This volume was the first in what is developing into a major commentary series. This entry has enjoyed a favorable reception in the scholarly world and so I looked forward to reviewing it. Now that I have used all the titles in the Apollos series, I personally think the first two volumes (this one and Daniel) has a different feel than later volumes.

I found the Introduction to be unhelpful. He tackled issues of composition that I couldn’t agree with, and more importantly, most pastors find irrelevant. Only when he gave some theological insights was I helped. He also did not accept Mosaic authorship. Though the Apollos is earning a conservative reputation, this one would have trouble earning that designation in places.

Still, the quality of the commentary proper is high. The writing is good, the scholarship mature, and the information helpful. It was engaging throughout. This alone will make for a great commentary volume. The layout is similar to all the volumes: translation, notes on the text, form and structure, comment, and explanation. Consistently, I enjoyed the last two the list the most.

When I said that the first two Apollos volumes had a different feel, it seemed to me they were more for the scholar while the later volumes were better for pastors. If you are a scholar, add a star! In any event, I still recommend this volume and the entire series.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Here is one of the most recent major commentaries on Leviticus. Nobuyoshi Kiuchi contributed this volume in the developing, scholarly, but pastor-friendly Apollos series by IVP. While this commentary is rather conservative in many ways, it has raised some controversy in its defining the Hebrew word usually rendered “sin” as “to hide oneself.” The harshest criticism I saw even called it “revisionist.” That will change interpretations in a few places, but does not shipwreck an otherwise fine production in my view.

If you overlook that one twist, you will have an excellent commentary to grapple with Leviticus. That will be clear in the Introduction. It is well written, easy to comprehend, and not sidetracked on esoteric sidewalks. He quickly dismisses, as is easily done, bizarre theories like the documentary hypothesis. He was at his best in the section on Structure. Whether you would agree or not, he really analyzes in a way that opens up Leviticus.

His analyses of key words and themes was equally helpful. I believe repeated words are always a clue to themes and he follows that line. At other points he presents original thinking and even writes as if symbolism (what some call “types”) is not far off the mark.

He had a few other peculiarities like calling the soul “one’s egocentric nature”, but was still helpful. He interacted well with the exegetical volumes most likely to compete for pastor’s attention: Wenham, Rooker, and Hartley.

The commentary proper was excellent and presented in the typical Apollos style: Translation, Form and Structure, Comment, and Explanation. This is a solid effort and worthy of purchase.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This volume has been highly anticipated for some time as the magnum opus of highly-respected scholar Richard Longenecker. It appears to have lived up to its billing.

In a short Preface he spells out the greatness of Romans and the challenges of its study. In a relatively short Introduction for a work of this size, he shares more of the great issues of grasping Romans. In fact, his Introduction strikes me as rather different than most. He mostly raises the great issues. He brilliantly defines what they are, but only rarely in the Introduction does he state what premise he will argue in the commentary itself. Apparently, that is the place he feels that he should answer the great questions.

The commentary proper is massive, well written, and perceptive. I studied what he said on several major passages, focusing on those that I thought were harder for a commentator. What I found was outstanding commentary. In Romans 1 he argued beautifully without falling prey to political correctness. In Romans 7 he laid out fairly the various viewpoints and then maturely outlined his position. In Romans 9-11 he handled the theological minefield with dignity and grace. The quality of coverage was constant.

Though this volume is clearly aimed at scholars, he managed to keep it where pastors could glean immensely. That is not always well done in the commentary world. He even translated more Greek than is common with this series. Though I would not agree with every conclusion he made, I constantly felt in the hands of a master as I read. This book is an exceptional commentary.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.