The Gospels and Acts (Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible) - Tapa dura

Jesus said, "your word is truth," and this invaluable Bible commentary answers questions and objections to that claim. Pastors, students, and laypeople will be encouraged and strengthened as they see that the historical and philosophical objections to the four gospels and book of Acts lack credibility.

Tom Schreiner
Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Biblical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Holman Apologetics Commentaryon the Bible is a splendid series that I am very pleased to recommend. Students, pastors, campus workers, professors, and any serious-minded Christian will profit greatly from it. Indeed, it is a resource for all truth-seekers!

Paul Copan
Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University
This is a much-needed and immensely valuable resource. The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible: Gospels and Acts is written by leading scholars in the field who have a knack for answering tough questions in a way that is highly academic and yet understandable and helpful to the non-specialist as well. Get a copy, study it, and find practical ways to communicate its truth to our generation.

Sean McDowell
Director of Worldview Ministries
This is the commentary I have been waiting for. Finally, there's a one-volume resource on the Gospels and Acts written by leading New Testament scholars, familiar with the latest scholarship and challenges, and focused on defending the consistency and reliability of the earliest biographies of Jesus. You won't find trivial answers here! Rather, you will learn how to engage the biblical text in a thoughtful way that takes context and the complexities of history seriously. Read this commentary and watch your confidence in the biblical text grow. I will be recommending this book to my students and anyone else who has questions about the Gospels.

Jonathan Morrow
Author of Welcome to College and founder of ThinkChristianly.org
Discussions about the truth of Christianity often center around the Gospels and Acts. Wouldn't it be nice to have a single volume that includes discussions pertaining to authorship, date of composition, available manuscripts, potential contradictions and texts for which much dispute exists? To my knowledge, no such book existed . . . until now! This team of top-flight scholars has produced a first-of-its-kind volume that will be a welcome resource for many years to come.

Mike Licona
Associate Professor in Theology, Houston Baptist University
This is a serious project produced by first-rate scholars. As I began paging through, I noticed that many of the questions I've had about particular passages were addressed with focus and careful discussion that often doesn't make it into other commentaries. I find the authors to address many, many passages in the Bible that are strange, obscure, and otherwise difficult to understand. The writers show an unflinching engagement with critical scholarship. Frequently the explanation includes helpful background from extrabiblical writings and early church sources. The scholar and others who are interested in understanding the Bible will find much that is valuable to sort out the Gospels and Acts. At a length of 764 pages plus bibliography, this project goes a long way to open up the Bible for clear understanding of even the strangest passages.

John McKinley
Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Biola University

As I looked over the excellent new volume of the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible, I asked myself, "Why hasn't someone thought of this idea before?" Here the curious Christian or the skeptic can find commentaries on books of the Bible that focus on issues of trustworthiness and historical accuracy. Also, doctrinal issues raised by potentially confusing texts are addressed head on. These volumes are written by faithful Christian scholars with an eye to the edification of the non-specialist. Highly recommended.

Rob Plummer
Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
This work is a well-written and useful commentary written by exceptionally qualified scholars. I know of no commentary like it, which deals with some of the most difficult passages in the Gospels and Acts and provides solid research confirming the reliability of the text. The discussion on Luke 2:1, one of the most difficult issues in the book of Luke regarding the accuracy of the text, is probably the most thorough and well-researched response to this passage for some time. Those wanting to do careful research on the reliability of the text of the New Testament now have a substantial resource that they can consult.

Paul Wegner
Professor of Old Testament Studies, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary
The Gospel and Acts volume of The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible provides, in a single book, a treasure trove of answers and resources for the defense of the reliability of Scripture as well as in-depth analysis of many so-called "Bible difficulties." This is a book that will help the pastor, strengthen the student, and point the lost to the Truth. I am grateful to have it on my shelf.

Jason G. Duesing
Assistant Professor of Historical Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Of the writing of Bible commentaries there is no end. However, the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible stands out as a uniquely helpful resource. By focusing on those portions of the biblical text most questioned by skeptics, this commentary series will equip pastors and other Christian leaders to defend the truthfulness of Scripture in a postmodern and increasingly post-Christian context. This is the right commentary series for our present age. Highly recommended.

Nathan A. Finn
Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
The authority of Scripture--challenged more stridently in the early 21st century than ever--is closely tied to its reliability. Prepared by highly regarded New Testament scholars, this careful volume provides a robust yet nuanced discussion of issues presented by "higher critics" whose writings have often undermined belief in the reliability of the Gospels and Acts. The helpful format enables pastors and other serious Bible students easily to identify "problem issues" for any particular passage and to engage scholarship from all points of the theological spectrum. I welcome this resource as a great tool to assist articulating the reliability and authority of the Bible, and I look forward to other volumes in the series.

Kendell H. Easley
Professor of Biblical Studies, Union University
The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible is an amazing tool for pastors and students. Many commentaries, in an effort to address a wide variety of topics and concerns, fail to adequately address many of the questions that people are asking. Finally, there is a resource that provides clear and concise answers to these tough questions. I highly recommend this valuable resource.

Benjamin L. Merkle
Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
If you're looking for an apologetics commentary to feast upon, you've found it. The Holman Apologetics Commentary On The Bible has the necessary ingredients for greatness. Written by first-rate scholars. Reliable, readable, and digestible! Bone appétit!

Bobby Conway
Creator of The One Minute Apologist and Lead Pastor at Life Fellowship Church in Charlotte, NC.
The further we delve into a post-Christian world, the firmer our feet need to be rooted in Holy Scripture. The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible serves as a unique resource to this end as it provides a textually driven approach to apologetics, wherein the issues that are addressed come directly from the Bible and the conclusions that are provided show deep respect for the internal consistency of God's Word. This is an intellectually edifying and spiritually satisfying work that will strengthen the church for years to come.

Anthony Chute
Associate Dean of the School of Christian Ministries and Associate Professor of Church History, California Baptist University

The most comprehensive volume ever produced in defense of the Gospels and Acts

The four Gospels and the book of Acts tell stories of Jesus’ life and the birth of Christianity. Are these stories true history or just religious fiction? Christians accept the stories as true and say that the entire Bible is a reliable communication inspired by God. Against this, non-Christians have argued that the Bible is a book of legends, myths, and historical inaccuracies—just another example of human religious endeavor. In this volume, four world-class New Testament scholars address challenges to the reliability of the Gospels and Acts. In order to identify the most important challenges, the authors drew from the literature of skeptics and New Testament critics, plus they included questions that many Christians ask as well. The result is the most comprehensive defense of the Gospels and Acts that has ever been published.

The primary purpose of the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible is to equip readers to defend the reliability of Scripture and the historic evangelical understanding of its teachings. It is designed for use by general readers, though scholars will find it a probing and welcome resource as well. A secondary purpose is to encourage awareness and discussion of Bible difficulties that are not commonly mentioned from the pulpit or even the seminary lectern.

This is not a verse-by-verse commentary. The authors were provided an index that identified verses known to be relevant to the topics of apologetics and biblical reliability. They restricted their comments to these verses, plus any others that they recognized as germane to the aims of this project. Typically, each commentary note begins by stating the challenge or challenges regarding the text at hand. We attempt to state the case in all its potency, as a critic would state it. This approach takes seriously the critical viewpoint and helps ensure that the reader feels the full weight of the challenge. The contributors take each challenge seriously and seek to describe viable solutions that support faith and align with a high view of Scripture.