I am a Disciples of Christ minister and I often cite and use your insights in preparing sermons. I was wondering if you have any preferred commentaries that you consider exegetically sound.

Dear John,

The short and quick answer to your question is No! At least there is no single volume commentary or even a single series of commentaries on every book of the Bible that I would recommend. Most ministers or churches in the last half of the 20th century have in their personal or church libraries a set of books called The Interpreter’s Bible. They are not bad, but they are also not profound and by now are badly dated. Nonetheless you can find in that series something about every book in the Bible. Not many people are going to write commentaries on Obadiah, Haggai or Nahum, but the Interpreter’s Bible covers them all.

This is not to say that there are not some great commentaries. There are, but they tend to represent the life work of one scholar. When I was preparing my book on the Fourth Gospel, there were two Johannine commentaries that when I completed them, I felt as if I had been on holy ground. The two authors were C. H. Dodd and Rudolf Bultmann. I was thrilled by the commentary of Gerhard von Rad on Genesis and Ernst Haenchen on Acts. Michael Goulder’s work on Luke feeds me daily.
I am fortunate to live near Drew University with its outstanding theological library, which helps Methodist clergy in their preparation for Methodist ministry in the Drew University Theological School. This theological school’s librarian, Jesse Mack, can help me to find almost anything I want in that library. My recommendation to young clergy – older ones too – is that you work on one book of the Bible every year and that you choose to aid you in that study an outstanding commentary on that book and quite literally master that book and that commentary. At the rate of dedicating just thirty minutes a day to this study, you can complete and master that book of the Bible in the course of a year, even the longest books of the Bible. I’ve already mentioned my favorites on some biblical books. Ask the faculty of the theological seminary where you trained to suggest their favorites on some of the other books of the Bible.

If you master five or six of the great commentaries on five or six of the most significant books of the Bible, your life and ministry will be greatly enriched.

Thank you for your service and my blessings on your work.
John Shelby Spong

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