Revised ‘Africa Bible Commentary’ out

A new and revised Africa Bible Commentary has been produced by African scholars, in partnership with Langham Publishing and HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

The one-volume release has taken seven years to produce and has come out just under 20 years after its predecessor, which had been the first Africa Bible Commentary (ABC) to be produced by African scholars for Christians across the continent.

Asked what prompted production of a new edition, Luke Lewis, Langham’s Director of Publishing, that Langham and told en the convening editors felt that “much had changed on the continent” since the first edition was released.

He said: “New questions were being asked by the church in Africa, and many more African evangelical scholars had completed PhDs in Theology or Biblical Studies and were available to write or, in some cases, to revise their previous contributions.”

The latest edition has featured contributions from 111 African scholars, up from 70 in the first edition, and is 25% larger than the original. Alongside extensive commentary on the entire Bible, it includes 120 articles which seek to delve into the key issues currently facing the continent.

Lewis revealed that over 270,000 print copies of the first edition have been distributed in various languages, and Langham is currently working on the French version of the new edition. He said: “Our hope is that the new edition continues to serve the church in Africa and speaks into the questions that are being asked in Africa today. We also hope for continued support both globally and also with our partners in Africa for new language editions of the second edition.”