"Francesca Murphy is at her perceptive and witty best in 1 Samuel. Her truly remarkable breadth of reading, awareness of the ambiguity of both power and vision, love of scripture, and sense of what the church is about today make this a powerful and relevant contribution to the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. I thoroughly recommend her volume."
--Iain Torrance,
president, Princeton Theological Seminary
"The preaching of any scripture requires that we read it in the midst of the one long theological conversation that is the church. Francesca Aran Murphy does this for us with her commentary on 1 Samuel. She pays fastidious attention to the theological readings passed down to us throughout the centuries, from Origen to von Balthasar. She does not discard the modern hermeneutic; rather, she uses it in the service of doing faithful theology for our time. By tracing the 'many little dramas' of 1 Samuel, Murphy unfurls the story of God's drama with Israel in a way that illumines what today we might rightly call 'the political.' As a result, the ancient riches of 1 Samuel are opened up in profound new ways for the challenge of being the church that we face today."
--David Fitch,
B. R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology, Northern Seminary
"What a splendid idea! Many preachers have been longing for more commentaries that are not only exegetical but theological in the best sense: arising out of the conviction that God, through his Word, still speaks in our time. For those of us who take our copies of Martin Luther's Galatians and Karl Barth's Romans from the shelves on a regular basis, this new series in that tradition promises renewed vigor for preaching, and therefore for the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church in our time."
--Fleming Rutledge,
author of The Bible and The New York Times and The Seven Last Words from the Cross
"This new series places the accent on 'theological' and reflects current interpretive ferment marked by growing resistance to the historical-critical project. It may be that scripture interpretation is too important to be left to the exegetes, and so a return to the theologians. We will wait with great anticipation for this new series, at least aware that the outcomes of interpretation are largely determined by the questions asked. It is never too late to ask better questions; with a focus on the theological tradition, this series holds the promise of asking interpretive questions that are deeply grounded in the primal claims of faith. The rich promise of the series is indicated by the stature and erudition of the commentators. Brazos has enormous promises to keep with this project, and we wait with eagerness for its appearing!"
--Walter Brueggemann,
Columbia Theological Seminary
"The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible makes a most welcome contribution to the church, the academic world, and the general public at large. By enlisting a wide range of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox theologians who differ on much, but who agree on the truth of the Nicene Creed, the series also represents ecumenical activity of the very best kind. It is always a daunting challenge to expound the church's sacred book both simply and deeply, but this impressive line-up of authors is very well situated for the attempt."
--Mark A. Noll,
University of Notre Dame
"Preachers and teachers in particular, but thoughtful Christians more generally, have long lamented the slide of biblical scholarship into hyper-specialized critical studies of ancient texts in remote historical context. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Brazos Theological Commentary is being so warmly welcomed. The outstanding array of authors, beginning with Jaroslav Pelikan's splendid commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, are, at long last, reclaiming the Bible as the book of the living community of faith that is the church."
--Richard John Neuhaus,
author of American Babylon: Notes of a Christian Exile
"Contemporary application of the Bible to life is the preacher's business. But no worthy contemporary application is possible without a thorough understanding of the ancient text. The Brazos Theological Commentary exists to provide an accessible authority so that the preacher's application will be a ready bandage for all the hurts of life. We who serve the pulpit want a commentary we can understand, and those who hear us expect us to give them a usable word. The Brazos Commentary offers just the right level of light to make illuminating the word the joy it was meant to be."
--Calvin Miller,
author of A Hunger for the Holy and Loving God Up Close
