Book: Hebrews

Attridge, Harold W. The Epistle to the Hebrews. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989. 437 pages.

This is the second of two commentaries I have been spending a great deal of time with. The library managed to get both of them to me on the same day, loaned from different libraries–a shocking event!–and thus I worked with them in parallel.

This is Harold W. Attridge’s volume in the Hermeneia series. I can say almost the same thing as I said about the last commentary, though the author is much less known. But Attridge has produced a commentary that goes right along with the standards expected of the Hermeneia series.

Most criticisms of Biblical commentaries come from someone buying/borrowing the commentary with the wrong expectations. For example, the New International Commentary on the New Testament can expect material suitable to a serious Bible student or pastor. It is an extremely valuable series for the expository preacher. Hermeneia, on the other hand, is aimed at the scholar, and you should expect to have some trouble following it if you are not acquainted with major critical disciplines.

This volume is no exception. It’s discussions of major critical issues are extremely strong, but you will find very little that can be imported directly into your sermons or Bible lessons. That shouldn’t be a complaint–that’s not the purpose of the volume. You will find many things that you can apply if you take the time to think about them and figure out the applications for yourself.

I would recommend this to any scholar or serious Bible student with some background in critical disciplines. Some Greek will also be useful.