The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible encourages readers to explore how the vital roots of the ancient Christian tradition should inform and shape faithfulness today. In this addition to the series, acclaimed author, speaker, and theologian Robert Barron offers a theological exegesis of 2 Samuel. He highlights three major themes: God's non-competitive transcendence, the play between divine and non-divine causality, and the role of Old Testament kingship.
The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible advances the assumption that the Nicene creedal tradition, in all its diversity, provides the proper basis for the interpretation of the Bible as Christian scripture. The series encourages readers to extend the vital roots of the ancient Christian tradition to our day.
Brazos enlists leading theologians to read and interpret Scripture for today, just as the church fathers, the Reformers, and other orthodox Christians did for their times and places. Each volume is designed to serve the church—providing a rich resource for preachers, teachers, students, and study groups—and demonstrate the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of Scripture.
Reviews
"Barron's achievement is crazy good. It would be trite and yet true to say that he writes well or that his commentary reads like a novel. I kept jotting the word eloquent in the margins...Barron's reservoir of allusion is impressive, and his helpful references to history and literature are more than adornment...He helps readers to see the broader story. His grasp of the complex development of David's character is unsurpassed...Most examples of those trying their hand at canonical reflection are restrained, maybe too careful. Barron is daring, even playful, and I have to admit that I love the strategy he employs as he makes his move from a Bronze Age story to the Christian dispensation...As a preacher under weekly pressure to cobble a sermon together, I find myself loving Barron and his book. I want to continue to ponder the way he hints at Christian allusions and to find more danger zones." - Anne Blue Wills, Christian Century
"Barron trains his theological eye on the account of the rise and fall of King David. He moves through the biblical book chapter by chapter, weaving together insights from the reconstruction of ancient history, biblical exegesis, and the Christian theological tradition. He remains faithful to the biblical story, providing both background and foreground for its interpretation...It is clear that Barron knows this biblical book quite well. He is also well acquainted with the history of its interpretation. This study is a fine example of postcritical doctrinal biblical interpretation." - Dianne Bergant, CSA, The Bible Today
"The Brazos commentary series fills a niche in the crowded field of biblical commentaries and the latest addition by Robert Barron continues the unique approach admirably...2 Samuel is a refreshing read with both scholarly and devotional insights throughout. It serves as a supplement to the technical commentaries already available and is more spiritually satisfying than most." - Dean M. Erickson, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
"[This book] does a nice job demonstrating the place of 2 Samuel in the theological narrative of the whole Bible...The chapters are brief enough and engagingly written so that they will be useful to those preaching these texts." - Ray Van Neste, Preaching
"'Delightful' is rarely used, for a variety of reasons, to describe a biblical commentary, but it is an apt label for Robert Barron's 2 Samuel...[It] is a volume that every pastor and Bible scholar should own and reference regularly. Not only will it assist the reader in understanding the particular chapters in 2 Samuel; it will also make them a more competent reader of the entire Bible, since virtually every page is filled with intertextual connections and narrative parallels between 2 Samuel and other parts of the Bible...2 Samuel is highly recommended for its textual insights, theological depth, and literary skill. Barron's adeptness in weaving together intertextual links, narrative parallels, typology, philosophy, and classic Christian theology make this commentary a rich tapestry filled with insight and erudition. It should be on the shelf of every student of Scripture." - Matthew Y. Emerson, Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament
"Barron's chapter-by-chapter exposition of 2 Samuel is readable and engaging...He writes with an eye toward Scripture's context and the history of interpretation, even drawing on Dante and G. K. Chesterton...Preachers, teachers, and students would do well to pick up Barron's volume and critically interact with his theological interpretations." - Abram Kielsmeier-Jones, Bible Study Magazine
Robert Barron (STD, Institut Catholique de Paris) is auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He founded Word on Fire, a Catholic ministry of evangelism, and previously served as rector of Mundelein Seminary and president of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. Barron has written numerous books, including Catholicism (over 100,000 copies sold), Exploring Catholic Theology, The Priority of Christ, 2 Samuel in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series, The Strangest Way: Walking the Christian Path (winner of a Catholic Press Association Book Award), and Heaven in Stone and Glass.
