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The Gospels and Acts (Volume 1) (The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible) Hardcover – October 1, 2013

by Michael Wilkins (Author), Craig A. Evans (Author), Darrell L. Bock (Author),

4.2 28 ratings

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The most comprehensive volume ever produced in defense of the Gospels and Acts

The four Gospels and the book of Acts tell stories of Jesus’ life and the birth of Christianity. Are these stories true history or just religious fiction? Christians accept the stories as true and say that the entire Bible is a reliable communication inspired by God. Against this, non-Christians have argued that the Bible is a book of legends, myths, and historical inaccuracies―just another example of human religious endeavor. In this volume, four world-class New Testament scholars address challenges to the reliability of the Gospels and Acts. In order to identify the most important challenges, the authors drew from the literature of skeptics and New Testament critics, plus they included questions that many Christians ask as well. The result is the most comprehensive defense of the Gospels and Acts that has ever been published.

The primary purpose of the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible is to equip readers to defend the reliability of Scripture and the historic evangelical understanding of its teachings. It is designed for use by general readers, though scholars will find it a probing and welcome resource as well. A secondary purpose is to encourage awareness and discussion of Bible difficulties that are not commonly mentioned from the pulpit or even the seminary lectern.

This is not a verse-by-verse commentary. The authors were provided an index that identified verses known to be relevant to the topics of apologetics and biblical reliability. They restricted their comments to these verses, plus any others that they recognized as germane to the aims of this project. Typically, each commentary note begins by stating the challenge or challenges regarding the text at hand. We attempt to state the case in all its potency, as a critic would state it. This approach takes seriously the critical viewpoint and helps ensure that the reader feels the full weight of the challenge. The contributors take each challenge seriously and seek to describe viable solutions that support faith and align with a high view of Scripture.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Jesus said, “your word is truth,” and this invaluable Bible commentary answers questions and objections to that claim. Pastors, students, and laypeople will be encouraged and strengthened as they see that the historical and philosophical objections to the four gospels and book of Acts lack credibility.

Tom Schreiner
Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Biblical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

The Holman Apologetics Commentaryon the Bible is a splendid series that I am very pleased to recommend. Students, pastors, campus workers, professors, and any serious-minded Christian will profit greatly from it. Indeed, it is a resource for all truth-seekers!

Paul Copan
Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, Palm Beach Atlantic University

This is a much-needed and immensely valuable resource. The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible: Gospels and Acts is written by leading scholars in the field who have a knack for answering tough questions in a way that is highly academic and yet understandable and helpful to the non-specialist as well. Get a copy, study it, and find practical ways to communicate its truth to our generation.

Sean McDowell
Director of Worldview Ministries

This is the commentary I have been waiting for. Finally, there's a one-volume resource on the Gospels and Acts written by leading New Testament scholars, familiar with the latest scholarship and challenges, and focused on defending the consistency and reliability of the earliest biographies of Jesus. You won't find trivial answers here! Rather, you will learn how to engage the biblical text in a thoughtful way that takes context and the complexities of history seriously. Read this commentary and watch your confidence in the biblical text grow. I will be recommending this book to my students and anyone else who has questions about the Gospels.

Jonathan Morrow
Author of Welcome to College and founder of ThinkChristianly.org

Discussions about the truth of Christianity often center around the Gospels and Acts. Wouldn't it be nice to have a single volume that includes discussions pertaining to authorship, date of composition, available manuscripts, potential contradictions and texts for which much dispute exists? To my knowledge, no such book existed . . . until now! This team of top-flight scholars has produced a first-of-its-kind volume that will be a welcome resource for many years to come.

Mike Licona
Associate Professor in Theology, Houston Baptist University

This is a serious project produced by first-rate scholars. As I began paging through, I noticed that many of the questions I've had about particular passages were addressed with focus and careful discussion that often doesn’t make it into other commentaries. I find the authors to address many, many passages in the Bible that are strange, obscure, and otherwise difficult to understand. The writers show an unflinching engagement with critical scholarship. Frequently the explanation includes helpful background from extrabiblical writings and early church sources. The scholar and others who are interested in understanding the Bible will find much that is valuable to sort out the Gospels and Acts. At a length of 764 pages plus bibliography, this project goes a long way to open up the Bible for clear understanding of even the strangest passages.

John McKinley
Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies, Biola University

As I looked over the excellent new volume of the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible, I asked myself, “Why hasn't someone thought of this idea before?” Here the curious Christian or the skeptic can find commentaries on books of the Bible that focus on issues of trustworthiness and historical accuracy. Also, doctrinal issues raised by potentially confusing texts are addressed head on. These volumes are written by faithful Christian scholars with an eye to the edification of the non-specialist. Highly recommended.

