Recommended Readings

What follows is a list of recommended readings on a variety of topics. Being included in this list does not necessarily indicate that I agree with all, or even most, of what is in the writing. It indicates that I think the writing is important or of high quality. Nonetheless, writing that I generally agree with is far more likely to find its way into this list. Bold face is used to indicate writings that I think are the best of the best for the subject in question.

Bible

Commentaries and Single Book Studies

Genesis

  1. Kenneth Matthews (NAC)
  2. Nahum Sarna (JPSTBC)
  3. Victor Hamilton (NICOT)

Exodus

  1. Nahum Sarna (JPSTBC)
  2. Douglas Stuart (NAC)

Leviticus

  1. Jacob Milgrom (AYB)
  2. Gordon Wenham (NICOT)
  3. Baruch Levine (JPSTBC)

Numbers

  1. Timothy Ashley (NICOT)
  2. Jacob Milgrom (JPSTBC)
  3. Gordon Wenham (TOTC)

Deuteronomy

  1. Jeffrey H. Tigay (JPSTBC)
  2. Jack R. Lundbom

Joshua

  1. David G. Firth (EBTC)
  2. David M. Howard, Jr. (NAC)
  3. Richard S. Hess (TOTC)

Esther

  1. Anthony Tomasino (EEC)

Proverbs

  1. Bruce K. Waltke (NICOT)
  2. Tremper Longman III (BCOT)

Daniel

  1. Andrew E. Steinmann (ConC)
  2. Stephen R. Miller (NAC)
  3. Joyce Baldwin (TOTC)
  4. John J. Collins (Hermeneia)

Matthew

  1. R. T. France (NICNT) (me, Best Commentaries)
  2. W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr. (ICC) (me, Best Commentaries)
  3. Donald Hagner (WBC) (me, Best Commentaries)
  4. Craig S. Keener (me, Best Commentaries)
  5. Grant Osborne (ZECNT) (me, Best Commentaries)

John

  1. Raymond Brown (AYB)

Acts of the Apostles

  1. Craig S. Keener (1, 2, 3, 4)
  2. The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History by Colin J. Hemer
  3. The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting (5 volumes)

Romans

  1. Douglas Moo (NICNT)
  2. Thomas Schreiner (BECNT)
  3. Colin Kruse (PNTC)

1 Peter, 2 Peter, Jude

  1. Karen Jobes (BECNT)
  2. Thomas Schreiner (NAC)
  3. John Elliott (AYB)

1-3 John

  1. Raymond Brown (AYB)
  2. Gary Derickson (EEC)
  3. Robert Yarbrough (BECNT)
  4. John Stott (TNTC)
  5. Daniel Akin (NAC)

Revelation

  1. G. K. Beale (NIGTC)
  2. Robert Mounce (NICNT)
  3. Craig Koester (Revelation and the End of All Things)

History (Biblical)

  • Handbook of Biblical Chronology by Jack Finegan
  • Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith?: A Critical Appraisal of Modern and Postmodern Approaches to Scripture by Hoffmeier & Magary
  • From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology Andrew E. Steinmann

Old Testament History

  • Israel: Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention? by Daniel I. Block
  • What Did the Biblical Writers Know & When Did They Know It? What Archaeology Can Tell Us about the Reality of Ancient Israel by William G. Dever
  • Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? by William G. Dever
  • Revisiting the Days of Genesis: A Study of the Use of Time in Genesis 1-11 in Light of Its Ancient Near Eastern and Literary Context by B.C. Hodge
  • Ancient Israel in Sinai: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness Tradition by James K. Hoffmeier
  • Israel in Egypt: The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Exodus Tradition by James K. Hoffmeier
  • On the Reliability of the Old Testament by K.A. Kitchen
  • Life in Biblical Israel by Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager
  • The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings by Edwin R. Thiele

