The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary

by Esau McCaulley (Editor), Janette H. Ok (co_editor), Osvaldo Padilla (co_editor)

Historically, Bible commentaries have focused on the particular concerns of a limited segment of the church, all too often missing fresh questions and perspectives that are fruitful for biblical interpretation. Listening to scholars from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities offers us an opportunity to explore the Bible from a wider angle, a better vantage point.

The New Testament in Color is a one-volume commentary on the New Testament written by a multiethnic team of scholars holding orthodox Christian beliefs. Each scholar brings exegetical expertise coupled with a unique interpretive lens to illuminate the ways social location and biblical interpretation work together. Theologically orthodox and multiethnically contextual, The New Testament in Color fills a gap in biblical understanding for both the academy and the church. Who we are and where God placed us—it's all useful for better understanding his Word.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Faith

808 pages, Hardcover

Published August 6, 2024

About the author

Esau McCaulley, PhD is an associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He is the author of many works including Sharing in the Son’s Inheritance and the Children’s Book Josie Johnson Hair and the Holy Spirit. His book Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope won numerous awards, including Christianity Today’s book of the year. His latest project is a memoir entitled: How far to the Promise Land: One Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South. He is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. His writings have also appeared in places such as The Atlantic, Washington Post, and Christianity Today. He is married to Mandy, a pediatrician and navy reservist. Together, they have four wonderful children

Reviews

[Richard Propes · Rating 5 out of 5]

While theological reading is not uncommon for me these days, the truth is that since I finished seminary and I've been outside a formal ministry role for a bit I've seldom delved into the deeper world of academic theological writing and commentary.

This is partly fueled by my frustration at the lack of diverse voices in theology. I've grown weary of the Eurocentric, patriarchal theological lens and thus I've preferred to immerse myself into the writings of diverse voices outside the academic world.

You can likely imagine my excitement then when provided the opportunity to read "The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary" featuring essays from the likes of Lisa Marie Bowens, Mateus F. de Campos, Diane G. Chen, Miguel Echevarria, Dennis R. Edwards, Daniel K. Eng, Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, Christin J. Fort, Michael J. Gorman, Gene L. Green, T. Christopher Hoklotubbe, Marcus Jerkins, Esau McCaulley, Daniel I. Morrison, Julie Newberry, Janette H. Ok, Osvaldo Padilla, Amy K. Peeler, M. Sydney Park, Madison N. Pierce, Eric C. Redmond, Jordan J. Cruz Ryan, Kay Higuera Smith, Ekaputra Tupamahu, Jarvis J. Williams, and Danny Zacharias.

The journey is electrifying. It's exhausting. It's informative. It's thought-provoking. It's immersive. It's all these wonderful things and so much more. It's more than I could possibly describe within the context of this review and it's more than I can possibly even think about in one sitting.

There's literally no doubt that "The New Testament in Color" is a book I will be reading again and again.

Did I agree with everything? Absolutely not. However, everything made me think and feel and reflect and research and pray and so much more.

If there's a weakness in "The New Testament in Color," it's the lack of a strong disability voice (and yes, I would argue disability is more a culture than a diagnosis).

Reading these diverse voices offers an opportunity to learn, grow, be challenged, and to explore the Bible from a broader perspective.

This is a one-volume commentary on the New Testament, though it runs right around 800 pages, written by a multiethnic team of scholars holding orthodox Christian beliefs. Exegetical expertise is companioned by each scholar's unique interpretive lens that allows a brighter illumination toward biblical interpretation and historicity. "The New Testament in Color" meets a desperate need for a richer and more diverse commentary.

Rather that conflicting with Scripture, these biblical scholars are grounded in a trustworthiness of Scripture that allows for diverse interpretive possibilities enhancing faithful understanding of God's Word and God's World.

Magnificently and very thoroughly researched and resourced, "The New Testament in Color" is ideal for those who want to dig deeper, think more, feel deeply, and enhance one's knowledge and one's faith.

I just finished reading "The New Testament in Color" and I look forward to reading it again.

[Anna Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHY ARE YOU GIVING A 4-STAR ON A DNF?
Uh mostly because I really liked what I read of it (I got to about page 300 of 800). Minus a star because some of it is too academic for me (lol, it's a Bible commentary, what do you expect?) so it's great, but still tough to read.

THEN WHY DNF?
Because it was a protected epub ARC from NetGalley, and access expired 2 months after download, and the book was already archived so I couldn't redownload it. While I read fiction fairly fast, I read nonfiction pretty slowly because I need time to read, time to digest, time to think. ALSO HEY IT'S 800 PAGES LONG. I already read the equivalent of one book there. lol. (Ok, the last Stormlight Archive was longer than that, but...)

WHY DON'T YOU BUY IT THEN?
Beeeeccaauuuse it's both USD45+ on Amazon as print & ebook and that's RM200 I would rather be spending on tea. (sorry, priorities lol)

SHOULD I READ IT?
In general I would say... yes? Like I said, a lot to think about but also, academic-ish writing, plus omg too many footnotes, but it's what you'd expect of a commentary type thingamabob. If you've ever read commentaries.