Rob Plummer
Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

This work is a well-written and useful commentary written by exceptionally qualified scholars. I know of no commentary like it, which deals with some of the most difficult passages in the Gospels and Acts and provides solid research confirming the reliability of the text. The discussion on Luke 2:1, one of the most difficult issues in the book of Luke regarding the accuracy of the text, is probably the most thorough and well-researched response to this passage for some time. Those wanting to do careful research on the reliability of the text of the New Testament now have a substantial resource that they can consult.

Paul Wegner
Professor of Old Testament Studies, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary

The Gospel and Acts volume of The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible provides, in a single book, a treasure trove of answers and resources for the defense of the reliability of Scripture as well as in-depth analysis of many so-called “Bible difficulties.” This is a book that will help the pastor, strengthen the student, and point the lost to the Truth. I am grateful to have it on my shelf.

Jason G. Duesing
Assistant Professor of Historical Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Of the writing of Bible commentaries there is no end. However, the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible stands out as a uniquely helpful resource. By focusing on those portions of the biblical text most questioned by skeptics, this commentary series will equip pastors and other Christian leaders to defend the truthfulness of Scripture in a postmodern and increasingly post-Christian context. This is the right commentary series for our present age. Highly recommended.

Nathan A. Finn
Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

The authority of Scripture―challenged more stridently in the early 21st century than ever―is closely tied to its reliability. Prepared by highly regarded New Testament scholars, this careful volume provides a robust yet nuanced discussion of issues presented by “higher critics” whose writings have often undermined belief in the reliability of the Gospels and Acts. The helpful format enables pastors and other serious Bible students easily to identify “problem issues” for any particular passage and to engage scholarship from all points of the theological spectrum. I welcome this resource as a great tool to assist articulating the reliability and authority of the Bible, and I look forward to other volumes in the series.

Kendell H. Easley
Professor of Biblical Studies, Union University

The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible is an amazing tool for pastors and students. Many commentaries, in an effort to address a wide variety of topics and concerns, fail to adequately address many of the questions that people are asking. Finally, there is a resource that provides clear and concise answers to these tough questions. I highly recommend this valuable resource.

Benjamin L. Merkle
Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

If you’re looking for an apologetics commentary to feast upon, you’ve found it. The Holman Apologetics Commentary On The Bible has the necessary ingredients for greatness. Written by first-rate scholars. Reliable, readable, and digestible! Bone appétit!

Bobby Conway
Creator of The One Minute Apologist and Lead Pastor at Life Fellowship Church in Charlotte, NC.

The further we delve into a post-Christian world, the firmer our feet need to be rooted in Holy Scripture. The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible serves as a unique resource to this end as it provides a textually driven approach to apologetics, wherein the issues that are addressed come directly from the Bible and the conclusions that are provided show deep respect for the internal consistency of God’s Word. This is an intellectually edifying and spiritually satisfying work that will strengthen the church for years to come.

Anthony Chute
Associate Dean of the School of Christian Ministries and Associate Professor of Church History, California Baptist University

About the Author

Michael J. Wilkins is Distinguished Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and Dean of the Faculty, Talbot School of Theology, LaMirada, CA.

Craig A. Evans is the Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College of Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Darrell L. Bock is executive director of Cultural Engagement and senior research professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary.

Andreas J. Köstenberger is senior professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC and director of acquisitions, B&H Academic.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holman Reference (October 1, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 812 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0805495304
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805495300
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.44 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,190,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,638 in Christian Apologetics (Books)
- #5,994 in New Testament Commentaries

Customer Reviews:
4.2 28 ratings

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Craig A. Evans
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New Testament scholar, prolific author, and popular teacher/speaker, Craig A. Evans, the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University, Texas, is well-known for his contribution to work on the Gospels, the Historical Jesus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and archaeology of the New Testament. He regularly appears in documentaries, TV, and radio interviews. He lectures extensively and participates in archaeological digs and Holy Land tours.
For decades, his engaging style in live events, debates, teaching, media, and written publications has brought the Bible to life for countless students, popular audiences, and seekers.
A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, he received his M.Div. from Western Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Claremont Graduate University in southern California. He has also been awarded the D.Habil. by the Karoli Gaspar Reformed University in Budapest. Evans is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS and also serves as the Director of the Christian Thinkers Society Fellows Program and Strategic Studies.
After teaching one year at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Evans taught at Trinity Western University in British Columbia for twenty-one years, where he directed the graduate program in Biblical Studies and founded the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute. Evans then taught for thirteen years at the Divinity College at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. He was also a Visiting Fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.
Author and editor of more than eighty books and hundreds of articles and reviews, Professor Evans has given lectures at Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Yale, and other universities, colleges, seminaries, and museums, such as the Field Museum in Chicago, the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. He regularly lectures and gives talks at popular conferences and retreats on the historical Jesus, Archaeology, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Bible.

