Thread: Joel Beeke's Top Commentaries

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Judges « Heritage Booktalk (September 1, 2008)

These 'top commentaries' are from his class- Reformed Theological Research. It was a great class and I promise that after each class RHB did some good sales with the students!

It would really be worth it to get the mp3s of this course. It has book suggestions for many things as well as a step-by-step how-to for theological research. I believe from a scholarly perspective (not that MINE is worth ) this was the most important class I have taken in seminary.

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Ruth « Heritage Booktalk (September 8, 2008)

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on 1 & 2 Samuel « Heritage Booktalk (September 15, 2008)

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on 1 & 2 Kings « Heritage Booktalk (September 22, 2008)

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on 1 & 2 Chronicles « Heritage Booktalk (September 29, 2008)

I almost forgot about this thread. Thank you andrew for posting in here. I bookmarked it this time so i dont forget!

When are we going to see the Andrew Myers list of top commentaries?

One of the treats of discovering the Reformed community at this stage of life is the delight at benefiting from the Godly example and counsel of so many folks like Dr. Beeke! Too bad you can't go back and re-do seminary! Either Puritan Reformed or Greenville would be a wonderful experience.

Originally Posted by KMK

When are we going to see the Andrew Myers list of top commentaries?

LOL, I have a list (my database is mentioned here) but I don't think it's worth posting the whole thing. I do post bits and pieces from time to time, however, fwiw.

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Ezra « Heritage Booktalk (October 6, 2008)

Originally Posted by nleshelman

It would really be worth it to get the mp3s of this course. It has book suggestions for many things as well as a step-by-step how-to for theological research. I believe from a scholarly perspective (not that MINE is worth ) this was the most important class I have taken in seminary.

Any tips on where I can find this material?

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Nehemiah « Heritage Booktalk (October 13, 2008)

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Esther « Heritage Booktalk (October 20, 2008)

I was going to wind up getting Nehemiah today but then i saw this post.....

Originally Posted by VirginiaHuguenot

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Esther « Heritage Booktalk (October 20, 2008)

and wound up with.....

Originally Posted by Sovereign Grace Publishers, Inc.

Brian, thank you for your payment

That's the sound of but with this to look forward to:

I actually ended up browsing around and finding a deal on Doing a Great Work: Ezra and Nehemiah Simply Explained, by Stan Evers on amazon so i got that just minutes ago.

And the one on Esther was by Lawson (to be clear) but that reminds me that i have another book by lawson "The history of Joseph" that i havent gotten around to. Shame on me!

Really looking forward to these books though. I partook in a small group study on Nehemiah years ago that was extremely edifying to me. Now when i think of the text i get that same zeal all over again! I think I shall read a bit in nehemiah tonight. Great story! Praise God for His Word

Has anyone answered the question where one can find a MP3 series of Beeke's class???

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Job « Heritage Booktalk (October 27, 2008)

Having seen Joseph Caryl's set before i had always wondered about it. Interesting to see the set mentioned but i was hoping to find more personal insight regarding this set.

Originally Posted by Quickened

Having seen Joseph Caryl's set before i had always wondered about it. Interesting to see the set mentioned but i was hoping to find more personal insight regarding this set.

Brian -- Here are Dr. Beeke's thoughts regarding Caryl on Job from elsewhere:

Joel R. Beeke & Randall J. Pederson, Meet the Puritans, pp. 135-137:

An Exposition upon the Book of Job (RHB and DA; 12 vols., 8,000 pages; 2001). This facsimile reprint is the first time Caryl's mammoth work on Job has been reprinted since the seventeenth century. The first ten volumes of Caryl's work are sermons that he preached at St. Magnus; the last two were completed after the Act of Uniformity. Believing that the Book of Job was relevant to the times, Caryl preached from it 424 times over a period of twenty-four years, averaging ten sermons per chapter.

It has been said that his congregation dwindled significantly during that time. History, however, affords no evidence to confirm this report. Besides, one must bear in mind that, over those twenty-four years, Caryl preached an average of three sermons on Job every two months.

Caryl's sermons are full of exegetical insights, experiential descriptions, and poignant applications. In true Puritan style, he brings all of Scripture and Reformed doctrine to bear on a text. His work is thus commentary combined with a comprehensive work on practical Christian living; it is a treasure of practical divinity. Because of its exposition, doctrinal content, organization, and Christ-centered focus, Caryl's work on Job has been called "the crown jewel of Puritan preaching."

His prefaces are also invaluable. They summarize the chapters explained in the volume and shed light on his hermeneutics and pastoral perspectives. For example, in the first preface, Caryl explains the contemporary relevance of the Book of Job. In the preface of the sixth volume, he stresses that preachers must promote righteousness by expounding true doctrine, reproving error, correcting evil habits, and promoting holiness. He stresses the need to compare Scripture with Scripture and refutes the notion that God does not use commentators and preachers to shed light on His Word throughout the generations. He acknowledges that human expositors, by no means infallible, are no better than spectacles for the vision-impaired compared to the clear view of truth that saints will enjoy in the coming glory. But, he argues, "Tis no wisdom for a dim-sighted man presently, to throw away his spectacles, though he be assured that within a while his eye-sight shall be cleared."

