Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

'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

There is no question of Barnett's scholarship or of his knowledge of 2 Corinthians. His commentary uses the Greek text, but should be easily accessible to those with no knowledge of Greek.

My main disappointment with this commentary is that it seems to gloss over exegetical questions to get to the so-called "theology." The commentary on individual verses seemed to consist less of actual discussions on the text, and more of springboard discussions into broader theological topics. I found myself frequently thinking, "That might make for a moving sermon, but what does that have to do with 2 Corinthians?"

Coupled with this, when Barnett does make exegetical comments, he sometimes tends to give conclusions without giving reasons. Some examples:
- 3:6--"The letter kills but the Spirit gives life." Barnett states three views in the footnotes, as well as giving his preference. However, he didn't really give any reasons why one option is to be preferred over the others.
- 5:1-10 is apparently about the intervening time between death and resurrection, and the state of the dead during that time. He doesn't really appear to give convincing reasons for why this is the case.
- 5:14--"One died for all, therefore all died." Barnett states his conclusion, but again doesn't really give reasons for why this option is to be preferred over the others.
I could go on, but the point is made.

This is not to say that Barnett's work is a bad commentary. However, there were many places where it could have been much much more than it was. If you looking for a book that specifically focuses on the broad "theology" of 2 Corinthians, then this commentary will probably suit your needs. If you are looking for a book that actually wrestles with the difficult questions, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Surely there will be someone else writing about this book, so I'm going try to help you in another way.

When you start reading biblical commentaries you will need to be aware that the thoughts expressed by the author deal with facts and speculations that should of happened. You can NEVER rely on only one commentary to affirm something about the Bible. You need at least three good commentaries.

Try to read biblical commentaries from different confessions of faith (e.g., Calvinism vs. Arminianism; Pentecostal vs. non-Pentecostal; Catholic vs. Protestant; Egalitarian vs. Complementarian; Amillennialism vs. Premillennialism vs. Postmillennialism; etc). Look for their arguments: What do they agree or disagree on? Which of them is closest to the biblical text? It's not a sin to read commentaries written from other points of view. You will notice that what is fact or solid argument will be seen over and over on different commentaries, so you will start learning what is speculation and what is not.

As Haddon W. Robinson said in his book, Biblical Preaching, (second edition, page 22), "In approaching a passage, we must be willing to reexamine our doctrinal convictions and to reject the judgments of our most respected teachers."

Remember, a commentary is not the biblical text. Do not replace the authority of the Bible with a commentary. The same apply for Study Bibles. The study notes there are not written by "apostles and prophets," so never confuse the "gospel" with the teacher or preacher. Learn to separate it.

Commentaries are important because nobody can get a poem from one language and translate it with the same structure to another language. This simply does not exist. Words, phrases, and sentences are rooted in a specific time, culture and custom. About Bibles, the best way is to check different translations, but be cautious about a very loose translation.

For you to appreciate any biblical commentary you need to know what level of reading you are. I'm going call them beginner, intermediate and advanced. I recommend the following biblical commentaries that you can start from. All of them have both Old Testament and New Testament. (If you're thinking of buying the whole set, look for the CD edition; it's cheaper and you can take it with you where you go.)

Beginner - NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC) by Zondervan.
(or) The Bible Speaks Today Series (BST) by IVP (This is a growing series and not yet complete.)

Intermediate - New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) and New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT) by Eerdmans

Advanced - Word Biblical Commentary (WBC) by Thomas Nelson

These are basic commentaries on their own level, but there are a lot of commentaries today, so don't forget to look for more information. Maybe you can get information from one of these: (1) Commentary and Reference Survey: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical and Theological Resources by John Glynn, (2) New Testament Commentary Survey by D. A. Carson, (3) Old Testament Commentary Survey by Tremper Longman.

There are good and expensive commentaries such as the Anchor Bible (AB); International Critical Commentary (ICC) or Hermeneia (HERM). [Do not forget of Calvin and Luther].

I don't know about catholic commentaries, but you can check reviews on "Sacra Pagina" and "Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture."

Other than those mentioned above (NIVAC; BST; NICNT; WBC; AB; ICC; HERM) you can also check: Expositor Bible Commentary (EBC); New American Commentary (NAC); Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC); New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC); Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT); and others.

Another thing, it can be a very good commentary, but it does not mean that you will agree with everything in it. Remember, "new" does not mean it's updated, and "updated" does not mean it's better.

Purpose - You can read a book to get information, even if you are not interested in a deep study of the biblical text. In this case it's better to start reading something from your own confession of faith and always on your level of reading. If after some time you become interested in more, go check other commentaries, but please, do not skip "How To Read A Book" by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren.

Responsibility - It is your responsibility study the biblical text before checking a commentary. Sometimes this is not an easy task so I'm giving you some other references that you can check at the end of this review. If I had read a review like this before, I would know how to prevent some mistakes.

Do not let you knowledge kill your faith! - "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." Hebrews 4:2 NIV - (Read also 1 Corinthians 1:21-24; 2:13-14; 3:18-23; Jude 1:3).

I can't leave without suggesting some other tools to help you: (1) How To Read A Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren; (2) Hermeneutics: Principles and Processes of Biblical Interpretation by Henry Virkler and Karelynne Ayayo; (3) New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors by Gordon Fee; and (4) Old Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors by Douglas Stuart. [Although book #3 and 4 deals with Biblical languages (Greek and Hebrew), you can learn a lot from them even if you do not know the languages]. (5) "Basics of Biblical Greek" Grammar by William D. Mounce [after you start reading it maybe you can add "Biblical Greek Survival Kit" and "Sing and Learn New Testament Greek" audio CD by Kenneth Berding]; (6) "English Grammar in Use" by Raymond Murphy (Third Edition with Cd-Rom). (7) Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History: Complete and Unabridged. - All of these will help you to understand HOW a good commentary must be written. Good Luck!

Passable, but not meaty enough; the section on the integrity of 2 Cor. is especially weak. Buy Martin's (Word) commentary instead.