Biblesoft's Classic New Testament Studies is a definitive 31-volume collection that captures the viewpoints and commentary of the most important theological movements and opposing arguments of the late eighteenth through early twentieth centuries.
Introduction
to the New Testament, by Louis Berkhof An investigation of the history and purpose of the Gospels and Epistles in the
New Testament. Berkhof's sections begin with a brief outline followed by a
comprehensive look at the characteristics, authorship, composition, and
canonical significance of each New Testament book. Introduction relies on the findings of a wide range of New
Testament scholars including the early Church Fathers. Berkhof's references are
easy to navigate making this a prime text for student study, which it was
during Berkhof's tenure at Calvin Theological Seminary where he taught for
nearly 30 years.
The
Miracles of Jesus, by
Karl Beth A historical-critical and history-of-religion analysis
written in response the the more radical-skeptical 19th cent. treatments of the
'historical Jesus'. The author is firmly in the line of German scholarship
stemming from Harnack's historical research and writings on the transmission of
scripture through the early church fathers.
Causes
of the Corruption of the Traditional Text of the Gospels, by
John W. Burgon A valuable
treatment of New Testament textual criticism, especially the issue of textual
'corruption' resulting from the rise of variant readings from a late 19th cent.
perspective. The chapters provide a still-useful overview of the types and
causes of these variant readings, with many examples from the Gospels. The
author is also a strong adherent of the 'Majority Text', and a pronounced
opponent of the approach taken by Tischendorf, Westcott & Hort, etc., in
their critical editions of the New Testament.
The Last Twelve Verses of
the Gospel of Mark, by John W. Burgon A vigorous
and learned defense of the originality of the 'long ending' of Mark
(16:9-20). In Burgon's day, following the discovery of Codex Sinaiticus
[a] and Vaticanus [B], critical scholars were already doubting the
originality of these verses; despite Burgon's work of reviewing and
refuting all supposed evidence produced against these verses. He proves some
false, misconstrued, and none of any force in proving the verses anything but
genuine. No one has ever dared to answer Burgon point by point. Burgon
poses stubborn fact to which critics offer subjective opinions, circular
reasoning, but no facts. The
tide of opinion today is even further against him; evangelical scholars are
split on the question, tending toward the critical view.
The
Gospel According to St. Mark, by J. A. Chadwick A popular devotional/expository commentary
(from The Expositor's Bible).
Lectures
on the Acts of the Apostles, by John Dick A Scottish preacher and professor of
Theology, Dick's fame rests primarily on these Lectures on Acts, which were and
still are popular in published form. Expository, with some historical
background and detail provided.
The
Origin of the New Testament, by Adolf von Harnack Though titled "Origin of the New
Testament", this is really a study on the use of the New Testament text in
the Early Church, with the purpose of demonstrating that the New Testament
writings were already known and in use in the 2nd century A.D. Harnack and
Tischendorf perceived the need to refute the critical scholars of the 19th and
early 20th century who claimed that many of the NT books weren't written until
the 2nd century (or later). Harnack is foremost known as a Patristics scholar,
with pioneering work in the critical study of Church History and the History of
Dogma.
Commentary
on Ephesians, by
Charles Hodge Best known for his Systematic Theology, Hodge's New Testament
commentaries are still highly regarded in Reformed circles. This work on
Ephesians is extremely thorough and deals extensively with the Greek text.
The
Epistle of James, by
F. J. A. Hort A commentary based exclusively on the Greek text by one of the
foremost NT textual scholars (half of the team that produced the famous 1881
critical edition). Very detailed, with a thorough introduction; but the
commentary itself was unfinished due to the author's death.
Commentary on John, by Barton Warren Johnson a distinguished American
minister, probably best known for his People's New Testament, this Commentary
on the gospel of John is quite a thorough work. It is subtitled Volume 3
apparently of a larger NT commentary ("A Commentary for the People").
Dissertations
on Theological Subjects Connected with the Study of St. Paul's Epistles, by Benjamin Jowett A collection of
interesting essays touching on key theological points from Paul's epistles and
theology. Written largely from the standpoint of the History of Religions and
Philosophy, his scriptural interpretations were rather controversial at the
time from his perspective as a (somewhat unorthodox) Greek scholar who
specialized in the works of Plato.
The
Epistles of Peter An Expository Commentary on Both Epistles, by J. H. Jowett In this classic
study, distinguished
British/American pastor J.H. Jowett deals with passages which are at the same time
full of meaning and difficult in terms of interpretation. Jowett's skills of
interpretation are blended and expressed through the vehicle of a unique
literary style in a commentary that is both scholarly and devotional.
The
Friend on the Road and Other Studies in the Gospels, by J. H. Jowett A series of approx. 60
short homilies or sermon illustrations, very much in the simple devotional
style.
