Since 1963 the seriesPatristische Texte und Studienhas been publishing research findings coordinated by the Patristics Commission, which today is a joint venture of all the German Academies. The series is presenting editions, commentaries and monographs on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers.

Bullard provides an informed, readable commentary specifically on the libretto, or text, of Handel's Messiah, explaining each part in terms of: how the language differs from the King James Version of the Bible; what the passage of Scripture meant in its original context; and how the citation fits in the artistic and religious structure of the oratorio as a whole.

Volume five of the Mercer Commentary on the Bible comprises commentaries on the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books which Martin Luther called "useful and good for reading" yet did not consider of the same authority as Scripture. Volume five of the Mercer Commentary on the Bible includes commentaries from the critically acclaimed Mercer Commentary on the Bible and appropriate articles from the equally well-received Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. This convenient yet thorough edition is for the classroom and for anyone who wishes to focus study on these particular texts.