Concise Commentary

I am excited. It dawns on me only yesterday as I started writing that it was time for me to write a proper theological treatise. Three years ago I wrote a 190-page semi-autobiographical of my life and missionary work among the peoples of Borneo but it has been 12 years since my first and only book was published based on my thesis on the book of Revelation. I would not dare to blog unless I have really started not wanting to say something before any proof is given. So I have written 9 pages, commenting on the prologue of John's Gospel from vs 1 to vs 18. If I can write 5 pages a day, in 40 days I can reach 200 pages and by the end of the holidays, the first draft of my book should be ready. I have at most 40 days before the new academic year begins since I have to travel to a couple of places for Christmas preaching. It's good that I am only going to two places this December in contrast to my almost weekly travel November and December of last year. For a commentary, 200 pages will be considered short and that's why I intend to be concise as all good commentators are according to John Calvin, the biblical commentator par excellence.
At most it will be the length of a dissertation of 100,000 words. For chapter one due to its importance and the prologue of the Gospel, it will be about 20 pages and then each chapter will be given about 10 pages amounting to 220 pages in all for 21 chapters. Some chapters less some chapters more. It's exciting. I have taught the Gospel of John early this year and taught it twice in Singapore. So after three times, I guess it is time to put my thoughts on paper and I am writing first hand in Malay. It will be for a Malay-speaking audience and if the English version is desirable as well it should not take too much work for that. The target audience is theological students at the under-graduate level (BTheol or MDiv) but I believe young believers who love the Bible especially the Gospel of John will get much from it. Church leaders, pastors, elders and deacons are also a niche market. I think even scholars and experts will benefit as I exegete based on the Greek text but without much digression as is common among commentaries. So it will be a concise commentary, God willing.