Galatians

Galatians. By Scot McKnight. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995, 320 pp., $21.99.

Scot McKnight's new commentary on Galatians has some serious contenders for the ever-shrinking space on the shelf of my study wall. Already there are the older works of Lightfoot, Burton and Ramsay as well as the established works of Longenecker, Bruce and Fung, and not one, but two new works by James Dunn of Durham University. So, why give an inch for a commentary such as this? Well, here are two reasons.

First, this commentary, and the series of which it is a part, needs to be given full marks for what it is attempting to do. This is to provide a commentary for the English reader that takes exegesis seriously and still has space left for considerations of what the text is saying in today's world. As the series editors point out, "the primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context" (p. 7). Each section of Galatians has the NIV text, followed by concise sections of exegesis. Then there are two additional sections that address the issue of application. One is entitled "Bridging Contexts" and the other "Contemporary Significance."

A word of caution at this point. This reviewer finds it hard to distinguish between these two sections, and questions the necessity of having both. Such a concern is anticipated by the editors themselves. Of the "Bridging Contexts" section they write: "Because this section prepares the way for discussing the contemporary significance of the passage there is not always a sharp distinction or clear break between this section and the one that follows" (p. 9). The format of these two application sections following the exegesis section leads, in the reviewer's opinion, to an undue wordiness on the part of the author. This may well pervade the commentary as a whole. Perhaps readers, writers and publishers alike will need to get beyond the idea that in order for a commentary to make a significant contribution, it must first be of a certain size.

The second reason for finding space for this commentary comes by way of McKnight's experience as a teacher of the NT. His concise exegesis is well worth the space on the ever-proverbial shelf. His footnotes (and thanks to the publishers that they are footnotes and not the ever-tiresome endnotes) are of great value. In them, one finds not simply the sources of McKnight's thought but guidance through the literature written on Galatians. His introduction skillfully yet gently leads the reader into the technical and obscure world of covenantal nomism in the Galatians context. His interaction with the text throughout the commentary is commendable and competent, as well as concise.

In conclusion, this commentary reminds me of an anecdote from the life of the popular preacher Harry Ironside, who was apparently told that he could not possibly be a great preacher, since, said the listener, he understood everything the preacher said. In a similar fashion, one may be tempted to say that this commentary does not belong on the same shelf as those worthies mentioned earlier, for the simple reason that one will understand everything that one reads. May its tribe increase!

John Wilderspin

First Lobo Baptist Church, Lobo, ON

Copyright Evangelical Theological Society Mar 1998
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