[Shannan Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is for those that are serious about understanding the Bible more. It's over 800 pages, but filled with different perspectives from different people regarding the scriptures. And it's not just white males that are giving commentary, but women, and people of many different racial backgrounds, including Asian, Black, Latino and Native Indegenous. It's not a quick read, but one that will take time to digest.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The New Testament in Color is an extensive one-volume commentary that focuses on the voices of people of color and how their experience and tradition informs their interpretation of Scripture. Some might look at this commentary and say that it is a resource for seminarians, academia, or people in multicultural ministry. I would caution against such an assumption. The reality is that this commentary was a necessary addition to the range of commentaries already published because the vast majority of biblical commentaries have come from male, white, European or American contexts or contributors. By utilizing this commentary in preparation for sermons or study in majority white churches or institutions, it is providing the reader with the opportunity to consider a perspective different from there own. God cannot be confined to one culture and by bringing together multiple voices, it then expands and enriches the interpretation of Scripture for study and proclamation.

The way that this commentary is structured is first with introductions to the interpretive traditions of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Turtle Island, and Majority-Culture. Then for each book of the New Testament it gives an introduction to the book, context of the contributor, author/date, genre, setting, and critical issues. It then gives a passage-by-passage commentary (i.e Acts: 1:6-11) with asides on things like Pharisees, Sadducees, and leprosy. In addition, it includes important chapters on wider themes such as Gender in the New Testament and Immigrants in the Kingdom of God.

This commentary belongs on the shelf of every pastor and scholar in the United States, if not on an even larger scale. It is comprehensive, well-written, well-researched, and eye-opening. I recommend without reservation.

Thank you IVP Academic and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Scott Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps you’ve read a familiar scripture verse or passage and had it mean something new to you—because you’re in a new stage in life like dating, marriage, divorce, widow-hood, being a child of a parent and now a parent, early career versus late career or retirement, migration from rural to urban or vice versa. Similarly, if you have a different familial history or geographic origin than the majority culture, the scripture passages might appear differently to you. Thus we can learn much from the contributors to the “New Testament in Color.” They provide a commentary on each of the books of the New Testament (Greek scriptures) as well as several other essays. The introduction to the Gospel of Mark is worth the price of the whole book. They do not exegete each verse but provide a minority perspective on the theme(s) of a passage throughout the book(s). We get to read insights from Black (African American), Asian American, First Nation, Hispanic (Latino/a), minority female scholars and more.

They acknowledge that they are approaching this as North American residents, some from many generations on the margin, sometimes 2nd generation immigrants or transplants from another country. Thus, their perspective is somewhat limited by the time lapse from their family’s original culture. Still these commentaries are scholarly, personal and insightful. For example, though outside the scope of this work, one contributor illuminates the coldness of First Nations people to embrace easily the Israelites crossing the Jordan—as perhaps an act of colonization—to displace the current inhabitants of Canaan.

There were a few places I thought a more non-European perspective could be expressed but wasn’t: the jailer’s household being baptized because of the patriarch’s experience with Paul and Silas; the silent conflict of Philip (one of the original apostles) warning Paul on his return to Jerusalem because Paul is ignoring the elders of the community; the provoking of anger perhaps when Jesus praises the centurion’s faith over his own disciples’, the crowd’s, his mother Mary’s and the baptized John’s. And there were a few where better insights are given. Such as Peter’s vision in Acts 10 and being told to eat unclean food just before being summoned to a Roman centurion’s household: most interpreters focus purely on the cultural challenge—one Peter has already faced—while this book’s interpreter here focuses on the socioeconomic power clash between Peter, a poor Jew, and Cornelius. Like the power conflict between an urban Black and White metro law enforcement officer, who’s been taught that blacks are criminals and it may be the only portion of that group they’ve interacted with. Both would be totally unfamiliar with each other except as powerful/powerless, oppressive/rebellious stereotypes.. The centurion would have been educated that the Israelites were kicked out of Egypt so many generations ago so that their diseases (aka the plagues) wouldn’t contaminate the Egyptian populace. The centurion then wouldn’t have wanted to engage much with the “slum-dwelling” Jewish inhabitants, and yet kneels contritely before Peter.

If you’ve never been challenged to ask different questions when you read scripture—like you haven’t read this book or “Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes”—then you really need to pick up this commentary.

I’m thankful for the publisher allowing me to see an early copy.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can we read the Bible from a different perspective? In The New Testament in Color, IVP Academic presents a multiethnic Bible commentary.


Socially Located Interpretation

Edited by Esau McCaulley, Janette H. Ok, Osvaldo Padilla, and Amy Peeler, this book is magnificent. It is unapologetic in claiming a place in the commentary space. This is a commentary that champions socially located interpretation. It focuses on a cross section of contributors from North American ethnic minorities. In the introduction, McCaulley states: “we do not assume that our cultures stand over the texts, but through the interaction of person, text, history, and culture, truths that others might miss shine out all the more brilliantly.”

