Galatians

by James Louis Martyn

As its predecessors in the Anchor Bible series have done Galatians successfully makes available all the significant historical and linguistic knowledge which bears on the interpretation of this important New Testament book. A personal letter written by Paul in the mid-first century to friends in the churches emerging in the region of Galatia, where it was circulated, Galatians is down to earth and pragmatic. This biblical book requires the modern reader to take a seat in one of the Galatian congregations, to listen to Paul's letter with Galatian ears, and discern the contours of Paul's theology.

That is exactly what Dr. Martyn makes possible in his marvelous commentary, with its careful translation and creative interpretation of Galatians. Though relatively brief, Paul's letter is filled with complex theological and historical issues that demand a thorough treatment. Readers will not be disappointed in Dr. Martyn's sensitive handling of difficult passages, and all will be delighted to have a fresh translation that makes sense to our modern ears.

All in all, this volume will stand out as a shining example of top notch scholarship written for the general reader.

Genres: Biblical Studies

614 pages, Hardcover

First published December 23, 1997

Reviews

[Sagely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've long wanted to get my hands on a copy of J Louis Martyn's ABC on Galatians. Back when I first started reading contemporary interactions with apocalyptic in scripture, theology, and theory, Martyn's name was everywhere--specifically this commentary.

So when I our congregation embarked on a period reflecting on the Spirit's fruit in Gal, I seized the opportunity. JLM's commentary made its way to my shelf.

But reading it, I'm underwhelmed. Sure, there is an apocalyptically-informed reading of Gal. But that's about it. Many other questions about the text get dropped, making me reach for other commentaries to fill in the gaps. (The fruit of the Spirit, for instance, gets about one-page of summary reflection. Not so helpful.)

That said, the Introductory material is useful, as are the notes throughout. Useful enough for me to reach for this volume again, next time I journey in Gal.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all books in this series, this book contained a ton of good stuff but my God! it was quite the slog in places. I blame the format in part. There was brief commentary, followed by the notes, followed by lengthier commentary. Putting the commentary after the notes like this often led to comments like, "As was pointed out previously in the notes . . ."

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordy translations, but good insight into meaning.