Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

The Bible stands in a category of its own among world literature. How you view the Bible, however, depends on what spectacles you are wearing. Like statistics, the Bible can be used to prove almost anything. As a result Bible commentaries are notorious for giving the author's particular angle on the Bible as if it is the only viewpoint. In the case of The Oxford Bible Commentary the angle is objectively academic. John Muddiman and John Barton are the pair of Oxford dons who have put together the latest weighty book of Biblical scholarship. Happily, they are aware of the limitations of academic comment and don't pretend the book is more than it is.

Contributing scholars are mostly British and American and most of them come from a mainstream Protestant background. The articles are therefore polished, precise and professionally pedantic. No one can fault the meticulous scholarship and wealth of detailed content. That's just what you want from a hefty Bible commentary. On the other hand, what can strike you when dipping into this tome is how slippery Biblical scholarship has become. At the turn of the last century Biblical criticism shot fundamentalism full of holes, but the new generation of scholars have now shot the certainties of old-fashioned Biblical criticism full of holes. As a result the articles exhibit an odd mix of solid content with honest supposition, guesswork and shoulder shrugging. This actually makes the book better. It's refreshing to read academics who admit their uncertainties. Their honesty allows some questions to remain open-ended, and that's exciting for any serious Biblical student. -- Dwight Longenecker

Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

Really very helpful, 03 Jul 2008
Having completed a lay preachers course in the Christian Church I have been looking for a one volume commentary. Have now found it!
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise (but rather heavy), written by well informed experts commentary. It gives a great verse-by-verse discuss of the whole Bible.

A great starting point fot study and sermon preparation.


An excellent commentary on the Christian bible, 15 Oct 2001
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise, expert commentary, providing useful verse-by-verse explanation of the Christian religious book.

The commentary encompasses all books recognised as canonical in any of the western churches of Christianity, and also includes excerpts from books in other canons. The advanced bible scholar may additionally wish to refer to more specialist textbooks for detailed insight into specific topics or individual biblical books.

This is among the most authoritative Bible commentaries available. The reader will appreciate the expertise of the distinguished contributors, their concise verse explanations, thorough verse cross-references, and critical approach. The book is intuitively structured throughout and, despite the large size of this volume, easy to navigate.

It is a helpful aide toward informed reading of the Bible for any reason - religious, theological, historical, literary, or general interest. An extensive bibliographic resource and relevant maps complement the text.

A good Bible commentary such as this is highly enlightening. Each verse in the Bible suddenly makes much more sense in the light of expert explanation. In reading the Bible without the benefit of well-informed commentary, essential considerations such as the historical context, and relationships between verses, are almost certainly overlooked. While opinions expressed in this commentary are objective, they are frequently conservative and tend to be representative of mainstream or orthodox thought.

The OBC is a huge, high quality reference textbook, with a proportionate price-tag, and I fervently commend it to anyone with a serious interest in the Christian scripture.

Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

Really very helpful, 03 Jul 2008
Having completed a lay preachers course in the Christian Church I have been looking for a one volume commentary. Have now found it!
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise (but rather heavy), written by well informed experts commentary. It gives a great verse-by-verse discuss of the whole Bible.

A great starting point fot study and sermon preparation.


An excellent commentary on the Christian bible, 15 Oct 2001
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise, expert commentary, providing useful verse-by-verse explanation of the Christian religious book.

The commentary encompasses all books recognised as canonical in any of the western churches of Christianity, and also includes excerpts from books in other canons. The advanced bible scholar may additionally wish to refer to more specialist textbooks for detailed insight into specific topics or individual biblical books.

This is among the most authoritative Bible commentaries available. The reader will appreciate the expertise of the distinguished contributors, their concise verse explanations, thorough verse cross-references, and critical approach. The book is intuitively structured throughout and, despite the large size of this volume, easy to navigate.

It is a helpful aide toward informed reading of the Bible for any reason - religious, theological, historical, literary, or general interest. An extensive bibliographic resource and relevant maps complement the text.

A good Bible commentary such as this is highly enlightening. Each verse in the Bible suddenly makes much more sense in the light of expert explanation. In reading the Bible without the benefit of well-informed commentary, essential considerations such as the historical context, and relationships between verses, are almost certainly overlooked. While opinions expressed in this commentary are objective, they are frequently conservative and tend to be representative of mainstream or orthodox thought.

