Rating: 
Summary: Not Impressed
Review: Father Brown's style of biblical commentary is so speculative that his conclusions are always very questionable. His strong use of 'internal evidence' further weakens what he has to say as the use of said evidence has no real weight. His conclusions sound as if there is no room for another point of view, yet, as I have said the speculative nature of his scholarship does not lend itself to the kind authoritative conclusions that he comes to.
Rating: 
Summary: A Quality Infroduction
Review: Father Raymond Brown is, as always, impeccable in this "light" Introduction to the New Testament. He states in the opening section that this book is not for scholars. Somehow, I think this book has found its way onto the bookshelves of every pre-eminent NT scholar today. In spire of its heftiness, it is only an introduction to the NT.
It starts off with wonderful background material to NT times, examining contemporary thought, philosophy, and history. This helps the NT reader to understand the difficulties and issues which are being addressed by the author of a particular NT text.
After this background material Fr Brown insists that you actually read the specific book prior to reading his commentary and analyses of the text. If you do not do this, you will not be able to extract all of the information that Fr Brown is presenting to you. So I suggest one read the background material first, and then crack the Bible open to Mark and start reading along with Fr Brown, one text at a time. This will give you the most benefit for your effort.
It is important to make sure the material is fresh in your mimd. As time goes by, one tends to integrate the letters, gospels and parables into a working synthesis, and unless you know which version of a particular parable is being commented upon, the commantary and analysis will not be entirely useful.
I am enjoying this book immensely, and I encourage all serious Bible students, scholars or wanna-bes, to invest your time in this wonderful book.One additional commanet: Father Brown is a Roman Catholic Priest. I have noticed that a lot of people have been making rather apologetic remarks for that fact on his behalf in these reviews. I am certain Father Brown , were alive today, sees no need for these apologies of faith. Father Brown, in my opinion, clearly demonstrates that the Catholic Church does not sacrifice reason in order to maintain faith. Orent ut intelligent
Rating:
Summary: A Quality Infroduction
Review: Father Raymond Brown is, as always, impeccable in this "light" Introduction to the New Testament. He states in the opening section that this book is not for scholars. Somehow, I think this book has found its way onto the bookshelves of every pre-eminent NT scholar today. In spire of its heftiness, it is only an introduction to the NT.
It starts off with wonderful background material to NT times, examining contemporary thought, philosophy, and history. This helps the NT reader to understand the difficulties and issues which are being addressed by the author of a particular NT text.
After this background material Fr Brown insists that you actually read the specific book prior to reading his commentary and analyses of the text. If you do not do this, you will not be able to extract all of the information that Fr Brown is presenting to you. So I suggest one read the background material first, and then crack the Bible open to Mark and start reading along with Fr Brown, one text at a time. This will give you the most benefit for your effort.
It is important to make sure the material is fresh in your mimd. As time goes by, one tends to integrate the letters, gospels and parables into a working synthesis, and unless you know which version of a particular parable is being commented upon, the commantary and analysis will not be entirely useful.
I am enjoying this book immensely, and I encourage all serious Bible students, scholars or wanna-bes, to invest your time in this wonderful book. One additional commanet: Father Brown is a Roman Catholic Priest. I have noticed that a lot of people have been making rather apologetic remarks for that fact on his behalf in these reviews. I am certain Father Brown , were alive today, sees no need for these apologies of faith. Father Brown, in my opinion, clearly demonstrates that the Catholic Church does not sacrifice reason in order to maintain faith. Orent ut intelligent
Rating:
Summary: The Best Introduction You Can Buy
Review: Forget all the rest. This one is the best. Raymond Brown has written a masterpiece (actually, he has written many). This book is where you should start if you are serious about understanding the origins and meaning of the New Testament. Brown is the premier Biblical scholar of our time, perhaps of all time. If you buy one book on the New Testament, this should be it.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the Christian getting serious about NT study
Review: Fr. Brown's awesome scholarship, extremely readable style, and his ability to be fair to other views while defending his own were just what I needed. I wanted to start to get serious about NT study, and this book deserves credit for getting me up every morning at 5:30 for an hour of enlighted commentary for two months. I'm now on to read his Birth of the Messiah during this Advent season. As a former Roman Catholic, for the last 22 years an Eastern Orthodox Christian, it's high time for me--for you, I'd suggest you get started with Fr. Brown.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the Christian getting serious about NT study
Review: Fr. Brown's awesome scholarship, extremely readable style, and his ability to be fair to other views while defending his own were just what I needed. I wanted to start to get serious about NT study, and this book deserves credit for getting me up every morning at 5:30 for an hour of enlighted commentary for two months. I'm now on to read his Birth of the Messiah during this Advent season. As a former Roman Catholic, for the last 22 years an Eastern Orthodox Christian, it's high time for me--for you, I'd suggest you get started with Fr. Brown.
Rating:
Summary: Access the New Testament on a whole new level.
Review: Great for personal study and introductory research. This book should not be limited to academics alone. Provides background on the origin of the New Testament books, guides to a deeper appreciation of the NT, background info on the history and ideas surrounding the NT writers, and an analysis with various notes for each book. This book is filled with bibliographies for deeper studies, so it provides a perfect access point for deeper, lengthier studies.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Review, Even For Us Laypersons
Review: I am not a religious scholar, but I do enjoy reading a religious book on occasion. Father Brown's overview of the New Testament is fantastic, and should be read by all persons who consider themselves to be a Christian to better understand the New Testament. Father Brown will be sorely missed for his outstanding books.
Rating:
Summary: A Red Flag
Review: I kind of hyped myself up about getting this book, until I actually got around to taking a look at it and saw that John the Baptist was referred to throughout it as "JBap". 'Nuff said. [Apparently not. Some of you have been giving this review "not helpful" votes. And I thought my readers were more intelligent than that. If you want to see what I'm talking about, "search inside the book" under "JBap." Here's one of the 65 results: "... Suppose that Jesus was baptized by JBap and did proclaim the coming of God's kingdom..." Is it too much trouble to write out "John the Baptist"? Or if you have to use an abbreviation, how about picking one that won't garbage your mind as much every time you come across it. E.g., "JtB" or "JB".] As for the previous reviewer who said he used to get up at 5:30 in the morning to read this book, you'd be a lot better off if you stayed up until 5:30 looking at jungle photos of Bettie Page.
Rating:
Summary: A Red Flag
Review: I was thinking about getting this book, until I got around to taking a look at it and saw that John the Baptist was referred to throughout it as "JBap" (e.g., "... Suppose that Jesus was baptized by JBap and did proclaim the coming of God's kingdom...", p.104). What about the "reverence" you people talk about? -- As for the previous reviewer who said he used to get up at 5:30 in the morning to read this book, you'd be a lot better off if you stayed up until 5:30 looking at bondage photos of Bettie Page. P.S. Shouldn't that be "Suppose that Jesus was bapped by JBap..."?
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