Writing a book on Hebrews. Are there any authors or commentators on the PB?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Regi Addictissimus

Completely sold out to the King
Hello, everyone. My name is Robert. I attend a Reformed Presbyterian church. I am a bibliophile with a penchant for old commentaries and theological books. I am new as a member to the forum but have used the Puritan Board as a resource for a while. I have been obsessed with Hebrews my entire Christian life. It has an immense amount of sentimental value to me. It was the first expository preaching series I heard right as the Lord called me out of darkness. This followed days after a series of painful trials that He used to break me down and renew me in Christ. I have been amassing commentaries and books inspired by Hebrews for some time now. The oldest being by Chrysotom, the newest being by William L. Lane and George H. Guthrie, and many in between. My goal is to absorb the best teachings from these great commentators and theologians. With the wealth of information gained from them, I am intending, God willing, to write a commentary that bridges the gap between scholarly and devotional. It would be in the same vein as J. C. Ryle's commentaries with a dash of Watson and a meticulous theological foundation such as Owen. Please do not think I am comparing myself to these great men but rather using them to convey the style I am aiming for. My wife says I write like a puritan. I suppose that is because that is what I mostly read.
I am looking to connect with other authors and commentators on the forum. It would be nice to network with people who have went through the process and to bounce ideas back and forth. I would also love to hear from any one who has a fondness for Hebrews. For me, it would be my desert island book. I love the author's rich Christology, his brilliant use of the OT, and his pastoral care for his audience. What are your thoughts on Hebrews or some of your favorite books you have read in regards to it? Also, forgive me if this is the wrong place to start this thread as this is my first post. I pray the Lord's sovereign grace is upon you all.
 
Last edited:
We have some authors listed in the Publications section of the site you may connect with:
https://www.puritanboard.com/forums/#puritan-reformed-publishers.137

There are also commentary authors as members who may weigh in.

And I also want to say welcome aboard, Robert! We are looking forward to many fruitful discussions with you in the future.

Our site contains a wealth of edifying and informative content. For starters, I recommend you start at the following link to get a sense of the basic ground rules:
https://www.puritanboard.com/help/terms

Then review this:
https://www.puritanboard.com/help/9th-commandment/

Please update you signature per our requirements shown below so that we may properly address you in the future:
https://www.puritanboard.com/help/signature/

Lastly, if you are so inclined, after you have made 25 posts, you can post something about yourself in the following Members Only thread that may be of interest to others. It is a running commentary on the interests and goings on of our members that is not viewable by non-members, nor searchable by internet search bots:

https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/who-are-you-guys-tell-us-a-little-about-yourself.91462/
 
Those are all great starting points to aid me in navigating the waters here. I truly appreciate it. I will start plugging away on those as time permits.
 
Robert, I very much look forward to seeing what you have to say about it. With regard to recent commentators (you seem to have the older ones well-covered), I would recommend O'Brien (though beware of the plagiarism problem), Attridge, Phillips, Ellingworth, France, and Schreiner. Keep an eye out for Moo and Carson, as well, though they are not published yet.
 
I have an opportunity to a copy of O'Brien's commentary. Although, I am sure you are well aware they are going for astronomical prices. Do you believe it is still worth it even though I wouldn't be able to reference it? I am really torn on whether investing the time and money on it. I greatly look forward to Moo's commentary. I have also been on the fence about Attridge. Out of the ones you listed, which has been the most profitable to you? With a horde of commentaries, I really have to pick and choose when adding new ones to my workload. PS. I know you're the resident commentator authority. I was hoping you would respond. Thanks.
 
I also have an opportunity to get W. S. Plumer's commentary on Hebrews. It is pretty rare and it is priced knowing the rarity of it. I know his commentaries on the Psalms and Romans are great. I am sure this one would be no exception.
 
Robert, I don't envy your position of having to choose. Probably, for what you want to do, Phillips and Schreiner will be more in line with your project (and more affordable). Oh, nearly forgot, you should definitely get McWilliams in the Lectio Continua series. If you have any funds left after that, get Attridge and O'Brien.
 
Hebrews is my favourite book in the Bible, so if you can write something good on it I for one will appreciate it.

My wife says I write like a puritan. I suppose that is because that is what I mostly read.

I suspect that your wife does not mean that as a compliment. Some Puritans were very poor stylists, making them unnecessarily difficult to read. Other Puritans, following Calvin's style in his commentaries, were much simpler to read. A good rule of thumb is that a simple (not simplistic) style is always the best. Avoid being wordy, and, if you actually wish to communicate arguments rather than merely write, then always remember that less is more.
 
Ha I suppose it's all in how you view her comment. I would agree with you for the most part. I would say my style favors Thomas Watson over John Owen. My goal is for brevity and to follow the example of Johann Bengel of whom Spurgeon wrote:
"Bengel condensed more matter into a line than can be extracted from pages of other writers."
 
Welcome to the Board brother. I am an author but have never been through the process of trying to find a publisher; I just self-publish (Lulu). Now focus is changing a bit. I'm writing a (pretty extensive) curriculum on Covenant Theology. Hope it can be used by many people in a lot of different ways. Have bought a website (ruinandredemption.com) and when it's complete will put it up there.
 
Lane, I see that Phillips and McWilliams are both expository commentaries. If one wants a solid devotional commentary on Hebrews would you recommend a particular one?

I typically use expository commentaries as devotional commentaries. I would add a few others that might fit the bill: Guthrie's NIVAC commentary is excellent at making the move from text to application. There is also Hughes's Preach the Word commentary, and then there is also Pink.
 
AW Pink shares some of his interesting insights in his work, “An Exposition of Hebrews”. I have benefited from reading it.
 
I typically use expository commentaries as devotional commentaries. I would add a few others that might fit the bill: Guthrie's NIVAC commentary is excellent at making the move from text to application. There is also Hughes's Preach the Word commentary, and then there is also Pink.
Lane, apologies, I probably did not word my question correctly.

I wrote "I see that Phillips and McWilliams are both expository commentaries. If one wants a solid devotional commentary on Hebrews would you recommend a particular one?"

I meant would you recommend a particular one out of these two - ie, Phillips and McWilliams. I was aware that both Phillips and McWilliams were both respected Reformed expository commentaries, I was thinking of using only one so was wondering which one of these two would be suitable for personal devotions - unles you have another in mind :) Thank you :)
 
Stephen, ah, now I see where you are going. I interpreted your question completely differently than your intent! You know, both Phillips and McWilliams are going to be solidly reliable, Reformed preachers of the text. You wouldn't go wrong with either of them. I know Richard Phillips a lot better than I know David McWilliams (I have met Dr. McWilliams on a few occasions). So I would probably go for Phillips first. But then again, I would not force myself to choose! I would read both.
 
So I would probably go for Phillips first. But then again, I would not force myself to choose! I would read both.
Thanks Lane. This has been a big help. It sounds as like 'Phillips and McWilliams' is a bit like the Vos vs Bavinck discussion we have had in other posts :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top