Along with countless interviews on radio networks across Canada and the US, Evans has been seen on Dateline NBC, CBC, CTV, Day of Discovery, and many documentaries aired on BBC, The Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic Channel, and others. He has also served as a consultant for the National Geographic Society and for The Bible miniseries, produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.
Visit www.craigaevans.com to find out more, see pictures, and watch videos of Dr. Evans in action.
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Andreas J. Köstenberger
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Dr. Andreas Kostenberger is an internationally-known Bible scholar, prolific author of over 60 books, and cofounder of Biblical Foundations™. His website, www.biblicalfoundations.org, features an abundance of resources and a complete list of publications. You can now buy his new book, Biblical Theology: A Canonical, Ethical, and Thematic Approach, which covers all 66 books of the Bible and is an ideal resource for pastors, teachers, and serious Bible students.
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Michael J. Wilkins
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Michael J. Wilkins is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of New Testament Language and Literature and former Dean of the Faculty at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He retired in 2020. He was on the faculty at Talbot/Biola since 1977, first as an adjunct professor, then full-time since 1983. He has an M.Div. from Talbot and a Ph.D. in New Testament from Fuller Theological Seminary. A Viet Nam veteran and husband of Lynne for 50 years, they have two daughters and two granddaughters. He is also the author of numerous books and articles.
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Jeremy Royal Howard
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Jeremy Royal Howard has served as Publisher of Bibles & Reference Books at B&H Publishing Group. He is General Editor of the HCSB Study Bible, author of Understanding Jesus in the QuickSource Guide series, and General Editor of The Gospels and Acts in the Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible series. He is a contributor to the Apologetics Study Bible, the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, and general editor of and contributor to If God Made the Universe, Who Made God? Dr. Howard was educated at Tennessee Technological University (B.S.) with a major in biology and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div. and Ph.D) with emphases on apologetics and worldview, philosophy, and theology.
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Michael J. Wilkins
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Michael J. Wilkins is Distinguished Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and Dean of the Faculty, Talbot School of Theology, LaMirada, CA.
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

28 global ratings

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Caleb Johnston

Excellent apologetic resource!

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2017

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As others have noted the navigation of the kindle version has difficulties. How the material is excellent and concise. It is not verse by verse but I feel that is a benefit here. I'm my experience so far, as I have been reading through acts in particular i find that as I have question of confusion or "why" they are all the same exact points that are addressed by the commentary. This is by far one of my favorite commentaries thanks to the detail and the focus on areas of apologetic interest. I will probably switch to a paper copy at some point, but digital issues aside this is a great resource.

4 people found this helpful

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Rich A.

Good content, Lousy navigation

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2016

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There is a lot of good content here, but I got the digital copy and navigation is horrendous. The 'Go To' menu only takes you to the introductory material of each book. There is no way to navigate to a particular verse. I jerry-rigged a navigation system by placing a highlight on a chapter:verse (i.e., 3:1) every couple chapters. I can tap the highlight and from there, I can page to the verse I want. The 'Notes' menu does separate them according to the book. I also used a different color highlight for each book, using the same color for Luke and Acts. I hope this helps.

9 people found this helpful

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PastorBob

Good resource.

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2016

Well put together.

Without Table of Content :(

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2015

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I recently bought this book on Kindle, and I was surprised that it doesn't have a Table of Content. For such a book of 800 pages I guess it is necessary for an easy reading.

5 people found this helpful

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Bill

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2014

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No download problems. Pleasant experience.

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Dennis Jensen

great commentary, but impractical as an e-book

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2016

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Great commentary but it is very difficult to use as an ebook on an iPod or iPhone type device. As a commentary I need it to look up specific chapters and verses. The table of contents will give me the book I'm looking for (suppose it's Mark) but I need to keep track of the page number it gives and the page number of the next book as given in the table of contents. If I don't keep track of the second page number, once I select Mark (via the table of contents) I wouldn't know how far to go before I'm outside of Mark. And from the text itself it is difficult to know where I am unless I have a Bible with me which confirms that the chapter and verse noted in the text (if it happens to be noted on any particular page) corresponds to the chapter and verse I see in the Bible. The text rarely indicates exactly what book I am in though it often has the chapter and verse. So it takes a lot of fishing around on the location bar and a lot of flipping pages to find the chapter and verse I need. Very time consuming.

