Old Testament Library

Thomas Black said:

You wouldn't happen to have a link would you?

http://amzn.com/B001KQDHCQ

http://bestcommentaries.com/series/old-testament-library-otl/

[Y] This looks like a good series! I hadn't heard of it before.

Here's the publisher's link for the series:

http://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/CategoryCenter/BSE!OTL/Old_Testament_Library.aspx

And it looks like WJKP has put out a New Testament Library series to go with OTL:

http://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/CategoryCenter/BAB!NTL/New_Testament_Library.aspx

[Y] for both OTL and NTL.

And, yes, I read von Rad for my OT class as well.

Also noted that there are at least 5 women writing the OTL commentaries, and at least 3 the much smaller NTL. That's rather unusual! Commentary series tend to be nearly 100% male. (Not that 3 or 5 is particularly impressive... -- but at least it's a step in the right direction.)

George Somsel said:

If someone is the best in the field, it shouldn't matter whether he wears pants or a skirt. 

Apart from the fact that I tend to wear pants [:P], the question, of course, is: are we getting "the best in the field"? Or are we just getting "the boys' club"? Are 99% of the best exegetes men? (If so: why?) Or are the women simply not given the chance? Are we, in fact, being denied "the best in the field"?

And in any case, I tend to think that a resource written from a different perspective has value in itself, whether or not it's strictly speaking "the best". If I have "the best" commentary, "number 2" (which just says the same thing, but less eloquently) might have much less value to me than "number 10", which says something completely different. That's why I tend to buy things like the Catena Aurea, ACCS, Lightfoot, JPS, messianic commentaries and so on. 

George Somsel said:

That is explained by historical factors.

True 50 years ago, but this is supposed to be 2011. The ratio should have begun to change some time ago. And why is it that OTL/NTL obviously can find at least 8 qualified women, while NICOT/NICNT can only find... I think I counted to 1,5, if I remember correctly (one was a cowriter)?

George Somsel said:

I would oppose a quota system.

Who said anything about a quota?

George Somsel said:

You said something about a quota -- implicitly.

No I didn't! What I implicitly said was that the percentage of qualified women in all likelihood is (considerably) larger than the percentage of women contracted to write Bible commentaries (as OTL/NTL also shows). They shouldn't be hired to fill some quota -- they should be hired because they're qualified!

Could we leave this now, and let this thread revert to being a Suggestions thread? 

Keith Ferguson said:

I like to see the Old Testament Library commentary in Logos format.

Me too and the NT one also.

Ud Laugh 2 if you had disciples like us.

[Y][Y][Y]

 

I'd like to see OTL digitized as well!! Or else where can you find Gerhard Von Rad on Genesis, and Old Testament Theology!

Keith Ferguson said:

I like to see the Old Testament Library commentary in Logos format.

I recommended this series in another forum, along with many others, and their respective links to the actual publisher's site.

I just purchased a used copy of von Rad's Genesis - would sure would be great in Logos. 

Yep. We need this.

I want to read Von Rad on Genesis in Logos please.

Just bumping this up again.

We need OTL/NTL in Logos! I'm eagerly awaiting Beverly Roberts Gaventa's NTL volume on Romans and I'd love to not have to buy the book because the series is available in Logos instead.

Any chance we could get an idea from Logos if this is even being pursued?

I, for one, would purchase the entire series without hesitation.

I hope the other ones arrive too especially the Pentateuch Joshua Jeremiah and Chronicles.

I am wondering why these cant begin as complete offerings? Childs on Exodus, McKane on Proverbs, Von Rad on Genesis and Deuteronomy are some of my go to commentaries on those books...there are also non-commentary books by authours such as John J Collins...the series is quite varied...and I'd like to have them all! Pretty please...:)

Kevin A Lewis said:

just for link completeness

http://bestcommentaries.com/series/new-testament-library-ntl/

also many of these were at least at one time published by SCM Press in the UK

Shalom

The "Best Commentaries" site doesn't particularly impress me.  It would seem that the serious reviewers are heavily outweighed by a great mass of those who qualifications cannot be determined partly because they don't use anything approaching a recognizable name.  About all you can say is "someone liked / didn't like it."

Do You think its a good idea for me to buy NTL with the extra account I have for a friend, so that I would be able to discuss passages with the friend?
The commentaries I have are listed in the posts: www.accordancebible.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12127#entry56138
Unix's recent purchases, including upgrade DVD

When it comes to NT books I'm thinking of discussing Eph and Jude. Later on also 2 Cor 1-7 and Col.

At the point when the friend has grown tired of perusing the set an option would be for me to transfer the license for it to my account. Meanwhile I probably have enough books to read and studies to keep up with:

George Somsel said:

I think it's a good idea for you to make up your own mind on this rather than relying on someone else to decide for you:

Unix said:

Do You think its a good idea for me to buy NTL with the extra account I have for a friend, so that I would be able to discuss passages with the friend?
The commentaries I have are listed in the posts: www.accordancebible.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12127#entry56138
Unix's recent purchases, including upgrade DVD

When it comes to NT books I'm thinking of discussing Eph and Jude. Later on also 2 Cor 1-7 and Col.