The OBC is a huge, high quality reference textbook, with a proportionate price-tag, and I fervently commend it to anyone with a serious interest in the Christian scripture.







The Kingdom of God, 28 Jan 2008
"God's Big Picture" traces the storyline of the Bible and reveals how all of it's different parts fit together into one unifying whole. The book takes the reader from the Creation in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation and demonstrates how all the bits in between are all discrete yet coherent parts of God's overall plan to undo the effects of the Fall and to destroy evil forever.I think that this book will be of assistance to any reader who is studying the Bible and may be struggling to make sense of some or all of it; "God's Big Picture" will undoubtedly help to make things clearer.The book is easy to read and is concise , however it does cover similar ground to and share common themes with one of the author's other books ,"Turning Points".

Brilliant Bible overview, 06 Apr 2005
Vaughan Roberts Bible overview is very helpful in getting the big picture of the theme of kingdom throughout the Bible. The eight chapters work through the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation using Goldsworthy's God's people in God's place under God's rule. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful summary table with the progression from Eden to the New Heaven and the New Earth. The book is scholarly without being difficult to read and provides an excellent introduction to God's Big Picture. Use of the accompanying study material will benefit the reader in being able to delve deeper into the Bible to examine each theme.
In short an excellent big picture of God's plan and its working out in history. I have read it and will keep it to continually refer to again and use with individuals, small groups and in teaching larger groups.

Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

Really very helpful, 03 Jul 2008
Having completed a lay preachers course in the Christian Church I have been looking for a one volume commentary. Have now found it!
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise (but rather heavy), written by well informed experts commentary. It gives a great verse-by-verse discuss of the whole Bible.

A great starting point fot study and sermon preparation.


An excellent commentary on the Christian bible, 15 Oct 2001
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise, expert commentary, providing useful verse-by-verse explanation of the Christian religious book.

The commentary encompasses all books recognised as canonical in any of the western churches of Christianity, and also includes excerpts from books in other canons. The advanced bible scholar may additionally wish to refer to more specialist textbooks for detailed insight into specific topics or individual biblical books.

This is among the most authoritative Bible commentaries available. The reader will appreciate the expertise of the distinguished contributors, their concise verse explanations, thorough verse cross-references, and critical approach. The book is intuitively structured throughout and, despite the large size of this volume, easy to navigate.

It is a helpful aide toward informed reading of the Bible for any reason - religious, theological, historical, literary, or general interest. An extensive bibliographic resource and relevant maps complement the text.

A good Bible commentary such as this is highly enlightening. Each verse in the Bible suddenly makes much more sense in the light of expert explanation. In reading the Bible without the benefit of well-informed commentary, essential considerations such as the historical context, and relationships between verses, are almost certainly overlooked. While opinions expressed in this commentary are objective, they are frequently conservative and tend to be representative of mainstream or orthodox thought.

The OBC is a huge, high quality reference textbook, with a proportionate price-tag, and I fervently commend it to anyone with a serious interest in the Christian scripture.







The Kingdom of God, 28 Jan 2008
"God's Big Picture" traces the storyline of the Bible and reveals how all of it's different parts fit together into one unifying whole. The book takes the reader from the Creation in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation and demonstrates how all the bits in between are all discrete yet coherent parts of God's overall plan to undo the effects of the Fall and to destroy evil forever.I think that this book will be of assistance to any reader who is studying the Bible and may be struggling to make sense of some or all of it; "God's Big Picture" will undoubtedly help to make things clearer.The book is easy to read and is concise , however it does cover similar ground to and share common themes with one of the author's other books ,"Turning Points".

Brilliant Bible overview, 06 Apr 2005
Vaughan Roberts Bible overview is very helpful in getting the big picture of the theme of kingdom throughout the Bible. The eight chapters work through the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation using Goldsworthy's God's people in God's place under God's rule. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful summary table with the progression from Eden to the New Heaven and the New Earth. The book is scholarly without being difficult to read and provides an excellent introduction to God's Big Picture. Use of the accompanying study material will benefit the reader in being able to delve deeper into the Bible to examine each theme.
In short an excellent big picture of God's plan and its working out in history. I have read it and will keep it to continually refer to again and use with individuals, small groups and in teaching larger groups.

Essential reading for all truth seekers., 24 May 2008
I would highly recommend this book to all - Yogis, non-Yogis, Christians and non-Christians.

