Craig S. Keener

Excellent testimonies of miraculous healings in modern times with sources and documentations cited in the "Notes" section. Keener provides a balanced look at the issue of the miraculous which should encourage believers to God's tangible revelation of Himself in Christ in the world today and challenge the atheist's worldview on the basis of science, as this book provides evidence of the behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and testing as being affected by the reality of God.

What is no less important is that Keener provides and appendix discussing (A) Did Prayer Make things Worse?, (B) Some of Hume's Arguments (Hume denies the miraculous), and (C) False Signs.

Also, Kenner cites where sources and documentations may be obtained (if available) in the "Notes" section at end.

This book is a companion for the layman to his two-volume scholarly work, "Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts," from which Keener takes some of the accounts from. However, most of the material is new and not included in the two-volume work.… (més)

Christianity Today's Books of the Year
Preaching's Preacher's Guide to the Best Bible Reference

This revised edition of the standard reference work in its field has been expanded throughout to now provide even more up-to-date information by Craig Keener, one of the leading New Testament scholars on Jewish, Greek and Roman culture.

To understand and apply the Bible well, you need two crucial sources of information. One is the Bible itself. The other is an understanding of the cultural background of the passage you're reading.

Only with the background can you grasp the author's original concerns and purposes. This unique commentary provides, in verse-by-verse format, the crucial cultural background you need for responsible―and richer―Bible study. It includes a glossary of cultural terms and important historical figures, maps and charts, up-to-date bibliographies, and introductory essays about cultural background information for each book of the New Testament.

Based on decades of in-depth study, this accessible and bestselling commentary is valuable for pastors in sermon preparation, for Sunday-school and other church teachers as they build lessons, for missionaries concerned not to import their own cultural biases into the Bible, for college and seminary students in classroom assignments, and for everyday Bible readers seeking to deepen and enhance their study of Scripture.

"So far as this reviewer can discern, Keener knows his ancient sources and knows the best recent ideas on how to interpret them. . . . Teachers, pastors and students of the Bible will find it immensely helpful; I will probably include it in my next revised list of eight to twelve books recommended for a 'Basic Home Christian Library.'" (Presbyterion)

"Keener has accomplished a monumental task in assimilating a vast amount of primary and secondary material on first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman culture and making it accessible to nonspecialist readers. In addition, he displays a wide knowledge of New Testament scholarship (Pauline studies, gospels studies, etc.). To make this commentary useful to a diverse audience, Keener has minimized theological comments and emphasized historical, cultural, and social background. The text is clearly written and fairly free of technical jargon. . . . This volume should be a useful addition to public, academic, and seminary libraries." (Library Journal)
"It is nearly impossible to imagine that one person could have compiled all the information contained within this volume. But Keener has not simply compiled material; he has mastered it. . . . At every turn of the page, whose who treasure the Bible will find something new and valuable."
(Themelios)… (més)