Old & New Testament Library Series

The Old and New Testament Library Series from Westminster John Knox (WJK) Press is a Bible reference series that includes thorough commentaries, theological topical works, and Bible surveys. The WJK Library series includes top-ranked commentaries such as Exodus by Brevard Childs, 1 & 2 Chronicles by Sara Japhet, Lamentations by Adele Berlin, Mark by M. Eugene Boring, 2 Corinthians by Frank Matera, and Hebrews by Timothy Johnson.

In addition to current editions, the WJK series includes classic editions of commentaries for nine volumes prior to the release of their contemporary updates. Besides commentaries, the WJK Library includes works dealing with various theological topics including classic references still used today from A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period by Rainer Albertz and Theology of the Old Testament by Walther Eich. In all, there are 69 volumes included in this series. For a complete list of volumes included, please see the full description on our website here.

Who are the series editors for the Old & New Testament Library?

Carol A. Newsom

Newsom is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Old Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory University and was the 2011 President of the Society of Biblical Literature. She is the author and editor of many books, including The Women’s Bible Commentary, Third Edition.

William P. Brown

Brown is William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. He has published numerous works, including Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor and Ecclesiastes in the Interpretation series. He also serves on the editorial board for the esteemed Old Testament Library Series, published by Westminster John Knox Press.

Brent A. Strawn

Strawn (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is W. R. Cannon Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. He has authored or coedited numerous volumes, including The World around the Old Testament, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Law, and What Is Stronger than a Lion? Leonine Image and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East. Strawn also serves as coeditor of the Old Testament Theology Series and is on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and Journal of Biblical Literature.

C. Clifton Black

Black is the Otto A. Piper Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of many books in New Testament studies, including The Rhetoric of the Gospel: Theological Artistry in the Gospels and Acts, 2nd ed., published by Westminster John Knox Press (2013).

M. Eugene Boring

Boring is I. Wylie Briscoe Professor of New Testament Emeritus at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University. He is the author of numerous books on the New Testament, including An Introduction to the New Testament, Mark from the New Testament Library Series, and Revelation from the best-selling Interpretation series, all published by Westminster John Knox Press.

John T. Carroll

Carroll is the Harriet Robertson Fitts Memorial Professor of New Testament at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He is also the coeditor of Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology and the cochair of the Gospel of Luke section for the Society of Biblical Literature. Carroll is the author or editor of numerous works, including Luke: A Commentary in the esteemed New Testament Library Series, for which he also serves on the editorial board.

How do I use the Old & New Testament Library in the Olive Tree Bible App?

Here are three ways to use this series in the Olive Tree Bible App:

1. Resource Guide & Study Center

Open your preferred Bible translation in the main window and have the Resource Guide open in the Study Center.

You’ll see relevant WJK Library “hits” in the split window.

Tap into the WJK Library entry that you want to read.

As a bonus, we’ve tagged the scripture references so all you have to do is tap to see the reference without having to leave the commentary section.

2. Parallel Study

If you prefer to just read one resource at a time, you can open the WJK Library in the Parallel Tab in the Study Center. Then, the Olive Tree Bible App syncs the commentary with the scripture passage you’re reading.

parallel view old and New Testament library

When you scroll down to read more of the content within the WJK Library, the windows unlink. Tap the “link icon” button to sync again with the Main Window. This is a handy feature because the introductory material for each section can get quite lengthy.

3. Main Window

For a more focused study of the WJK Library content, you can open it in the main window.

old and New Testament library main window

This is also how you would navigate the additional theological and topical titles. To do this, open the Old Testament or New Testament library in your main window. Then change your verse chooser layout to “Use List layout”