This book is a synopsis of the original larger two volume set that Yogananda wrote, in which he gave his interpretation of the four gospels - verse by verse.
Although it is a small book and can be read quickly, I have found it needs to be read (and reread) slowly so that it's inner wisdom can be better revealed.
I am inspired to read his larger work.

Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

Really very helpful, 03 Jul 2008
Having completed a lay preachers course in the Christian Church I have been looking for a one volume commentary. Have now found it!
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise (but rather heavy), written by well informed experts commentary. It gives a great verse-by-verse discuss of the whole Bible.

A great starting point fot study and sermon preparation.


An excellent commentary on the Christian bible, 15 Oct 2001
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise, expert commentary, providing useful verse-by-verse explanation of the Christian religious book.

The commentary encompasses all books recognised as canonical in any of the western churches of Christianity, and also includes excerpts from books in other canons. The advanced bible scholar may additionally wish to refer to more specialist textbooks for detailed insight into specific topics or individual biblical books.

This is among the most authoritative Bible commentaries available. The reader will appreciate the expertise of the distinguished contributors, their concise verse explanations, thorough verse cross-references, and critical approach. The book is intuitively structured throughout and, despite the large size of this volume, easy to navigate.

It is a helpful aide toward informed reading of the Bible for any reason - religious, theological, historical, literary, or general interest. An extensive bibliographic resource and relevant maps complement the text.

A good Bible commentary such as this is highly enlightening. Each verse in the Bible suddenly makes much more sense in the light of expert explanation. In reading the Bible without the benefit of well-informed commentary, essential considerations such as the historical context, and relationships between verses, are almost certainly overlooked. While opinions expressed in this commentary are objective, they are frequently conservative and tend to be representative of mainstream or orthodox thought.

The OBC is a huge, high quality reference textbook, with a proportionate price-tag, and I fervently commend it to anyone with a serious interest in the Christian scripture.







The Kingdom of God, 28 Jan 2008
"God's Big Picture" traces the storyline of the Bible and reveals how all of it's different parts fit together into one unifying whole. The book takes the reader from the Creation in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation and demonstrates how all the bits in between are all discrete yet coherent parts of God's overall plan to undo the effects of the Fall and to destroy evil forever.I think that this book will be of assistance to any reader who is studying the Bible and may be struggling to make sense of some or all of it; "God's Big Picture" will undoubtedly help to make things clearer.The book is easy to read and is concise , however it does cover similar ground to and share common themes with one of the author's other books ,"Turning Points".

Brilliant Bible overview, 06 Apr 2005
Vaughan Roberts Bible overview is very helpful in getting the big picture of the theme of kingdom throughout the Bible. The eight chapters work through the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation using Goldsworthy's God's people in God's place under God's rule. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful summary table with the progression from Eden to the New Heaven and the New Earth. The book is scholarly without being difficult to read and provides an excellent introduction to God's Big Picture. Use of the accompanying study material will benefit the reader in being able to delve deeper into the Bible to examine each theme.
In short an excellent big picture of God's plan and its working out in history. I have read it and will keep it to continually refer to again and use with individuals, small groups and in teaching larger groups.

Essential reading for all truth seekers., 24 May 2008
I would highly recommend this book to all - Yogis, non-Yogis, Christians and non-Christians.

This book is a synopsis of the original larger two volume set that Yogananda wrote, in which he gave his interpretation of the four gospels - verse by verse.
Although it is a small book and can be read quickly, I have found it needs to be read (and reread) slowly so that it's inner wisdom can be better revealed.
I am inspired to read his larger work.

Brings the Psalms to life!, 27 Mar 2000
I have always found a study of the Psalms extremely difficult, but this book really brings a full, open meaning to them. It opens - up the Psalms from those so often 'chanted' according to the Psalter and which become dirges. Brueggemann really explains them and had allowed me to use them in my personal offices.

Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

Really very helpful, 03 Jul 2008
Having completed a lay preachers course in the Christian Church I have been looking for a one volume commentary. Have now found it!
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise (but rather heavy), written by well informed experts commentary. It gives a great verse-by-verse discuss of the whole Bible.

A great starting point fot study and sermon preparation.


An excellent commentary on the Christian bible, 15 Oct 2001
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise, expert commentary, providing useful verse-by-verse explanation of the Christian religious book.

The commentary encompasses all books recognised as canonical in any of the western churches of Christianity, and also includes excerpts from books in other canons. The advanced bible scholar may additionally wish to refer to more specialist textbooks for detailed insight into specific topics or individual biblical books.

