I noticed the price for the ICC commentary series is more than the NIC series, which is top rated on most books. So my question is first off why are they so expensive?- what makes them valuable? How do they compare and contrast to the NIC?
I have ICC in reality there are better commentaries- they are dated for one- and extremely over priced- IMHO not worth more than $5-600 range.
Word, ECCNT, NICOT, NICNT just to name a couple are better- for linguistic works I rely on specialized resource such as Semantic and Structural Analysis Series though not complete.
There are numerous resources that have higher caliber work and resources just not in Logos, which is the reason my dead tree library is growing and not Logos.
And if you want ICC at a really, really good price contact me.
The Exegetical summaries https://www.logos.com/product/38965/exegetical-summaries-series
often refer to ICC, that perhaps the only reason for me to buy ICC, but not yet.
I can't imagine buying ICC in-total. The main reason is that Logos discounts the older volumes significantly and periodically.
And the older volumes are a bit iffy, since the calling card is 'critical' and much has happened in a century. Any apologetic info is often overcome with more data, etc. You have to be well versed in 'recent' to profitably use the older volumes.
The newer ones are a different story; usually quite good. I've added whenever a sale, etc.
I think, as with most commentaries, after you buy your core commentaries (for me, Word, Herm, AYBC), then you supplement per author and weakness in your core.
ICC supplements.
If you are looking to buy the ICC do check out the base packages that include the volumes, it can be cheaper upgrading the package than buying the volumes separately. At the very least you may get a huge number of additional resources for not much more.
Just a Side Note to Textual Critism.
Aland put them in his Shelf because
1. You find Information in the old Commentaries on Textual Notes you want find anywhere else and
2. if you find them...it came from here
So for Textual Critism they have a Value but I would look Special for Authors from Textual Critism Isue like Plummer
The whole "top rated" and "worth it" questions beg the follow up - by/for whom? The ICC commentaries have been impressive monuments of scholarship - interacting with the latest and greatest work on the text and are written by some of the best english speaking authors in the field. The thing is that the classic volumes are about a century old. Many of these classic volumes are even available for free on places like Google Books - of course, without any linking, often in crappy scans that make it very hard to read even the English, let alone all the other languages quoted...
In addition there are more recent volumes. It started up with Cranfield's Romans in the late 1970's. These are all top notch works - but expensive. In addition, they do assume fluency in at least Greek and Hebrew and can get quite technical. As an over-educated layperson, I have used some of them - and while I respect them greatly, usually find they go a bit farther than I am interested. But if you want a detailed look at the grammar and setting of the text with all of the apparatus to see the discussion by others, they are to be recommended.
First, skip the pricing issue. The dollar is actually worth about 3 cents today. Considering that a commentary represents years of work by authors who put in decades of study, it's a secondary issue altogether.
Older scholarship is often given the heave ho. Did the Bible itself change in the last century? No. The ICC is almost always referenced in even the most modern commentaries.
If you are in seminary, it's pretty much a given that you will be expected to use it.
Given all of that, is the ICC for everyone? No. It gets rather technical and it might take you a lot more effort to mine. It's not on my first use list, but I am so glad I have it because it often surprises me at how good it actually is for thoughtful study.
I place ICC after New International Commentary of the Old Testament and New Testament in terms of purchase priority. How much after? I don't know. If memory serves me correctly, I bought both series on the same day as God had blessed me enough to do it.
Remember, commentaries should always come after carefully reading through Bible passages multiple times. You don't even need Logos for that.
So some of the newer volumes are great, but many of the volumes - most of the volumes - are just too dated. So no, I do not think it is really worth what I paid for it. I would have been better off just buying the newer volumes that are really good. Just my opinion. I also feel that the NICOT/NT is a much more valuable set to buy, and the Word Biblical Commentary also is more valuable.
