Logo

 

Banner Image:   Baptist-Times-banner-2000x370-
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet

Hebrews and James: 60 Bite-sized insights

Generally useful little commentary which may also help busy ministers in sermon preparation 

Hebrews and JamesHebrews and James. 60 Bite-sized insights. Straight to the Heart series
By Phil Moore
Monarch, £8.99
ISBN: 978-0-85721-668-7
Reviewed by: Pieter Lalleman

This short commentary appears in the series "Straight to the Heart of" in which Phil Moore has already published five volumes on the Old Testament and ten on the New Testament.

On four or five pages Moore explains a passage at a time, focussing on key elements of the message. His applications are sharp, as on Heb 13:4. Rather than really going "Straight to the Heart" of each passage, he normally begins with an anecdote. Moore provides many footnotes with extra information, often on Greek words or parallel passages. This means that the book's chapters are not exactly bite-sized! (Chapters in The People's Bible Commentary are never more than two facing pages.)

The result is a solid explanation of Scripture (NIV) which can be commended to all serious readers. Dosage: a chapter a day, not the entire book at once.

Having said this, I must add that Moore handles the structure of James and Hebrews in an unhelpful way. Unable to make sense (like many scholars) of the structure of James, he simply says that the letter is a collation of sermon highlights.

Hebrews he artificially cuts in three. He displays more certainty about the year in which Hebrews was written than is warranted. And despite the strong warnings in Hebrews, Moore believes in "once saved always saved", which makes him twist the meaning of 12:17 bizarrely.

Obviously Hebrews is critical of Judaism without Jesus, but Moore's tone towards the Jewish people sometimes lacks sensitivity and I disagree with his interpretation of Heb 12:22-24. One could also wish for more nuance: On James 5:14-16 he writes, "James tells us to expect supernatural healing to be normal, everyday Christianity. If we believe him, our churches will become like his."

Nonetheless, this is a useful little commentary which may also help busy ministers in sermon preparation.
 
 

Dr Pieter J. Lalleman teaches biblical studies at Spurgeon's College

Baptist Times, 04/03/2016
    Post     Tweet
Clever Cub Forgives a Friend, and Invites Someone New, by Bob Hartman  
Latest titles in series which takes the world of the child seriously and then tries to choose appropriate stories from the Bible to address their experiences - relevant and readable
The Hardest Problem: God, Evil and Suffering by Rupert Shortt 
'Not only helpful to Christians but worth passing on to thoughtful unbelievers who find the problem of evil and suffering an obstacle to belief'
Heroes or Villains by Jeannie Kendall 
'A gem of a book, thoughtfully and insightfully exploring the qualities we share with Bible characters'
Poverty, Riches and Wealth by Kris Vallotton
A book which makes you think with sections you might disagree with - but the golden thread that you are wealthy in proportion to your generosity, not according to your riches - is an excellent, Biblical principle
Lydia by Paula Gooder 
'Thoroughly recommended, not just as a historical novel, but also as a useful reference book kept close to the regularly-used commentaries'
Swansong by Jo-Anne Berthelsen
'This book certainly challenges us, but also encourages us that our words have real power to transform the lives of others'
     Reviews 
    Posted: 01/03/2024
    Posted: 22/09/2023