This is among the most authoritative Bible commentaries available. The reader will appreciate the expertise of the distinguished contributors, their concise verse explanations, thorough verse cross-references, and critical approach. The book is intuitively structured throughout and, despite the large size of this volume, easy to navigate.

It is a helpful aide toward informed reading of the Bible for any reason - religious, theological, historical, literary, or general interest. An extensive bibliographic resource and relevant maps complement the text.

A good Bible commentary such as this is highly enlightening. Each verse in the Bible suddenly makes much more sense in the light of expert explanation. In reading the Bible without the benefit of well-informed commentary, essential considerations such as the historical context, and relationships between verses, are almost certainly overlooked. While opinions expressed in this commentary are objective, they are frequently conservative and tend to be representative of mainstream or orthodox thought.

The OBC is a huge, high quality reference textbook, with a proportionate price-tag, and I fervently commend it to anyone with a serious interest in the Christian scripture.







The Kingdom of God, 28 Jan 2008
"God's Big Picture" traces the storyline of the Bible and reveals how all of it's different parts fit together into one unifying whole. The book takes the reader from the Creation in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation and demonstrates how all the bits in between are all discrete yet coherent parts of God's overall plan to undo the effects of the Fall and to destroy evil forever.I think that this book will be of assistance to any reader who is studying the Bible and may be struggling to make sense of some or all of it; "God's Big Picture" will undoubtedly help to make things clearer.The book is easy to read and is concise , however it does cover similar ground to and share common themes with one of the author's other books ,"Turning Points".

Brilliant Bible overview, 06 Apr 2005
Vaughan Roberts Bible overview is very helpful in getting the big picture of the theme of kingdom throughout the Bible. The eight chapters work through the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation using Goldsworthy's God's people in God's place under God's rule. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful summary table with the progression from Eden to the New Heaven and the New Earth. The book is scholarly without being difficult to read and provides an excellent introduction to God's Big Picture. Use of the accompanying study material will benefit the reader in being able to delve deeper into the Bible to examine each theme.
In short an excellent big picture of God's plan and its working out in history. I have read it and will keep it to continually refer to again and use with individuals, small groups and in teaching larger groups.

Essential reading for all truth seekers., 24 May 2008
I would highly recommend this book to all - Yogis, non-Yogis, Christians and non-Christians.

This book is a synopsis of the original larger two volume set that Yogananda wrote, in which he gave his interpretation of the four gospels - verse by verse.
Although it is a small book and can be read quickly, I have found it needs to be read (and reread) slowly so that it's inner wisdom can be better revealed.
I am inspired to read his larger work.

Brings the Psalms to life!, 27 Mar 2000
I have always found a study of the Psalms extremely difficult, but this book really brings a full, open meaning to them. It opens - up the Psalms from those so often 'chanted' according to the Psalter and which become dirges. Brueggemann really explains them and had allowed me to use them in my personal offices.

alter, the five books of moses, 21 Dec 2007
This book reveals just how much more there is to learn from an area that has been worked through from century to century. An indispensible guide to those who wish to learn, with new insights into the OT on every page.

Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

Really very helpful, 03 Jul 2008
Having completed a lay preachers course in the Christian Church I have been looking for a one volume commentary. Have now found it!
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise (but rather heavy), written by well informed experts commentary. It gives a great verse-by-verse discuss of the whole Bible.

A great starting point fot study and sermon preparation.


An excellent commentary on the Christian bible, 15 Oct 2001
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise, expert commentary, providing useful verse-by-verse explanation of the Christian religious book.

The commentary encompasses all books recognised as canonical in any of the western churches of Christianity, and also includes excerpts from books in other canons. The advanced bible scholar may additionally wish to refer to more specialist textbooks for detailed insight into specific topics or individual biblical books.

This is among the most authoritative Bible commentaries available. The reader will appreciate the expertise of the distinguished contributors, their concise verse explanations, thorough verse cross-references, and critical approach. The book is intuitively structured throughout and, despite the large size of this volume, easy to navigate.

It is a helpful aide toward informed reading of the Bible for any reason - religious, theological, historical, literary, or general interest. An extensive bibliographic resource and relevant maps complement the text.

