In the Preface Beasley-Murray (B-M) asks why yet another commentary on John's Gospel and answers, "It seemed that there was room for an attempt to pass on some of the treasures of modern study of this Gospel and with them to combine one's own findings and convictions." To this end he remains faithful throughout the Introduction and commentary proper. We are treated to some of the best insights into John's Gospel, both B-M's and many an eminent scholar's. His enthusiasm for the project shows up again when in the Introduction he describes some of the commentaries on the Gospel in the past fifty years as "among the greatest expositions of the Word of God that have ever appeared" (liii).

The 61-page Introduction is important. It covers the literary sources, development of the traditions, religious relations, authorship, date and place, selected aspects of theology, purpose, and structure of the Gospel. It is rich in theological ideas. It was "as if scales falling from the eyes" as B-M listened to his mentor, C. H. Dodd, explain the structure of the episodes of the Book of Signs (chapters 2-12), each episode consisting of sign plus discourse, and each encapsulating the whole Gospel. He realized that that was probably due to the Evangelist's preaching, as the Evangelist expounded the significance of the traditions in the light of Christ's death and resurrection. Now a familiar observation in Johannine studies, the concept that much of the Fourth Gospel was the product of preaching must have been a creative thought then. New insights have continued to flow unabated as scholars delved into the depths of this Gospel. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the discussion of the Gospel's dual nature, simultaneously depicting the historical ministry of Jesus and the situation and faith of the Johannine community some 50(?) years later. "The Evangelist sets the historical ministry of Jesus in Palestine in indissoluble relation to the ministry of the risen Lord in the world" (xlvii). If Luke traces the origins of the Church in two volumes, one [his Gospel] of Jesus and the other [Acts] of the risen Christ acting through his disciples, John presents the historical Jesus and Jesus the risen Lord together in one book and a single perspective. B-M masterfully sketches in succession how each of several scholars has treated this theme, in the process displaying a fascinating interplay of ideas.

Several other important themes that recur in the commentary proper make their first appearance in the Introduction. While the Kingdom of God is scarcely mentioned [only in vv. 3:3,5], "every line of the Fourth Gospel is informed by it" (xxxiv). The Paraclete actualizes the words and deeds of Jesus in the life of the Church -- the Fourth Gospel itself "is a supreme example of the truth and application of the Paraclete doctrine which it contains" (liii). The concept of Son of God (closely associated with Son of Man) is the prevailing characteristic of Johannine Christology. The glorification of Jesus coincides with his crucifixion (unlike Isaiah's Servant who is exalted because and after he had suffered). The realized eschatology of John is not to be divested of its future aspect (contrary to Bultmann). All these, and more, are elements that B-M uses in the commentary discussions of John's theology, which turns out to be largely Christology. In the end you have to agree with him, "The theme of the Fourth Gospel is Christ" (lxxxi).

In common with other scholars, B-M accepts a four-part structure of the Gospel: (A) The Prologue; (B) The Public Ministry of Jesus, otherwise referred to as the Book of Signs (Dodd, Brown); (C) The Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, also known as as the Book of the Passion (Dodd) or the Book of Glory (Brown); and (D) Epilogue. He expresses a reservation, though, concerning the nomenclatures "Book of Signs" and "Book of Passion/Glory", since he considers that the WHOLE Gospel may be viewed as a book of signs and as a book of the passion and glory of Jesus. As he interacts with the established figures of Johannine scholarship, B-M does not hesitate to disagree as well as to cite approvingly, for he is a Johannine expert in his own right. He argues his case very well indeed, but to get the benefit of it you have to read thoughtfully. B-M is never shallow and merits careful study. Knowledge of some Greek will help, but you can still gain a great deal without. Running to about 600 pages, as compared for example with Brown's two-volume, 1200-page work (Anchor 29, 29A), this commentary is necessarily less detailed. But as a presentation of modern Johannine study coupled with the author's independent understanding, it is certainly a noteworthy effort.

