While there are many commentaries written today, most have been products of Euro-American scholars who have sought to address questions and concerns of the western church. The New Covenant Commentary Series (NCCS) has provided an opportunity for scholars from the non-majority communities in Biblical Studies to engage fully with NT writings without bracketing their diverse backgrounds in the interpretive process.
Consequently, in Andrew Mbuvi's interpretation of Jude and 2 Peter, the author seeks to both be faithful in the first century Greco-Roman world setting of the letters while also allowing aspects of his postcolonial, African, and liberation theology interests to inform his hermeneutics. Mbuvi reads the epistles within the context of first century Greco-Roman Associations since the communities of Jude and 2 Peter seem to share significant commonalities with these groups. The Fusing Horizons sections address aspects of concern to the Church, with inclination towards issues that have occupied the church outside of the western world (the Global South), home to the majority of Christians today.
Mbuvi's useful analysis shows that Jude's and 2 Peter's message remain as relevant today as when the letters were written.
Praise
"There are many commentaries on Jude and 2 Peter, but none like this one...Andrew Mbuvi has written an excellent exposition on these small, but important, biblical books that will not only throw fresh light on the text, but also on our own lives." --Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
"Mbuvi's commentary...offers refreshing insight on these oft-overlooked writings by engaging the text in relation to ideas, traditions, and movements stemming out of the vast continent of Africa. Written with preachers, teachers, and laypeople in mind, these moments of 'Fusing Horizons' are thoughtful and leave the reader wanting more. Mbuvi does all of this while offering solid introductions to the texts' historical contexts and rhetorical situations." --Lynn R. Huber, Associate Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, Elon University
"In addition to penning a compelling and accessible exposition of Jude and 2 Peter, Mbuvi brings these letters into conversation with African perspectives on life and faith, which deepen and broaden our understanding of the epistles' message for today. As one of the best African biblical interpreters, Mbuvi offers his insights to the whole catholic church." --Gene L. Green, Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School
Andrew M. Mbuvi, PhD, is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Hermeneutics at Shaw University Divinity School (High Point CAPE). He is the author of Temple, Exile and Identity in 1 Peter (2007), and coeditor of Postcolonial Perspectives in African Biblical Hermeneutics (2012).
