John Lightfoot Commentary

At a Glance

John Lightfoot (1602–1675) was an English Anglican Hebraist and clergyman. His Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica gathers rabbinic and Jewish-background material for New Testament interpretation.

What It Contains

Lightfoot is especially useful for questions about Second-Temple and later rabbinic custom, vocabulary, festivals, and legal discussion. It is a historical reference work, not a patristic commentary.

Orthodox Use and Caution

Jewish context can illuminate the world in which the Gospels were proclaimed, but later rabbinic texts must not automatically be projected back into the first century. Lightfoot’s seventeenth-century judgments and polemical assumptions need independent assessment. Use him alongside Scripture, the Fathers, and sound modern historical work—not as an authority over the Church’s received reading.

Access

The public-domain text used here is available through CCEL.