The
Annotated Bible, though written nearly 100 years
ago, is a work still recognized as a classic by
biblical scholars and students all over the world.
Written over a 10 year period, this work is 9
volumes and over 3,100 pages of analysis and
exposition on each passage of the Bible. Author Arno
Clemens Gaebelein has a gift for uncovering
teachable lessons that seem obvious but are not. He
has a very unique, yet accurate way of approaching
passages of Bible text and will surprise you with
his keen insight.
Gaebelein was one of the most prolific preachers and
Bible teachers of the twentieth century. His
scholarship was highly regarded, and he assisted C.
I. Scofield in publishing the monumental Scofield
Reference Bible. Gaebelein spent 10 years of his
life working on The Annotated Bible, and this
commentary covers every passage from Genesis through
Revelation.
Gaebelein brings to light lessons that you might not
have noticed before. For example, in the story of
the prodigal son, he reminds us of how Jesus'
description of the elder brother was an indictment
of the Pharisees who were present. Also, as you read
the parables of Jesus, Gaebelein patiently pauses to
show us when and how the Trinity is being revealed
in these stories.
As
another example, in the final chapter of John’s
gospel, John tells us about the disciples who went
back to fishing and caught 153 fish on the Sea of
Galilee. Gaebelein asks why John felt it necessary
to give us that exact number. He suggests it's
because, at that time, there were exactly 153 known
nations in the world, all who were meant to be
gathered for the kingdom. Attention to details like
these make for engaging study, sermons, and lessons.
Arno
Clemens Gaebelein (1861-1945) was born in Thuringia
(Germany) and came to the United States in 1879 to
avoid military conscription. He was ordained by the
Methodist Episcopal church in 1886, and later, in
1893, he founded the Hope of Israel movement and a
Hebrew language magazine, Tigweth Israel,
which became known as Our Hope. Gaebelein
personally wrote most of the copy for the magazine
himself. Gaebelein also served as the co-editor of
the Scofield Reference Bible with Cyrus
Ingerson Scofield. Gaebelein considered his greatest
published work to be this Annotated Bible, a
nine-volume, three-thousand-page survey of the
Scripture that took ten years to complete.
