Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 46, Pastoral Epistles (Hardcover)

~ William D. Mounce (Author), Ralph P. Martin (Editor), Lynn A. Losie (Editor)

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Product Description

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849902452
• ISBN-13: 978-0849902451
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133,776 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Word Biblical Commentary: Pastoral Epistles, September 30, 2000

By	Paul A. Himes "YokohamaHimes" (Wake Forest, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had heard that this book was extremely good, and now that I have actually gotten to read some of it, I must agree wholeheartedly! Not only does Mounce go into incredible detail in discussing the Greek of the Pastoral Epistles, he shows the reader the various viewpoints regarding controversial passages as well as listing the strengths and weaknesses of each. One can tell that his research is exhaustive and accurate. Although the sheer amount of information can be daunting (I won't be able to read if cover to cover for quite a while), this book can be a great asset to a Bible student, whether he is writing a paper or simply studying the Word of God.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite commentaries - Despite the Length, April 21, 2006

By	David I. Spencer "eschaton" (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Prior to reading this commentary, I had considered the Pastoral Epistles (I & II Timothy and Titus) to be among the few 'boring books' of the New Testament - nice to read every once in a while, but not a lot of interest there. Mounce's commentary changed all that and made the Pastorals very exciting books for me. His knowledge of early Christianity and the social backgrounds of the time is outstanding and he puts these to good use in the commentary, digging out of the text important insights about the early church, its organization and function, and the way these early Christians did life and church together. This commentary is wonderfully written and much more accessible and much more of an easy read (despite its depth and scholarliness) than most other technical commentaries - even ones of one eighth the length. Mounce offers wonderful arguments in favor of the traditional view of the texts' origin - Pauline authorship - and his introduction to the books is overall excellent. He handles difficult passages admirably, covering the various views and the arguments for each. His interpretations of the passages on women are a bit more traditional than how I would be inclined to take them but he provides good evidence for his position and considers opposing views. My only quibble would be that I wish he had spent more time on the perplexing arguments given by Paul in the sections on women in the church, especially on how they are to be interpreted. The discussions on these points were very short and mentioned in passing in larger discussions on the letters' views on women. I had no clearer idea what was going on in these arguments after I read the commentary than before, which is a shame. Other than the points where this happens (which are VERY few), this is an excellent work that I highly recommend for anyone looking for a great, easily accessible (for a scholarly or semi-scholarly commentary, that is) technical commentary on the Pastorals. Sure it's the size of several volumes in one but when you read it you soon forget this as you become immersed in the lives of Paul and the early Christians.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but room for improvement, January 24, 2006

By	William Steck "Bill" (Dearborn) - See all my reviews

I'm going to admit right up front that I have not read the entire commentary. There are things that I do and don't like about this massive work by William D. Mounce.

First the good: This book is a pretty good deal when you consider that it includes 3 of the Pastoral Epistles. The author sticks to an orthodox/conservative view on the Pauline authorship of the epistles. He also defends the conservative view on many of the controversial passages in Timothy.

I didn't like the layout of this book. It was harder than usual to find a particular passage. The reading tended to be a little more dense and scholarly that I'm used to. I don't know if a commentary on Timothy is available in the NICNT or Pillar series, but I've found the NICNT and Pillar commentaries to be very illuminating while being significantly easier to read.

If you are looking for one commentary that covers 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus from a conservative point of view, this work by Mounce deserves your consideration. Be forewarned though that the layout is not as nice as that in the NICNT and Pillar series commentaries.