We continue our series on serious commentaries on the New Testament. Today we look at the Gospel of Luke, but before I do that I must announce that volume two of Jimmy Dunn’s magisterial work on the beginnigs of Christianity is now available: Beginning from Jerusalem (Christianity in the Making, vol. 2)
OK, now to Luke.
When I have a question about a passage in Luke, I begin with:
Joel Green, The Gospel of Luke (New International Commentary on the New Testament)
. It combines wide-ranging reading, a narrative approach, and readable prose.
Yes, the second one I consult is Darrell Bock. These two scholars are my contemporaries and friends and have been involved in Lukan studies their entire careers. Darrell’s is two volumes: Luke (2 vols.) (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)
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Then I go to John Nolland, for whom two volumes was not enough. There are three volumes in his commentary. Now a word for the wise: serious exegesis of this Gospel, which is 24 long chapters, can’t be done adequately in short compass. Thus, I don’t complain about length. Nolland: Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 35a, Luke 1:1-9:20
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Then I go to J. Fitzmyer: The Gospel According to Luke I-IX: Introduction, Translation, and Notes (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 28)
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What commentaries do you use on Luke?