New Testament History

  • The Historical Reliability of the New Testament by Craig Blomberg
  • The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F. F. Bruce
  • Christianity in the Making (3 volumes) by J. D. G. Dunn
  • Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts by Craig S. Keener
  • Redating the New Testament by J. A. T. Robinson
  • Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament by A. N. Sherwin-White
Historical Jesus
  • Finding the Historical Christ by Paul Barnett
  • Jesus and the Logic of History by Paul Barnett
  • Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham
  • The Historical Reliability of the Gospels by Craig Blomberg
  • The Historical Reliability of John’s Gospel by Craig Blomberg
  • Cynic Sage or Son of God? by Gregory Boyd
  • The Birth of the Messiah by Raymond Brown
  • The Death of the Messiah by Raymond Brown
  • What Are the Gospels?: A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography by Richard A. Burridge
  • Ancient Jewish and Christian Perceptions of Crucifixion by David W. Chapman
  • The Trial and Crucifixion of Jesus: Texts and Commentary by David W. Chapman and Eckhard J. Schnabel
  • The Tomb of Jesus and His Family? Exploring Ancient Jewish Tombs Near Jerusalem’s Walls by James H. Charlesworth
  • The Oral Gospel Tradition by J. D. G. Dunn
  • The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition by Paul Rhodes Eddy & Gregory Boyd
  • Memory and Manuscript with Tradition and Transmission in Early Christianity by Birger Gerhardsson
  • The Reliability of Gospel Tradition by Birger Gerhardsson
  • The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona
  • Crucifixion: In The Ancient World And The Folly Of The Message Of The Cross by Martin Hengel
  • The Four Gospels and the One Gospel of Jesus Christ by Martin Hengel
  • Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ by Harold Hoehner
  • Biographies and Jesus: What Does It Mean for the Gospels to be Biographies? edited by Craig S. Keener and Edward T. Wright
  • Christobiography: Memory, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels by Craig S. Keener
  • The Historical Jesus of the Gospels by Craig S. Keener
  • The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach by Michael Licona
  • Hidden in Plain View: Undesigned Coincidences in the Gospels and Acts by Lydia McGrew
  • Memory, Jesus, and the Synoptic Gospels by Robert McIver
  • A Marginal Jew (5 volumes) by John P. Meier
  • The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Brant Pitre
  • Unmasking the Pagan Christ: An Evangelical Response to the Cosmic Christ Idea by Stanley Porter and Stephen Bedard
  • Jesus and Judaism by E. P. Sanders
  • Jesus in Jerusalem: The Last Days by Eckhard Schnabel
  • Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus by Klyne R. Snodgrass
  • Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels by J. Warner Wallace
  • Easter Enigma: Are the Resurrection Accounts in Conflict? by John Wenham
  • The Resurrection of the Son of God by N. T. Wright
Early Church
  • Did the Early Church Baptize Infants? by Kurt Aland
  • The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years by Paul Barnett
  • The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus by Sean McDowell

Source Criticism

Textual Criticism

  • The Number of Variants in the Greek New Testament: A Proposed Estimate by Peter J. Gurry (paper) (my notes)
  • Myths and Mistakes in New Testament Textual Criticism edited by Elijah Hixson and Peter J. Gurry
  • The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration_ (Fourth Edition) by Metzger & Ehrman
  • A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament by Bruce Metzger
  • Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible by Emanuel Tov
  • Revisiting the Corruption of the New Testament: Manuscript, Patristic, and Apocryphal Evidence by Daniel B. Wallace

Formation of the Canon

  • Holy Writing, Sacred Text: The Canon in Early Christianity by John Barton
  • The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity: Texts and Analysis by Edmon L. Gallagher and John D. Meade
  • Who Chose the Gospels?: Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy by C.E. Hill
  • The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance by Bruce Metzger

