III. Books Found
2008 was the year in which I was at long last reunited with my library in exile. (Of course, my move has necessarily caused the exile of the choice books I had with me in Puerto Rico, but let’s not think about that right now.) After my first rescue expedition to Grand Rapids nearly three months ago, I posted a list of the biblical commentaries recovered from the first 15 boxes; having now completed the retrieval and unpacking of the rest of my books, I offer the following updated account:
Brueggemann (Int.), von Rad (OTL), and Waltke on Genesis; Childs (OTL) on Exodus; Hubbard (NICOT) on Ruth; Brueggemann (Int.) on I & II Samuel; Hess (BCOT) on the Song of Songs; Childs (OTL) on Isaiah; Brueggemann on Jeremiah; Allen (WBC, 2 vols.) on Ezekiel; McComiskey (ed., 3 vols.) on the Minor Prophets; E. Achtemeier (Int.) on Nahum-Malachi; Blomberg (NAC), Gundry, Keener, Luz (1-7), Mounce (NIBC), and Patte on St Matthew; Gundry and Witherington on St Mark; Danker, Bock (BECNT, 2 vols.), Green (NICNT), and Pate (MBC) on St Luke; Barrett, R. E. Brown (AB, 2 vols.), Bruce, Carson (PNTC), Keener (2 vols.), Köstenberger (BECNT), Ridderbos, and Witherington on St John; Bruce (Greek Text; NICNT), Fitzmeyer (AB), L. T. Johnson (Sacra Pagina), Marshall (TNTC), and Witherington on Acts; P. Achtemeier (Int.), K. Barth, Barrett (BNTC), Bruce (TNTC), Käsemann, Moo (NICNT), and Schreiner (BECNT) on Romans; Garland (BECNT), Kovacs (Church's Bible), and Thiselton (NIGTC) on I Corinthians; Barrett (BNTC) on II Corinthians; Dunn, Matera (Sacra Pagina), Ebeling, Lührmann, Luther (AW 35 & 36), and Ridderbos (NICNT) on Galatians; Patzia (NIBC) on Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon; M. Barth (AB, 2 vols.) and Schnakenburg on Ephesians; Fee (IVPNTC) and Silva (BECNT) on Philippians; O'Brien (WBC), Thompson (Two Horizons), and Wright (TNTC) on Colossians and Philemon; M. Barth on Philemon; Wanamaker (NIGTC) on the Epistles to the Thessalonians; Bruce and de Silva on Hebrews; Carballosa and Moo (TNTC) on James; J. N. D. Kelly on the Epistles of Sts Peter and Jude; Jobes (BECNT) on I Peter; Neyrey (AB) on II Peter and Jude; Bruce, D. Moody Smith (Int.), and Stott (TNTC) on the Johannine Epistles; Beale (NIGTC), Caird (BNTC), Carballosa, Kistemaker (NTC), and Ladd on Revelation.
Besides these, I uncovered Carson’s expositions of St Matthew 5-10, I Corinthians 12-14, and Philippians; Arland J. Hultgren’s The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000); and R. E. Brown’s masterful works The Birth of the Messiah (on the Infancy Narratives of Sts Matthew and Luke) and The Death of the Messiah (on the Passion narratives, 2 vols.). Also found were D. Guthrie et al. (eds.), The Eerdmans Bible Commentary, Third Edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987; previously published as The New Bible Commentary); Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., et al., Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove: IVP, 1996); the two-volume IVP Bible Background Commentary; and M. Eugene Boring et al. (eds.), Hellenistic Commentary to the New Testament (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995). And of course, as I noted earlier, I have all New Testament volumes (but one) of the excellent NIV Application Commentary, and a select few of the Old Testament ones.
