Hebrews

by John Owen, Alister E. McGrath (Series Editor), J.I. Packer (Introduction)

The author of Hebrews wanted his audience to know and understand one truth: Christ is superior, and therefore, so is Christianity. He demonstrates this by comparing the imperfect old covenant with

Genres: Theology, Reference, New Testament, Christian

272 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 1998

About the author

John Owen was an English theologian and "was without doubt not only the greatest theologian of the English Puritan movement but also one of the greatest European Reformed theologians of his day, and quite possibly possessed the finest theological mind that England ever produced" ("Owen, John", in Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals, p. 494)

Reviews

[Matt Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great yet brief commentary on the Book of Hebrews. It is less than 300 pages and consolidates what is written in a seven volume set, and each volume is 600 pages. Needless to say, it must be brief. There is much that is missed. The entire Crossway Classic Commentary set is like that. Of course, I wish it went into more detail but since it is a survey and so short it cannot do everything. I enjoyed that it kept much of the original language. It does not try to modernize or downplay Owen's errors (such as saying that Paul wrote Hebrews). I am very thankful for this tiny volume.

[Terence Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often times as I read this commentary, I am reminded of a conversation I heard about a seminary student. A professor asked a seminarian who was reading some commentaries, "Do you understand what you read?" The seminarian answers, "No. But when I read the Bible, the commentary makes more sense."

Do you get it? Normally we go to a commentary to help illuminate a difficult Bible passage. Here, it's the other way around. And I felt that many times reading this Owen book.

If you are going to spend money on this book as a reference, I would suggest getting a good Bible dictionary to do word studies. You can then use it to study other books, not just Hebrews.

If you want to study the Epistle to the Hebrews, there are options out there more suitable for devotional reading or technical reference. The original Owen commentary is fantastic as a technical reference if anyone could understand it. And I don't see anyone picking this book for devotional reading.

The way I see it, you should only read this commentary because you want a glimpse of John Owen's thoughts on Hebrews.

Or because you need to complete Tim Challies's Reading Challenge. He has a box you can tick after you read a book written by a Puritan. Like I said earlier, I am more satisfied than I should be that I finished John Owen's abridged commentary on Hebrews.

Full 3,028 word review: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast...

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful summary of John Owen's massive seven volume set, which is very intimidating. But you've got to leave out an awful lot to reduce it to 270 pages. Still, I appreciated the insights and it is a helpful and accessible tool.

[Vaclav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. When I teach the Bible I like to read something old and something new. This commentary and one by Calvin were my go-to old books on Hebrews.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear Calvinist perspective. Don't think any modern Calvinist would agree with him.