The second edition (1999) is identical with the first (1987), with the addition of supplementary bibliographies and reviews of a number of significant books on John that had appeared since the first edition (for example, John Ashton's important "Understanding the Fourth Gospel"). The commentary follows WBC's usual format. Some find the format "unfriendly", but it is not so. The usual gripe that references are given in line with the text (not in footnotes) hardly deserves notice. If you are ready to go beyond introductory expositions of the Fourth Gospel, give this book serious consideration.

I have both the original 1987 edition and the "revised" 1999 edition. To the publishers credit, the 1999 edition does state flat out that the only thing new is 50 pages of updated bibliography and reviews of major book on the Gospel since the original publication. This is all located in one new section in the introductory material. Otherwise, the two editions are identical page for page (even the numbering). If you have the 1987 edition, don't get the 1999 edition unless you need/want an updated bibliography.

If you are looking for a secondary commentary on John's gospel, then Beasley-Murray's is the one for you. Not as detailed as the others like Morris, Schnackenburg and Brown; but detailed enough for Bible study and message preparation. The Do not purchase it as your main commentary for you will soon need to go out and buy one of the others mentioned above. I have not seen the second edition as yet.

This was one of the first books I read when I first began my intense study of the debate. Although not exactly the easiest book to read, it does present many formidable and cogent arguments in favor of the infant baptism position. A few of the arguments he presents are:
(1) Baptizo and its cognates can but do not often mean "immerse." Rather, their are many instances where it cannot. Hebrews 9 uses "baptisms" for the ceremonial washings of the OT, which were either by pouring or sprinkling.
(2) The heart of the Baptist position, Rom. 6, does not show that immersion is the correct mode of baptism, since (a) Christ was not 'buried' the way we commonly think (He was simply put in a tomb, not put 6 feet under), and (b) Rom. 6 also connects "baptism" to the crucifixion of Christ as well. "Baptism" in this passage is best understood the same way it should be in 1 Cor. 10 ("baptized into Moses"), as "identification with."
Murray also discusses the difficulty of immersion in the first century situation, Johannic baptism, and exegetes the major texts around which the debate revolves.

This is a must read for all those interested in the subject. Murray's work is a classic.

This book was a short review of the Presbyterian view of baptism at the turn of the century. The primary purpose of the book was to defend their doctrine against baptist doctrines. The biggest problem with this book is that it is so out of date, that it contradicts some of the current teachings of a most of the Presbyterian churches today. Second of all, John Murray's arguments are very verbose and miss applied/ circular logic making it hard to read at times. But this has to be the best book around at presenting the antibaptist view of baptism.
(NOTE: This is my second review of this book and my oppinion of it has increased dramatically since reading it the first time. This book shines where so many fall.)

Nature writing has for too long been the exclusive preserve of the flower cutters. You know, those folks who sit in their back gardens, treating the natural world like God is some Almighty Gardener. All is right with the world and the lion will lie down with the lamb.

T'ain't so.

Nature is an inscrutable on-going event. Life and violent death are everywhere. We are not above it, looking down on Nature as if it were a clock-work automaton and we the appreciative audience. We are, in fact, part of it.

The writers Murray has selected for the 1999 edition of his annual masterwork all view nature from the inside. The make us feel we are there, sharing moments with them. What else could be better than that?

Despite its title Basic Russian is probably best suited for the student who already has a basic knowledge of the Russian language. Without any accompanying cassettes, beginning students may well have considerable difficulty with pronunciation. That aside, this book is concise and clearly presented. As the title suggests, it contains both a grammar guide and an accompanying workbook which makes learning the material much easier. Basic Russian also contains a handy vocabulary list of everyday words, as well as several appendices such as a glossary of technical terms and a list of spelling rules. By using up-to-date language (both Russian and English), and a straightforward layout, this is a very good reference work for anyone who is already studying Russian. I recommend it be used along with some audio material.