From the
Talmud and Hebraica,
by John Lightfoot From a landmark 6-vol. work, this is an exegetical
commentary on Gospel passages citing relevant background or supplementary
information from the Talmud and other Rabbinic sources (as they were known and
understood at the time). In addition to the verse-by-verse commentary, there
are supplemental geographical and cultural notes.
Commentary
on the Acts of the Apostles, by J.W. McGarvey An expository commentary by the
distinguished American pastor and scholar.
The
Four-fold Gospel, by
J. W. McGarvey and Philip Pendleton A work chronicling the life of
Christ, which was intended especially for use by Sunday School teachers. The
detailed format is handled effectively, and each parallel section/event has a
numerical index number (1-145). Theologically conservative, though not
polemical, it has all of the expected harmonizing tendencies and explanations.
Moffat
New Testament Commentary, by James Moffat (General Epistles: James, Peter, Jude) A
commentator and professor of church history, Moffat is no doubt best known for
his popular (and occasionally controversial) Moffat Bible translation. The Moffat New Testament Commentary series was written 1928-49; this is
the volume on the General Epistles. His commentaries are thorough and
exegetical, but do tend to be theologically critical of the standard theories
regarding biblical authorship.
Messages
from the Epistle to the Hebrews, by H.C.G. Moule Traditional and conservative, this is an
exegetical and devotional commentary, from the Anglican bishop better known for
his poems and hymns.
Expositions
of the Epistles, by
Augustus Neander (Philippians, James, 1 John) From the famous Church
historian, these expositions, intended to be part of a larger series of
commentaries, cover three of the Epistles. They are generally exegetical, but
the work on Philippians is presented more in summary fashion.
The Life
of Christ, by
Augustus Neander Neander's famous Life of Christ, written as a direct
response to D. F. Strauss' Life
of Jesus. Like many critical German scholars of the time, he felt the need
to answer the more radical critical theories of Strauss, F. C. Baur, et al.
This work is important for its historical context of grappling with ideas and
theories of German scholarship which modern American
evangelicals tend to dismiss.
Romans
Verse by Verse, by
William R. Newell An exegetical commentary on Romans, typical of Newell's
work, which remains highly regarded in evangelical circles.
Why Four Gospels? by Arthur
W. Pink An introductory study of the Gospels, focusing on
aspects and elements unique to each, with certain passages examined in more
detail.
Was
Christ Born in Bethlehem?, by W. M. Ramsay A famous study on the Lukan birth narrative,
especially with regard to the historical problem and the historicity of the
Gospel in general. As such, it has proven quite popular over the years as an
aid to New Testament apologetics.
St. Paul
the Traveler and Roman Citizen, by W. M. Ramsay Ramsay, a classics scholar and well-traveled
geographer, made important contributions to the study of Early Christianity and
the historical-cultural background of Christianity in relation to the Roman
Empire. This life of Paul has been extremely popular for its detailed
historical chronology which integrates information from the Epistles and Acts.
Letters
to the Seven Churches of Asia, by W. M. Ramsay A thorough treatment of the historical
background of Revelation 2-3.
The
Johannine Writings,
by Paul W. Schmiedel An introduction and survey of the Johannine Writings
(the Gospels, Epistles and Revelation), but the vast majority of the book is
devoted to the Gospel, especially its historicity and relation to the
Synoptics. Schmiedel, a professor of theology and NT exegesis typifies German
critical scholarship (from an evangelical point of view) - penetrating
analysis, with a more liberal-critical viewpoint.
Origin
of the Four Gospels by Constantine Tischendorf One of the
most famous and influential of all New Testament scholars, Tischendorf's
discovery of the Codex Sinaiticus is legendary, and his numerous critical
editions of the NT mark him as a pioneering text-critical scholar. This work
demonstrates the historical witness of the four gospels in the early church;
namely, that they were attested and in use, rather than being written by the
second century A.D.
When
Were Our Gospels Written?, by ConstantineTischendorf A bit more detailed and organized
work covering much of the same subject matter as above; it also includes a
narrative of the discovery of Codex Sinaiticus.
Commentary
on the Epistles to the Seven Churches, by R.C. Trench (Rev. 2-3) A thorough exegetical treatment
of Rev. 2-3, written by the distinguished NT scholar and Anglican archbishop.
The
Sinlessness of Jesus,
by Carl Ullmann Written by a distinguished German professor of church history
and dogmatics, this work (subtitled "An Evidence for Christianity"),
is, like Neander's Life of Christ, an answer to D. F. Strauss' Life of Jesus,
and the more radical-liberal historical criticism it represents.
The
Christ of History, by
John Young An apologetic work which takes the interesting approach of attempting
to use the objective historical facts of the human person Jesus of Nazareth to
demonstrate his deity.