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drbobcornwall's review against another edition
4.0
Next to Romans, Paul's letter to the Galatians has stood at the center of Protestant self-understandings. It is here, in Paul's debate with what is often referred to as the Judaizers that he defines the way of salvation. That is, justification by faith. That is the standard interpretation as handed down to most of us. But what does that all mean? What is the Galatian letter all about besides whether or not circumcision is a prerequisite for salvation and church membership? The assumption in the minds of many that the reason we need a proper answer to the question is that it affects our heavenly destination. But what if salvation in the mind of Paul, especially, as described here in Galatians doesn't have anything to do with going to heaven?
it is always helpful to have expert guidance when exploring Scripture, which usually comes in the form of commentaries. Some commentaries are highly technical diving deep into the original languages and textual variants. Those are important, but often do not provide the guidance that preachers and Bible teachers need. Fortunately, there are commentaries designed for that purpose as well. They're written by top scholars who can do the detailed stuff but can also lay things out in ways that the nonspecialist can understand and make use of without consulting a Latin dictionary. Such is the case here with N.T. Wright's commentary on Galatians.
The commentary under review here is part of a new series from Eerdmans that focuses on faith formation. In the series introduction, the editors note that this series seeks to integrate the concerns of exegesis, preaching, teaching, and application. Thus, the series seeks to serve the church "by showing how sound theological exegesis can underwrite preaching and teaching, which in turn forms believers in the faith." (p. xi). Thus, this is a series concerned about exegesis but also theology in support of preaching and teaching.
This particular commentary is written by N.T. Wright, who has spent his career in both the academic and ecclesial arena, having been a Bishop in the Church of England as well as a professor of New Testament. He has written on both the Gospels and the Pauline letters. His work has sought to root the study of Scripture within history, trying to place texts in their historical/cultural context. Here he seeks to answer two questions. First, what did the text mean to Paul and his audience (historical)? Secondly, what does the text of Galatians have to do with Christian formation (contemporary application).
As Wright reads Galatians, he addresses the traditional Protestant interpretation, especially that rooted in Luther, that focuses on justification by faith. The problem is that too often this has led to a focus on how we get to heaven, something Wright believes Paul didn't have in mind here. For Paul, the concern was the new creation in Christ, wherein Jew and Gentile become the one Israel of God, that is, the seed of Abraham. Thus, Abraham isn't just an example of faith, he is the progenitor of the children of God. The concern for Paul here is the means by which Gentiles are included in the Israel of God. It is faith and not circumcision. When Paul speaks of faith here, he's not opposing it to works.
I found the commentary stimulating and helpful. He takes us verse by verse through the letter, offering theological interpretations rooted in exegesis that takes seriously the context in which it is written. While we all have our interpretive starting points, what is helpful here is that he is not limited by his Protestant/Reformed heritage. Wright isn't a liberal but he's not conservative. In other words, he's hard to pin down. For the most part, I didn't have any real problems with his interpretation of Galatians. So, I believe it will prove to be quite useful. I know I will consult it as I engage with the text of Galatians. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the series will look like once other volumes emerge since this is what I might expect from Wright.
it is always helpful to have expert guidance when exploring Scripture, which usually comes in the form of commentaries. Some commentaries are highly technical diving deep into the original languages and textual variants. Those are important, but often do not provide the guidance that preachers and Bible teachers need. Fortunately, there are commentaries designed for that purpose as well. They're written by top scholars who can do the detailed stuff but can also lay things out in ways that the nonspecialist can understand and make use of without consulting a Latin dictionary. Such is the case here with N.T. Wright's commentary on Galatians.
The commentary under review here is part of a new series from Eerdmans that focuses on faith formation. In the series introduction, the editors note that this series seeks to integrate the concerns of exegesis, preaching, teaching, and application. Thus, the series seeks to serve the church "by showing how sound theological exegesis can underwrite preaching and teaching, which in turn forms believers in the faith." (p. xi). Thus, this is a series concerned about exegesis but also theology in support of preaching and teaching.
This particular commentary is written by N.T. Wright, who has spent his career in both the academic and ecclesial arena, having been a Bishop in the Church of England as well as a professor of New Testament. He has written on both the Gospels and the Pauline letters. His work has sought to root the study of Scripture within history, trying to place texts in their historical/cultural context. Here he seeks to answer two questions. First, what did the text mean to Paul and his audience (historical)? Secondly, what does the text of Galatians have to do with Christian formation (contemporary application).
As Wright reads Galatians, he addresses the traditional Protestant interpretation, especially that rooted in Luther, that focuses on justification by faith. The problem is that too often this has led to a focus on how we get to heaven, something Wright believes Paul didn't have in mind here. For Paul, the concern was the new creation in Christ, wherein Jew and Gentile become the one Israel of God, that is, the seed of Abraham. Thus, Abraham isn't just an example of faith, he is the progenitor of the children of God. The concern for Paul here is the means by which Gentiles are included in the Israel of God. It is faith and not circumcision. When Paul speaks of faith here, he's not opposing it to works.
I found the commentary stimulating and helpful. He takes us verse by verse through the letter, offering theological interpretations rooted in exegesis that takes seriously the context in which it is written. While we all have our interpretive starting points, what is helpful here is that he is not limited by his Protestant/Reformed heritage. Wright isn't a liberal but he's not conservative. In other words, he's hard to pin down. For the most part, I didn't have any real problems with his interpretation of Galatians. So, I believe it will prove to be quite useful. I know I will consult it as I engage with the text of Galatians. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the series will look like once other volumes emerge since this is what I might expect from Wright.
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