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The Letters to the Thessalonians (Pillar New Testament Commentary)

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While there have been a number of good commentaries produced on Thessalonians over the years, there have been no quite recent works of substance. Somewhat older evangelical standards include Morris (NIC, 1959), Bruce (WBC, 1982), and Wanamaker (NIGTC, 1990). Thus this new volume is a welcome, and long-overdue, addition.

It is quite new (2002) and part of the Pillar Commentary series; a series that did not originally start out as a series. The series now contains eight volumes, of which this is the most recent. New Testament scholar D.A. Carson is editor of the series, so readers can expect these volumes to be of consistently high quality. Indeed, there are no "duds" to be found in the first seven volumes.

The author, Gene Green, teaches New Testament at Wheaton College in Chicago. He has produced a very readable and reliable commentary on the two Thessalonian letters.

Green is well abreast of all the latest concerns: theological, historical and textual. Yet in keeping with the aim of the series, the volume is not overly technical. Theological disputes, textual considerations, and social/historical background discussions are all given due attention, but none in overbearing detail. This means all the volumes of this series are quite helpful to pastors and lay people, but will also well serve the academic and scholarly community.

This newest edition looks to be of equal value to previous volumes. The extensive bibliography is followed by a thorough introduction, The book is especially helpful in setting forth the letters in their historical and cultural backgrounds. And theologically disputed passages are given fair treatment, with various options presented.

And the author is not afraid to take sides on some of these contentious issues. As an example, those who see a pre-trib rapture in 1 Th 4:16-17 will not find their views confirmed here. Green argues that this passage is not "the stuff of speculative prophecy or best-sellers on the end-times". The context of this passage makes clear that Paul (whom Green takes to be the author) is seeking to comfort and give hope to believers, especially in relation to those who have already died.

Similarly, favorite texts found in 2 Thessalonians by those with sharply held eschatological viewpoints will be treated in differing ways by Green. While not all will agree with each of his interpretations, he backs them all up with thorough research and exegesis, and with even-handedness and a charitable spirit.

All in all this is one of the best works now available on the epistles from an evangelical perspective, One eagerly awaits more works by Green, and more volumes in the Pillar series.

Gene Green is a New Testament professor at Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois) and former New Testament professor and missionary in Costa Rica. "The Letters to the Thessalonians" is a volume in the Pillar Series of commentaries.

The Pillar New Testament Commentary Series is intended to help pastors with preaching and teaching. Thus application is emphasized, as is meta-narrative (unity within a book, among the works of a particular Biblical author, and unity within the Cannon as a whole). Thus, textual criticism, the history of interpretation, and lexical studies are relatively minimized so that the central message and practical application of the book can be emphasized.

This is Green's second commentary on the 1 and 2 Thessalonians (the other being a Spanish-language commentary). While fitting his commentary within the general purposes of the Pillar Series, Green seeks to emphasize Paul's message in the Thessalonian correspondence through a thorough exegesis of the letters' recipients--the Thessalonians themselves. He writes, "This commentary...is an attempt to read these letters in light of relevant materials from the city and world of that era in order to help us better understand the impact of the gospel of Christ in its first readers." (xiii).

To accomplish this goal, Green begins the body of this work with a lengthy history of the Macedonians and especially the Thessalonians. He particularly examines the pride the Macedonians had in their history and culture, their relationship with the Roman Empire (and their surprising strong loyalty toward Rome), their strong economic status and prominence within the Roman Empire, and the treasures they had received through the Greek philosopher and Roman writers. This opening section takes 74 pages.

Within the commentary proper, Green uses the New International Version (NIV) translation of the Bible, but presents it in a unique way. Rather than reprint pericopes and then comment on them, Green includes the NIV translation (in italics) within the narrative. This reader greatly enjoyed this approach and found that it greatly aided the "flow" of the book. Whenever it is practical, Green includes information that will explain to the reader the culture and social institutions of the 1st Century Thessalonians. He cites numerous ancient authors (e.g. Juvenal, Aristotle) and uses archaeological/historical evidence to explain social institutions and popular opinion with an eye toward showing Paul's writing relates to these young Christians and how they would have reacted to his words.

Themes consistently woven throughout the commentary include 1) the fact that the Thessalonian congregation is a persecuted congregation, which is adding great anxiety to these young Christians; 2) even still, they are clinging strongly to their faith in Christ and allowing it to influence their lifestyle greatly as their acts of love and evangelism are world-renown; 3) they are having trouble incorporating Christian eschatological teachings into their worldview; and 4) many within the congregation (in rebellion against Paul's teaching) are opting to engage in the patron-client institution (ancient groupies) rather than learn a trade and be self-supporting. The end result is a splendidly unified and consistent commentary.

This reader found this commentary highly readable; the prose flowed and the structure was well-planned and kept in mind throughout. In accordance with the Pillar goals, the author came across as very pastoral and with an genuine desire to help other pastors in their duties. He makes many helpful connections between the theology contained in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and practical applications in Christian living--both ancient and modern.

Two final notes of importance to those considering purchasing this volume: 1) while this reader did find the prose flowing, it was consistently interrupted by parenthetical citation. While footnotes are used extensively, Scripture citations are consistently cited parenthetically, which does break the flow of reading. 2) These letters are well-known for their eschatological teachings (e.g. the resurrection and judgment, the Son of Destruction), but Green does not emphasize the details of the last day; rather he angrily criticizes those who sensationalize the end-times (and make a lot of money doing so) through popular works of fiction. Instead, Green shows how these eschatological teachings are intended to bring great comfort and hope to the believer and inject joy into his day-to-day living. He holds his cards close in this commentary, neither promoting nor criticizing pre-millennialism nor amillennialism...but this reader tends to believe he sympathizes with the amillennialists.

In all, this is an excellent and enjoyable commentary in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. It comes highly recommended, especially for pastors.

This is a very good commentary on Thessalonians. The Pillar commentaries are faithful to God's word and stand under the scripture and not over like some commentaries. One strength of this book is the extensive background of Thessolonia in the 1st century. This historical background provided good perspective. For example the patron-client relationship explains Paul's emphasis on working and not being a dependent. The sexual mores of that time relate to the calling for sexual purity (as well as in our time). Sometimes there seems to be too much detail for points that seem obvious. Also, this is a straight exegesis with little in the way of application.

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!