John

A companion series to the acclaimed Word Biblical Commentary

Finding the great themes of the books of the Bible is essential to the study of God's Word and to the preaching and teaching of its truths. These themes and ideas are often like precious gems: they lie beneath the surface and can only be discovered with some difficulty. While commentaries are useful for helping readers understand the content of a verse or chapter, they are not usually designed to help the reader to trace important subjects systematically within a given book a Scripture.

The Word Biblical Themes series helps readers discover the important themes of a book of the Bible. This series distills the theological essence of a given book of Scripture and serves it up in ways that enrich the preaching, teaching, worship, and discipleship of God's people. Volumes in this series:

• Are written by top biblical scholars
• Feature authors who wrote on the same book of the Bible for the Word Biblical Commentary series
• Distill deep and focused study on a biblical book into the most important themes and practical applications of them
• Give readers an ability to see the "big picture" of a book of the Bible by understanding what topics and concerns were most important to the biblical writers
• Help address pressing issues in the church today by showing readers see how the biblical writers approached similar issues in their day
• Are ideal for sermon preparation and for other teaching in the church Word Biblical Themes are an ideal resource for any reader who has used and benefited from the Word Biblical Commentary series, and will help pastors, bible teachers, and students as they seek to understand and apply God’s word to their ministry and learning.

Dr. George R. Beasley-Murray is former Principal of Spurgeon’s College, London, and has served as James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He holds the M.A. from Cambridge University and the B.D., M.Th., Ph.D., and D.D. from the University of London. Among Dr. Beasley-Murray’s many important publications are Revelation in the New Century Bible Commentary, Baptism in the New Testament, Jesus and the Kingdom of God, Jesus and the Last Days, and Gospel of Life: Theology in the Fourth Gospel.