The Reformation Commentary on Scripture series will include a new volume on the Gospel of Matthew, compiled and edited by Cedarville professors Dr. Jason Lee and Dr. Billy Marsh.
For the past 13 years, Lee, professor of theology, has spent hours translating, compiling and editing this commentary on Matthew. Marsh, assistant professor of theology, joined this work three years ago. Together, they have created an insightful addition to the commentary series on the Reformation.
Unlike other biblical commentaries, this commentary compiles the insights of reformation scholars from more than 500 years ago on the book of Matthew. This newest addition, published by Intervarsity Press, is available for pre-order before its release on November 23.
Lee and Marsh selected numerous 500-word quotes from Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, Anglican and Catholic sources, reviewing each excerpt to evaluate whether to include it in the commentary.
To determine an excerpt's relevance, Lee and Marsh evaluated each proposed inclusion to see if it offered clarity toward the biblical text at hand, whether it was historically relevant and whether it represented a diversity of historical voices.
These three qualifications, in Lee's words, “resurfaced theological content of the Reformation that is often overlooked.”
Those interested in Protestant church history often only expose themselves to more famous works like Luther’s “95 Theses” or Calvin’s “Institutes,” Lee explained. He hopes this new commentary will uncover and display hidden gems of the Reformation era.
One of the more daunting tasks while producing this commentary was the highly involved translation into English; many of the Reformation-era texts were originally written in Latin.
After the initial translation work, Lee and Marsh sent each portion to an official translator to check for clarity, which then helped the two professors as they wrote brief introductions to explain the relationship between the Reformation-era excerpts and the biblical text addressed.
Lee’s 13-year investment in the book of Mathew has rewarded him with a greater understanding of the book’s cohesive nature. “It’s not just an anthology, but rather a message with a unified purpose,” Lee said.
Marsh’s added time and effort over the past three years has added another valuable perspective to the commentary’s content. His work has also sped up the editing process, allowing the professors to submit their final draft last October.
“A real joy for me has been, of course, being enriched and challenged by the Reformation authors who exhibit a close reading of the biblical text,” Marsh said, “while always having a keen eye for the right ministry of the word of God for the good of the people of God.”
The academic rigor and discipline required for the editing and translating process has provided both professors with personal enrichment. They hope that this commentary will help local church pastors as they lead their congregations through Matthew, especially when following the liturgical calendar.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,715 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including the BA + MDiv program,strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.