As I write, I am sitting at my desk in my study with a dozen commentaries lined up in front of me. On the two shelves behind me, I have at least one commentary on every book of the Bible.
I don’t begin with that to ‘collect’ props for how many commentaries I own – but I do so to point out that I spend a lot of time (and money) on commentaries.
Some happen to be pretty helpful – mainstays that I will return time and time again as I seek to grow in my knowledge of God’s Word and engage in Bible-teaching ministry. Others I get, use for a limited time and then place on the shelf – consigned to the ‘not so helpful’ category.
It is with that in mind that I began reading Agonizing for the Faith: A Biblical Exposition of Jude, a new commentary on the book of Jude by Thomas Coutouzis. Coutouzis is an author, and Sunday school teacher at Fellowship Baptist Church in Willow Spring, NC, as well as a blogger at Aletheia. Being of Greek heritage himself, Coutouzis is a student of Koine Greek which gives a unique flavour to the commentary.
At 164 pages, Agonizing for the Faith is definitely on the brief end of the commentary section but its slender size does not equal a lack of depth or precision. Coutouzis writes with a teacher’s precision and a pastor’s heart as he walks the reader through the letter of Jude. His use of the Greek is not belittling or overwhelming but does much to help the reader understand the force of Jude’s argument in the book. Ultimately, the reader will come away with a greater appreciation of the message of this ‘postcard epistle’ and with a greater appreciation of the burden of the apostles.
This is a commentary that I will definitely be referring to in future if the Lord provides the opportunity to teach from or through the letter of Jude. I highly commend it to your Bible study library.