Tekton readers have become well acquainted with Holding's opinion of those with the tendency to read the Bible, and I quote, "like it was written yesterday and for you personally." And no doubt, after reading some of Bible difficulties refuted here, you were left wanting to get more acquainted with the Biblical societies. Yet, perhaps you don't have the time or the knowledge of big words to sift through some massive, scholarly tomes.

Well, the good people at Zondervan may have given readers like yourself a ray of hope. This massive 4-volume set covers each book of the New Testament, going verse by verse and presenting tons of relevant information. Best of all, this set seeks to distance itself from the anachronistic tendencies in modern Christianity, by assisting the reader to understand the Bible with such background details as Jewish traditions, social customs, historical facts, some of the more colorful meanings behind original Greek words, and highlights of key persons, groups, places, and things. The commentary set also has various illustrations, images, and informative sidebars, giving it a textbook-like feel.

For each book of the New Testament, this set is contributed to by an evangelical scholar. Of course, that means this set tends to be conservative, but this is offset slightly by the fairness they treat topics where other scholars disagree or where alternative interpretations might be possible. (And no, there is no evidence of a gate into Jerusalem called "the Needle's Eye." Just letting you know). However, it is surprisingly easy to read.

Overall, this set does and excellent job of assisting the reader understand what is going on behind various sections of Scripture. The only complaints I have are a few nit-picks: e.g.; Some of the images are superfluous, as if I've never seen a sheep before, and I think I could live the rest of my life without seeing another map of Galilee. I really wish the footnotes were done at the bottom of each page rather than after each Bible book covered... though to their merit this set has a lot of citations. For the book of John alone, there are 671 footnotes for the main text and 35 for the sidebars; a few of the resources cited are actually public domain and can be found on the Internet. It is pretty comprehensive, but not as in depth as it could be. Of course that may not be a bad thing, since ZIBBC as it is now is 4 whopping volumes! There are a few odd passages I hoped it would cover better than it does.

This commentary set would be and excellent investment for the average Joe Christian, aspiring theologian, or lay apologist. Tekton readers who are looking for something more advanced are better off with some massive, dusty tomes, or a small library of Holding's all stars. However, in general ZIBBC is good as a companion for your Bible study times or for reference. To some extent, I've also found it helpful for apologetics.