Customer Reviews

The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Com (Eerdmans))

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When studying the Epistle to the Hebrews, one may get lost in its beauty. But when one begins to study it in the Greek, they may get lost in the author's style, vocabulary, use of the Old Testament, and many other things. Thankfully, Paul Ellingworth has written a magisterial commentary that helps get the reader through the maze that is Hebrews. The introduction is excellent, and the commentary is superb! Ellingworth leaves no stone unturned, and for a Greek student like myself, this is priceless. If you could get one commentary on Hebrews, this may be just that one (it is hard to decide between William Lane and Ellingworth).

Mr. Ellingworth definitely knows his Greek. My desire, however, was to find a commentary of the Greek that was more objective, providing the possible translations and the contextual supports/detractions for each. Mr. Ellingworth's bias towards a dispensation theology is extremely evident and is the premise of his work rather than a supported conclusion. Perhaps this is necessary, but this bias does not just bleed into his commentary, it pours all over it. Ultimately and understandably, the author's bias influences the weight he gives other possible translations and I could not be sure how much of this bias produced an anachronistic interpretation. Overall it is a well-presented exegesis, yet could have been better if Mr. Ellingworth had softened his predilection towards his adopted theological schema.