Classic Commentaries and Study Series

I have my community pricing out on almost every one currently. Does anyone have experience with this series? Any suggestions as to which ones might be worth actually using? Anyone have a post they can toss up of a sample (maybe the Genesis one or some other version)? Help me decide if I should keep these!

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Paul N

While not inclusive of every commentary in the series, the fourth book in Charles Spurgeon's "Lectures To My Students" gives a great rundown to good commentaries from the 1500s through 1800s

Paul-C

Anyone have a post they can toss up of a sample (maybe the Genesis one or some other version)? Help me decide if I should keep these!

This would be difficult to do since each classic commentaties collection is just that - a collection of commentaries by many different authors on a book of the Bible. A single volume from a collection on a particular book of the Bible won't necessarily be representative of other collections, let alone other volumes within the same collection.

I'm in a similar dilemma to you. To buy these collections for each book of the Bible would be a very large investment, regardless of the low price on each collection. As nice as it would be to have all of these, I would rather use my finite resources to have, for example, NICOT/NICNT. I took the view to only go for those resources on books which particularly interest me, and Biblical books on which I felt my Logos library was lacking.

Remember, if you pass up a particular collection, and later think it would be useful, a lot of these resources can be accessed for free on the Internet due to them being in the public domain. Granted, you wouldn't have Logos functionality...

Paul Chatfield

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/319707#Comment_319707

What I decided to do to consider their usefulness was to do a study on a passage from that book for my quiet times for a bit to get a feel of which ones I like. It's probably personality dependent, but sometimes the authors write things that strike me in a way that another author, saying the same thing, might pass me by. I would recommend doing that. For example, I did a study on Gen 49:3-4 and found I took to 3 commentaries in particular in genesis:

1) Alford's book on genesis who notes,

"Reuben, the firstborn, appears in many points not to have been by any means the worst of the brethren. He took no part in the deed of violence and treachery against the Shechemites (ch. 34); he dissuaded his brethren from the murder of Joseph, and wished to restore him to his father (ch. 37:22, 29; see also 42:22); he offered to become surety for the safety of Benjamin (ch. 42:37). But the dark spot of his life, and one which abode upon the mind of his father,—so that he disregarded his offered suretyship for Benjamin,—was his foul sin with Bilhah his father’s concubine (ch. 35:22)."

That is a good summary and to the point. I liked that.

2) Dillmann

3) Groves

Both these last two noted (the former, in a more technical commentary, the latter in a more accessible way), the switch of person in v4 as being a sign of Jacob's shock at what Reuben did.

I don't have NICOT, but both NAC and WBC try to explain this change of person away as something awkward rather than Dillmann and Groves' view.

Now I like Dillmann and Groves' view, but regardless of that, I appreciate the variety in opinions which enable me to consider how else it could be interpreted. That is something which I think is helpful to me in these classic commentary sets.

So I'd say do a study to give you a feel of whether you enjoy having them, or whether you think you'd rather just stick to NICOT/NICNT. You should soon work out whether it annoys you checking these other commentaries or whether you find it helpful reading how others have attacked the passage.

toughski

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/319392#Comment_319392

While not inclusive of every commentary in the series, the fourth book in Charles Spurgeon's "Lectures To My Students" gives a great rundown to good commentaries from the 1500s through 1800s

Is there a good/easy/sensible way to run a search of the Community Pricing proposed commentaries against (possible) recommendations/evaluations in our Logos library or other sites on the web.

Where can these old commentaries be researched?

Paul N

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/319715#Comment_319715

I did make a PB out of every commentary Spurgeon recommended. I then linked the number (linked blue) to the Logos resource page and the author's last name (also linked blue) to the first page in the resource. I'm always updating it as new CP resources are coming out.

2313.Spurgeon’s Commenting and Commentaries.docx

Evan Boardman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/319762#Comment_319762

Good comments deserve a bump, plus I would add...It takes awhile for these bids to build and your not committed and can back out anytime.