Customer Reviews

The Epistle to the Galatians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament)

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I have about 30 to 35 commentaries on Galatians in my office this year as I am working through the book for a sermon series (I'm a pastor). I was pleasantly surprised at the basic verse by verse exegesis of this commentary and find myself looking at it more closely than the other commentaries I have. I find a lot of scholarship has been clearly packed into each sentence he writes with clear statements he communicates crucial concepts line after line. I found some of his observations help a preaching pastor to develop better sermons. For example, an easy one is the point that when Paul says 'Grace and Peace' he is using an impartation style. The implications of that are overlooked in other commentaries I examined. Almost every nuance is helpful...as he explores the order of the Pauline verse descriptions it helped me to identify mirror like patterns in Galatians 1.

I also like the way he describes things better than most commentaries. Even in the NICNT series sometimes one has too look elsewhere for preachable phraseology. But I've found that a lot of Fung's stuff will preach almost as it is.

He's very good. I think that he has earned a place among the top few commentaries on Galatians written in English. I heartily recommend you get this-even over his mentor (FF Bruce) on Galatians NIGTC...which is pretty good as well. I usually go to Stott for preaching phrases, but not in Galatians. I'm sticking with Fung for now.

So whether you agree with the other reviewer or not about the South Galatians theory and it's implications, the basic verse by verse exegesis is exceptionally helpful and I'm very excited to have this commentary in my library.

I recommend you buy this one.

Fung's commentary on Galatians replaces one of the older volumes in the NICNT series. The updating has allowed a full consideration of the more recent developments in Galatians scholarship, particularly the immense influence of the work of Hans Dieter Betz. This series of commentaries is committed to an evangelical perspective, a commitment which has a positive and negative impact on this particular volume. On the negative side, Fung accepts the "South Galatia" theory of provenance with very little critical examination, seemingly motivated by the desire to connect the letter with the account in Acts 16. Fung spends a large portion of the introduction attempting to reconcile the chronology of Galatians 2 with that of Acts. His theological assumptions require him to conclude that the Jersalem meeting described in Galatians is not the same one reported in Acts 15 in order to keep Paul's report in Galatians honest and make it match the chronology of Acts. The argument here is laborious and confusing. Readers not familiar with the issue will have a hard time following. On the positive side, in the main part of the commentary the text receives primary attention. Fung gives ample attention to issues of textual-criticism and Greek grammar. Every verse receives significant attention, and the observations about the text should be useful to pastor, student, or scholar. Fung is largely persuaded by Betz, but rhetorical method and jargon do not dominate the commentary. This commentary certainly ranks behind those of Martyn and Longenecker, but a wide range of readers, especially those with evangelical commitments, should find it quite useful.

As a lay Elder, I have found this volume to be indispensable in my studies while leading our body through a study of the book of Galatians. While it is a very scholarly work, at the same time it is not out of the reach of the non-seminary trained individual. This is a very dificult ballance to achieve, but Dr. Fung has succeeded in doing just that. This is a must have reference for all students of this book!

I found this book by Ronald Fung very useful for understanding the very important Biblical book of Galatians. It covers all major views and interpretations before mentioning the author's preference. Unlike other reviewers, I do not find it difficult to follow. One key focus of the book is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand Galatians beyond the brief explanations given in one-volume commentaries of the Bible.

The review by Mark McEntire is fair and informative but I am just going to get to the point, every time I have turned to this commentary for help on a difficult exegetical problem, I have been REALLY disappointed. If you want a light, readable, pastor-focused commentary maybe you'll enjoy this but if you are doing serious exegesis and seek to really grapple with the text and gain insights into the language and argument get Longenecker (Word Biblical Commentary). I seriously wish I never bought this, bland bland bland!

Fung's commentary is fine. He accepts a very early date for the epistle holding to the South Galatia theory arguing that Paul's visit to Jerusalem in chapter 2 coincides with Paul's visit to Jerusalem in Acts chapter 11. His treatment of Paul's relation to the other apostles and the "pillars" of the Jerusalem church is clear enough while noting contending positions in the footnotes, especially F.C. Baur's theory that Paul's "gospel" diverged from the Petrine "gospel" of the Jerusalem church. I did not find his arguments convoluted or hard to follow and the commentary overall is easy to read without a knowledge of Greek. His description of the Law and key phrases such as "works of the law" and "justified by faith" are fine, though Fung leans a bit more in the Reformed direction arguing, for example, that the phrase "justified in Christ" demonstrates that justification comes about from our union with Christ, rather than the more traditional understanding that justification is first and foremost the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner. A workmanlike commentary, but I would supplement it with Longenecker for more detailed exegesis and Luther and Calvin for a more comprehensive theological perspective. Also, Ragnar Bring's out of print commentary offers a better grasp of Paul's understanding of the function of the Law and the new obedience described in chapters 5 and 6. It is always best to have a number of commentaries on hand. This should be only one of several. It should also be noted this commentary is free of the New perspective on Paul's theology popularized by E.P. Sanders and James Dunn.

The quick way to tell a really good commentary is to find the hardest passage and see how the author explains it. Well....Fung does not hold up well under pressure. Take for example Gal. 3:12. He says that Paul is using a gezarah shawah type of Rabbinic argument in quoting Habakkuk and Leviticus. There is one problem, a big one. Rabbis never used this type of argument when it came to two passages that were saying opposite things. They only used gezarah shawah when two passages had a similar word and the verses complemented each other.

Now the Rabbis did quote verses that said the opposite thing and used a third passage to help understand both. Unfoortunately we cannot say that Paul did this type of thing here.

Probably what is going on in Gal. 3:10-12 is that Paul is using Leviticus 18:5 as the beginning of the law's time when Moses was part of a faded glory (2 Cor 3),and because of that, Moses was not aware of what the law's purpose was, much like Paul when he was Saul. Paul is saying that Habukkuk appears much later with greater revelation of what is really important. The laws of the OT were symbolic gestures of what later would be really good law, like do not even look at a woman in lust.

This is an OK commentary, but not as excellent as other volumes in this series. I'd put my money on Longenecker (WBC) instead, which is quite easily read despite the technical format of that series.