★★★★★ 4
Good, But Realize Its Limits
Format: Hardcover
I agree with the other reviewers who spoke highly of this resource. It is a fine resource for NT studies.
However, realize that it isn't really a commentary like most of us are used to (in my opinion, the title is a little misleading). Rather, it is only a commentary on the NT texts that clearly quote OT texts. The book does not comment on entire NT books, but only some select verses. For example, I used this book studying Mark and it only discussed around 30 phrases from the Gospel of Mark - those verses in Mark that are clear OT citations. I wasn't able to use it in Mark studies as much as I had hoped.
I realize this is what the book is supposed to do, and it does it very well. Just remember it won't be useful for NT texts that aren't OT quotes. This isn't a critique, just an observation for those interested. You won't be able to use this resource all the time, but it's helpful for those NT texts where an OT citation is found.
FYI, I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because the citations in the articles are not footnotes, but contained in the articles themselves [It looks like this: (eg. R.P. Martin 1974: 97; O'Brien 1982: 151; Hubner 1997a: 91; Gnilka 1980: 168; Barth and Blanke 1994:357, etc.)]. Some citations are very lengthy, which makes it quite cumbersome to read at times. Also, this is subjective I suppose, but I didn't like the font at all (it seemed too tight).
All in all, this is a good book for what it does - just realize what it does before you buy it and you won't be disappointed.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2013
