said:
If you want links and more information start a new topic and I will get your started.
Could you put the links here? Or if it is not appropriate, could you send it to my account?
0 -
JimVanSchoonhoven said:
I think you have come to the wrong conlusions and that if you are seeking a Gamaliel or any man expecting his teachings to make you the servant God wants you to be you are missing what Paul taught on this subject.
By the way, I was not speaking clearly. When I say "Gamaliel" I do not refer to only one person, but today's correspondence of it. i.e. it should be a group of people. Might be there are many such groups, but the one that whenever you mentioned it, people will know that they are the strictest (in terms of the knowledge of God's word).
0 -
I was looking at purchasing the EBC but after all the Tyndale talk I got the TOTC/TNTC. I really wanted to get some good Old Testament work and for the price TOTC was a for sure buy![8-|]
For book reviews and more visit sojotheo.com
0 -
Amen. I finally decided to buy the Tyndale too, not the EBC. Really great. The best completed commentaries on the whole Bible. (Many are better than it, but all those are not completed!)
0 -
John Kight said:
I was looking at purchasing the EBC but after all the Tyndale talk I got the TOTC/TNTC. I really wanted to get some good Old Testament work and for the price TOTC was a for sure buy!
I don't have Tyndale and so can't compare, but I have been extremely happy with my purchase of EBC...FWIW.
0 -
Ron Keyston Jr said:
I don't have Tyndale and so can't compare, but I have been extremely happy with my purchase of EBC...FWIW.
Then you will be super happy if you have Tyndale. And then you will be extremely + super happy since you will have both.
0 -
By the way, I think the REBC is completed soon. The "Matthew & Mark" will finished on 11-2010. And the release time for the "Numbers-Ruth" is not known yet.
Do any of you have both the EBC and REBC? How you compare the two?
I will suggest Logos to include REBC.
0 -
I personally find both Tyndale and EBC (original version) very useful. While I use more detailed commentaries when I want to go deeper or examine problem passages, I use these both the resources regularly and often. Both generally provide quick insights that are useful in preaching/teaching without having to spend a lot of time weeding through more technical specifics when that is not the desire of the moment. Of course the individual volumes vary, but I still generally like both.
Edit: Comments are about Tyndale and original EBC. The previousl reply came before I posted.
0 -
Danny Parker said:
I personally find both Tyndale and EBC (original version) very useful.
To save some time, how about Tyndale + EBC Abridged? Would it be (almost) as good?
0 -
Kolen Cheung said:
EBC Abridged?
Hi Kolen, the level of detail varies quite a bit from volume to volume in the EBC series, and the notes vary too, but I still find them helpful. See this thread for an example of a longer note.
0 -
Kohlen,
Haven't looked at the abridged version so I can't comment. Personally, I like the technical notes of the full version. I have never been a big fan of condensed versions - they typically cut too much worthwhile stuff. In this case the techinical components don't get in the way, and are there for at least the more important techical details. The full set represents a compromise from the more detailed longer commentaries versus the one volume editions. Often just right for my tastes when doing sermon prep.
0
