In the second of two volumes on the Gospel of Luke, Darrell L. Bock leads readers through all aspects of the third Gospel--sociological, historical, and theological. Bock's two volumes on the Gospel of Luke are the inaugural volumes of the acclaimed BECNT series. As with all BECNT volumes, Luke features the author's own translation of the Greek text, detailed interaction with the original text, and a user-friendly design.
Darrell L. Bock is a New Testament scholar and research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, United States. Bock received his PhD from Scotland's University of Aberdeen.
Careful commentary, very much a classic standard reference. Helpful in pointing out OT allusions, and some first century Palestine cultural contexts.
The sections on historicity and sources of each pericope are tiresome and often silly. I understand the felt need to address questions of the reliability and historicity of events of Jesus' life, given the objections made in academic circles. But the need to address those questions often distracts from attending to the unity and building argument of Luke's gospel.
Used in preparing to preach Luke in 2021, 2022, 2023
If you can only get one commentary on Luke, then this is the one to get. It is a massive tome that is close to 2000 pages. It is technical enough that I wouldn't recommend this one to the average church goer but it is still pastoral. I find most technical commentaries to be boring and exhausting which this one avoids. There is a reason it was considered the standard book for Luke. Despite being older I think it still lives up to its reputation.
Comprehensive, balanced, reliable. Lived up to the hype as the best commentary on Luke. Imposing length - I made friends with the shaded introductions/conclusions for each passage when necessary, which do a good job at summarising Bock's key conclusions if time is limited.
I simply cannot recommend this commentary more. Having preached through the Gospel of Luke for the past two years, Bock's commentary rises above all others (that I have referenced) in balancing the tedious work of exposition with practicality. Whatever you are looking for, this commentary has it.
Excellent; well laid out for practical and meaningful study. Deals with arguments, authenticity and historical issues with precision and simple clarity; great summaries to pull together the important threads for each section. This commentary is a most useful tool for pastoral study.
If you're looking for a comprehensive but comprehensible commentary on Luke, you'll hardly find better than these two volumes. It was indispensable as I taught through Luke. Highly recommended.
One of the best commentaries I've used while preaching through Luke for two years. The commentary is lengthy and detailed, making it difficult to consult in full on each passage, but very helpful when detail is needed to help weigh various interpretive options. Bock is very good when it comes to presenting opposing and alternative options and weighing their pros and cons.
A bit of a heavy read if you don't know what you're getting into. Honestly, the material is so thorough that I'm going to have to reference it several times to fully understand what I read. The information is rich and the message is clear. I'm grateful that I got the opportunity to examine the book of Luke so closely.