Rediscover Early Wesleyan Exegesis
Wesleyan theology is deeply rooted in Scripture. John Wesley declared, "I allow no other rule, whether of faith or practice, than the Holy Scriptures" (WJW [Jackson], 1:201). Wesley and early Methodists demonstrated their commitment to Scripture by producing a rich body of biblical commentaries. Today, however, most of these works are out of print, and many readers are unaware of them or unsure how to find them.
This page opens the door to a rediscovery of early Wesleyan exegesis. Here you'll find brief introductions to major Wesleyan commentaries through the early twentieth century, complete with bibliographic information and links to free online editions.
Notes:
If you'd like to suggest an update to this page, please send me a message here.
This page opens the door to a rediscovery of early Wesleyan exegesis. Here you'll find brief introductions to major Wesleyan commentaries through the early twentieth century, complete with bibliographic information and links to free online editions.
Notes:
- Commentaries on the whole Bible are listed first, commentaries on individual books and corpuses after them.
- Links lead to third-party sites. I don't claim ownership or responsibility for their copyright status.
- Some links point to later editions—check carefully if you're citing.
- Google Books, HathiTrust, and Internet Archive often have multiple editions. If the linked edition is not the one you want, explore their full collections.
If you'd like to suggest an update to this page, please send me a message here.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes (1755; 1765–1766)
After George Romney, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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John Wesley (1703–1791) published his Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament in 1755 and his Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament in 1765–1766. He wrote "chiefly for plain unlettered men, who understand only their mother-tongue, and yet reverence and love the word of GOD, and have a desire to save their souls" (Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, preface). For the notes on the New Testament, Wesley relied primarily on John Albert Bengel's Gnomon Novi Testamenti, editing and abridging the work as needed. For the Old Testament, he did the same for Matthew Henry's Exposition of the Old and New Testament and Matthew Poole’s Annotations upon the Holy Bible. The Explanatory Notes on the New Testament were quite popular and went on to become doctrinal standards for Methodism. The Explanatory Notes on the Old Testament were less popular, probably because of their length (over 2,600 pages).
Citation: Wesley, John. Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament. London: William Bowyer, 1755. Wesley, John. Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament. 3 vols. Bristol: William Pine, 1765–1766. Available at: Bible Hub | Christian Classics Ethereal Library | Internet Archive (Old Testament vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3; New Testament) | STEP | Truth according to Scripture | Wesley Center Online |
Thomas Coke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (1801–1803)
Contemporary portrait, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Thomas Coke (1747–1814) was the first Methodist bishop. He wrote his commentary at the request of the Methodist Conference, and it turned out to be his magnum opus (J. W. Etheridge, Life of the Rev. Thomas Coke, 235, 331). Coke produced much of his commentary by abridging and editing existing sources, the foremost of which was William Dodd's Commentary on the Books of the Old and New Testament.
Citation: Coke, Thomas. A Commentary on the Holy Bible. 6 vols. London: G. Whitfield, 1801–1803. Available at: HathiTrust (vols. 2–6) | Truth according to Scripture |
Joseph Benson, The Holy Bible with Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes (1811–1818)
Engraver Thomas Blood, after John Jackson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Joseph Benson (1749–1821) was a Methodist minister in England. He served as president of the Methodist Conference twice and as editor of the Methodist Magazine from 1803 to his death. Benson wrote his commentary at the urging of fellow Methodists not only to elucidate obscure passages of Scripture but also "to illustrate and defend the great doctrines of the everlasting Gospel, . . . and to apply them to practical purposes" (Benson, The Holy Bible with Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes, 1:vii–viii).
Citation: Benson, Joseph. The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments (according to the Present Authorized Version) with Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes. 2nd ed. 5 vols. London: Thomas Cordeaux, 1811–1818. [I was not able to find the publication information for the first edition.] Available at: Bible Hub | Google Books (vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3; vol. 4; vol. 5) | Internet Archive (vol. 1; vol. 3; vol. 5 | Truth according to Scripture |
Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes (1825–1826)
John P. Jenkinson (1790–1821) (possibly), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Adam Clarke (1762–1832) was a British Methodist preacher and one of the foremost biblical scholars of his day. He served three times as president of the Methodist Conference and was a member of prestigious scholarly societies including the Royal Irish Academy and the Royal Asiatic Society. Clarke spent thirty years writing his six-volume commentary, and it set a new standard for Wesleyan exegesis. After Wesley's own Explanatory Notes on the New Testament, Clarke's commentary is the most influential early Wesleyan commentary.
Citation: Clarke, Adam. The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments: the Text Printed from the Most Correct Copies of the Present Authorized Translation, including the Marginal Readings and Parallel Texts, with a Commentary and Critical Notes. 6 vols. New York: N. Bangs and J. Emory, 1823–1826. Available at: Bible Hub | Google Books (vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3; vol. 4; vol. 5; vol. 6) | HathiTrust | Internet Archive (vols 1–4) | STEP | Truth according to Scripture |
Joseph Sutcliffe, A Commentary on the Old and New Testament (1834–1835)
Primitive Methodist Magazine, 1881
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Joseph Sutcliffe (1762–1856) was a British Methodist minister and biblical scholar. His commentary was the product of approximately forty years of study. Through it he aimed "to aid the devout christian in the duties of the closet [cf. Matt 6:6], and to assist his progress in divine attainments," as well as to help those preparing for vocational ministry (Sutcliffe, A Commentary on the Old and New Testament, 1:viii).
Citation: Sutcliffe, Joseph. A Commentary on the Old and New Testament. 2 vols. London: Holdsworth & Ball, 1834–1835. Available at: Google Books (vol. 1; vol. 2) | HathiTrust (vol. 2) | Truth according to Scripture |
Daniel D. Whedon's Commentary
Source: https://www.craigladams.com/Whedon/
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Daniel D. Whedon (1808–1885) was a biblical scholar and minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served as a professor at several universities and as editor of The Methodist Quarterly Review. He edited a nine-volume commentary on the Old Testament and wrote a five-volume commentary on the New Testament. The authors of the individual Old Testament commentaries are indicated below. I have not been able to locate a scan of volume 7, so the authors/books for that volume are a guess based on a library database. Whedon is not listed as editor in volumes 7–9 of the Commentary on the Old Testament, presumably because he passed away before these volumes were completed.
Citation (Old Testament): Whedon, Daniel D. ed. Commentary on the Old Testament. 9 vols. New York, 1875–1907.
Available at: Google Books (vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3; vol. 4; vol. 5; vol. 6; vol. 9) | HathiTrust (vol. 8) | Internet Archive (vol. 1; vol. 3; vol. 9) | Truth according to Scripture Citation (New Testament): Whedon, Daniel D. A Popular Commentary on the New Testament. 5 vols. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1874–1880. Available at: Google Books (vol. 3; vol. 4; vol. 5) | Internet Archive (vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3; vol. 4; vol. 5) | Truth according to Scripture |
Other Commentaries
Richard Watson, St. Matthew and St. Mark (1833)
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Richard Watson (1781–1833) was a prominent British Methodist theologian and minister. He is best known for his Theological Institutes, which were the first Wesleyan systematic theology and continued to be a standard textbook for Methodists long after his death. He also wrote a commentary on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark that included comments on Luke 1–13 and Romans 1–3.
Citation: Watson, Richard. An Exposition of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, and of Some Other Detached Parts of Holy Scripture. London: John Mason, 1833. Available at: Google Books | HathiTrust | Internet Archive |
William Nast, Matthew and Mark (1864)
Internet Archive
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William Nast (1807–1899) is remembered as the first German missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was born in Germany and raised Lutheran but immigrated to the United States, where he taught German at West Point. He eventually joined Methodism and became the founder of the German-speaking Methodist movement in America. Nast translated many Methodist works into German, edited the German Methodist periodical Der Christliche Apologete (The Christian Apologist), and wrote several works, including a commentary on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
Citation: Nast, William. A Commentary on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical, Embodying for Popular Use and Edification the Results of German and English Exegetical Literature, and Designed to Meet the Difficulties of Modern Skepticism. With a General Introduction, Treating of the Genuineness, Authenticity, Historic Verity, and Inspiration of the Gospel Records, and of the Harmony and Chronology of the Gospel History. Cincinnati: Poe & Hitchcock, 1864. Available at: IMARC | Internet Archive |
Thomas O. Summers, The Gospels (1869–1872), Acts (1874), and Romans (1881)
Poole, R., Nashville, Tennessee, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Thomas O. Summers (1812–1882) was a prominent minister and theologian in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Born in England, he immigrated to the United States and became a major figure in Southern Methodism, serving as editor for several denominational publications and as professor of systematic theology at Vanderbilt University. He is best known for his two-volume Systematic Theology (1888), but he also wrote commentaries on the Gospels, Acts, and Romans.
