The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) [Hardcover]

Paul Barnett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 1997

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 692 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (April 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802823009
• ISBN-13: 978-0802823007
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true labor of love, June 17, 2003

By 

Peter Santucci (Lebanon, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

Paul Barnett has soaked himself in 2 Corinthians for more than 30 years. The commentary is not only the result of his keen mind and scholarly ability, it comes from his love for this great epistle.

2 Corinthians is a NT book that has many purple (oft-quoted) passages but is rarely studied as a whole. A lengthy defence of Paul's apostleship (marked not so much by success as by suffering, which Paul considers the true mark of apostleship), the letter and commentary make for essential reading for pastors, who often find their pastorships often under attack for the same reasons Paul had his apostleship under attack.

Barnett is a true and wise guide into this must debated letter.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rich in theology ; a little bit poor in biblical content, July 12, 2006

By 

Ongkowidjojo (Indonesia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

I have read positive reviews for this commentary, and Carson especially said that "it is rich in its biblical-theological reflection." I am agree that this commentary is rich in theology, but it is hard for me to find excellent biblical reflection in it. For me Barnett is just too fast to move into the theological content, before he digs deep enough into the original meaning of the text. I do wish that he would be more focus on 2 Corinthians itself.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glorying In Weakness, October 16, 2009

By 

Jacques Schoeman (SA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Second Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

'The 'peddlers', by their counter-mission against Paul, are actively attempting to bring the people under a covenant whose members historically had been veiled from the glory of God that was to be revealed.' p 194 - Paul, to the contrary, made the claim of his ministry that 'by the open statement of the truth' he refused 'to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word' (2 Cor 4:2). Barnett brings much needed clarity to the repercussions of incomprehension: 'Nonetheless, his words 'and even if our gospel is veiled', concede that not all discern a revelation in Paul's ministry.' p 215

The great appeal of the NICNT series is the fact that their commentaries are based on the original Greek text, and so need a minimum of Greek references. Technical aspects, such as grammatical, textual and historical problems - are dealt with in footnotes, special notes and appendixes. Paul Barnett is a compelling expositor as the heart of his scholarship repeatedly displays a healthy orthodoxy. Added to which, this immense undertaking satisfies the curiosity level of the majority of Christians who come only as seekers of truth. Barnett's soundness restores balance to the melee of indigestible commentaries that have found fertile soil in a biblically illiterate age.

Paul's opening benediction to God (1:3-7) regarding the twin realities of suffering and divine deliverance from life-threatening perils in Asia produced a hard-won experiential knowledge of godly comfort deep within the soul of the apostle. Through the repetition of the word 'comfort' the apostle 'writes of the faithfulness of God to His promises and to His people.' p 66 Paul tied 'the God of all comfort' (1:3) in to the blessing of the gift of the Spirit (1:21-22), completing the trinitarian unity by way of a subtle reminder to the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit's major occupation is to comfort God's people in Christ (1:4-5).

Citing Barnett, Sinclair B Ferguson attaches great importance to preserving the integrity of all ministers called by God: 'No more poignant or instructive description of the work of the minister of the gospel exists than Paul's 'defensive excursus' in 2 Cor 2:14-7:4.' Feed My Sheep, ed. Don Kistler p 101 'As such,' Barnett continues, '2 Cor 2:14-7:4 may be included with Paul's other 'pastoral letters' in their applicability to ministers of the gospel.' p 145 What becomes clear from the general tendency of this section, receives an even more emphatic distinction in the construction of the text of 5:20, where 'we are ambassadors for Christ', 'in His stead' has in view those called to the ministerial office, and not congregants.

An interesting chapter in the history of the nascent church in Corinth, which I was not aware of, was the hype surrounding the enigmatic man in the church of Corinth who had somehow 'wronged' Paul. 'While the man was not actively supported by a majority of the Corinthians, nonetheless, he was not directly opposed to them nor subject to any expression of displeasure on their part, nor, least of all, the congregational discipline appropriate to the circumstances.' p 381 Through this man's opposition, Paul's position was rendered impossible, adds Barnett, and the apostle had to withdraw from Corinth to write the 'severe letter' which most likely was directed at the Corinthian's infatuation with this mysterious figure. Barnett thinks that their reaction to the 'severe letter' may have left Paul feeling 'chastened'. When Titus brought him news to the opposite effect, this brought Paul much joy and much needed relief. This, then, was the occasion for writing the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, or at least chapters 1-9. FF Bruce added:

'He explains that his one reason for sending Titus instead of coming back himself was his desire not to cause them further pain. He urges them to forgive the offender because his desire for disciplinary action against him was due to no personal resentment, but to resolve to test the church's love and obedience. Now that they had satisfied him on that score, they should extend full friendship and fellowship to the offender; otherwise the dejection which he was suffering as a result of their unconcealed disapproval might be his undoing - and theirs.' Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free p 275

Titus' return, however, brought more alarm for the apostle. This was the occasion for writing chapters 10-13, the second major division within the letter, with Paul's sole reference to the 'false apostles' stated in 11:13. Paul was concerned to avoid the slightest appearance of a breach between his gentile mission and the Jerusalem church. Pressed as he was, however, in defense of his apostleship, Paul and Barnett expend precious ink on 2 Cor 11:23-33. Here Paul drew a striking contrast for the Corinthians between his ministry and that of the super-apostles (11:5; 12:10), who commended themselves and foisted their demands for payment upon the gentile converts, most likely an accepted practice, but nonetheless engineered by their own superior speech. Matthew Henry did nothing to assuage their wounded pride: 'The false apostles desired to make a fair show in the flesh, to make a figure in the world; but Paul did not do so. He knew how to want and how to be abased.' Their custom of commending themselves by writing introductory letters of commendation for each other was not foreign to Paul, who, as unregenerate Saul, had followed this practice in Acts 9:2 when he 'asked letters'. Paul addressed the tension they brought to his apostolic ministry by comparing the pedigree of the super-apostles to that of his own. Barnett states the mock presumption of Paul was intended to confound their triumphalist rhetoric. In what Barnett terms 'Paul's Fools Speech', Paul petitions the Corinthians to 'yet as a fool receive me', and not on grounds of his Jewishness. In contrast to their boasting, Paul's pure proclamation of the gospel was prioritized by Christ-centered preaching.

Says Barnett: 'Indeed, his 'I am better' controls the list of weaknesses following, including the climax, the 'thorn in the flesh' (12:9).' p 538