A good Bible commentary such as this is highly enlightening. Each verse in the Bible suddenly makes much more sense in the light of expert explanation. In reading the Bible without the benefit of well-informed commentary, essential considerations such as the historical context, and relationships between verses, are almost certainly overlooked. While opinions expressed in this commentary are objective, they are frequently conservative and tend to be representative of mainstream or orthodox thought.

The OBC is a huge, high quality reference textbook, with a proportionate price-tag, and I fervently commend it to anyone with a serious interest in the Christian scripture.







The Kingdom of God, 28 Jan 2008
"God's Big Picture" traces the storyline of the Bible and reveals how all of it's different parts fit together into one unifying whole. The book takes the reader from the Creation in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation and demonstrates how all the bits in between are all discrete yet coherent parts of God's overall plan to undo the effects of the Fall and to destroy evil forever.I think that this book will be of assistance to any reader who is studying the Bible and may be struggling to make sense of some or all of it; "God's Big Picture" will undoubtedly help to make things clearer.The book is easy to read and is concise , however it does cover similar ground to and share common themes with one of the author's other books ,"Turning Points".

Brilliant Bible overview, 06 Apr 2005
Vaughan Roberts Bible overview is very helpful in getting the big picture of the theme of kingdom throughout the Bible. The eight chapters work through the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation using Goldsworthy's God's people in God's place under God's rule. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful summary table with the progression from Eden to the New Heaven and the New Earth. The book is scholarly without being difficult to read and provides an excellent introduction to God's Big Picture. Use of the accompanying study material will benefit the reader in being able to delve deeper into the Bible to examine each theme.
In short an excellent big picture of God's plan and its working out in history. I have read it and will keep it to continually refer to again and use with individuals, small groups and in teaching larger groups.

Essential reading for all truth seekers., 24 May 2008
I would highly recommend this book to all - Yogis, non-Yogis, Christians and non-Christians.

This book is a synopsis of the original larger two volume set that Yogananda wrote, in which he gave his interpretation of the four gospels - verse by verse.
Although it is a small book and can be read quickly, I have found it needs to be read (and reread) slowly so that it's inner wisdom can be better revealed.
I am inspired to read his larger work.

Brings the Psalms to life!, 27 Mar 2000
I have always found a study of the Psalms extremely difficult, but this book really brings a full, open meaning to them. It opens - up the Psalms from those so often 'chanted' according to the Psalter and which become dirges. Brueggemann really explains them and had allowed me to use them in my personal offices.

alter, the five books of moses, 21 Dec 2007
This book reveals just how much more there is to learn from an area that has been worked through from century to century. An indispensible guide to those who wish to learn, with new insights into the OT on every page.

Still the best one volume bible commentary, 20 Jun 2003
First published in 1953, the New Bible Commentary has been revised and updated 4 times. It has been and still is, the best one volume Bible commentary available. To cover all 66 books of the bible means that some detail must be sacrificed, but the authors capture the flow of the argument in each book well, and also have time to discuss important and controversial issues.

Many of the articles are written by people with best-selling full-length commentaries on the books they were assigned. So you get G J Wenham on Genesis and Peter O'Brien on Colossians, for example.

Highly recommended.

If you would like this book at a bargain price, with 17 other helpful books, including the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, Sinclair Ferguson's New Dictionary of Theology, the New Bible Dictionary and the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Amazon also sells the Essential IVP Reference Collection CD ROM.

Descriptive commentary from a strong educational source -IVP, 02 Sep 2001
The scholars who have contributed to this sterling commentary are clearly people after the heart of the truth in the Bible. The writings are from various times, and have been updated regularly and revised to keep the style relevant to the modern reader. Although the quotations are from the NIV, the commentary does not glue itself to any particular translation. Rather it seeks to determine the most likely from a number of sources - often explaining how some translations do not offer a meaning as passionate as the original text.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE seeking to learn more about their Bible. It is non denominational, it does not seek to conclude on issues, only to clarify what the writers of the bible appear to mean, by demystifying the problems with reading what can be hard to understand through the veil of translation into English.

This is one book that I have next to my bible 95% of the time, and CONSTANTLY turn to it. Interestingly enough, I find I cannot separate my Bible from it, as when I am reading the commentary it makes clear the woven tapestry that the Bible is, it does this by making one think of OTHER portions than the one that may be under discussion. It is self referential and is therefore confident in that which it describes, and it mirrors the Bible very well in this.

Its a GREAT book that leaves no stone unturned, and completely follows the books of both Old and New Testament.

