Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Craig Keener's Acts Commentary Briefly Reviewed by Larry Hurtado

Fermi, in Monroe

New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado gives a brief review of Craig Keener's Acts Commentary Volume I here.

Hurtado writes:  "(T)o my knowledge, Keener’s 4-volume project (running well in excess of 2.5 million words) is by far the largest single-author work on Acts to date....

Keener’s strong suit has always been his impressive acquaintance with the literary environment of the New Testament. He is able to provide copious citations of texts (especially “pagan” texts) of the time, offering readers many opportunities to ponder possible relevance for appreciating a given passage in the NT. He is also remarkably thorough in citing other scholars.

This initial volume (running nearly 1,100 pages) comprises an extensive Introduction ...

(A)nyone concerned with Acts is best advised to take account of this extensive study from a widely read and dedicated scholar."