To correct this the publishers should add to the table of contents a subcontent page which has each chapter of each book. If I click on Mark and the list of chapters comes up which link to the text, it would be much easier to quickly locate the needed chapter and then the needed verse. Please correct because this is really a great commentary for addressing difficult issues in the Gospels and Acts. I wish I could use it more.

I'm giving this a low rating hoping that the publishers will notice this and correct this problem. Obviously I haven't been able to use this commentary as much as I would like. What I have used has been very good. I suspect that I would give it a five star rating if I were able to evaluate the text more completely.

8 people found this helpful

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JP

Excellent Resource!!!

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2014

The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible: The Gospel and Acts is a new, unique commentary that sets out to explain difficult Bible texts in a way that will give the reader confidence in the inerrancy of Scripture. The authors of this edition are: Michael Wilkins (Matthew), Craig Evans (Mark), Darrell Bock (Luke, Acts) and Andreas Köstenberger (John). The authors state that their primary purpose is "to equip readers to defend the reliability of Scripture and the historic evangelical understanding of its teachings. It is designed for use by general readers, though scholars will find it a probing and welcome resource as well. This commentary will show that much of the criticism lodged against Scripture is demonstrably incorrect." This is a noble purpose and makes this commentary a great blessing to the church!

Aesthetically the commentary is laid out very nicely. Passages of Scripture are easy to find as they are centered on the page with the reference at the top in a bold background. After this the authors walk through the text with the commentary divided into sections. This is not a verse by verse exposition, but rather "the authors were provided an index that identified verses known to be relevant to the topics of apologetics and biblical reliability. They restricted their comments to these verses, plus any others that they recognized as germane to the aims of this project." To help with the readability each section begins with the passage of Scripture in bold as its heading, making it easy to navigate through this commentary to find specific areas of interest. I found the layout very helpful in finding passages of Scripture quickly.

A key question to ask is how do the authors handle the criticism of the text? The answer is that, "each commentary note begins by stating the challenge or challenges regarding the text at hand. We attempt to state the case in all its potency, as a critic would state it. This approach takes seriously the critical viewpoint and helps ensure that the reader feels the full weight of the challenge. Stating the challenge in an attenuated form, or stating only the weakest elements of the challenge, would rig the outcome and fail truly to interact with those who lodge complaints against the believer's viewpoint." This is crucial. As with theological differences, it is not acceptable to simply state one's proof texts and not engage in the opposing views points. Rather, the most helpful theological works not only state their position, but are also able to engage with other views. This is what this commentary does. Instead of finding the easiest arguments against the Bible that they can find, the authors instead confront the tough questions and seek to arm believers with sound answers.

A question that also arises is: Why present these challenges to the Bible that so many believers may be completely unaware of. The authors answer by stating that, "there are others who are eager to do the stirring for us, and would do so in hopes of convincing us that the Bible is unreliable. It is far better to face the difficulties with the aid of reliable guides who intend to bolster faith." This is an excellent point, but not the only one the authors point out. "Another answer is that we are called by God to be equipped. If what we evangelicals believe about the Bible is true, surely it can withstand unblinking examination. This does not mean we will sit in judgement over the Word of God. Rather, it means we will not shirk from engaging challenges to its accuracy and authority."

I was saved when I was 26 after living a life that denied the Bible as truth. One of the areas that strengthened my faith early on as a believer were apologetic books dealing with very tough questions. The Bible IS reliable, and we as Christians can profit greatly from seeing how empty many of the claims against it really are and also being able to better understand some of the more difficult claims. The authors of the commentary have provided the church with an excellent resource to bolster faith and tear down attacks against the Bible accuracy and authority. I am thankful for this commentary and look forward to more to come!

I received a copy of this book from B&H Publishing (Holman Reference) in exchange for an honest review.

16 people found this helpful

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Stefano Guaglione

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2015

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Very good

Dr. Yuriy Shchurko

Very good commentary

Reviewed in Germany on October 19, 2014

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Very good commentary, although in several places authours depends from middle ages protestant tradition (view on Mary for example). Everybody should have it.

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The Gospels and Acts (Volume 1) (The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible) Hardcover – October 1, 2013

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