I would (and did) choose this one over ANY other Bible study book.

Fascinating pre-New Testament writings..., 25 Oct 2007
This has been gathering dust on my shelf for a few years now, and I've only just got round to reading it. The five books of 1st Enoch range from the utterly fascinating to sure-fire cures for insomnia.

Written between the old and new testaments, it gives a fascinating insight into what some Jewish groups believed at that time (for example, several editions of Enoch were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.)

Anyone with an interest in the New Testament could learn a lot by reading Enoch. Attitudes of people in the gospels have clearly been coloured by the content and even vocabulary of Enoch. And, of course, it's even quoted in Jude and 2 Peter. Parts of it are so startlingly similar to the book of Revelation that it must surely have provided a visual vocabulary for the writer of that book.

For the background and relevance of Enoch, I *highly* recommend "Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period" by Larry R Helyer. It provides a great survey of a wide range of this and other books, from the 'Testament of Moses' to Josephus, and from the Dead Sea scrolls to Philo - and much more!

History of the angels, 14 Jun 2003
A good formerly heretical work, that details the SECOND FALL of the angels, and early human pre-history from a biblical perspective. the work at points includes parralels where differences have arrisen between two available translations.
The book has the journey of enoch through the heavens a truely epic view of heaven not often found in scripture, and also details the workings of cosmology to primitive humans. The main attraction for me was the details of the angelic nature and society something only breifly delt with at best if at all. The only other strong direct references would be in Ezekiel, Daniel and Isaiah. Good for an theologian or personw ishing to expand there spiritual understanding.

A much neglected key to a better understanding., 12 Jun 2002
This impressive translation is a true masterpieceand worthy of the uttermost attention. Any book that had the Church "Fathers" as spooked as this one did demands to be read. Unlike the mostly ridiculous Gnosic gospels also excluded from the Bible, this ancient Jewish text carries a divine authority that demands it be taken seriously. The very fact that the prophecies of Enoch were fulfilled to the letter in the timeframes suggested, should be reason enough for Christans to want to study it. The prophecy concerning the judgement of a wicked generation, seventy generations from Enoch (Christ's contemporary generation according to the gospel of Luke) found a devastating fulfillment in the fiery destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, exactly as Christ predicted would befall his own generation!The majority of Christians may not accept Enoch as scripture but clearly Christ and his disciples did and I'm sure that Christ would agree that the majority are rarely, if ever right. Why not read these texts for yourself and make up your own mind what you believe? Maybe, as more and more Christians explore the Jewish roots of their faith, true Christianity will be restored and the foundations of "Churchianity" will be trampled into the dust where they belong! A truly compelling read and I very much urge you to try it.

Standard edition of Enoch, 11 Jun 2002
For those that are not familiar with Book of Enoch, in brief, it is a 3rd-2nd Century BC Jewish text based on an imaginative expansion of Genesis 6:2 (the sons of God and the daughters of men), which tells the story of 200 angels intermarrying with human women prior to the flood, and was something of a bestseller in the days of Jesus and the apostles. It was kept firmly out of the New Testament canon but survived in Egypt and Ethiopia, to be rediscovered by western scholars in the Victorian era. In 1948 fragments of up to 7 copies were found in Qumran, where they had been buried since AD69.

Since the work was first made available to the general public (notably in this edition reprinted here) it has attracted a growing following among those who find the Bible lacking in the angels-and-sex department.

I should make clear that the 3 stars given here are for the work of R.H. Charles, a very serious and respectable scholar in his day, and not for the content of the Book of Enoch itself. Although this work is now out of copyright the advantage of buying a reprint by the original publishers in 1910, SPCK, is that you get Charles' necessary introduction. There is a more modern translation in Charlesworth's two-volume edition of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday), however the fragments of Enoch found in the Dead Sea Scrolls have not made as much of an impact on Book of Enoch as one might imagine - the primary source text being Coptic.

If I was asked to rate the book itself I would give it the minimum 1 star as given by the apostle Peter's review of the Book of Enoch in 2Peter 2:16 "cleverly devised tales" and 2:3 "false words".

It is true that Jude quotes from the Book of Enoch, but the bit he quotes happens to be the only part directly drawn from the Old Testament(Jude 14 = 1 Enoch 1:9 = Deuteronomy 33:2). Jude's comment that Michael would not accuse fallen angels is also related to Book of Enoch, because in Enoch he does exactly what Jude says never happened.

