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Acts
The Teach the Text Commentary Series utilizes the best of biblical scholarship to provide the information a pastor needs to communicate the text effectively. The carefully selected preaching units and focused commentary allow pastors to quickly grasp the big idea and key themes of each passage of Scripture. Each unit of the commentary includes the big idea and key themes of the passage and sections dedicated to understanding, teaching, and illustrating the text.
- GenresTheology
332 pages, Paperback
Published September 19, 2017
18 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
David E. Garland
77 books12 followersDavid Ellsworth Garland (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate dean for academic affairs and William M. Hinson Professor of Christian Scriptures at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. He is the author of numerous books, including award-winning commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Mark.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 10, 2020
I used this book as a resource when I was preparing Bible studies on Acts (among several others) and it quickly became one of my most frequent go-to commentaries.
It is designed for those seeking to teach, so its format is helpful toward that end. Acts is broken town into manageable sections based on the flow of the narrative. Each chapter of the commentary begins with the "Big Idea" and the "Key Themes" of the portion of Acts it covers. Then the chapters are divided into sections: "Understanding the Text" (which is further subdivided into "The Text in Context", "Interpretive Insights", and "Theological Insights" or some combination of these); "Teaching the Text"; "Illustrating the Text". Throughout the commentary are also scattered brief sidebars containing insights or excerpts on specific things that the text of Acts might raise but which are not forefront issues (for example, quotations from secular sources contemporary to Acts about the life of the early church, or Jewish understandings of various points of the law, etc.). If someone wants to teach through Acts (or study it personally) but doesn't have time to read through several exegetical commentaries for understanding and several more expositional and applicational commentaries to aid in teaching, this is a reliable commentary which brings everything together.
It is only 311 pages long (which includes end notes, bibliography, and index. It comes highly recommended by back-cover blurbs from Craig S. Keener, David S. Dockery, Eckhard J. Schnabel, and Michael F. Bird. I have also heard George Guthrie praise Garland's work on any commentary he has written. Along with this book, I have only read his NAC volume on 2 Corinthians and his slim literary and theological volume on Matthew (in the "Reading the New Testament" series) but in my opinion Garland is 3 for 3. I highly recommend this.
It is designed for those seeking to teach, so its format is helpful toward that end. Acts is broken town into manageable sections based on the flow of the narrative. Each chapter of the commentary begins with the "Big Idea" and the "Key Themes" of the portion of Acts it covers. Then the chapters are divided into sections: "Understanding the Text" (which is further subdivided into "The Text in Context", "Interpretive Insights", and "Theological Insights" or some combination of these); "Teaching the Text"; "Illustrating the Text". Throughout the commentary are also scattered brief sidebars containing insights or excerpts on specific things that the text of Acts might raise but which are not forefront issues (for example, quotations from secular sources contemporary to Acts about the life of the early church, or Jewish understandings of various points of the law, etc.). If someone wants to teach through Acts (or study it personally) but doesn't have time to read through several exegetical commentaries for understanding and several more expositional and applicational commentaries to aid in teaching, this is a reliable commentary which brings everything together.
It is only 311 pages long (which includes end notes, bibliography, and index. It comes highly recommended by back-cover blurbs from Craig S. Keener, David S. Dockery, Eckhard J. Schnabel, and Michael F. Bird. I have also heard George Guthrie praise Garland's work on any commentary he has written. Along with this book, I have only read his NAC volume on 2 Corinthians and his slim literary and theological volume on Matthew (in the "Reading the New Testament" series) but in my opinion Garland is 3 for 3. I highly recommend this.
June 12, 2023
A wonderful commentary on the Book of Acts. Full of insight for one who wants to dig deeper into the meaning and relevance of the book. Includes implications and strategies for living the Word out in our lives today.
April 6, 2020
I read this commentary as a supplement to a group Bible study on Acts.
In the preface the editors state: "There is a need for a commentary that utilizes the best of biblical scholarship but also presents the material in a clear, concise, attractive, and user-friendly format." This series succeeds admirably in filling that need. I look forward to reading more in this series. It's a shame that the series has been discontinued by the publishers.
I was delighted in the final chapter when the author chose to quote from my favorite fantasy series, Dresden Files (Dead Beat, by Jim Butcher):
"Time after time, history demonstrates that when people don’t want to believe something, they have enormous skills of ignoring it altogether."
In the preface the editors state: "There is a need for a commentary that utilizes the best of biblical scholarship but also presents the material in a clear, concise, attractive, and user-friendly format." This series succeeds admirably in filling that need. I look forward to reading more in this series. It's a shame that the series has been discontinued by the publishers.
I was delighted in the final chapter when the author chose to quote from my favorite fantasy series, Dresden Files (Dead Beat, by Jim Butcher):
"Time after time, history demonstrates that when people don’t want to believe something, they have enormous skills of ignoring it altogether."
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews