Andreas Köstenberger comments on how frequently he is asked for New Testament commentary recommendations. He’s finally compiled a list, which will appear in a forthcoming book entitled, Invitation to Biblical Interpretation, which is part of the Invitation to Theological Interpretation series. The volume is a couple years away from publication, but he shares his list in the meantime. I love it when a man of Köstenberger’s caliber recommends commentaries. They quickly get added to my wishlist.
Here are his recommendations on Galatians—a book to which I’m giving focused attention for my dissertation.
Bruce, F. F. Galatians. NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.
Dunn, James D. G. The Epistle to the Galatians. HNTC. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993.
Fung, R. Y. K. The Epistle to the Galatians. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.
George, Timothy. Galatians. NAC. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994.
Hays, Richard B. “The Letter to the Galatians.” New Interpreter’s Bible. Nashville: Abingdon, 2000, Vol. 11, 181–348.
Longenecker, Richard N. Galatians. WBC. Dallas: Word, 1990.
The only commentary I haven’t picked up yet is the Hays volume. It’s on my list, but now closer to the top.
Check out the complete list.
Update: See also his Helpful Reference Tools for Biblical Studies.
Chad says
Phil,
A commentary you should check out on Galatians is Ridderbos’ short work. It was originally part of the NICNT series. It is out of print and is very short (238pp), but I found it helpful when I taught through Galatians.
Chad
Phil Gons says
Thanks, Chad. I have Ridderbos’s commentary. I found it on Half.com for a great price, and it was brand new. I love coming across deals like that! I’ve thumbed through it a little, but will no doubt delve into it more fully once I get to the exegetical portion of my dissertation. Thanks for the recommendation.
Phil
Jerry M says
Thanks for sharing the list Phil. [Can anything good come out of New Interpreter’s?]
Phil Gons says
You’re welcome, Jerry. And good question. I’d be very slow to get theology and application from New Interpreter’s. I’d put it in roughly the same category as Anchor Bible, Hermeneia, and ICC. Depending on the author and volume, they are likely to have some good interaction with recent scholarship (or at least the scholarship of the time it was written w.r.t. ICC) and often contain some good interaction with the grammar and syntax of the original language texts. I’d certainly not recommend these to the uneducated, but they are vital for seminary-level work. Hope that clarifies a bit.
Phil
Will says
I realise I am late to this conversation, but since the commentary in question involves my NT professor, I thought I would respond. Jerry M’s question paraphrases Nathanael’s in John 1, perhaps the best response is Philip’s: ‘Come and see’ (John 1.46).
Sorry to intrude (and be late)!