Description
While there are many commentaries on Jude and 2 Peter available today, most are products of Euro-American scholars who have sought to address questions and concerns germane only to the Western Church. In this interpretation, the author remains faithful to the first-century Greco-Roman world setting of the letters while also allowing aspects of his postcolonial, African, and liberation theology interests to inform his hermeneutics. Andrew Mbuvi reads the epistles within the context of first-century Greco-Roman associations since the communities of Jude and 2 Peter seem to share significant commonalities with these groups. He addresses aspects of concern to the global Church, with an inclination towards issues that have occupied the Church outside the Western world, home to the majority of Christians today. Mbuvi’s useful analysis shows that the shared message of Jude and 2 Peter remains as relevant today as it was when the letters were written.
About the Author
Andrew M. Mbuvi, PhD, is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Hermeneutics at Shaw University Divinity School. He is author of Temple, Exile and Identity in 1 Peter and co-editor of Postcolonial Perspectives in African Biblical Hermeneutics.
Contents
Outline
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
General Introduction
Jude
2 Peter
Jude
Fusing the Horizons: True Christian Identity
Fusing the Horizons: Jude’s Infiltration Language in Light of an African Proverb
Fusing the Horizons: Preaching From Jude
2 Peter 1
Fusing the Horizons: Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy
Fusing the Horizons: Eschatology and the Gospel Message
2 Peter 2
Excursus: Aselgeia
Fusing the Horizons: Dangers of Stereotyping
Fusing the Horizons: Empty Eloquence versus Faithful Preaching
Fusing the Horizons: Apostasy versus Election
2 Peter 3
Fusing the Horizons: The Coming of the Day of the Lord!
Bibliography
Scripture Index
Author Index
Subject Index
Endorsements and Reviews
There are many commentaries on Jude and 2 Peter, but none like this one. … Andrew Mbuvi has written an excellent exposition on these small, but important, biblical books that will not only throw fresh light on the text, but also on our own lives.
Tremper Longman III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College
Mbuvi’s commentary … offers refreshing insight on these oft-overlooked writings by engaging the text in relation to ideas, traditions, and movements stemming out of the vast continent of Africa. Written with preachers, teachers, and laypeople in mind, these moments of ‘Fusing Horizons’ are thoughtful and leave the reader wanting more. Mbuvi does all of this while offering solid introductions to the texts’ historical contexts and rhetorical situations.
Lynn R. Huber, Associate Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, Elon University
In addition to penning a compelling and accessible exposition of Jude and 2 Peter, Mbuvi brings these letters into conversation with African perspectives on life and faith, which deepen and broaden our understanding of the epistles’ message for today. As one of the best African biblical interpreters, Mbuvi offers his insights to the whole catholic church.
Gene L. Green, Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School
This is another valuable addition to the series, addressing ancient and modern worlds.
Robert S. Dutch, in Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Vol 40.5
This commentary is perfect for the lay reader and minister, and its brief, succinct engagement with critical scholarship is useful for the academic. Seminaries and divinity schools would be wise to include this work in their library collections, and professors would even benefit from making this text required reading in courses on the general epistles.
Dain Smith, in Theological Book Review, Vol 28, No 2
