Hebrews: (A Cultural, Exegetical, Historical, & Theological Bible Commentary on the New Testament)

Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament

by James W. Thompson

Hebrews , the second of eighteen volumes in the Paideia commentary series, brings the insight of a veteran teacher and writer to bear on a New Testament book whose rich imagery and memorable phrases have long shaped Christian discourse. The Paideia series approaches each text in its final, canonical form, proceeding by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Each sense unit is explored in three (1) introductory matters, (2) tracing the train of thought, (3) key hermeneutical and theological questions. The commentaries shed fresh light on the text while avoiding idiosyncratic readings, attend to theological meaning without presuming a specific theological stance in the reader, and show how the text uses narrative and rhetorical strategies from the ancient educational context to form and shape the reader.

Genres: Biblical Studies

346 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Dr. James Thompson is the Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. In addition, he is also a Professor of New Testament and an Editor for the Restoration Quarterly. After earning his B.A. and M.A. at ACU, he went on to earn his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. He has also earned a B.D. from the Union Theological Seminary in New York. Dr. Thompson has been at ACU since 1992 and has served as chair of the Graduate Department of Bible and Ministry since 1997. Prior to his coming to ACU, he served as professor and President of the Austin Graduate School of Theology in Austin, Texas. He is the author of several books, including Our Life Together, The Mark of a Christian, Strategy for Survival, The Church in Exile, Equipped for Change and commentaries on 2 Corinthians and Hebrews. He was a translator of the Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. His research interests include the relationship between biblical interpretation and preaching.

Reviews

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A robust commentary on Hebrews.

The author is known for writing many works on Hebrews, and thus the invitation to write the commentary is understandable. The author does well at fulfilling the purpose of the Paideia series, focusing on the text and its theology.

He has some distinctive claims that are worth consideration. This is a serviceable commentary; not much sticks out for being overly conservative or overly bold in interpretation. Worth consideration.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to use this book while taking a class on Hebrews with the author of the book. Dr. Thompson has spent decades studying Hebrews and his great knowledge and scholarly insights come through in the book. Great commentary that I would recommend to anyone engaging in serious study of the book of Hebrews.

[Matthew G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth the time to grasp the wisdom found in his writing. If you want to know the depth and riches of Hebrews invest in this.

[Débora Lee Hudnall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome commentary on Hebrews

Awesome insights about a book that is so mysterious. Very well written with a clear message. Thompson is modern and knowledgeable in his ideology

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I hesitate to give such a thoroughly researched work only 3 stars, I found this commentary to be so deeply flawed, it was all I could muster. Thompson is so committed to the notion that the author of Hebrews holds a kind of Middle Platonic cosmology that whenever he mentions any apocalyptic influence it is described as incomplete and incongruent. Apparently the apocalyptic literature that Thompson clearly identifies in the mind of the author only serves as a kind of lexical kaleidoscope, rather than as a conceptual framework. In my view, Platonic cosmology is quite simply a poor fit for anything the author to the Hebrews has to say.