New Testament Life and Times

Book excerpt: What Is a Bible Background Commentary? Commentaries are among the most important books any Christian can own, for commentaries are dedicated to helping the reader better understand the Bible. Yet commentaries vary in focus. The Victor Bible Background Commentary: New Testament is a special type of reference tool. It is intended to provide enrichment information for the communicator of God's Word. In seventy-seven teachable units this volume covers the whole of the New Testament. It draws on a variety of sources to provide background which illuminates the text and guides its application to people today. And because the goal of the book is to serve the lay Bible teacher and preacher, special attention is paid to those passages which are most teachable an preachable. Each chapter includes the following features: and • Exposition: gives overview of the teaching unit. and • Word Studies: focuses on key terms and phrases. and • The Passage in Depth: explores discrete teachable and preachable events/teachings found in the exposition. Most entries include: and • Background: gives information on key historical, archaeological, or cultural elements and • Interpretation: examines original intent of the writer and • Application: suggests how passage might be developed in a lesson/sermon Also included in many of the units are sidebars that contain quotes from primary historical sources, charts, or relevant research. Dr. Lawrence O. Richards has published over 125 books in a thirty-year writing history. His textbooks on Christian education have been translated into twenty-two languages. His scholarly works on the Bible include The Revell Bible Dictionary and The Zondervan Expository Dictionary of Bible Words. Victor Books has previously published Dr. Richards' The Teacher's Commentary, The 365 Day Devotional Commentary, and The Bible Reader's Companion. this present work, The Victor Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, is the product of forty years of study plus two years of intensive research.