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Book Reviews

Book Reviews 104 BOOK REVIEWS RAYMOND E. BROWN, JOSEPH A. FITZMYER, ROLAND E. MURPHY (eds.), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1991), xlviii + 1475 pp., £65 (hardback), £35 (paperback). RAYMOND E. BROWN, JOSEPH A. FITZMYER, ROLAND E. MURPHY (eds.), The New Jerome Bible Handbook (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1992), vii + 456 pp., £15.99. There is great merit in having a one-volume exegetical commentary to the Bible. The old and new Peake's Commentary were the first port of call for genera- tions of students. The original Jerome Biblical Commentary similarly established itself as a valuable companion. That was published in 1968. Much has been happening in Biblical studies since then and the New Jerome reflects the upsurge in scholarly output. About two thirds in the New Jerome is new. Some 74 scholars, the majority from North America, and all Roman Catholic, have been responsible for the 83 chapters of the Commentary. Each chapter is closely printed, in double columns, and richly furnished with bibliographical informa- tion. All Biblical and OT Apocryphal works are given full introductions and a verse by verse commentary. For both testaments, the normal Biblical sequence of books has been abandoned: the order is based on the editors' judgement of the likely dates of composition. General introductions to the different literary types, prophetic literature, apocalypticism, wisdom literature, NT epistles etc. preface the first encounter with that literature in the sequence of chapters. Otherwise the general articles are to be found in the final 19 chapters. The authors have not shied away from setting out problems honestly and fairly and they have tried to sum- marize often differing scholarly resolutions. The editors (Murphy for the OT, and Brown and Fitzmyer for the NT and topical articles) have contributed substantial- ly to the articles. Under their careful direction we may be confident that the cream of Catholic scholarship has been clearly represented. The results are in no way narrowly confessional, although some of the topical articles, such as chapter 72: "Church Pronouncements" are obviously of special interest to Roman Catholic readers. There are two pull-out maps of the Biblical world. A full index is given. Students, clergy, and the laity will find this Commentary full of interest, informa- tion and up-to-date scholarship. Professional academic Neutestamentler will also benefit from the synthesis of scholarship found in many of the articles. Neirynck's s splendid article on the Synoptic Problem, for instance, is a clear exposition of the issues by a master of the subject, whose writings on this topic elsewhere and whose conclusions are not always so readily accessible to a more general audience. It is similarly helpful to have magisterial surveys of Pauline theology by Fitzmyer, Biblical archaeology by R. North revised by P.J. King, or texts and versions ('text' in the List of Contents!) by Brown et al. The Handbook is a digest of many of the chapters in the Commentary but only a very little of the original survives. For the chapters on the Biblical books a couple of pages of introductory matter are followed by an outline of the contents, and a sample (taken from the NRSV). Many of the topical articles are summarized, although technical articles have not been included (e.g. the Synoptic Problem, modern OT and NT criticism). It is strange that the justly acclaimed article on Jesus by J.P. Meier in the Commentary has not been made use of. The text is beautifully produced and, with its pictures, maps and charts, has the appearance of a coffee-table book. The Handbook seems to be marketed at non-specialists, especially school and parish teachers. It is a stepping stone to the Commentary, but the cost of the Handbook compared with the Commentary makes the latter seem even better value. J.K. ELLIOTT http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Novum Testamentum Brill

Book Reviews

Novum Testamentum , Volume 35 (1): 104 – Jan 1, 1993
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1993 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0048-1009
eISSN
1568-5365
DOI
10.1163/156853693X00077
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Abstract

104 BOOK REVIEWS RAYMOND E. BROWN, JOSEPH A. FITZMYER, ROLAND E. MURPHY (eds.), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1991), xlviii + 1475 pp., £65 (hardback), £35 (paperback). RAYMOND E. BROWN, JOSEPH A. FITZMYER, ROLAND E. MURPHY (eds.), The New Jerome Bible Handbook (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1992), vii + 456 pp., £15.99. There is great merit in having a one-volume exegetical commentary to the Bible. The old and new Peake's Commentary were the first port of call for genera- tions of students. The original Jerome Biblical Commentary similarly established itself as a valuable companion. That was published in 1968. Much has been happening in Biblical studies since then and the New Jerome reflects the upsurge in scholarly output. About two thirds in the New Jerome is new. Some 74 scholars, the majority from North America, and all Roman Catholic, have been responsible for the 83 chapters of the Commentary. Each chapter is closely printed, in double columns, and richly furnished with bibliographical informa- tion. All Biblical and OT Apocryphal works are given full introductions and a verse by verse commentary. For both testaments, the normal Biblical sequence of books has been abandoned: the order is based on the editors' judgement of the likely dates of composition. General introductions to the different literary types, prophetic literature, apocalypticism, wisdom literature, NT epistles etc. preface the first encounter with that literature in the sequence of chapters. Otherwise the general articles are to be found in the final 19 chapters. The authors have not shied away from setting out problems honestly and fairly and they have tried to sum- marize often differing scholarly resolutions. The editors (Murphy for the OT, and Brown and Fitzmyer for the NT and topical articles) have contributed substantial- ly to the articles. Under their careful direction we may be confident that the cream of Catholic scholarship has been clearly represented. The results are in no way narrowly confessional, although some of the topical articles, such as chapter 72: "Church Pronouncements" are obviously of special interest to Roman Catholic readers. There are two pull-out maps of the Biblical world. A full index is given. Students, clergy, and the laity will find this Commentary full of interest, informa- tion and up-to-date scholarship. Professional academic Neutestamentler will also benefit from the synthesis of scholarship found in many of the articles. Neirynck's s splendid article on the Synoptic Problem, for instance, is a clear exposition of the issues by a master of the subject, whose writings on this topic elsewhere and whose conclusions are not always so readily accessible to a more general audience. It is similarly helpful to have magisterial surveys of Pauline theology by Fitzmyer, Biblical archaeology by R. North revised by P.J. King, or texts and versions ('text' in the List of Contents!) by Brown et al. The Handbook is a digest of many of the chapters in the Commentary but only a very little of the original survives. For the chapters on the Biblical books a couple of pages of introductory matter are followed by an outline of the contents, and a sample (taken from the NRSV). Many of the topical articles are summarized, although technical articles have not been included (e.g. the Synoptic Problem, modern OT and NT criticism). It is strange that the justly acclaimed article on Jesus by J.P. Meier in the Commentary has not been made use of. The text is beautifully produced and, with its pictures, maps and charts, has the appearance of a coffee-table book. The Handbook seems to be marketed at non-specialists, especially school and parish teachers. It is a stepping stone to the Commentary, but the cost of the Handbook compared with the Commentary makes the latter seem even better value. J.K. ELLIOTT

Journal

Novum Testamentum – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1993

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