I commented earlier that clearly I need more commentaries on Isaiah and Hebrews (which assessment still stands), but I was surprised to find no commentaries at all on the Pastoral Epistles! (It seems that I, too, have unwittingly fallen prey to what Thomas Oden has called “the systematic neglect of the Pastoral [….] Epistles.”1) It is most fortunate, then, that earlier this year I bought from Mike Aubrey the above-mentioned commentary on these New Testament books! While the book itself is back in Puerto Rico, I can rest assured that this significant gap has been satisfactorily filled. Regarding Isaiah, I have my sight set on John Oswalt’s undoubtedly wonderful commentary on that book for the NIVAC, and much more importantly, on Robert Louis Wilken’s recent commentary for The Church’s Bible (which features a translation of LXX Isaiah by none other than the infallible Moisés Silva!). As for Hebrews, I have long wanted a copy of Paul Ellingworth’s splendid NIGTC volume on that book, and frankly I can’t quite understand why I haven’t obtained one in the twelve years or so that I have been aware of it; also on the list is Harold W. Attridge's superb volume on Hebrews for the Hermeneia commentaries.
IV. Missing Books
Here I must mention the bewildering and heartbreaking phenomenon of the missing books. As I have unpacked and sorted the contents of countless boxes, and as I have encountered references to them in footnotes and bibliographies, I have become aware of the fact that several volumes which I certainly owned seem to have tragically disappeared. The reasons for this are unclear to me, though it is not impossible that I might have mistakenly sold a box which I had intended to keep (thus effectively selling my inheritance for a mess of pottage). Whatever the true reason for their keenly felt absence, I thought it would be useful to list the missing volumes here, and to update the list whenever I become aware of any other such title.
This concludes our bibliographical rundown through the Year of Our Lord 2008, which I hope was every bit as enjoyable for you as it was for me!
__________________________
Note:
1In the delightfully titled chapter 10 (“The Expurgated Scripture”) of his book After Modernity… What? Agenda for Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989), page 140.
2008 was the year in which I was at long last reunited with my library in exile. (Of course, my move has necessarily caused the exile of the choice books I had with me in Puerto Rico, but let’s not think about that right now.) After my first rescue expedition to Grand Rapids nearly three months ago, I posted a list of the biblical commentaries recovered from the first 15 boxes; having now completed the retrieval and unpacking of the rest of my books, I offer the following updated account:
Brueggemann (Int.), von Rad (OTL), and Waltke on Genesis; Childs (OTL) on Exodus; Hubbard (NICOT) on Ruth; Brueggemann (Int.) on I & II Samuel; Hess (BCOT) on the Song of Songs; Childs (OTL) on Isaiah; Brueggemann on Jeremiah; Allen (WBC, 2 vols.) on Ezekiel; McComiskey (ed., 3 vols.) on the Minor Prophets; E. Achtemeier (Int.) on Nahum-Malachi; Blomberg (NAC), Gundry, Keener, Luz (1-7), Mounce (NIBC), and Patte on St Matthew; Gundry and Witherington on St Mark; Danker, Bock (BECNT, 2 vols.), Green (NICNT), and Pate (MBC) on St Luke; Barrett, R. E. Brown (AB, 2 vols.), Bruce, Carson (PNTC), Keener (2 vols.), Köstenberger (BECNT), Ridderbos, and Witherington on St John; Bruce (Greek Text; NICNT), Fitzmeyer (AB), L. T. Johnson (Sacra Pagina), Marshall (TNTC), and Witherington on Acts; P. Achtemeier (Int.), K. Barth, Barrett (BNTC), Bruce (TNTC), Käsemann, Moo (NICNT), and Schreiner (BECNT) on Romans; Garland (BECNT), Kovacs (Church's Bible), and Thiselton (NIGTC) on I Corinthians; Barrett (BNTC) on II Corinthians; Dunn, Matera (Sacra Pagina), Ebeling, Lührmann, Luther (AW 35 & 36), and Ridderbos (NICNT) on Galatians; Patzia (NIBC) on Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon; M. Barth (AB, 2 vols.) and Schnakenburg on Ephesians; Fee (IVPNTC) and Silva (BECNT) on Philippians; O'Brien (WBC), Thompson (Two Horizons), and Wright (TNTC) on Colossians and Philemon; M. Barth on Philemon; Wanamaker (NIGTC) on the Epistles to the Thessalonians; Bruce and de Silva on Hebrews; Carballosa and Moo (TNTC) on James; J. N. D. Kelly on the Epistles of Sts Peter and Jude; Jobes (BECNT) on I Peter; Neyrey (AB) on II Peter and Jude; Bruce, D. Moody Smith (Int.), and Stott (TNTC) on the Johannine Epistles; Beale (NIGTC), Caird (BNTC), Carballosa, Kistemaker (NTC), and Ladd on Revelation.