And fascinating reading for anyone else..., 11 Oct 2001
I would simply like to endorse everything written by the previous reviewer. I came across this text by accident while gathering research for a project which at first bore very little connection with its themes. It took hold of my imagination, and soon became pivotal. And there it sits, quietly overlooked, burning ferociously. A dramatic eye-opener.

Really very helpful, 03 Jul 2008
Having completed a lay preachers course in the Christian Church I have been looking for a one volume commentary. Have now found it!
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise (but rather heavy), written by well informed experts commentary. It gives a great verse-by-verse discuss of the whole Bible.

A great starting point fot study and sermon preparation.


An excellent commentary on the Christian bible, 15 Oct 2001
The Oxford Bible Commentary is a concise, expert commentary, providing useful verse-by-verse explanation of the Christian religious book.

The commentary encompasses all books recognised as canonical in any of the western churches of Christianity, and also includes excerpts from books in other canons. The advanced bible scholar may additionally wish to refer to more specialist textbooks for detailed insight into specific topics or individual biblical books.

This is among the most authoritative Bible commentaries available. The reader will appreciate the expertise of the distinguished contributors, their concise verse explanations, thorough verse cross-references, and critical approach. The book is intuitively structured throughout and, despite the large size of this volume, easy to navigate.

It is a helpful aide toward informed reading of the Bible for any reason - religious, theological, historical, literary, or general interest. An extensive bibliographic resource and relevant maps complement the text.

A good Bible commentary such as this is highly enlightening. Each verse in the Bible suddenly makes much more sense in the light of expert explanation. In reading the Bible without the benefit of well-informed commentary, essential considerations such as the historical context, and relationships between verses, are almost certainly overlooked. While opinions expressed in this commentary are objective, they are frequently conservative and tend to be representative of mainstream or orthodox thought.

The OBC is a huge, high quality reference textbook, with a proportionate price-tag, and I fervently commend it to anyone with a serious interest in the Christian scripture.







The Kingdom of God, 28 Jan 2008
"God's Big Picture" traces the storyline of the Bible and reveals how all of it's different parts fit together into one unifying whole. The book takes the reader from the Creation in Genesis to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation and demonstrates how all the bits in between are all discrete yet coherent parts of God's overall plan to undo the effects of the Fall and to destroy evil forever.I think that this book will be of assistance to any reader who is studying the Bible and may be struggling to make sense of some or all of it; "God's Big Picture" will undoubtedly help to make things clearer.The book is easy to read and is concise , however it does cover similar ground to and share common themes with one of the author's other books ,"Turning Points".

Brilliant Bible overview, 06 Apr 2005
Vaughan Roberts Bible overview is very helpful in getting the big picture of the theme of kingdom throughout the Bible. The eight chapters work through the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation using Goldsworthy's God's people in God's place under God's rule. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful summary table with the progression from Eden to the New Heaven and the New Earth. The book is scholarly without being difficult to read and provides an excellent introduction to God's Big Picture. Use of the accompanying study material will benefit the reader in being able to delve deeper into the Bible to examine each theme.
In short an excellent big picture of God's plan and its working out in history. I have read it and will keep it to continually refer to again and use with individuals, small groups and in teaching larger groups.

Essential reading for all truth seekers., 24 May 2008
I would highly recommend this book to all - Yogis, non-Yogis, Christians and non-Christians.

This book is a synopsis of the original larger two volume set that Yogananda wrote, in which he gave his interpretation of the four gospels - verse by verse.
Although it is a small book and can be read quickly, I have found it needs to be read (and reread) slowly so that it's inner wisdom can be better revealed.
I am inspired to read his larger work.

Brings the Psalms to life!, 27 Mar 2000
I have always found a study of the Psalms extremely difficult, but this book really brings a full, open meaning to them. It opens - up the Psalms from those so often 'chanted' according to the Psalter and which become dirges. Brueggemann really explains them and had allowed me to use them in my personal offices.

alter, the five books of moses, 21 Dec 2007
This book reveals just how much more there is to learn from an area that has been worked through from century to century. An indispensible guide to those who wish to learn, with new insights into the OT on every page.

Still the best one volume bible commentary, 20 Jun 2003
First published in 1953, the New Bible Commentary has been revised and updated 4 times. It has been and still is, the best one volume Bible commentary available. To cover all 66 books of the bible means that some detail must be sacrificed, but the authors capture the flow of the argument in each book well, and also have time to discuss important and controversial issues.