There are two titles claiming to be the "Best of Murray Leinster"
and this is the better of the two (The other appeared in Britain and has only three stories in common with this book).
This book is/was part of a series of "Best of's" from Ballantine and forms a good introduction into the work of Will F. Jenkins, who wrote SF under the pseudonym Murray Leinster. The stories range from as early as 1934 (The famous "Sidewise in Time", about alternate history lines parallel to ours) till 1956 ("Critical Difference") and amongst them are classics as "First Contact", ground for an idealogical flap with Soviet writer Yefremov back in 1959, and "A Logic Named Joe".
The book shows Murray Leinster at his best, being the writer of entertaining short fiction. Compared to some other writers of his period his work hardly seem dated and considering that his earliest story was sold in 1919 (!) that's quite a compliment.

John Murray is an important figure in the Presbyterian and Reformed faith in the 20th century. His commentary on Romans is thorough and insightful, building on the heritage which he inherited from the great Reformed thinkers from Luther and Calvin to B. B. Warfield and Geerhardus Vos, the latter under whom he studied at Princeton. Murray shows particular sensitivity to the Old Testament background of Paul's epistle to the Romans and Paul's consciousness of his place in the history of salvation, a history which to Paul culminated in the person and death/resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Dr. Murray's admirable treatment of Paul's doctrine of the Spirit may only be surpassed by his successor at Westminster Theological Seminary, Dr. Richard B. Gaffin (and by his professor at Princeton, Dr. Geerhardus Vos). Murray's work is scholarly but not so that it would be inaccessible to the intermediate student. Murray does interact with his contemporaries; but could have taken it a litter further. The only criticism against Murray's Romans is his treatment of chps. 9-11 where he fails to break out of the dogmatic mould, and thus fails to capture the movement of the epistle from the anteclimax at the end of chp. 8 to the climax at the end of chp. 11. Overall, however, Murray's is a helpful and insightful commentary, a must for students and pastors.

This book offers common sense for marriages, but now it adds math. If both partners have the mathematics background and enjoy complex equations, this book is worth the value in entertainment. Modelling your marriage is just plain goofy, which adds to the novelty of this book.

If you don't enjoy sitting down and going through a math book doing the problems and setting up equations, this is not the book for you.

This was written by Grandmaster Kim Soo, currently the youngest 10th dan Tae Kwon Do black belt in the world and founder of the Cha Yon Ryu ("Natural Way") system. This book starts with a brief historical backgrodun of Tae Kwon Do and then goes on to basic sections on striking points, warm-up exercises, stance, blocks, and strikes. The majority of the book is dedicated to detailed step-by-step instruction in the first three palgue forms.

Power Training for Sport by Al Murray and John Lear is illustrated with photographs and contains detailed instructions for about 50 weight lifting exercises. Some of these exercises are rarely if ever seen in other books, for example the "sprint curl" and the "bench press to 45 degrees." Out of print but worth searching for if you want to add a few new exercises to your routine.

While the appeal of the 'oxford' name and the attractive price/page ratio make this book seem like a good deal, I found it extremely difficult to get any useful information out of this book. The authors give their opinions on subjects, before (or in many cases, in place of) giving any coherent summary of it. Just for example, try to figure out who Draco was. If you don't already know, this book is not going to tell you. The writing style is not especially clear, either. If this is one of the best texts available, I can see why nobody learns classical history anymore.

The best aspect of this book on Greek history is its comprehensive treatment of all aspects of Greek life. Literature, politics, religion, etc. are all covered in this book. My favorite sections dealt with how the Greeks socialized through organizations such as the Gymnasion and the Prytany. It really showed how the Greeks were devoted to the polis and how they were required to be very social creatures from cradle to grave. A serious problem of the book is tendencies by some of the authors to write in a style that is not user friendly. Also, a background in Greek history is required to recognize names and places. Without that you will be lost. Don't buy it unless you are really interested in Greek culture.

This is a very good work on classical Europe.

There are many virtues of this complete book, I would like to stress though its most important: its fresh look at ancient world (eg the first chapter by Mr G.Forrest is a good example), and although one might not agree with all points in the book (e.g the hindoeuropen idea at which Mr Griffin is attached is at best weak), but certainly one agrees that the concept of the book is on the right track.

I especially enjoyed the very good chapters in a not well known part of hellenic history, that of the hellenistic times, at which the Macedonian hellenes, made Greece a Universal culture. Buy this book and study it, you can only gain!