by kneehighmiah 22 Replies latest jw friends
Nothing in the Bible is in "need" of another book by the Watchtower.
The last decent commentary was the one on James and I believe it was
written by Ray Franze, along with Aide to Bible Understanding, before he was
booted to the curb, and thrown in front of a bus by the dear beloved Governing
Body and his lovely Uncle Franz.
The only attempt WT has made at a commentary is Commentary on the Letter of James. Ironically, it was written by Ed Dunlap, a man the WT disfellowshipped as an apostate right about the time Ray Franz left WT.
I agree with that. The other publications mentioned above as being commentaries are not.
Yes, kneehighmiah, I think their doctrine could not withstand real, critical, scholarly, unbiased commentary. Plus, they simply don't have the brains and the education to do it.
I'm pretty sure Ray Franz wrote in one his books that Ed Dunlap had written the Commentary on James. Also about the same time (late 70's) it was rather common to see a Barnes' Notes on the shelves at Witness homes and and Bethel, then after the 1980 debacle the Society came out against commentaries. I would rather read any commentary than any of the WT books. There are some good ones out there.
I'm pretty sure Ray Franz wrote in one his books that Ed Dunlap had written the Commentary on James.
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Yes, this was detailed in Crisis of Conscience. I mentioned this early in the discussion but apparently it was overlooked....twice.
The bible is the most important book ever written. That's why the only verse by verse reading is given by a 5 year old kid during the TMS.
dropoffyourkeylee - I have several commentaries. I have learned a lot from them. Some of the older ones like from the 1800s are available online as free downloads.
I agree with what you said about the org's not wanting us to have commentaries. I would not have let most JWs know I had them. It's odd that I would have had to hide that. Just another sign JWdom is a cult.
trujw: The bible is the most important book ever written. That's why the only verse by verse reading is given by a 5 year old kid during the TMS.
Wow! What a good point! They have no problem with the verse-by-verse reading because the format doesn't allow for any discussion/questions.
Consider the Bible Highlights; that part, too is structured in such a way as to protect JW doctrine from criitcal analysis. Comments can be only like 30 seconds max and are supposed to be about things like how we benefitted or points that can be used in the ministry. Same thing for the brother doing the part - just a couple of points about how the audience can benefit - no allowance for critical analysis or commentary.
Can you imagine what meetings would be like if the audience started at Genesis and together read slowly verse-by-verse, stopping at each verse that wasn't understood completely, that didn't make sense, etc. That would be a nightmare for the org and they know it. That's why they structure meetings the way they do.
Just think about it. The JW religion is based entirely on a book that it's scared to read in an open, honest way.
Didn't Ray Franz mention something about the Commentary on James book?
JUST KIDDING, SHIRLEY!
Googled "what is a Bible Commentary" and got the answer to your question:
Definition: A biblical commentary is a written systematic series of explanations and interpretations of Scripture. They are written by some of the most knowledgeable theologians in church history. Through a personal narrative, they provide deeper understanding and insight into the Bible, and can be valuable tools to assist both casual reading and serious study. http://christianity.about.com/od/glossary/g/Commentary.htm
As we all know, the WTBS likes to explain the Bible by jumping from verse to verse. A commentary, being a line by line examiniation of a text, does not allow this type of interpretation. Studying the Bible text using a line by line sytematic approach would destroy the Watchtower's interpretations.
How about a commentary on the book of Romans, the rank and file would be speechless. Deer in the headlights.
