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Unlike a modern letter-writer who leaves his reader guessing his identity until he reaches his signature at the end of the letter, ancient writers of letters began by naming themselves and their readers in a formal salutation. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Unlike a modern letter-writer who leaves his reader guessing his identity until he reaches his signature at the end of the letter, ancient writers of letters began by naming themselves and their readers in a formal salutation. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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8 reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Treats each epistle in its own rite
7 Sep 2006
Format:Hardcover
I. Howard Marshall is a professor of New Testament at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland), an author in numerous conservative commentary sets, and contributor to many scholarly journals. This work, in the New International Commentary on the New Testament Series, was found to be an excellent read--not only because of its fluid prose, but also because of its excellent scholarship.
Commentators approach a text with certain assumptions. The positions that Marshall begins with include: that John, Son of Zebedee and disciple of Jesus wrote these three epistles as well as the Gospel of John (but not Revelation); that these letters were written to address certain schisms in local churches, but that they were not necessarily all written to address a single crisis; and that they were written between the 60s and 90s AD, with 2 John written first, followed by 3 John, and finally 1 John.
One unique characteristic of Marshall's commentary is that he treats each of the three epistles individually (as opposed to trying to matrix the theology of each--reading each through the window of the other) and in the order in which he believes they were written (2 John, 3 John, 1 John). The result is that the New Testament's briefest books--2 John and 3 John--receive a much more complete treatment than they normally receive. It was refreshing for this reader to see Marshall esteeming these often ignored books as divinely inspired Holy Scripture--which is what they are.
This reader also enjoyed Marshall's treatment of 1 John. He treats the epistle holistically, commenting on the particular verses while always keeping in mind what has preceded it and what will follow. The result is that (even though outlining the epistle is difficult) the reader sees 1 John as a logical, progressive whole. Marshall also does an admirable job as he wrestles with the most difficult passages of 1 John--statements that seem to indicate that Christians cannot sin (3:4-6, cf. 1:8-9), sins that do or do not lead to death (5:16-17), and the work of the antichrist (3:18ff), and the threefold witness of the Spirit, the water, and the blood (5:6-8). The author addresses each of these in a thoughtful, pastoral way. While I'm not sure I necessarily agree with all of his conclusions, I am thankful for them as they have given me much to think about and wrestle with as I continue my study of 1 John.
The flaws in this book are few, but one does merit mention. In the above mentioned "difficult passages" of John, this reader often had to go back and re-read certain sections because Marshall's position was difficult to pin down. For example, it took three reading to finally understand that Marshall views John's word that the Christian is free from sin as an eschatological reality, a process of sanctification that has already begun, and also a command for the Christian to keep himself free from sin. The fault either lies with this reader (which is entirely possible) or an editor could have asked Marshall to make his position more clear.
But on the whole this is an excellent commentary on some often-neglected (yet valuable) books of the New Testament. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to study them as this book is equally accessible to pastors as well as laymen. Highly recommended.
Commentators approach a text with certain assumptions. The positions that Marshall begins with include: that John, Son of Zebedee and disciple of Jesus wrote these three epistles as well as the Gospel of John (but not Revelation); that these letters were written to address certain schisms in local churches, but that they were not necessarily all written to address a single crisis; and that they were written between the 60s and 90s AD, with 2 John written first, followed by 3 John, and finally 1 John.
One unique characteristic of Marshall's commentary is that he treats each of the three epistles individually (as opposed to trying to matrix the theology of each--reading each through the window of the other) and in the order in which he believes they were written (2 John, 3 John, 1 John). The result is that the New Testament's briefest books--2 John and 3 John--receive a much more complete treatment than they normally receive. It was refreshing for this reader to see Marshall esteeming these often ignored books as divinely inspired Holy Scripture--which is what they are.
This reader also enjoyed Marshall's treatment of 1 John. He treats the epistle holistically, commenting on the particular verses while always keeping in mind what has preceded it and what will follow. The result is that (even though outlining the epistle is difficult) the reader sees 1 John as a logical, progressive whole. Marshall also does an admirable job as he wrestles with the most difficult passages of 1 John--statements that seem to indicate that Christians cannot sin (3:4-6, cf. 1:8-9), sins that do or do not lead to death (5:16-17), and the work of the antichrist (3:18ff), and the threefold witness of the Spirit, the water, and the blood (5:6-8). The author addresses each of these in a thoughtful, pastoral way. While I'm not sure I necessarily agree with all of his conclusions, I am thankful for them as they have given me much to think about and wrestle with as I continue my study of 1 John.
The flaws in this book are few, but one does merit mention. In the above mentioned "difficult passages" of John, this reader often had to go back and re-read certain sections because Marshall's position was difficult to pin down. For example, it took three reading to finally understand that Marshall views John's word that the Christian is free from sin as an eschatological reality, a process of sanctification that has already begun, and also a command for the Christian to keep himself free from sin. The fault either lies with this reader (which is entirely possible) or an editor could have asked Marshall to make his position more clear.
But on the whole this is an excellent commentary on some often-neglected (yet valuable) books of the New Testament. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to study them as this book is equally accessible to pastors as well as laymen. Highly recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Very helpful for a wide range of teachers & preachers
2 July 2008
Format:Hardcover
This commentary is worth owning for a number of reasons. (I'm a pastor working in the Greek text developing sermons right now on John's letters).
Marshall's expository comments are well supported with clearly linked cross references that would fit well into any expository sermon. Sometimes he gives illustrations for the less transparent points of the text, which results in superior clarity for most readers. The augments which one reviewer called 'fluff' are not fluff at all. They are helpful meditative points that can be used in preaching. I love it when commentators bear their intended audience in mind and give a helping hand in context. That makes this commentary better than most.
If you desire to deal in the Greek text, his footnotes are an excellent add on to that study. He also references a number of other scholars in the footnotes for more on any crucial points Marshall brings out.
Overall, this is a five star commentary that anyone doing serious exegesis for a sermon ought to consult.
Marshall's expository comments are well supported with clearly linked cross references that would fit well into any expository sermon. Sometimes he gives illustrations for the less transparent points of the text, which results in superior clarity for most readers. The augments which one reviewer called 'fluff' are not fluff at all. They are helpful meditative points that can be used in preaching. I love it when commentators bear their intended audience in mind and give a helping hand in context. That makes this commentary better than most.
If you desire to deal in the Greek text, his footnotes are an excellent add on to that study. He also references a number of other scholars in the footnotes for more on any crucial points Marshall brings out.
Overall, this is a five star commentary that anyone doing serious exegesis for a sermon ought to consult.
The New International Commentary on the NT
4 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The commentary on Epistles of John is one of the better commentaries for in depth study. The Book I bought was used but was exceptionly clean and hardly if ever used. Author Marshall is a very thorough researcher.
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