Adam Clarke Commentary(1762-1832)
A good commentary by a Methodist minister.
Adam Clarke was the most famous commentator the Methodist Church ever produced. As a child he was judged to be rather dull; however, from about eight onward he began to excel in learning. Though his father was of the Church of England, and his mother a Presbyterian, he became a Methodist when he was about sixteen. As his studies progressed he became a master of both Hebrew and Greek, as well as several other languages. He was proficient in the Greek classics, patristic literature, and various disciplines of history and science.
Clarke labored for forty years to bring to completion his erudite eight-volume work (now available in three volumes), A Commentary on the Bible. His studies were so rigorous that he eventually wore himself out in these pursuits. Though his commentaries are not held in high regard today by modern “stuffy” scholars, and while they are obsolete in certain areas, nonetheless, they still contain a wealth of information and should be in every preacher’s library.
In spite of his vast knowledge, Clarke held some very “quirky” ideas. For example, he wrote: “There is scarcely any doubt now remaining in the philosophical world that the moon is a habitable globe.” He described this “lesser light” as a place of mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and seas, and he believed that the moon is inhabited by intelligent beings.
Additionally, Clarke speculated that the “serpent,” used by Satan as an instrument by which to approach Eve (Gen. 3), was a creature of the “ape” family. The New Testament, of course, indicates that the “serpent” was a snake (ophis), a limbless reptile (cf. Mk. 16:18; cf. 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9; 20:2).
Clarke also entertained the bizarre notion that Judas Iscariot did not commit suicide, as our common translations indicate in Matthew 27:5. Rather, the learned gentleman ventured the opinion that Judas was stricken with remorse over having betrayed the Lord. His mental anguish became so acute that he was seized with “violent dysentery.” He got choked, fell off of a seat upon which he was sitting, and his bowels gushed out.
Clarke further attempted to argue that Judas sincerely repented of his betrayal of Christ, and that the Bible student may entertain every hope that the traitor will enjoy eternity in heaven. Of course the evidence is clear that Judas hanged himself. The verbapagcho, in the middle voice, means precisely that, “to hang oneself.” The same term is used to describe the death of Ahithophel in the Greek version of the Old Testament (2 Sam. 17:23). Moreover, Judas was described by Christ as the “son of perdition” (i.e., worthy of perdition; cf. 2 Thes. 2:3) who “perished” (Jn. 17:12). And Peter noted that the wayward apostle “fell away” and went to his “own place” (Acts 1:25), i.e., the place of which he was deserving.
More Modules from Commentary Category
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- Maclaren Expositions on Ephesians
- Mackintosh, C.H. – Notes on the Pentateuch
- Law, H. – Christ in the Pentateuch
- Kelly, W. – Intoductory Lectures – The Bible (cmt)
- John Calvin Commentary on the Whole Bible
- Ironside’s Notes on Selected Books
- Ironside, H.A. – In the Heavenlies (Ephesians)
- Ironside, H.A. – Addresses on the Song of Solomon
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Helpful Tracts for Church Problems Spiritual Watchcare is about church leadership taking spiritual care of the members of their church. Job description, administration, etc.
This study is about what the Bible says to those in the care of spiritual oversight of a local church, and the link here is to tracts for those who are considering different aspects of this.
Select the topics you want to see: (clicking on the links below will open them in another tab in your browser)
- ch22 Pastorless Flocks
- ch45 Grading, a Bible Teacher
- ch39 What should we preach? Sermon topics
- ch23 Paying the Pastor
- ch24 The power of an example
- ch16 Example of the man of God
- ch51 Cowboys versus Shepherds
- ch55 Who runs the Local Church?
- ch64 The Church is not a Circus
- ch31 3Bs of success: buildings, bodies, and bucks
- ch38 Recognizing a good pastor
- ch41 The marks of a bad minister
- ch14 Finding a good church
- ch18 Supporting your Pastor
- ch30 The man of God must not be contentious
- ch19 Marks of a False Prophet
- ch26 Don’t touch the anointed of God
- ch42 Destitution of Pastor
- ch43 Time to leave your church? (for church members)
- ch34 Brethren, we must not fight!
- ch17 Why do I Attend Church?
- ch09 Our One another Relationship
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Missionary on Furlough Spiritual Needs is an article by David Cox (veteran missionary) to help pastors and missionaries understand missionary needs.
Excerpt: When a pastor "takes in a missionary on deputation or furlough", he ministers to that missionary.... Pastors also need this encouragement as much as missionaries need it. When they get together to fellowship, they are able to encourage one another. But every pastor ministering to a returning missionary should encourage them along these lines of faithfulness and reward in eternity.
Topics: Introduction | Unfit Missionaries that should not be missionaries at all | Stop the Merry-go-round, I want to get off | Some Tips for Pastors Encouraging Missionaries | 1. Do not undermine their way of leading or doing the ministry | 2. The two essential elements are talk and prayer. | 3. Get more than just the pastor involved in praying for the missionary. | Remind your missionary by asking for an update if it has been a while. | Effectively disseminate prayer requests.
Read the Article: Missionary on Furlough Spiritual Needs.
Thanks for this module, I had this on my pocket e-sword. I was looking for it.