Ezekiel (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible):

Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible

by Robert W. Jenson

Pastors and leaders of the classical church--such as Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and Wesley--interpreted the Bible theologically, believing Scripture as a whole witnessed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Modern interpreters of the Bible questioned this premise. But in recent decades, a critical mass of theologians and biblical scholars has begun to reassert the priority of a theological reading of Scripture.

The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible enlists leading theologians to read and interpret Scripture for the twenty-first century, just as the church fathers, the Reformers, and other orthodox Christians did for their times and places. In this addition to the series, esteemed theologian Robert W. Jenson presents a theological exegesis of Ezekiel.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Religion, Reference

575 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Robert W. Jenson was a student of Barth's theology for many years, and his doctoral dissertation at the University of Heidelberg earned Barth’s approval as an interpretation of his writings. A native of Wisconsin, Dr. Jenson attended Luther College in Iowa and Luther Theological Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, before studying at Heidelberg where he was awarded his Doctor of Theology, summa cum laude. After doing graduate work at the University of Basel he returned to the United States. He taught theology for many years at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and St. Olaf College. Dr. Jenson also served as Senior Scholar for Research at the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ. He died in 2017.

Reviews

[Jared Mcnabb]

I think this book will disappoint if you are looking for someone to explain and clarify Ezekiel’s writings.

But the book succeeds as interesting and challenging theological reflections on the text of Ezekiel, even if Jenson often makes me uncomfortable in pushing the bounds of orthodox theology.

[JonM]

It is always disappointing to find a disjointed commentary by a brilliant theologian. Jenson did not completely disappoint, but this is--by far--the most disappointing biblical commentary I have read in a long time, and the most disappointing commentary in the Brazos Theological Commentary series. He skips a lot of material within Ezekiel, and instead of connecting various aspects of Ezekiel's imagery as a unified theme, story, or message--i.e. a book!--one is left with the impression that the book of Ezekiel (as a whole) was itself constructed in such a disjointed manner as Jenson sees it. I have other commentaries on Ezekiel which are much more thoughtful and organized, working with the book as a whole. However, Jenson wrote this large "commentary" as a series of disjointed essays. Perhaps the genre of "Commentary" has never been Jenson's forte.

[Russrook]

When it comes to Jenson it’s hard to be dispassionate or impartial. That said, whether you’ve read much Jens or not, this is a fantastic commentary. Deeply theological, unapologetically Christian and continually inspiring. Robert Jenson, we miss you.

[Vince Eccles]

Robert Jenson has been identified as the most important American born theologian since Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758). I have only read "A Theology in Outline: Can These Bones Live?" It was a very good little introduction to Theology.

I probably should have read "Canon and Creed" or "On the Thinking Human" before reading Jenson's commentary on Ezekiel. Jenson stated that writing the commentary nearly kill him, because he is a theologian and not a biblical expository writer. I did benefit from reading Ezekiel and the commentary together. I have always found Ezekiel boring with brief flashes of brilliance. Jenson worked hard to bring insights from Origen's Homilies, Gregory the Great's (540-604) commentary on Ezekiel, the Jewish Targum, and Rabbi Rashi's (1040-1105) commentary, but he must remain true to his own insights and confusions about Ezekiel's book of prophecy. Jenson's key for the interpretation of scripture is mainly through the rubric of the Christian Creed (Nicene). Any interpretation for traditional Christianity must remain within the bounds of the Creedal vision of the Triune God.

All in all I benefitted from the read, but I will be passing the book on to a pastor to enjoy. I will probably not keep in on my shelf.

[Carole]

I have read very few one volume commentaries so my opinion is not worth much, but I found this to be very thought, awe and love provoking. It doesn't go into the nooks and crannies of minor points but (like it says on the tin) brings out theological considerations. I didn't agree with everything but it's all the better for that.

I had never heard of the author before and I only bought the book because there was a sale on, but I liked his ideas and approach so much that I bought the first volume of his Systematic Theology.
I also thought it was written in a very clear style.