Customer Reviews

Hebrews: A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary

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Honestly I bought this commentary because someone recommended it, but I didn't expect it to surpass many of the others I looked at. But it did.
Koester has provided the best overview of the history of church use on Hebrews that I have found anywhere. Just reading the beginning 100 pages of this commentary is worth the purchase price.

He has a view on Hebrews that is slightly different than many of the authors I have read, but it is an interesting and compelling approach. He demonstrates this view by simply providing an outline of his own translation along with his own section titles. I am not sure that I'm convinced by his view, but he makes a strong case in the least.

For scholars, this work has a lot of meat. His cross references to extra biblical material are extensive as are his theological links. For the pastor/bible teacher, this author provides a wealth of information. It tilts towards the technical side of things rather than the inspirational, so may be best used in the early and middle stages of exegesis.

For those who are interested in the background influences of a book like Hebrews, Koester's dealing with Platonic influence is (in my view) a relatively mature perspective. For example, on pg 98 he has a theological summary of Hebrews with a series of topics in mind. One of them is the 'Cosmos' and it's influence in Hebrews. There he gives a quick summary of two broad views of Hebrews, and a short list of significant authors who hold to each of the two views (but his list reaches back to the second century in church history). He then suggests that both approaches have an appeal, but also miss the mark a tad, and that an adjusted view incorporating both perspectives is probably the order of the day.

Let me give you a bit of his stuff right out of the book.
"The outcome of Christ's work and the realization of God's designs are described in terms of rest 4:10, entering a sanctuary 10:19-22, and arriving in the heavenly Jerusalem 12:22-24. Some interpreters have construed this goal in SPATIAL categories, as arrival in a higher realm like that envisioned by Platonic philosophy. See Clement of Alexandria and Origin. Eusebius. Spicq, Laub, Grasser, Dunn.

Others think of it in TEMPORAL categories, as arrival in the age to come that is mentioned in apocalyptic sources. Barrett, Goppelt, Williamson, Philo, Lane.

Koester says that the problem is that Hebrews operates with both categories (spatial and temporal), yet it fits neatly into neither category. He has more that supports this on pgs 59-63.

Koester says, rather than focusing on traditions that might lie behind the text, we can compare Hebrews to Platonic and apocalyptic patterns in order to sharpen the way we perceive the constellations of ideas within the text. (He has a commentary on Revelation that I would like to read now-and I have a wide range of Revelation commentaries, some of them are very good).

See his diagrammatic boxes on pg 98 for more information. He compares conscience with mind and these two are oppposed to 'sarx' (flesh) in Hebrews and in Platonism. He deals with the negative view of 'faith' in Plato and how that doesn't fit well with Hebrews.

Without rambling too much here let me say that he identifies matching concepts from Plato, which scholars/authors agree with that position...and then shows in a few quick points why that probably needs to be rethought.

I'm not a scholar, and I don't know much about all of these things, but I thought his work was very helpful for me personally to capture the gist of what a broad group of scholars and historical works teach on something within two pages was very helpful. I am not studied well enough to know if he is correct, but he cites sources and it is not that difficult to check out his claims on a crucial point. So I really like Koester's work.

On the elevation of the concept of faith in Hebrews juxtaposed to the mind in Platonic thought, he cites Kasemann. I don't always agree with Kasemann, but he is worth studying and is never boring nor irrelevant (see Kasemann primarily on Pauline works).

Kasemann citation "there is no other way from changeableness to unchangeableness other than through faith, bound to the Word, which marks the only bridge between the two worlds!" So Koester does bring in some great thoughts from others and seems faithful to cite the author.

I have to say that I am very, very pleased with this commentary. If you are teaching a course on Hebrews, or preaching through Hebrews, I think you ought to consult this ocmmentary repeatedly.

The finest contribution in my view is the overview of the use of Hebrews in various ancient church controversies...even into the reformation era. His grasp of historical uses of Hebrews is refreshing. I find myself getting blessed over and over as I refer to this book.

I do have one concern about the quality of the binding. On my first reading through, one of the pages nearly fell out of the book. (one corner holds it in place with a 1/4" of glue). I've had this copy too long now to take advantage of Amazon's return policy. I don't know if I will get a replacement or now, it's just one page. It's a paperback with a glued binding, and I've found those tend to be less durable.

I think I would recommend the hardback version of this commentary rather than the paperback.

This is a wonderful indepth commentary for the preacher and motivated lay person on this admittedly obscure homily. Along with Long in the Interpretation series, these would be the only two commentaries a pastor would ever need. I have found Koester to be insightful in his wrestling with the text and almost always helps you come to a clear understanding of the book's many twists and turns. Buy it, you'll like it.