Summer Reading, Part 1

I thought I might review some of my recent reading here, not 1) to burden you with more reading than you already have, nor 2) to impress you with my reading, as I know it is impressive neither in quantity nor in erudite works, nor 3) to suggest that these are the best works to read.  I do it simply because I read these, and since I’m not really “doing” anything with them, I thought I might at least pass on a few comments before putting them back on the shelf.  I like to know what others are reading, unless it seems like a brag-fest.

According to Luke, by David Gooding – I’m going to start out with two books that I read last semester, as I didn’t get the chance to mention them before.  This is not really a commentary on Luke, but an exposition of Luke.  That means that it reads like a book, explaining what Luke was saying in expanded language, and with lots of insights into Luke’s structure and intention.  It’s a model book for me in some ways, and I would highly recommend it.  You’ll learn a lot about the gospel and it’s much more enjoyable than reading a commentary.  Unfortunately, it is hard to find.  I got my copy for $15, but I don’t see any available for that now.

Genesis: A Commentary, by Bruce Waltke – I don’t read many commentaries straight through (and this is the one book on the list that I didn’t quite finish – 100 pages to go), but I found this one less technical and full of great insights.  If you haven’t studied Genesis beyond the intro college level, put it on your “to do” list.  Genesis is a much more remarkable book than the simple stories you thought you mastered in Sunday School.  And a commentary like this one will open your eyes to many, many new things.  This isn’t the only commentary on Genesis worth reading, but it’s a good one and might be easier to access than the standard ones.

Exodus, by Leon Uris – I don’t read many books twice, but since I read this about 18 years ago and have continually recommended it since then, I thought it would be a good read for the airplane ride to Israel.  This is fiction based around historical events and it’s a fun read about how the modern state of Israel came to be.  I’m glad I recommended it, and will continue to do so.

The Copper Scroll, by Joel Rosenberg – I actually listened to this book while in Israel and on the plane.  I have to say that I want to like Rosenberg (he’s a conservative believer), but his books are just too in-your-face and far-fetched to get me to do anything more than barely admit that I read this.

The Quest for the Historical Israel: Debating Archaeology and the History of Early Israel, by Israel Finkelstein and Amihai Mazar – I read this for a review in the next edition of the Journal of Evangelical Theological Society.  I benefited from it, though I disagreed with nearly everything both of them said.  I wrote a post on one point made in the book that I might actually finish one day.  This “debate” is between two positions that are hardly distinguishable.  Both claim to be “centrist,” but not many years ago they’d be widely viewed as liberal.

I’ll continue this list soon.