Joshua, Judges, Ruth: Old Testament Volume 4 (Volume 4)

Reformation Commentary on Scripture #4

by N. Scott Amos

"Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God." Ruth's response to her mother-in-law Naomi demonstrated both Ruth's loyalty to her family and her trust in God. The Reformers of the sixteenth century found theological significance in such Old Testament narratives. For example, German Lutheran pastor and theologian Johannes Brenz perceived in her confession a foreshadowing of the gospel: "Ruth the Moabitess is recorded in the genealogy of Christ, that it might be made known that Christ belongs not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles." In this volume of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture, N. Scott Amos guides readers through a wealth of early modern commentary on the Old Testament books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. Readers will hear from familiar voices and discover lesser-known figures from a diversity of theological traditions, including Lutherans, Reformed, Radicals, Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Drawing upon a variety of resources--from commentaries and sermons to treatises and confessions--much of which appears here for the first time in English, this volume provides resources for contemporary preachers, enables scholars to better understand the depth and breadth of Reformation commentary, and seeks to encourage all those who would, like Ruth, declare their allegiance to God.

Genres: Reference, Church History, Christian Non Fiction

450 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2020

About the author

N. Scott Amos (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is professor of history at the University of Lynchburg. He is the author of Bucer, Ephesians, and Biblical Humanism: The Exegete as Theologian and the coeditor of The Education of a Christian Society: Humanism and the Reformation in Britain and the Netherlands.

Reviews

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This latest volume of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture equals its predecessors in laying bear the contributions of the Reformation Era to the respective area of scripture. Somehow, at least in my opinion, this volume was a little more fun. Perhaps it is because the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth are at once unique and even controversial. What you will soon see is that passages that invite all sorts of wrestling among students had the same grappling with a text in the days of the Reformation. Particularly, some of those wild stories in the latter part of the Book of Judges prove for interpreters to run circles in trying to form an interpretation. From what I can see, we have not improved upon their commentating despite our decades of exegetical work.

Mr. Amos did a good job in the Introduction in describing his research. You will likely find answers to questions you will later have, like say, why are there fewer Anabaptist citations in this work compared to other RCS volumes. It’s simple if Mr. Amos is accurate. Very few Anabaptist authors tackled these books of the Bible. He lays out clearly what the Reformation had to offer in these three books from each strand of Reformation thinking.

The layout of this volume is identical to the others and Mr. Amos seems right at home in that setup. There are always many decisions to be made in what to put in and what to leave out, but I found many interesting contributions in what we find here. I enjoyed how he pointed out that whatever comments different Reformation personalities had about who wrote each of these books, that they had an overwhelming sense that the Holy Spirit was the ultimate author. I’m glad he didn’t scold these giants of biblical interpretation with modern gibberish.

This is a fine series that makes a distinct contribution and I find this one of the best books it has given us so far.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms · Rating 5 out of 5]

InterVarsity Press sent me a copy of "Reformation Commentary on Scripture - Old Testament Volume 4: Joshua, Judges, Ruth" in exchange for an honest review.

Christ's Church is a big and old family. The Bible is the book that has held this family together for centuries. As such, it is a very good thing to study how our forefathers read and understood the Bible. This present volume is one among many that aids us in being faithful students of church history. It presents the text of Scripture with commentary from theologians of mostly Reformed, Lutheran, and English sources, with some as well from Anabaptists and Roman Catholics. So we have an excellent resource on both Historical Theology and Comparative Theology. The attention to detail that these writers gave to these historical books is impressive and rigorous. This volume, and this series as a whole, is definitely worth checking out!