Review: The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary

The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary

Edited by Esau McCaulley, Janette Ok, Osvaldo Padilla & Amy Peeler (IVP Academic)

With so many biblical commentaries out there, why another one? Because this one is different. How so? This one—a one-volume commentary on the New Testament—is written predominantly by North American ethnic minority men and women. That may seem like an unnecessary sea of qualifiers, but those qualifiers matter, because those perspectives have gone largely unconsidered.

The New Testament in Color is composed of 22 commentaries on the books of the New Testament written by 20 different scholars, along with five introductory chapters on biblical interpretation from five ethnic perspectives—African American, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American (Turtle Island) and Majority-Culture (Anglo)—and chapters on gender, mental health, linguistics and immigration.

The writers are not meant to represent an entire ethnicity but comment on their respective books of the New Testament from their perspective within their given ethnicities. In this way, all students of Scripture may encounter the Gospels, Acts, Revelation, and the many letters of the New Testament through eyes shaped by differing social situations.

In fact, this volume ought to be included in one’s study library because “socially located biblical interpretation is nothing less than the record of the Spirit’s work through scriptural engagement among the different ethnicities and cultures of the world” (xii). In an increasingly diverse world, understanding numerous views of Scripture is necessary.

The varying perspectives on the New Testament benefit the reader in at least two more ways. When the reader realizes just how much agreement on Scripture there is across cultures, there arises a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood perhaps previously unrealized. When readers encounter differing views of biblical truth, there arises awe and wonder at seeing new facets of Scripture previously obscured.

Lest someone think this project is heavy on ethnicity and light on serious biblical scholarship, lead editor Esau McCaulley explains: “All the contributors in this volume labored hard to gain [a “proper understanding” of necessary interpretive skills]. It is precisely because I believe that biblical texts are God’s inspired word to his people that we must do our very best to read them well and carefully” (xii).

So why add another commentary to your library? Because I bet you don’t have one like this one, and you should.

Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard