Dr. Brian Bailey skillfully combines many years of personal ministry experience with a unique depth of knowledge of the Bible, making this commentary on the book of Hebrews a treasured supplement for any serious student of the Scriptures. As you use this book as a study guide, you will be mentally and spiritually enlarged by the explanation of truths such as the excellency of Christ above all others and the true and living way whereby we may enter within the veil to His very presence.

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context. To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context. Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible. Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.

Brimming with lavish, full-color photos and graphics, the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary walks you verse by verse through all the books of the New Testament. It’s like slipping on a set of glasses that lets you read the Bible through the eyes of a first-century reader! Discoveries await you that will snap the world of the New Testament into gripping immediacy. Things that seem mystifying, puzzling, or obscure will take on tremendous meaning when you view them in their ancient context. You’ll deepen your understanding of the teachings of Jesus. You’ll discover the close, sometimes startling interplay between God’s kingdom and the practical affairs of the church. Best of all, you’ll gain a deepened awareness of the Bible’s relevance for your life. Written in a clear, engaging style, this beautiful set provides a new and accessible approach that more technical expository and exegetical commentaries don’t offer.

An image rich, passage-by-passage commentary that integrates relevant historical and cultural insights, providing a deeper dimension of perspective to the words of the New Testament. Discoveries await you that will snap the world of the New Testament into new focus. Things that seem mystifying, puzzling, or obscure will take on tremendous meaning when you view them in their ancient context. With the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, you'll: Discover the close interplay between God's kingdom and the practical affairs of the church. Learn more about the real life setting of the Old Testament writings to help you identify with the people and circumstances described in Scripture. Gain a deeper awareness of the Bible's relevance for your life. In this volume, detailed exegetical notes are combined with background information of the cultural settings that will help you interpret the writings of the last nine books of the Bible: Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation. THE ZONDERVAN ILLUSTRATED BIBLE BACKGROUNDS COMMENTARY SERIES Invites you to enter the world of the New Testament with a company of seasoned guides, experts who will help you understand and teach the biblical text more accurately. Features: Commentary based on relevant papyri, inscriptions, archaeological discoveries, and studies of Judaism, Roman culture, Hellenism, and other features of the world of the New Testament. Hundreds of full-color photographs, color illustrations, and line drawings. Copious maps, charts, and timelines. Sidebar articles and insights. "Reflections" on the Bible's relevance for 21st-century living.

In The Characterization of Jesus in the Book of Hebrews Brian Small applies the tools of literary and rhetorical criticism to reconstruct the author of Hebrew’s portrayal of Jesus’ character. The author of Hebrews uses a variety of literary and rhetorical devices in order to develop his characterization of Jesus. The portrait that emerges is that Jesus is a person of exemplary character, who exhibits both divine and human character traits. Some of the traits reveal Jesus’ greatness while others reveal his moral excellence. Jesus’ exemplary character plays a prominent role in the author’s argument and has profound implications for his audience. Jesus’ character produces many benefits for his followers and his character entails certain obligations from his followers.

The book of Hebrews presents Jesus as gloriously divine, wonderfully human, and the fulfillment of the Old Testament. It is also one of God's greatest gifts to his church as it provides an expository look at the person, life, covenant, sacrifice, and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is indeed greater than all others. This 12-lesson Bible study guide on the book of Hebrews provides a unique and welcoming opportunity to immerse yourself in God's precious Word as expressed in The Passion Translation®. Begin your journey with a thorough introduction that details the authorship of Hebrews, date of composition, first recipients, setting, purpose, central message, and key themes. Each lesson then walks you through a portion from the book and includes features such as notable verses, historical and cultural background information, definitions of words and language, cross references to other books of the Bible, maps, and character portraits of figures from the Bible and church history. Enrich your biblical understanding of the book of Hebrews, experience God's love for you, and share his heart with others.

How fitting it is that after some thirty-five years since the appearance of his original Anchor Bible Commentary on Hebrews Professor George Wesley Buchanan again turns his hand to this challenging document of early Christianity--now as an intertextual commentary. Here he further elaborates upon his novel thesis that Hebrews 1-12 is a midrashic sermon based on Psalm 110, giving special attention throughout to its frequent use of scripture. The commentary in a way represents vintage Buchanan. It is at once fresh, bold, provocative, suggestive, learned, and filled with helpful insight. Buchanan is equally conversant with ancient sources and modern scholarship, including recent archaeology. His masterful knowledge of Judaism, displayed in many publications over the years, pays rich dividends in the commentary. Buchanan is never dull, never predictable. Never does one have the feeling that one is getting things second hand; on the contrary, it is continually evident that one is reading the result of a direct, fresh encounter with the text. Above all, Buchanan does what he also asks his readers to do: Think for yourself! Knowledge, after all, will not progress if one accepts only traditional and settled opinions on everything. This is anything but just another commentary on Hebrews. It will engage and challenge readers as very few commentaries do! Therefore, I am happy to recommend it! Donald A. Hagner George Eldon Ladd Professor of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary

Most New Testament (NT) introductions, because of page limitations and other reasons, tend to minimize their treatment of the last nine books of the Christian Bible (from Hebrews to Revelation). The focus in these introductions is often on the four Gospels and the Letters of Paul. As important as these books are, one should not neglect, with only a brief survey, the treatment of Hebrews, the General Letters, and the book of Revelation. The title given later to the collection--Catholic Epistles or General Letters--is a reminder of its general appeal to the whole church, despite its slow "canonical" recognition and authorship issues. Nevertheless, these writings from Hebrews to Revelation continue to capture our attention and ignite our imagination. My purpose for this book is to supplement my NT introduction and others like it with a focus on specific questions about each book from Hebrews to Revelation: -When and why was each book written? -By whom and to whom was each book written? -What are some special features of each book? -How soon (or late) was each book included in the NT collection? Answers to many of these questions are tentative. The "assured results of scholarship" are in continual need of reevaluation. Since the 1980s a host of diverse studies have emerged, and I have endeavored to include them when they are relevant to the discussion.