My name is Pastor Wendifraw Addis. I am a bible teacher and student dean at the central region bible college of the Ethiopian Full Gospel Church. I would like to comment on the commentary on the Book of Hebrews written by our brother Adiamseged Woldemariam.
Our brother Adiamseged has written a commentary on the Book of Hebrews in three volumes. I would like to share some thoughts on that. I have tried to see all three volumes. The first volume covers chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Hebrews. It presents a historical background to the letter in a way that piques the reader’s interest and offers an in-depth analysis of the first four chapters.
The second volume is devoted to chapters 5 through 8. It deals with very deep theological topics and answers many questions from different angles.
The third volume, which explains chapters 9 through 13, dwells on issues of practical life for readers or believers. I would like to say a few words on those issues; but first of all, I must say to Adiamseged, God bless you. His love for and commitment to doing the work of God’s kingdom, and the amount of time as well as the energy he sacrificed defy all descriptions. We should all pray for him. The Lord bless him, his family, and his ministry. This work is a major contribution to the church in Ethiopia.
The books present a chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse, word-by-word study of the scriptures. They offer the meaning of important words in Greek with the views of many great theological scholars. All three volumes deal with everything in the letter to the Hebrews including those parts that are controversial. The first two volumes in particular deal with many doctrinal issues. The writer has presented the understanding of other scholars from their commentaries. Chapters 1 through 8 focus on basic doctrines and their analysis of them is based on the meaning of keywords in the original Greek as well as the comments of many bible scholars.
Chapters 11 through 13, which are dealt with in the third volume, explain the right conduct of believers in the church, and the explanation is written in a way that is appealing to readers. In general, the book offers simple explanations for difficult concepts based on the Greek in which the letter was originally written. It also presents the views of other commentators sharing alternative interpretations by other theological scholars for comparison. In this way, the books give the reader a deeper understanding of God’s word.
Our brother Adiamseged has worked hard on these books, devoting years to the work, and has produced books that are of incalculable value to evangelical churches as well as other believers. In Ethiopia, where there are not many books in the language of the people, these three books will go a long way in helping us learn God’s word in greater depth than ever before. These books will offer great assistance and information to teachers and students in theological colleges. Moreover, these books are full of teachings that the Christian community can easily learn and apply to daily life. And since the Book of Hebrews is a text that many ministers use for showing the supremacy of Christ, these commentaries can serve as useful resources for them. They can serve as input for anyone who is learning or teaching.
God bless our brother Adiamseged. Wrapping up my thoughts, I would like to say, May God bless his ministry and his family. I had the opportunity to see not only these books but also others that he wrote before. These are much greater than those. It is so wonderful to be able to write such big volumes in one book. If believers, church ministers, leaders, theology students, and theology instructors use these commentaries written by brother Adiamseged, a significant change will come in the understanding of the church in Ethiopia.
Therefore, on behalf of Ethiopian churches, I would like to say to Adiamseged, May the Lord bless you, and may the Lord enlarge your heart. I have seen that your contribution to the church in Ethiopia is so great. I believe that these books will bring about significant change in the lives of many people if they read and use them.