Handbook on Hebrews through Revelation

There are many commentaries that are either too brief or too dense with information. Finding something that is just right can be hard and this handbook aims to help us with that task. Why not have a handbook that gives us a good summary without becoming bogged down with details, and yet sufficient background for us to appreciate and understand key themes in the books to be studied? This is the purpose of these series of Baker Academic handbooks that are aimed at students, pastors, lay persons, professors, and so on. This particular handbook focuses on the non-Pauline epistles, the eight general epistles, right through to Revelation. One interesting observation is how the ancient manuscript traditions placed the letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude immediately after Acts. That was probably because these disciples were much closer and more prominent to the witness of the Church chronologically and historically. Paul came relatively later.

After the introductory statements, readers would be thrilled to see how the author gives concise summaries about the themes of each letter. Starting with Hebrews, Köstenberger makes a strong case why the anonymous nature of the letter should not trouble us in our understanding of the main messages. This is helpful for those of us who might be troubled by the lack of information on who wrote it. He answers each question he posed quickly and directly. He expands on major themes and breezes through other themes without sacrificing continuity. Like good handbooks, he includes a respectable list of commentaries and literature for advanced reading.

My Thoughts
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Deciding what to include or exclude in any handbook is probably the hardest decision that needs to be made. This book is no different. Readers who are used to a verse-by-verse exposition will find this handbook way too brief. Though there are certain parts in which Köstenberger spends more time deliberately, the handbook reads more theme-based which gives him the freedom to decide on the length of coverage. Let me list some strengths in this handbook. First, I like the directness and concise deliberation. When the author poses a question, rhetorical or otherwise, he quickly follows up with a crisp answer with evidence to sustain his arguments. His questions help stitch together arguments to illuminate the key themes of each letter. The questions are clear and easily leads us to the next. Second, the author shows us not only key themes but key words that could be given a closer look. Sometimes, students might not be sure which Greek word to exegete. These words are given in italics for our ease of reading. Köstenberger's selections could also work like footnotes to help us do more research on. Third, the handbook gives teachers significant amount of material to teach laypersons. Teachers need more than an overview before they have enough background material to teach others. In other words, the book provides us more material than conventional study bibles. More importantly, the handbook guides us in a way that helps us not to be lost in the details while emphasizing the major points.

How could this book be improved? Include a brief Bible study discussion at the end of each letter. I feel that the content in Revelation could be expanded upon, given the stunning array of details in the apocalyptic literature. By limiting the study of Revelation to mainly the four visions of John, readers would be left wondering about other perspectives with regard to how Revelation ought to be handled. Perhaps, a way forward would be to give a few primers on the different approaches to Revelation before zooming into the categorization of Revelation in terms of four visions. Having said that, the clarity of what the book offers outweighs the absence of details the author could have added. All in all, this handbook should serve as a powerful introduction to anyone intending to teach the books from Hebrews to Revelation.

Dr. Andreas Köstenberger is Research Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology and Director of the Center for Biblical Studies at Midwestern Seminary. He is also the founder of Biblical Foundations™ and the editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.