Many of the articles are written by people with best-selling full-length commentaries on the books they were assigned. So you get G J Wenham on Genesis and Peter O'Brien on Colossians, for example.

Highly recommended.

If you would like this book at a bargain price, with 17 other helpful books, including the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, Sinclair Ferguson's New Dictionary of Theology, the New Bible Dictionary and the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Amazon also sells the Essential IVP Reference Collection CD ROM.

Descriptive commentary from a strong educational source -IVP, 02 Sep 2001
The scholars who have contributed to this sterling commentary are clearly people after the heart of the truth in the Bible. The writings are from various times, and have been updated regularly and revised to keep the style relevant to the modern reader. Although the quotations are from the NIV, the commentary does not glue itself to any particular translation. Rather it seeks to determine the most likely from a number of sources - often explaining how some translations do not offer a meaning as passionate as the original text.

I would recommend this book to ANYONE seeking to learn more about their Bible. It is non denominational, it does not seek to conclude on issues, only to clarify what the writers of the bible appear to mean, by demystifying the problems with reading what can be hard to understand through the veil of translation into English.

This is one book that I have next to my bible 95% of the time, and CONSTANTLY turn to it. Interestingly enough, I find I cannot separate my Bible from it, as when I am reading the commentary it makes clear the woven tapestry that the Bible is, it does this by making one think of OTHER portions than the one that may be under discussion. It is self referential and is therefore confident in that which it describes, and it mirrors the Bible very well in this.

Its a GREAT book that leaves no stone unturned, and completely follows the books of both Old and New Testament.

I would (and did) choose this one over ANY other Bible study book.

DO NOT accept any commentary that attributes error to Sacred Scriptures, 13 Mar 2007
Although a comprehensive and readable commentary there is a fatal flaw in which the late Raymond Brown cleverly attacks the Bible's inerrancy.
On page 1169, section 72:14 the NJBC leaves out a crucial part of a sentence from Dei Verbum when it states:

'On inerrancy Vatican II made an important qualification as our italics indicate: 'The Books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error "that truth which God wanted put into the sacred writings for the sake of our salvation" '.

However the full sentence from $11 of Dei Verbum begins:

'Therefore since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that...the Books of Scripture...etc....'

The NJBC then argues against the Church teaching it just omitted: 'Some have tried to interpret ["the phrase in double quotes"] to cover everything the human author expressed; but pre-voting shows an awareness of errors in the Bible'

BUT that's EXACTLY what the omitted passage says: "everything asserted by the human authors or sacred writers is asserted by the Holy Spirit!"

And, of course pre-voting debates are utterly irrelevant. What matters is what the FINALLY APPROVED document teaches. The NJBC doesn't tell the reader that the "some" who interpret this passage to "cover everything asserted by the inspired authors" are the Holy Father and the bishops in union with him.

How, then, can the NJBC editors act as their own censors? Instead of submitting their work to objective scholars, they gave themselves a nihil obstat, officially declaring their own work to be free of errors in doctrine or morals.

Not liberal Slop but honest scholarship, 01 Sep 2005
This is a book that should not be ignored as we investigate and interpret Holy Scripture. The Church of Christ is facing real challenges today and these callenges will not be overcome by sinking our heads into the sands of irrational fundementalism.

If you can't afford a new copy buy a copy second hand and open up a collection of some of the finest thinking from modern, spirit filled, Christians.

A wonderful resource for theologians., 06 May 2001
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary: Student Edition has been a wonderful resource, that I have been able to use for my undergraduate theology essays and has also been a great aid for me when I have prepared sermons for the college Prayer Group. It is the second book that I use after the bible!! It is clear and easy to follow and a amazing resource edited by three top theologians.

A very good quality single volume bible commentary., 01 Nov 2000
St Jerome said "Igonorane to the bible is like ignorance to Christ", therefore the Catholic church has either set it's self up for a big fall (if the book leaves the reader igonorant)or been very clever in the naming of this book.

I feel the latter is true as the book gives the reader a wealth of information from many sources. It is clear, precise, easy to navigate and is a very interesting read.

liberal slop, 26 Jun 1999
The work is from a bunch of liberals. Most any other commenary surpasses it. Of note is their accusation that Luke was in error in Luke 2:1. These liberal Humanists in clerical dress are the ones in error. Don't waste ten cents on the work.