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Believers Church Bible Commentary
Ruth, Jonah, Esther
In three of the Bible's most compelling short stories, Eugene F. Roop draws attention to the distinctive narrative characteristics of these magnificent dramas. Such scrutiny opens new vistas of interpretation that can undergird the faith, life, and neighborly relations of the church. As we enter the world of these struggles and events, we will experience in the stories sorrow and laughter, hope and loyalty, and God's mercy and grace.
- GenresChristian
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 20, 2015
Roop has written a good commentary. This book (and series, I believe) has a Pietist traditional outlook. This is most noticeable in the author’s treatment of the poor, violence, and war. The commentary is well-laid out, broken up into subjects/topics in a logical way, and has a nice chapter at the end that deals with pertinent literary genres and other topics that pertain to the text in some fashion.
The book is not heavily scholarly, so it has been written for the average layperson. Roop brings some interesting perspectives to the books in question. In particular, I was moved to thoughtful consideration by his treatment of the association of God with evil in the section about Jonah.
Roop, for some reason, considers the Roman Catholic religion to be a part of Christianity and therefore includes some of its apocryphal writings as source material. I deduct one star for this. Otherwise, I think this commentary is fine. Unless you want only one perspective, commentaries should be used in tandem with other commentaries, and the inclusion of Catholic dogma herein makes this especially important with this commentary. Overall, I would say the quality of this commentary is average unless you are looking for a Pietist lens for scripture, in which case it would be great. I would be willing to read more in this series.
The book is not heavily scholarly, so it has been written for the average layperson. Roop brings some interesting perspectives to the books in question. In particular, I was moved to thoughtful consideration by his treatment of the association of God with evil in the section about Jonah.
Roop, for some reason, considers the Roman Catholic religion to be a part of Christianity and therefore includes some of its apocryphal writings as source material. I deduct one star for this. Otherwise, I think this commentary is fine. Unless you want only one perspective, commentaries should be used in tandem with other commentaries, and the inclusion of Catholic dogma herein makes this especially important with this commentary. Overall, I would say the quality of this commentary is average unless you are looking for a Pietist lens for scripture, in which case it would be great. I would be willing to read more in this series.
February 16, 2016
I'm not quite sure where to shelve this volume. My books are arranged, loosely, by Protestant canonical order. Eugene Roop's commentary on Ruth, Jonah, and Esther draws from all over the canon.
I'm sure I'll figure something out.
I picked up this RJE for a four-week series through Ruth. I've found this commentary to be quite helpful. The BCBC format, with excursive essays gathered in an appendix, provides a depth of background that many other short commentaries don't seem able to include. (An excursus of any length disrupts the flow of the text. Some, like the Belief series, meet this with text boxes. This is a good start.)
RJE is a pastoral commentary, drawing on enough scholarship to keep the preacher informed, but not delving deeply into every linguistic or historical feature of the text. I think it gets the balance about right.
I do wish the concluding "Text in Biblical Context" and "Text in the Life of the Church" sections at the end of each chapter were a bit more robust. Roop seems to have opted for "safer" options for most of these concluding topical reflections on the action of Ruth's story.
Overall, a good commentary to keep on the shelf. I'll look forward to using whenever I next preach in Jonah or Esther.
I'm sure I'll figure something out.
I picked up this RJE for a four-week series through Ruth. I've found this commentary to be quite helpful. The BCBC format, with excursive essays gathered in an appendix, provides a depth of background that many other short commentaries don't seem able to include. (An excursus of any length disrupts the flow of the text. Some, like the Belief series, meet this with text boxes. This is a good start.)
RJE is a pastoral commentary, drawing on enough scholarship to keep the preacher informed, but not delving deeply into every linguistic or historical feature of the text. I think it gets the balance about right.
I do wish the concluding "Text in Biblical Context" and "Text in the Life of the Church" sections at the end of each chapter were a bit more robust. Roop seems to have opted for "safer" options for most of these concluding topical reflections on the action of Ruth's story.
Overall, a good commentary to keep on the shelf. I'll look forward to using whenever I next preach in Jonah or Esther.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews