When Paul wrote to Timothy requesting that he come quickly, he also asked Timothy to bring his books and parchments. Any preacher will understand this urgent request, since books are such an important staple of our work. Indeed, most ministers amass a library which is as important to their work as any other earthly possession.

Given the explosion of printed materials, Timothy would have a difficult time carrying a minister's library all the way to Rome. Each year, literally thousands of books are released to the religious market. Though many of these are popular titles intended for the mass market, many are specifically intended for preachers.

In the field of biblical studies, several long-term projects are now reaching completion. In particular, multiple commentary series are releasing new volumes. Some are new to the series, while others replace older volumes.

One of the unusual characteristics of commentary series in the recent era is that updated volumes are replacing some older classics. Furthermore, several long-awaited volumes in incomplete series have now been released.

In The New International Commentary on the Old Testament an important release is the first volume of a soon-to-be completed two volume work The Book of Ezekiel by Daniel I. Block (Eerdmans). This 850-page volume covers the first twenty-four chapters of this important Old Testament book. Block, a premier Old Testament scholar, began work on this commentary in 1983. Thus, the work demonstrates a commitment of nearly fifteen years in the research and writing of this commentary. As Block explains, "For many Christians, Ezekiel is too strange and his book too complex and bizarre to deserve serious attention. So the prophet remains a mystery. This commentary has been driven by a single passion: to make this prophecy understandable and meaningful for contemporary readers. In recording my observations, I have constantly tried to imagine what questions students of Scripture ask when they pick up the book of Ezekiel." Preachers will welcome this commentary to their libraries.

Another helpful commentary has appeared in The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Paul Barnett's The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Eerdmans) actually replaces a volume by Philip E. Hughes. Barnett, formerly Master of Robert Menzies College at McQuery University, currently serves as Bishop of North Sydney in Australia. As the publishers of the series stated, the release of this new volume allows the author to "take into account the recent rhetorical and sociological inquiry in elucidating the meaning of the text." Given the sociology of Corinth and recent research into Corinthian culture, this approach should prove helpful.

Students of the New Testament will be pleased by the release of Romans in The Anchor Bible series (Doubleday). This new volume, written by Joseph A. Fitzmyer, is a massive consideration of this central New Testament book. Fitzmyer, who is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America, also served as president of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association. The volume is a significant interpretation of the book of Romans. Fitzmyer has been heavily involved in conversation with Protestant New Testament scholars, and this commentary shows the fruit of his investigations.