While the commentaries on the individual books of the New Testament are excellent, what I found most intriguing were the included series of articles related to ethnic identity and bilbical interpretation. These helped me better grasp the vantage point of each contributor. Esau McCaulley wrote on African American Biblical Interpretation, Janette H. Ok on Asian American Biblical Interpretation, Osvaldo Padilla on Hispanic Biblical Interpretation, T. Christopher Hoklotubbe (Choctaw) and H. Daniel Zacharias (Cree-Anishinaabe) on Turtle Island Biblical Interpretation, and Michael J. Gorman on Majority-Culture Bilblical Interpretation: Reading While White.


Theologically Orthodox, Multiethnically Contextual

In Janette H. Ok’s section on Asian American Biblical Interpretation, she provides Daniel D. Lee’s Asian American quadrilateral as a distinctive framework for Asian Americans to talk about Asian American identity: (1) Asian heritage, (2) migration experience, (3) American culture, and (4) racialization. Asian American biblical interpretation includes reading from the minority experience, including marginalization, erasure, and tokenization, while anticipating and working toward greater justice, inclusivity, and equality. The book achieves its aim of being theologically orthodox and multiethnically contextual.

I consulted Jarvis J. Williams’ commentary on Romans as I prepared a sermon. Interestingly, in Romans 2 – Williams mentions White superiority but makes the point that we are all capable of being racist and claiming superiority over others. In Romans 3, Williams’ declares that “God’s judgement is multiethnic.” Jews and Gentiles can be justified by faith in Jesus Christ. In Daniel K. Eng’s commentary on James, he brings up various relatable concepts in the Asian American experience. The model minority, the principle of reciprocity, striving after educational credentials and marketplace success, and more. This is a commentary that will help you see and better understand different communities.


Vivid and Vibrant

This book offers invaluable insights from the entire body of Christ. It shows Scripture and our Savior from different views. It will help open your eyes, and your heart, to a more vivd and vibrant view of our God.


I received a media copy of The New Testament in Color and this is my honest review.

[Haerlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Description
Historically, Bible commentaries have focused on the particular concerns of a limited segment of the church, all too often missing fresh questions and perspectives that are fruitful for biblical interpretation. Listening to scholars from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities offers us an opportunity to explore the Bible from a wider angle, a better vantage point.

The New Testament in Color is a one-volume commentary on the New Testament written by a multiethnic team of scholars holding orthodox Christian beliefs. Each scholar brings exegetical expertise coupled with a unique interpretive lens to illuminate the ways social location and biblical interpretation work together. Theologically orthodox and multiethnically contextual, The New Testament in Color fills a gap in biblical understanding for both the academy and the church. Who we are and where God placed us—it's all useful for better understanding his Word.

My Take:
This a great resource for people who have the bible on their syllabi or pastor multi-ethnic Christian spaces. As a Black woman who attended many Christian schools, I always wondered where "I" was in the bible. This resource begins to answer this question and illuminates pathways for discussion and future research.

[Douglas Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as we may try to be neutral and interpret scripture as it truly is, we all interpret what we read through our own culture, gender, and ethnic backgrounds, experiences and biases. To challenge our own biases, cultural assumptions and blind spots we must listen to voices from others who come from different backgrounds and experiences. Sometimes it is hard to find these voices! This is where "The New Testament in Color", a one-volume commentary on the New Testament written by an ethnically diverse group of orthodox Christian Scholars, comes in. I found the voices ranged from inspiring to challenging and sometimes jarring to my cultural background. I am grateful to have a resource that allows me to hear different orthodox perspectives on Scripture from my own and recommend this commentary.

[Su Thor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a new translation of the New Testament but is a commentary on the books within the New Testsment. It gives good introductions to each of the books and gives a good incite into current theological thinking.
It is a commentary written in black and white text and not colour, as the title suggests. That isn’t technically a problem, but the back text is so tiny it cannot be easily read on a phone or a kindle. To be able to read it properly you need to view it on a computer. However, that beside I found the commentary helpful for bible study preparations and for reading before writing talks each week for Sunday worship.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Suzy G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful commentary from a diverse pool of people. Out of the several chapters I read for class, the commentary on Revelation and 1st Corinthians and the chapter on women in the New Testament stand out to me the most. The text also exposed me to many authors who I would like to read more of.

I will use the insights gleaned from this commentary in both professional and personal studies of scripture. Highly recommend!

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Good. If you’re ever looking for a commentary on the NT with more than just the majority world perspective…this one is packed full of interesting essays and commentaries by a whole team of diverse authors.

[Rob O'Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reviewed this book for the Englewood Review of Books and my review will appear there.

[Adam Cheney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great resource. It is vital for Christians to hear from minority voices and understand the breadth of Christian theology.

[Martha Elias Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a great collection of commentaries which highlight the authors’ multi-ethnic perspectives. Many valuable insights here. Some contributions are stronger than others.

[David Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

worth checking for another viewpoint on Scripture.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will post my review on publication day (August 6).

UPDATE:
This was a thought-provoking and interesting book. I have to admit that it was uncomfortable to read at times simply because it slammed my White Western bias straight into my face. While it did feel uncomfortable, I liked it since it made me think about my approach to Scripture. You can read my review on my blog, just click here