The Apologetics Arsenal!
I get questions sometimes about which books I recommend for an apologist's library. Here's a list of the ones I consider essential -- with connections to Amazon Books, naturally! Farther below are links for the commentaries I use for particular Bible books. Haven't got a full collection yet, no; however, we now also have a longer list by a seminarian of our acquaintance, "Jaltus". Jaltus has multiple undergrad majors including Classical Greek. He has finished a Master's of Divinity and is currently working on his Ph D in New Testament. He also has a few minor publications forthcoming in respected journals.
Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period by Richard Longenecker
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 20%!
- A must-have for answering charges that the NT misused the OT.
The Canon of Scripture by F. F. Bruce
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 30%!
- Learn about the canon.
The Canon of the New Testament by Bruce Metzger
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 20%
- This is the book I recommend everyone interested in apologetics start with, along with:
The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
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- Match with the one above to get your feet wet!
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Mike Licona and Gary Habermas
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 30%
- The latest great gateway apologetic.
Cynic Sage or Son of God? by Gregory A. Boyd
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- Essential for tackling the popular "Cynic Sage" thesis. Useful on other fronts as well.
Four Gospels, One Jesus by Richard Burridge
- Buy this book from Amazon.com
- Gives a grip on the genre of the Gospels as ancient biographies.
God Crucified by Richard Bauckham
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- Explains the nature of Jesus in relation to the Godhead.
The Gospels for All Christians edited by Richard Bauckham
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- Debunking of the popular "communities" thesis the is the base for so much liberal revisionist theology.
The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era by James Jeffers
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- Essential social background data for the NT era.
A Guide to Interpreting Old Testament Literary Forms
by D. Brent Sandy and Ronald L. Giese
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- Essential literary background data for the OT.
Handbook of Biblical Social Values by John Pilch and Bruce Malina
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 30%
- Gets you into the social world of the Bible in small encyclopedia format
Hard Sayings of the Bible
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- Overall the best anti-contradictions collection on the market.
The Historical Reliability of the Gospels by Craig Blomberg
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- Premier work on the historicity of the Gospels.
Honor, Patronage, Kinship and Purity by David deSilva
- Buy this book from Amazon.com.
- Blow away the skeptics with insights into four key social factors of the ancient world.
In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God's Actions in History by R. Douglas Geivett
- buy this book from Amazon.com and save 30%!
- The name says it all.
Jesus and the Victory of God by N. T. Wright
The Jesus Legend by Paul Eddy and Gregory Boyd
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 34%!
- Kicks form-critical and mythicist rump!
Jesus Under Fire by Michael Wilkins and J. P. Moreland
The New Testament and the People of the God by N. T. Wright
Putting Jesus in His Place by Robert Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski
On the Reliability of the Old Testament by Kenneth Kitchen
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 34%!
- Must-have for OT defense.
On the Resurrection of Jesus -- Mike Licona vs. Richard Carrier
- Buy this DVD from Mike Licona's ministry (risenjesus.com)
- See Carrier roasted to a turn as he offers his usual spate of half-truths and broadbrush generalizations!
Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity? by David Wenham
- buy this book from Amazon.com and save 20%
- Title also speaks for itself here.
Paul on Trial by John Mauck
- buy this book from Amazon.com and save 30%
- Great for understanding purpose of Luke-Acts.
Pharaohs and Kings: A Biblical Quest by David M. Rohl
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 20%
- For defense of the Exodus.
Playing by the Rules: A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible by Robert H. Stein
- buy this book from Amazon.com and save 20%
- Essential literary background data for the NT.
Portraits of Paul: An Archaeology of Ancient Personality by Bruce Malina and Jerome Neyrey
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 30%
- Essential for understanding the different way that Paul and his contemporaries thought vs. our modern, Western individualism.
Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig
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- After you finish Strobel, go here. Then, Moreland's entry below.
Re-inventing Jesus by J. Ed. Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel Wallace
The Resurrection of the Son of God by N. T. Wright
Scaling the Secular City by J. P. Moreland
Social World of Ancient Israel 1250-587 BCE by Victor H. Matthews
- Buy this book from Amazon.com and save 30%
- Essential social background data for the OT.
Commentaries
These are my faves; be sure and check the longer list by Jaltus, our seminarian consultant.
Matthew by Craig Keener
Luke by Joel Green
John by Ben Witheirngton
Acts by Ben Witherington
Romans by Leon Morris
Corinthian letters by Ben Witherington
Galatians by Ben Witherington
Philippians by Ben Witherington
Ephesians by Peter O'Brien
Pastoral Letters by William Mounce
Hebrews by David deSilva
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