Book Notice: The Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Acts

On the heels of their immensely popular and useful Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series,  IVP Academic has been releasing the equally helpful Reformation Commentary on Scripture series, now in its fifth installment with the release of Acts. 

What makes this series so valuable is the amount of information that is distilled in such a volume. Want to know what the Reformers thought of the Eucharist and communal fellowship and worship as outlined in Acts 2:42-47 (35-39)? You will find no less than the likes of John Calvin, Martin Luther, Peter Walpot, Desiderius Erasmus, Johann Spangenberg, Peter Riedemann, Peter Wolpot, and Rudolf Gwalther's comments represented here.

Each section helpfully begins with an overview, setting the historical context of the various Protestant movements and their views toward each passage. 

One of the most valuable aspects of the volume is to be found in the appendix, "Biographical Sketches of Reformation-Era Figures and Works" in the back of each volume. 137 individuals, confessions, and articles are sketched here, providing the reader a nice, crisp description of the importance of these figures and movements.

IVP Academic is to be congratulated on another in a long line of excellent resources. 

Daniel J. Harrington Videos

Daniel J. Harrington, a great Jesuit priest and scholar, passed away earlier this week. I did not know him, but everything I have read about him as a man of God speaks for itself. Both his scholarship and his service to the church were top-notch.

There are some really good tributes to Fr. Harrington on the net, especially this one in America: The National Catholic Review.


In light of this, I was able to locate a couple of videos on the Boston College website, where Harrington served as Professor of New Testament. Here is the first, entitled: "Prophets and Apostles: Vocations in the Scriptures." The second is entitled: "Introducing the Bible Today: Challenges and Opportunities." The latter is a lecture Harrington delivers a part of along with Richard J. Clifford, S.J. and Pheme Perkins.