Theology

  • Men and Women in Christ: Fresh Light from the Biblical Texts by Andrew Bartlett
  • Jesus the Messiah: Tracing the Promises, Expectations, and Coming of Israel’s King by Bateman IV, Bock, and Johnston
  • The Theology of Paul the Apostle by J. D. G. Dunn
  • Unchanging Witness: The Consistent Christian Teaching on Homosexuality in Scripture and Tradition by Donald Fortson and Rollin Grams
  • The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment by Edward Fudge
  • The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics by Robert A. J. Gagnon
  • Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Posessesions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal by Richard Gallagher
  • God’s Final Victory: A Comparative Philosophical Case for Universalism by John Kronen and Eric Reitan
  • Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique edited by J. P. Moreland, Stephen C. Meyer, Christopher Shaw, Gauger, and Wayne Grudem
  • The Logic of God Incarnate by Thomas Morris
  • The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis: A Critical Assessment from the New Testament to Eriugena by Ilaria L. E. Ramelli
  • Terms for Eternity: Aiônios and Aïdios in Classical and Christian Texts by Ilaria L. E. Ramelli and David Konstan
  • The Messianic Hope: Is the Old Testament Really Messianic? by Michael Rydelnik
  • Paul’s Divine Christology by Christ Tilling
  • Bloody, Brutal, and Barbaric? Wrestling with Troubling War Texts by William J. Webb and Gordon K. Oeste
  • Jesus, Paul and the End of the World: A Comparitive Study in New Testament Eschatology by Ben Witherington III
  • Old Testament Ethics for the People of God by Christopher J. H. Wright

Philosophy

Epistemology

  • Testimony: A Philosophical Study by C. A. J. Coady
  • An Aristotelian Account of Induction: Creating Something from Nothing by Louis Groarke

Ethics

Metaphysics

  • The One and the Many: A Contemporary Thomistic Metaphysics by W. Norris Clarke
  • Aquinas by Edward Feser
  • The Last Superstition by Edward Feser
  • Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction by Edward Feser
  • Real Essentialism by David S. Oderberg
  • The Science Before Science: A Guide to Thinking in the 21st Century by Anthony Rizzi
  • Dictionary of Scholastic Philosophy by Bernard Wuellner
  • Summary Of Scholastic Principles by Bernard Wuellner

Philosophy of Mind

  • Soul Hypothesis: Investigations into the Existence of the Soul by Mark C. Baker and Stewart Goetz
  • Philosophical Foundations of Neuroscience by M. R. Bennett and P. M. S. Hacker
  • Philosophy of Mind by Edward Feser
  • The Emergent Self by William Hasker
  • The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation by Holden et al
  • Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century by Kelly et al

Philosophy of Nature

  • Aristotle’s Revenge: The Metaphysical Foundations of Physical and Biological Science by Edward Feser
  • The Philosophy of Nature: A Guide to the New Essentialism by Brian Ellis

Philosophy of Religion

History (Non-Biblical)

  • Christian Attitudes Toward War and Peace: A Historical Survey and Critical Re-Evaluation by Roland H. Bainton
  • The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism by Andrew Bostom
  • The Legacy of Islamic Jihad by Andrew Bostom
  • The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict by William T. Cavanaugh
  • Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History by John Dickson
  • Medical Miracles: Doctors, Saints, and Healing in the Modern World by Jacalyn Duffin
  • The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization by Anthony Esolen
  • The Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity by Richard Fletcher
  • The Story of Christianity (2 Volumes) by Justo L. Gonzalez
  • Chronicles of the Crusades: Eye-witness Accounts of the Wars Between Christianity and Islam by Elizabeth Hallam
  • God’s Philosopher’s: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science by James Hannam
  • Inside Roman Libraries: Book Collections and Their Management in Antiquity by George W. Houston
  • From Reliable Sources: An Introduction to Historical Methods by Martha Howell and Walter Prevenier
  • Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World by Larry Hurtado
  • The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision by Henry Kamen
  • The Heresy of Orthodoxy by Kostenberger & Kruger
  • Justifying Historical Descriptions by Christopher Behan McCullagh
  • Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion by Ronald L. Numbers
  • The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne K. Roach
  • Papias and the New Testament by Monte Allen Shanks
  • The Early Church on Killing: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on War, Abortion, and Capital Punishment by Ronald J. Sider
  • The Christians as the Romans Saw Them by Robert Louis Wilken
  • The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson
  • How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization by Thomas E. Woods Jr.
  • The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam: From Jihad to Dhimmitude by Bat Yeor

Politics

  • What Is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense by Girgis, Anderson, & George
  • Equality: The Impossible Quest by Martin van Creveld
  • Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything by Robert Reilly
  • The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century by Louise Perry
  • The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Trueman