The Letters of James and Peter: The Daily Study Bible - William Barclay
Published by The Saint Andrew Press: Edinburgh, 1973 (1958).
As someone who has studied theology and preaches on occasion, I have often read commentaries for their insights and research, particularly those of William Barclay (as I received a full set of New Testament commentaries from my spiritual mentor when he retired). However, this list has a few self-imposed rules that I follow, one of which is that only books that I read the entirety of will end up on it. And generally with commentaries I will read sections for reference rather than starting at the start and reading the whole way through.
This felt a little unfair however, as there are some commentaries and commentators (like Barclay) that I really enjoy, and I would love to acknowledge having read them. So, the last time I fished a commentary out for a study I decided I would read the whole thing. And that commentary was The Letters of James and Peter.
Now having read a commentary cover to cover, I recommend the experience, and will be doing it again myself.
Barclay is a good theologian and deep thinker, and his Daily Study Bible series includes his own interpretation of each passage he is commenting on, followed by the reasoning behind using the particular wording he used. Writing in the 1950s, these commentaries pre-date many of the popular Bible translations we use today, but are full of insight and knowledge of the scriptures that is immensely helpful for anyone seeking a better understanding of God's Word. Each of the three letters being examined (James, 1 Peter and 2 Peter) are examined in terms of authenticity and history of interpretation (interestingly, Barclay is of the opinion that 2 Peter was not written by Peter himself), and then the letter is gone through section by section, with commentary on the original words used and various translation options, along with discussion of the culture of the day and possible references being addressed.
I took about a month and a half to read through this commentary, and there is no way that I could reflect on all the insights I gleaned from it in that time. But as an example, here is a passage that jumped out to me recently from Barclay's commentary on 2 Peter 1:3-7, showing how Barclay will incorporate the writings contemporary to Peter, and translations of various words that could have been used to emphasis a scriptural truth:
"To this practical knowledge there must be added self-control, or self-mastery. The word [in Greek] is egkrateia, and it means literally the ability to take a grip of oneself. This is a virtue of which the great Greeks spoke, and wrote, and thought much. In regard to a man and his passions Aristotle distinguishes four states in life. There is sōphrosunē, in which the passion has been entirely subjugated to reason; the fight is won, and reason reigns supreme; we might call it perfect temperance. There is akolasia, which is the precise opposite; it is the state in which reason is entirely subjugated to passion; the fight is lost, and passion reigns supreme; we might call it unbridled lust. In between these two states there is akrasia, in which reason fights but passion prevails; the battle is still on, but at the moment it is a losing battle; we might call it incontinence. There is egkrateia, in which reason fights against passion and prevails; the battle is still on, but it is a winning battle; we call it self-control, or self-mastery.
"This egkrateia is one of the great Christian virtues; and the place it holds in the Christian ethic is an example of the realism of the Christian ethic. The Christian ethic does not contemplate a situation in which a man is emasculated of all passion, in which he is drained of virility, in which he is de-sexed and emptied of every passion; it envisages a situation in which a man's instincts and passions remain, but remain under perfect control and mastery, and so become his servants and not his tyrants." (pages 357-358)
This is a longer passage than I usually quote, but it jumped out at me when I thought of certain believers who do try to deny or conquer their passions and end up defeated and dismayed. Knowing the scriptures and context in which they were written can unlock new and deeper truths to help a believer grow in their faith. A commentary like Barclay's can be a great aid in this quest.
Well worth studying prayerfully.
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