Citation: Summers, Thomas O. Commentary on the Gospels. 4 vols. Nashville, 1869–1872. Summers, Thomas O. Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. Nashville: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1874. Summers, Thomas O. The Epistle of Paul, the Apostle to the Romans, in the Authorized Version; with a New Translation and Commentary. Nashville: Southern Methodist Publishing house, 1881. Available at: Google Books (Gospels: vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3) | IMARC (Gospels: vol. 1; vol. 2; vol. 3; vol. 4; Acts; Romans) |
Henry W. Williams, Romans (1869) and Hebrews (1871)
Internet Archive
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Henry W. Williams was a Methodist theologian and minister in England. He wrote commentaries on Romans and Hebrews. He dedicated his commentary on Hebrews to Thomas Jackson, editor of the popular 1872 edition of Wesley's works.
Citation: Williams, Henry W. An Exposition of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1869. Williams, Henry W. An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews. London: Wesleyan Conference Office, 1871. Available at: Google Books (Romans; Hebrews) | HathiTrust (Romans) | Internet Archive (Romans; Hebrews) |
Amos Binney, The People's Commentary (1878)
Internet Archive
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Amos Binney (1802–1878) was an American minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. His works include A Theological Compend, a theology text that was read widely in Methodist circles, and The People's Commentary. His commentary, which covers the whole New Testament, includes an introduction by Daniel Steele.
Citation: Binney, Amos. The People's Commentary, including Brief Notes on the New Testament, with Copious References to Parallel and Illustrative Scripture Passages, Designed to Aid Bible Students and Common Readers to Understand the Meaning of the Inspired Word. New York: Nelson & Phillips, 1878. Available at: IMARC | Internet Archive | Open Library |
William Burt Pope, Ezra (1883), Nehemiah (1883), and I, II, and III John (1890)
The illustrated London News, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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William Burt Pope (1822–1903) was an influential English Methodist theologian and minister. His magnum opus, A Compendium of Christian Theology, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Wesleyan systematic theologies to date. Fred Sanders has catalogued Pope's writings here. Among them are commentaries on Ezra, Nehemiah, and the epistles of John.
Citation: Pope, William Burt. Ezra. Vol. 3 of An Old Testament Commentary for English Readers. Edited by Charles John Ellicott. London: Cassell, 1883. Pope, William Burt. Nehemiah. Vol. 3 of An Old Testament Commentary for English Readers. Edited by Charles John Ellicott. London: Cassell, 1883. Pope, William Burt. I, II, and III John. Vol. 4 of The International Illustrated Commentary on the New Testament. Edited by Philip Schaff (New York: Scriber's Sons, 1890). Available at: Bible Hub (Ezra; Nehemiah) | Fred Sanders's website (Ezra/Nehemiah; I, II, and III John) |
Nathanael Burwash, Romans (1887)
Callanmurphy, via Wikimedia Commons
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Nathanael Burwash (1839–1918) was a Canadian Methodist minister, theologian, and educator. He taught theology at Victoria University and eventually became the institution's president. His published works include several books on theology and a commentary on Romans.
Citation: Burwash, Nathan. A Handbook of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, Based on the Revised Version and the Revisers' Text, for the Use of Students and Bible Classes. Toronto: William Briggs, 1887. Available at: Canadiana | Google Books | HathiTrust | Internet Archive |
William G. Williams, Romans (1902)
Source: WikiTree
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William G. Williams (1822–1902) was a professor of Greek at Ohio Wesleyan University and the author of a commentary on Romans.
Citation: Williams, William G. An Exposition of the Epistle of Paul to the Romans. New York: Eaton & Mains, 1902. Available at: HathiTrust | Internet Archive |