What theological books or commentaries have helped you the most?

[redbelt]

Let me be sure to start with God's word as the number 1 book before someone hits me up on that. But seriously,,, what commentaries or books would be a priority for your library? Thanks!

 

[blackbird]

Anything from John Phillips

Arthur Pink

Warren Weirsbe

Ken Weist

 

[TomVols]

The NT Commentaries by Hendriksen and Kistemaker. A must have.
Calvin's commentaries. Pure exegetical genius.
Keil Delitzsch on the OT (requires a bit of Hebrew, but second to none).

More to come....

NASB Study Bible
ESV Study Bible

As for sytematic theology:
Foundations of the Faith by James Boice
Abstract of Systematic Theology by James Boyce (note the spelling difference)
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem (he's a continualist, fyi.)
Christian Theology by Millard Erickson
Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof
Manual of Theology by J.L. Dagg
A Theology for the Church ed. by Danny Akin (the section on Christ's Work could be stronger)

Edited to add...wait, I thought you asked about theology texts. My mistake. What other books are you interested in?

 

[asterisktom]

Let me be sure to start with God's word as the number 1 book before someone hits me up on that. But seriously,,, what commentaries or books would be a priority for your library? Thanks!

The best one for me would probably be Matthew Henry's Unabridged Commentary. CBD has a sale now of all 6 volumes for 30 some dollars.

I do not recommend any of the abridged commentaries. They very often leave out the essential and distinctive insights of Henry.

 

[Joseph M. Smith]

The theological book which engaged my attention 40 years ago and still challenges me is H. Richard Niebuhr's Christ and Culture.

I find plenty of useful insight in the Broadman Bible Commentary series. Not the latest, but very solid. I also like some volumes of the Interpretation series.

 

[exscentric]

Many of these thus far are available in E-sword Bible program which would be my vote as it draws many of my books into one small package.

Within E-sword:

Barnes Notes
Robertson's Word Pictures
Keil and Delitzsch
Just used Calvin's commentary yesterday for the first time and I'd guess it will be high on the list soon.

 

[Tom Bryant]

You could not go wrong with any mentioned so far, so I'll add a few more:

Word Pictures in the New Testament
Vines Expository Dictionary
Commentaries by Ironside (dated and pre-mill if that bothers you)
I also like J. Vernon McGee as a general kind of light commentary

 

[Johnv]

I just started reading some of the works of Soren Kirkegaard. Interesting stuff.

 

[Rippon]

I do not recommend any of the abridged commentaries. They very often leave out the essential and distinctive insights of Henry.

Are you aware that Henry was only able to comment on 44 books of the Bible? He covered Genesis through Acts.

 

[asterisktom]

Are you aware that Henry was only able to comment on 44 books of the Bible? He covered Genesis through Acts.

Yes, I was. The other parts of "Henry" are somewhat uneven. As far as my own studies have gone I found the sections by William Tong to be the best (Hebrews and Revelation). But that is subjective, probably.

There is an interesting parallel from Matthew Poole's Commentary. He also started from Genesis and died before he could finished, somewhere near the same place, I think.

 

[Martin]

Let me be sure to start with God's word as the number 1 book before someone hits me up on that. But seriously,,, what commentaries or books would be a priority for your library? Thanks!

Too many to name. However books/commentaries that I use on a regular basis when preparing lessons:

My NASB Bible (my best resource since all of my personal notes are in it).

"Believers Bible Commentary" By William MacDonald (my favorite commentary!).

"The MacArthur Study Bible" By John MacArthur

"The Ryrie Study Bible" By Charles Ryrie

"Jesus According To The Scriptures" By Darrell Bock

"Jesus and The Gospels" & "From Pentecost to Patmos" by Craig Blomberg

"Basic Theology" By Charles Ryrie

"Willmington's Guide To The Bible" & "Willmington's Bible Handbook" By Harold Willmington

"Theology For Today" By Elmer Towns

Any books by John MacArthur.

"Vines Complete Exposition Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words"

"Essentials of New Testament Greek" By Ray Summers & "The Greek New Testament: Fourth Revised Edition (United Bible Society)"

There are others, but those are the ones I use the most.

 

[Amy.G]

I just started reading some of the works of Soren Kirkegaard. Interesting stuff.

Why?...........

 

[Deacon]

Wayne Grudem's or Millard Errickson's Systematic Theology text would be a good addition to any library.

The theological book which engaged my attention 40 years ago and still challenges me is H. Richard Niebuhr's Christ and Culture.

Have you looked at D.A. Carson's, Christ & Culture Revisted?

Rob

 

[Marcia]

Why?...........

I wondered the same thing, unless one just wants to know more about Kierkegaard for study reasons. But I hope no one who reads him is influenced by him. Kierkegaard is regarded as an early existentialist and had influence on postmodernism due to his extreme emphasis on subjectivity and rejection of propositional truth as part of the Christian faith. I think K was reacting to the overly academic approaches of the time to Christianity but in his overreaction, he went too far.

We need only mention the Kierkegaardian inspired beliefs that: 1) Religious truth is located in personal encounter (subjectivity); 2) Propositional truth is not essential to the Faith; 3) Higher criticism is not harmful to real Christianity: 4) God is “wholly other” and essentially unknowable, even through biblical revelation. These give further significance to the Pauline warning to “beware of philosophy.”

http://www.ses.edu/Portals/0/journal/articles/2.1Geisler.pdf

 

[jcjordan]

I just started the 13 volume series on Romans by Martin Llloyd Jones. So far, it is excellent.

 

[kyredneck]

Let me be sure to start with God's word as the number 1 book before someone hits me up on that. But seriously,,, what commentaries or books would be a priority for your library? Thanks!

Good post. Arthur Pink's writings have affected me as much as any other author. These are the one's I keep close and use most often for quick reference nowadays:

Strong's and Young's Concordances
Vine's Expository Dictionary (NT)
Unger's Bible Dictionary
Hodge's Systematic Theology
Edersheim's Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown's Commentary
Complete Works of Josephus

.........but I must admit, the age of the Internet search engine has changed things some......

 

[David Michael Harris]

Interpreters Bible and Dictionary, anything by FF Bruce, Ramsey and Lightfoot., History of the Christian Church by Schaff. And a ton of other stuff.

 

[Jedi Knight]

Dr. J. Vernon McGee's :type:

 

[pinoybaptist]

Most of them were none Th.D's or M.Th.'s or DD's, but just plain Christians who rightly divided the word who believed Christ came and did what He was supposed to do according to the Father's will and preached Christ as a Savior-in-fact of all His people, no matter who they were, where they were, or when they were here on this earth.

Primitive Baptist writers, notably Sylvester Hassell.

 

[Havensdad]

Well let's see. In regards to doctrine...
The Gospel According to Jesus John Macarthur
The Way of the Master Ray Comfort
Pierced for Our Transgressions: Rediscovering the Glory of Penal Substitution Steve Jeffrey, Micheal Ovey and Andrew Sach
Systematic Theology Wayne Grudem

In regards to commentaries/books, I have to say I don't use many. However, some study aides I do use...

Vincents Word Studies
Robertson's Word Pictures
Strong's and Thayers
Robertsons Morphological Analysis Codes

In regards to inspirational books, I have to say, there is only one I can think of worth mentioning...

Out of the Comfort Zone An autobiography of Ray Comfort.

If you have never read it before drop what you are doing, and read it. Awesome stuff.