CBA Marketplace, March 2004
Pastors, evangelists, and Sunday school teachers will love this ...

Publishers Weekly
Wright writes well and with an easy style. The short commentaries tackle New Testament books without being weighed down ...

The Christian Herald
If you wish to meet the Jesus who broke into people's lives while on earth, I heartily recommend these guides.

Expository Times
"In this series [Wright] excels as a communicator, making this the most exciting study guide since Barclay's Daily Study Bible."

Book Description
Tom Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.

From the Publisher
"A rare event: a commentary that is learned without being stuffy, accessible without being reductionist. Tom Wright joins us in our homes and workplaces, our sanctuaries and classrooms, in genial, prayerful conversation over this text that forms our lives, the New Testament scriptures." Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, and author of The Message

About the Author
Tom (N.T.) Wright is the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England. He is a prolific author and noted New Testament scholar, and was named by Christianity Today in 1999 as one of the world's top 5 new theologians. He has written over thirty books, both at the scholarly level (including Jesus and the Victory of God, The Resurrection of the Son of God, and The Meaning of Jesus) and for a popular audience (including The Meal Jesus Gave Us (WJK) and Who Was Jesus?).

Excerpted from Matthew for Everyone: Chapters 1-15 (For Everyone) by Tom Wright. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone. It was a great day – sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s spirit had swept through Jesus’ followers and filled them with a new joy and a sense of God’s presence and power. Their leader, Peter, who only a few weeks before had been crying like a baby because he’d lied and cursed and denied even knowing Jesus, found himself on his feet explaining to a huge crowd that something had happened which had changed the world for ever. What God had done for him, Peter, he was beginning to do for the whole world: new life, forgiveness, new hope and power were opening up like spring flowers after a long winter. A new age had begun in which the living God was going to do new things in the world – beginning then and there with the individuals who were listening to him. ‘This promise is for you,’ he said, ‘and for your children, and for everyone who is far away’ (Acts 2.39). It wasn’t just for the person standing next to you. It was for everyone. Within a remarkably short time this came true to such an extent that the young movement spread throughout much of the known world. And one way in which the everyone promise worked out was through the writings of the early Christian leaders. These short works – mostly letters and stories about Jesus – were widely circulated and eagerly read. They were never intended for either a religious or intellectual elite. From the very beginning they were meant for everyone. That is as true today as it was then." --From the Introduction to the Series

SYNOPSIS

Tom Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.

FROM THE CRITICS

Pastors, evangelists, and Sunday school teachers will love this ... [Wright] gives an exciting, original translation of the Greek text and some insightful questions for personal reflection or group discussion. He includes a helpful glossary of terms at the end and highlights these so readers can better understand technical terms. Although it's written for adult readers unfamiliar with the Bible, younger readers will benefit from his clear explanations and timely applications of the text.

CBA Marketplace

Pastors, evangelists, and Sunday school teachers will love this ... [Wright] gives an exciting, original translation of the Greek text and some insightful questions for personal reflection or group discussion. He includes a helpful glossary of terms at the end and highlights these so readers can better understand technical terms. Although it's written for adult readers unfamiliar with the Bible, younger readers will benefit from his clear explanations and timely applications of the text.

Expository Times

In this new series [Wright] excels as a communicator, making this series the most exciting study guide since William Barclay's Daily Study Bible.

Baptist Times

For those seeking to deepen their understanding of the Bible or preachers looking for ways to apply the passage on a Sunday morning, this looks like a very good series to acquire.

Christianity and Renewal

There is a fair chance that, for many ordinary Christians, these pocket-size volumes will turn out to be the publishing event of the year.Read all 7 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"A rare event: a commentary that is learned without being stuffy, accessible without being reductionist. Tom Wright joins us in our homes and workplaces, our sanctuaries and classrooms, in genial, prayerful conversation over this text that forms our lives, the New Testament scriptures." (Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, and author of The Message)

"A rare event: a commentary that is learned without being stuffy, accessible without being reductionist. Tom Wright joins us in our homes and workplaces, our sanctuaries and classrooms, in genial, prayerful conversation over this text that forms our lives, the New Testament scriptures." (Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, and author of The Message) — Eugene Peterson

"Tom Wright is a great gift to the universal Church! He is an extraordinary scholar with the uncommon ability to translate painstakingly and practically and yet to write with startling wisdom, rousing wit, and gracious accessibility. His commentaries in the "...for Everyone" series will stimulate ardent Bible study, greater zeal for Christian living, and deeper commitment in congregational life. With the addition of maps and glossaries of crucial words highlighted in the text, these books are superb for both individual and communal study. I pray the wide use of them will help to counteract our culture's despicable biblical illiteracy." (popular speaker and author of Reaching Out without Dumbing Down and Unfettered Hope) — Marva Dawn

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