In this case there are 2 problems:

1. Some of the volumes are really old. That's not a major problem regarding the Pauline theology volumes since I'm against the NPP.
2. My mind will change back and forth many times during the pre-pub period, mostly because of the decision to make with which account to buy it: SineNomine said:When in doubt, don't buy. If the doubt goes away, problem solved; you no longer have need to ask. If you're asking, there is doubt. You are asking. So don't buy.

If I would always need to be sure, I would not have bought ⅝ of the books I have and would have missed the purpose of building a somewhat complete library for somewhat serious studies. In the future when I set aside a lot of time, I want to be able to do work efficiently without being disturbed by book purchase choices to make. So I want to be soon done with the decision-making and the considering of each new offer (including the daily twitter deals and particularly the monthly sales which are kind of annoying as they mostly contain resources that have long since been superseded or that are really unpopular for good reasons that I agree about with those who haven't purchased).

The most time-consuming option is perhaps if canceling now - regretting (perhaps years from now), the price going up, repenting and waiting for a sale:

George Somsel said:

So don't buy it and repent at leisure when the price is higher.

Unix, are you considering buying the sets for the alternate account but not your main account?  Is that really the best use for those commentaries, not to mention your money?  Do you use the alternate account as well?  Whatever the nature of the "friend," I doubt he or she is going to want to read through commentaries.

Besides, I thought you already got the friend some time ago.  If so, can't you just ask, or is that person no longer available?

I would prefer to stay in control over the extra account also, so yes I could access it as well.
True that most people won't read through commentaries, but on the other hand several of the ones I've tried to make friends with have been fairly young and so may not afford commentaries on their own but would use them if someone gave them good ones plus most people are a bit confused about which commentaries are good and/or hesitate to buy:

Joseph Turner said:

Do you use the alternate account as well?  Whatever the nature of the "friend," I doubt he or she is going to want to read through commentaries.

At first I didn't know of anyone, was just hoping. Then I tried. Now I have one friend who I originally met IRL and she is very interested in languages. She is Catholic though so I'm hesitant making up-front suggestions about commentaries which may largely be Protestant. She is an Accordance user though, so she might not have Logos and therefore would probably be able to install the extra account I offer.
I also might get in touch with someone who is 34 years of age who likes grammar and Bible studies (it's a bit tricky to pay a membership fee for her for one month on a site so that she would be able to read the message I've sent a few weeks ago, but anyway she is very interesting): Joseph Turner said:Besides, I thought you already got the friend some time ago.  If so, can't you just ask, or is that person no longer available?

I made friends with the 34-year-old the other day! She is very interesting. She worked for Wycliffe Bible Translator, not as a translator but doing a study on West-Saharan French verb-forms. She uses the 38-books of the Old Testament, especially the Narrative Books, more than the New. She's an Accordance-girl and I told her that's a good choice for not being bothered by advertisement and sales.
With the extra Logos account for friends and later my mom, I have the pre-orders:
The New Testament Library Series (15 vols.) $279.95
Old Testament for Everyone Series (11 vols.) by Goldingay $104.95
New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols.) $139.95.

When each of them I will have shared with is done using them, I plan to transfer the licenses for NTL and Old Testament for Everyone to my actual account.

As she is female I doubt she would have been interested in the UBS (Translator's) Handbooks Old Testament Series (29) vols. (it was available in Logos for $219.95 until March 28. or 30. 2013) which included the RSV and Good News Translation Bibles as the RSV doesn't have gender-neutral language, and she's not interested in Tobit and Judith included in UBS. She has studied Classical Gk long ago but is still able to use it as she was very young back then. She promised to rehearse glosses.

She's careful how to spend money on books and doesn't want to buy books she is not going to use. So "sharing" books seems like a good idea to me (I would not be having all the same books at the exact same time, and I'm going to buy either:
A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
or: Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, both by John J. Collins July 2014
... as printed matter to share between myself, her, and my dad).
I already talked about the latter with her, the Introduction..., and she said she would not buy it, so I replied I could lend it to her.

I don't want her to pay me for any of the books, I just hope she would visit the City sometimes so that I wouldn't have to travel the somewhat short but relatively very expensive distance each time.

I think the Old Testament for Everyone is way too basic for the friend, so I think I'm pre-ordering it with my own account instead. My mom's enthusiasm about preaching when she becomes retired, has waned so even though it would be a suitable set for her level-wise and she's interested in the OT she may never use it due to the language-barrier (she does speak and read English but she's lazy about learning more English):

Unix said:

With the extra Logos account for friends and later my mom, I have the pre-orders:

[...]
Old Testament for Everyone Series (11 vols.) by Goldingay $104.95

[Y]