The Andrews Bible Commentary in Spanish was launched on Sunday, November 10. This resource, produced by the South American Publishing House Association (ACES), aims to instruct and inspire individuals to deepen their personal relationship with God and focus their worship on Jesus. The launch took place during the Annual Council meetings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America.

Gabriel Cesano, the general director of ACES, introduced a new set comprised of two volumes totaling over 2,000 pages. This collection serves as a practical resource for daily devotional study of the Bible and seeks to enhance understanding of the plan of salvation outlined in the Scriptures. One volume focuses on the Old Testament while the other covers the New Testament. The production of these volumes took two years to complete.

Cesano mentioned that the set is available in both hardcover and vinyl cloth cover, ensuring its durability for long-term use. He commented on the interior design, stating that it has been structured to enhance the reading experience, allowing readers to truly enjoy the material. The writing style is crafted to make the theological content easily accessible and understandable.

This makes it suitable for use not only by Bible scholars and pastors, but also by people without theological training. It is of great use to elders, lay leaders, and church teachers in their preaching and teaching duties, as it provides a solid foundation on which to build. The discussions in the articles and comments are up to date, reflect a good knowledge of the topics covered, and offer a fair and useful view of the different positions.

Differentiated Characteristics

ACES Editor-in-Chief Marcos Blanco spoke about the features that make this material, which is a companion to the Andrews Study Bible, a complete and concise resource for Bible study. Unlike this Bible, which contains thousands of study notes, the Andrews Bible Commentary offers deeper commentary and additional information that goes far beyond.

The Andrews Bible Commentary was prepared by 60 leading Bible scholars from around the world. It is intended for new believers, advanced Bible students, pastors, and teachers. Commentary is given by passage, not by verse or word, to provide an enjoyable read from beginning to end. It is written for use with any modern Bible translation.

In addition, it contains extensive and in-depth introductions to each book of the Bible, with ten general articles that deal with key topics for understanding the biblical background and message, six detailed articles with an introduction to the main sections of the Bible, more than 80 tables with detailed explanations of matters that require further attention, a chronology of the history covered in the biblical account, and printed maps.

Two of the authors, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, specialists in their fields, were the translators and adapters into Spanish, making the content as trustworthy and faithful as possible.

Specialized Authors

Among the authors, translators, and adapters are Felix Cortez, professor of New Testament literature at Andrews University, who is the author of the commentary on 1 Timothy. Dr. Jirí Moskala, professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Theology and dean of the School of Divinity at Andrews University, is the author of Habakkuk.

Dr. Roberto Badenas, professor emeritus of New Testament at the Sagunto Adventist Campus, is the author of the article “Paul, the Law and Salvation” and a translator. Dr. Aecio Cairus, former professor of Systematic Theology at the Adventist International Institute for Advanced Studies (AIIAS), is the author of the commentary on 1 and 2 Chronicles and also a translator.

Mark Finley, an international Adventist evangelist, says: “It is a monumental work prepared by outstanding theologians and scholars in a style that is entertaining, inspiring, and understandable for all audiences. It brings to light gems of inspiration and profound theological knowledge. My preaching, teaching, and writing will be much richer thanks to this valuable tool.”

This commentary does not contain the biblical text itself, so it should be studied with the Bible at hand. The base Bible used for this translation was the Reina-Valera 1995. In addition, it has a devotional intention; that is, it aims to make the reading of a close and accessible theology that helps to understand the Bible in current and simple language, motivates the practical experience of religion, and strengthens hope.

The first Spanish production of the Andrews Bible Commentary, consisting of 13,000 copies, will be distributed by the South American Publishing House Association between the end of December this year and the beginning of January 2025.

The original article was published on the South American Division Spanish website.