Ephesians
The epistle to the Ephesians confronts the reader with a number of issues relating to the church and the Christian life that are not fully developed in other Pauline letters.
F.F. Bruce has written a careful and up-to-date study of Ephesians together with a commentary on Colossians and Philemon in the New International Commentary series (Eerdmans, 1984), As with other volumes in this series, most of the technicalities are restricted to footnotes so the general reader is not confused by too much detail.
The Tyndale commentary by F. Foulkes (new paperback edition, 1983) is very brief and does not put readers in touch with contemporary scholarship as Bruce does.
J.Stott’s God’s New Society (Bible Speaks Today, IVP, 1979) is one of his best works. It expounds the text of Ephesians in some detail but seeks to move extensively in the area of application.
The most thorough and detailed study is by Markus Barth in the Anchor Bible series (Double Day, 1974). A special feature of this publication is the extended notes on important terms and theological ideas in Ephesians. It is far too detailed for the average reader but is a must for serious students of the epistle.
The Books of Chronicles
In the Hebrew Bible the Books of Chronicles come last. There may be no real reason for this (after all, something had to come last!). However, just as there seems an obvious appropriateness in the New Testament (indeed the whole Bible) concluding with Revelation, many See an appropriateness in 1 & 2 Chronicles standing at the end of the Old Testament. These books tell the Old Testament story over again, starting with Adam, and provide a particular understanding of the purposes of God revealed in this story. These neglected Old Testament books deserve more attention from Bible students and teachers.
Michael Wilcock has written a relatively brief expository treatment in the Bible Speaks Today series (The Message of Chronicles: One Church, One Faith, One Lord [IVP, 1987]). It gives less attention to details of the text than you expect from a ‘commentary’, but more attention to what we call ‘application’. It is a handy book alongside a more detailed commentary.
Such a commentary is H.G.M. Williamson’s 1 & 2 Chronicles, New Century Bible Commentary (Eerdmans, 1982). This is an excellent commentary in one volume; concise, but providing the kind of information most readers would be after.
The 2 volume Anchor Bible commentary by Jacob M. Myers (1 & 2 Chronicles [Doubleday, 1965]) despite its many pages is, I think, less valuable than Williamson.
For more detailed work consult the two volumes in the Word Biblical Commentary (R. Braun, 1 Chronicles [Word, 1986); R.B. Dillard, 2 Chronicles [Word, 1987]). These are very thorough works with discussion of technical details of the Hebrew text as well as careful attention to theological questions. Dillard’s volume gives much more attention to New Testament connections.
