The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians

Denney, James, 1856-1917Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.4
Word count
482K words
Chapters
49

Tags

English Originals Religion Biblical CommentaryFaith TeachingTheological ThoughtLetter AnalysisAcademic StudyNew Testament StudiesClassical InterpretationTextual CriticismReligious ContextEarly Church

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians by James DenneyAuthor: Denney, James, 1856-1917,Language: English, Class: BS: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: The Bible, Old and New Testament, Release Date: May 20, 2013

Editor's review

The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians is a commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians written by the Scottish theologian James Denney (1856–1917) for the Expositor's Bible series. The series is aimed at general readers rather than purely academic specialists, and its characteristic is a balance of passage-by-passage exegesis and theological reflection in relatively readable language. Denney's focus often falls on the doctrinal threads and pastoral implications of Paul's letters. It is suitable as an aid for personal Bible study and group study, and as a sample of late nineteenth-century English-language exegetical style. As a free Project Gutenberg e-book, it is convenient for searching and excerpting, but lacks modern scholarly annotation and recent research; readers should use it alongside contemporary commentaries. When reading, it is advisable to read the biblical text first and then compare the book to understand the author's exegetical approach.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read through 1 and 2 Thessalonians first, then compare the book chapter by chapter, so as not to look only at commentary apart from the text.
  2. Treat the book as an aid, not the only commentary; for key doctrinal questions, consult contemporary scholarly commentaries for comparison.
  3. Before group study, read the relevant chapter, note your own questions, then test your understanding against Denney's exposition.
  4. If English reading is difficult, read the corresponding passage in a Chinese Bible first, then closely read selected key chapters of this book.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49

FAQ

Is this book a scholarly commentary or a popular exposition? It belongs to the Expositor's Bible series, positioned toward popular and pastoral use, explaining the text passage by passage with theological and devotional reflection in relatively readable language, but it does not focus on original-language analysis or the latest scholarship. It suits ordinary Bible students rather than scholars needing specialist commentary.
Do I need to read the biblical text first? It is advisable. The book follows the order of 1 and 2 Thessalonians; without familiarity with the text, one may remember only the comments and lose the thread of the Scripture. Read through the letters first, then read this book passage by passage for a fuller understanding.
What does the public-domain electronic edition lack? This edition is a free Project Gutenberg e-book and typically has no modern editor's introduction, up-to-date bibliography or scholarly annotation. Readers get the original text, but for modern research they should consult contemporary commentaries and journal literature separately.
Is it suitable for leading group Bible study? It is suitable as preparation material. Leaders can read the relevant passage first, extract key points and discussion questions, then design the session around the text. But it should not be read aloud sentence by sentence; it is best used with other translations and commentaries to accommodate differences in group members' backgrounds.

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About the author

Denney, James, 1856-1917 Author

James Denney (1856–1917) was a Scottish theologian, New Testament scholar and minister, known for his biblical commentaries and theological works. Three of his works are held here, all reflecting a style that combines practical service to the church with scholarly care. Among them, The Expositor's Bible: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians and The Expositor's Bible: The Epistles to the Thessalonians belong to the Expositor's Bible series, which explains the text section by section for general readers, attending to literary context and practical application; The Atonement and the Modern Mind addresses the tension between the doctrine of atonement and modern thought, showing his theological concerns. Because public information is limited, biographical details cannot be set out here, but these works sufficiently reflect his lasting influence in New Testament interpretation and doctrinal discussion.