Besides these, I uncovered Carson’s expositions of St Matthew 5-10, I Corinthians 12-14, and Philippians; Arland J. Hultgren’s The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000); and R. E. Brown’s masterful works The Birth of the Messiah (on the Infancy Narratives of Sts Matthew and Luke) and The Death of the Messiah (on the Passion narratives, 2 vols.). Also found were D. Guthrie et al. (eds.), The Eerdmans Bible Commentary, Third Edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987; previously published as The New Bible Commentary); Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., et al., Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove: IVP, 1996); the two-volume IVP Bible Background Commentary; and M. Eugene Boring et al. (eds.), Hellenistic Commentary to the New Testament (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995). And of course, as I noted earlier, I have all New Testament volumes (but one) of the excellent NIV Application Commentary, and a select few of the Old Testament ones.
I commented earlier that clearly I need more commentaries on Isaiah and Hebrews (which assessment still stands), but I was surprised to find no commentaries at all on the Pastoral Epistles! (It seems that I, too, have unwittingly fallen prey to what Thomas Oden has called “the systematic neglect of the Pastoral [….] Epistles.”1) It is most fortunate, then, that earlier this year I bought from Mike Aubrey the above-mentioned commentary on these New Testament books! While the book itself is back in Puerto Rico, I can rest assured that this significant gap has been satisfactorily filled. Regarding Isaiah, I have my sight set on John Oswalt’s undoubtedly wonderful commentary on that book for the NIVAC, and much more importantly, on Robert Louis Wilken’s recent commentary for The Church’s Bible (which features a translation of LXX Isaiah by none other than the infallible Moisés Silva!). As for Hebrews, I have long wanted a copy of Paul Ellingworth’s splendid NIGTC volume on that book, and frankly I can’t quite understand why I haven’t obtained one in the twelve years or so that I have been aware of it; also on the list is Harold W. Attridge's superb volume on Hebrews for the Hermeneia commentaries.
IV. Missing Books
Here I must mention the bewildering and heartbreaking phenomenon of the missing books. As I have unpacked and sorted the contents of countless boxes, and as I have encountered references to them in footnotes and bibliographies, I have become aware of the fact that several volumes which I certainly owned seem to have tragically disappeared. The reasons for this are unclear to me, though it is not impossible that I might have mistakenly sold a box which I had intended to keep (thus effectively selling my inheritance for a mess of pottage). Whatever the true reason for their keenly felt absence, I thought it would be useful to list the missing volumes here, and to update the list whenever I become aware of any other such title.
- Bahnsen, Gregory L. Van Til's Apologetic: Readings and Analysis. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1998.
- Beasley-Murray, George Raymond. Revelation (New Century Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.
- Berkhof, Louis. Principles of Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1950.
- Calhoun, David. Princeton Seminary, vol. I: Faith and Learning, 1812-1868. Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1996.
- Calhoun, David. Princeton Seminary, vol II: The Majestic Testimony, 1869-1929. Carlisle: Banner of Truth, 1996.
- Frame, John M. Cornelius Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1995.
- Meier, J. P. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, vol. 1. Garden City: Doubleday, 1991.
- Poythress, Vern S. The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1995.
- Stonehouse, Ned B. J. Gresham Machen: A Biographical Memoir. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954.
- Strauss, Mark L. Distorting Scripture? The Challenge of Bible Translation & Gender Accuracy. Downers Grove: IVP, 1998.
- Harrison, R. K. Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969.
- Moore, George Foot. Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era: The Age of the Tannaim (vols. I & II). Cambridge: Harvard, 1927.
- Nobbs, A. Ancient History in a Modern University: Festschrift for E. A. Judge, vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.
This concludes our bibliographical rundown through the Year of Our Lord 2008, which I hope was every bit as enjoyable for you as it was for me!
__________________________
Note:
1In the delightfully titled chapter 10 (“The Expurgated Scripture”) of his book After Modernity… What? Agenda for Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989), page 140.
