James
About
As with all BECNT volumes, James features the author's detailed interaction with the Greek text. This commentary admirably achieves the dual aims of the series--academic sophistication with pastoral sensitivity and accessibility--making it a useful tool for professors, students, and pastors. The acclaimed user-friendly design includes shaded chapter introductions summarizing the key themes of each thought unit.
About the series: The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT) series provides commentaries that blend scholarly depth with readability, exegetical detail with sensitivity to the whole, and attention to critical problems with theological awareness.
Endorsements
"Dan McCartney has written an informed, scholarly, and evangelical commentary on James that is both readable and informative. It contains fresh perspectives in addition to covering the ground that all solid commentaries need to cover. It will be quite useful to evangelical pastors who want a solid basis for preaching or teaching on James."--Peter H. Davids, professor of biblical theology, St. Stephen's University
"Dan McCartney's commentary on James is a fresh and important contribution to the literature on James. He convincingly argues that faith plays a central role in the letter. McCartney writes lucidly and clearly while ably surveying various interpretations. This work is exegetically rewarding, theologically rooted, and pastorally wise."--Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"McCartney shows firm control of the secondary literature while retaining an independent judgment on the original text itself. His exposition is thorough, clear, and consistently on target; and his extensive additional notes and excursuses are the icing on the cake. This work deserves a warm reception."--Moisés Silva, author of Philippians (BECNT)
Praise for the series:
"This series has set a new standard in reader-friendliness with its attractive presentation that combines detailed exegetical comment on the Greek text with accessibility for those who have little or no knowledge of the original language of the New Testament."--I. Howard Marshall, University of Aberdeen
The Author
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Dan G. McCartney
Dan G. McCartney (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He previously taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for more than twenty years. He is the author...
Continue reading about Dan G. McCartney
Reviews
"McCartney provides an extensive and fair assessment of various scholarly opinions. He stresses the thoroughly Christian nature of this New Testament book, its deep roots in Jewish Christianity, and its salutary emphasis on action and justice as a proper expression of faith in Christ."--Donald Senior, CP, The Bible Today
"This commentary . . . furthers the high standards of the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT) series. . . . The most distinctive aspect of McCartney's commentary . . . is the insistence that faith is the central concern of James. . . . The commentary proper is consistently scholarly and language students will value the technical input from a renowned interpreter. . . . Much fresh insight can be found on most of the pages and there is healthy examination of secondary literature. . . . The commentary as a whole is very worthy. . . . [It] should be seen as one of the very best exegetical works on James."--Andy Cheung, King's Evangelical Divinity School blog
"A significant work. [McCartney] deals carefully with the Greek text without being overly technical and moves to the theology of the text. He also treats more fully theological and ethical issues in the letter."--Ray Van Neste, Preaching
"The Baker Exegetical Commentary [on the New Testament] series seeks to provide commentaries that are both scholarly and readable, from an evangelical perspective. Dan McCartney's commentary on James is a fine example of this, for it is clear and easy to comprehend without sacrificing solid exegetical scholarship. . . . Throughout the main body of the commentary, there are clear discussions of the Greek text, which this reviewer found helpful. The commentary uses both footnotes and endnotes to give more technical information without bogging down the flow of the discussion in the main section. As an added bonus, there are four excurses at the end of the commentary. . . . Each one is rich, helpful, and stimulating."--Brian E. Belh, OP, New Horizons
"[McCartney's] years of teaching and research serve him ably in this volume. . . . There is much to be admired in this commentary. McCartney's interaction with the original languages is commensurate and not cumbersome to the reading of the volume. His consistent wrapping of the exegetical and theological concerns around the theme of genuine faith brings coherence to the interpretation of the letter. . . . The contemporary applications offered throughout the commentary help McCartney's hope for the epistle to be heard more clearly in today's church."--Eric J. Thomas, Southeastern Theological Review
"Dan McCartney's admirable new commentary on James meets the goals set him by his editors and serves as a trustworthy guide to the theology of the epistle. . . . McCartney treats the critical problems apposite to James with enviable effortlessness without sacrificing depth. . . . [His] clear and persuasive approach is one of the sterling features of [the] book. . . . This is a good book and ought to find its place among the upper tier of commentaries on James. McCartney is able to capture the blending of theological reflection and pastoral sensitivity that marks the epistle itself."--David P. Nystrom, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
"The actual commentary is full and good: it mentions alternatives, it interacts with the Greek text, and it does not mollify James's strong message. This volume is to be warmly commended as a first choice."--Pieter J. Lalleman, Journal for the Study of the New Testament
"The [BECNT] series targets a wide audience, from the pastor seeking clear expositions, to the scholar seeking depth and precision. McCartney's work accomplishes and surpasses these goals. Students and pastors will find the text direct and to the point, yet without any 'dumbing down' of the material. At the same time, scholars will appreciate the extensive, up-to-date works cited as well as McCartney's thorough interaction with the most pressing issues of interpretation and text criticism. . . . McCartney deals skillfully with the text, avoiding unnecessary digression so as to keep the argument and thought flow in focus. . . . McCartney shows his willingness to think independently by arriving at sometimes unpopular conclusions. He is careful in arriving at his conclusions, and does so only after presenting all sides of the issue. Readers wanting a better understanding of the structure and message of James will do well to make use of McCartney's excellent commentary."--Andrew Bowden, Southwestern Journal of Theology
Praise for the series:
"In this age of unprecedented proliferation of biblical commentary series, it is an outstanding accomplishment for the Baker Exegetical series consistently to have produced what with only rare exceptions have become the best available commentaries on the Greek text of the New Testament book or books treated."--Craig Blomberg, Denver Journal
"Rigorous exegesis by seasoned scholars with explicit evangelical commitments. This is also one of the best-designed, easy-to-read series as it includes intro matters, then each commentator's translation, commentary, and textual notes for every passage. Very reliable."--Bruce Riley Ashford and Grant Taylor, Between the Times blog