In the preface of the tenth volume (Job 32-34), Caryl defends Elihu and asserts that his address, as well as the entire Book of Job, may be summarized in six propositions:

1. No man can stand before God in his own righteousness.

2. God may afflict people, no matter how godly they may be, in whatever way and to whatever degree He deems fitting.

3. God's goals in afflicting believers are always wise and gracious.

4. Believers may not complain against God, as if He were "rigorous or unrighteous in the least," no matter how much or how long they are afflicted.

5. Complaining under or fighting against the afflicting hand of God yields no profit.

6. We should possess our souls with patience by glorifying God as just and good, even when everything seems to be going terribly wrong for us. We must wait by faith upon God until He grants a fresh experience of His goodness, either by "sweetening our troubles" and supporting us under them, or by bringing us out of them at His time.

Here's what others have said about Caryl's work on Job:

Spurgeon: "Caryl must have inherited the patience of Job to have completed his stupendous task. It would be a mistake to suppose that he is at all prolix or redundant; he is only full. In the course of his expounding he has illustrated a very large portion of the whole Bible with great clearness and power. He is deeply devotional and spiritual. He gives us much, but none too much. His work can scarcely be superseded or surpassed."

James Reid, an early nineteenth-century historian: "The whole work is strongly marked [by] sound judgment, extensive erudition, and genuine piety." In a memoir of Caryl, Reid said he had seen both editions of Caryl's commentary in the libraries of gospel ministers in various parts of Scotland and in many families. He recommended that it be included in the library of every minister and student of theology.

James I. Packer: "Caryl's control of his vast and complex canvas is masterly; he never loses the threads of the argument himself, nor permits his readers to lose sight of it, nor, in all his microscopic study of verbal detail and his proliferation of edifying inferences, does he go beyond the scope of his text. His analyses of the debate between Job and his friends in particular are models of lucid exposition."

Someone needs to retypeset Caryl's commentary. You up for the challenge Andrew?

Originally Posted by Pilgrim72

Someone needs to retypeset Caryl's commentary. You up for the challenge Andrew?

Well, I do have some time on my hands...

Perhaps "Meet the Puritans" is a title I should consider getting!

Andrew my greatest thanks to you for taking the time to post that for me!

This set was previously a mystery to me. I wondered how one book on the bible could result in so many volumes. I was actually discussing this with a girl at work a couple of weeks ago. This does shed light for me. Now I am all the more interested in this work. I suppose i should start saving my pennies!

Was the commentary by Lawson part of a bigger set? I got my copy today and it is numbered like such. I looked at the website and didnt see anything. Just curious

Originally Posted by Quickened

Was the commentary by Lawson part of a bigger set? I got my copy today and it is numbered like such. I looked at the website and didnt see anything. Just curious

I don't know about the SGP edition. There is an 1870 edition available online for those who are interested:

Links and Downloads Manager - Old Testament - Exposition of Ruth and Esther -- George Lawson - The PuritanBoard

The number 8 appears near the top of the spine above the title and author which indicated that it was part of a series.It stroked my curiosity

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Psalms « Heritage Booktalk (November 3, 2008)

I was wondering where Spurgeon's treasury was going to place!

I have run across the geneva series of commentary before. Would it be safe to assume the whole set is pretty much solid material?

Originally Posted by Quickened

I was wondering where Spurgeon's treasury was going to place!

I have run across the geneva series of commentary before. Would it be safe to assume the whole set is pretty much solid material?

Yes, the Geneva series is very solid through and through.

Originally Posted by VirginiaHuguenot

Originally Posted by Quickened

I was wondering where Spurgeon's treasury was going to place!

I have run across the geneva series of commentary before. Would it be safe to assume the whole set is pretty much solid material?

Yes, the Geneva series is very solid through and through.

And I believe they are all (or almost all) available for purchase here:

PuritanWorks: Geneva Series

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Proverbs « Heritage Booktalk (November 10, 2008)

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Ecclesiastes « Heritage Booktalk (November 17, 2008)

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Song of Solomon « Heritage Booktalk (November 24, 2008)

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Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Isaiah « Heritage Booktalk (December 1, 2008)

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Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Jeremiah « Heritage Booktalk (December 8, 2008)

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Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Lamentations « Heritage Booktalk (December 15, 2008)

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Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentaries on Ezekiel « Heritage Booktalk (December 22, 2008)

Thanks for the original post. I'm studying the Pentateuch this coming year, and commentaries on the books is what I'm in the market for at the moment. Thanks!

Dr. Beeke’s Top Commentary on Minor Prophets « Heritage Booktalk (December 29, 2008)