George W. Knight, III - The
Pastoral Epistles (New International Greek Testament
Commentary). D.A. Carson lists more “best buys” for the
pastoral epistles than for any other book or books and at the very
top of his list is Knight’s volume in the NIGTC which he commends
as “cautious, conservative and thoughtful.” As you may know, this
series is quite technical and requires at least some knowledge of
Greek. If you know Greek and are teaching or preaching one of the
pastoral epistles, you will want to add this volume to your
collection post haste.
I. Howard Marshall - The
Pastoral Epistles (International Critical Commentary).
After commending Knight, Carson also commends Marshall and says his
work is “packed with thoughtful, well-written reflection on every
issue of importance.” Yet, oddly, Marshall does not believe that
the epistles were written by Paul and this, not surprisingly,
influences some of his interpretations. Still, it receives high
recommendations and will prove valuable, especially for the teacher
or preacher.
William D. Mounce - Pastoral
Epistles (Word Biblical Commentary). The
experts all recommend this one. Keith Mathison writes, “Many will
recognize William D. Mounce as the author of the widely used Basics
of Biblical Greek Grammar. His commentary on the Pastoral
Epistles in the Word series is very helpful. Mounce thoroughly
discusses all of the important issues raised by Paul (whom he
believes wrote these epistles), and when dealing with controversial
parts of the letters, he fairly represents those with whom he
disagrees. All in all, a very good commentary.”
Philip H. Towner - The Letters
to Timothy And Titus (New International Commentary on
the New Testament). While not as technical as George
Knight’s volume, this one still weighs in at a hefty 900 pages and
should probably be the first choice for teacher or preachers who do
not have knowledge of Greek and, therefore, cannot get a lot out of
the NIGTC. Towner provides a conservative interpretation that assumes
Pauline authorship.
Donald Guthrie - The Pastoral
Epistles (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries).
I always try to include at least one volume that is reader-friendly
and suitable for someone who wants to do a relatively light study.
Guthrie’s fits the bill. He writes from a conservative position,
addresses those who take an opposing view, and then helpfully opens
up the three epistles. Anyone will be able to read, understand, and
enjoy it.
There are a couple of volumes that look good, but
for which I have not been able to find reviews. Philip Ryken’s 1
Timothy from the Reformed Expository Commentary series is bound
to be good, as Ryken has a long track record as a skilled
commentator. Bryan Chapell’s 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus
from the Preaching the Word series would be similar in that it is a
sermon-based commentary from a skilled preacher.
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