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Adult Bible Study
"Collins has provided us with the best single resource available on the historical context of the Pastoral Epistles. Collins's extensive knowledge of the ancient world is displayed on every page. The commentary answers questions of linguistics, genre, social context, politics, the context of Judaism and the Greco-Roman world, and finally the meaning of Pastorals themselves with insight and good judgment. He imbeds the text in the literary, sociological and theological complexities of the ancient world. In all of this, he keeps a balance between providing an historical context for the text and offering his own reading of the text. This commentary is an essential resource for study of the Pastoral Epistles." --Lewis R. Donelson, Professor of New Testament, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary "Collins's commentary on the Pastorals is a good lead off volume for the series. It offers a fresh translation of the three letters and provides current, thorough, and clearly written commentary that makes excellent use of comparative materials and that is sensitive to hermeneutical issues. If a person were able to purchase only one commentary on the Pastorals, this would be the one to have." --Charles H. Talbert, Distinguished Professor of Religion, Baylor University This commentary on 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, the first volume in THE NEW TESTAMENT LIBRARY, sets a high standard of excellence for the series. With remarkable sensitivity, Raymond Collins carries on the tradition of the Pastoral Epistles themselves: to interpret for people of a new time the traditions associated with Paul the apostle. The Pastorals present difficult questions for the modern interpreter, including such matters as their authorship, literary characteristics, and social orientations. Collins carefully leads the reader through the texts of these three documents, attending to the flow of the Pastor's thought and locating it within the Jewish and Hellenistic culture of his day. Excursuses judiciously summarize topics of recurring importance throughout these books, such as the Pastor's perspective on women, church order, and the conduct of Christians in the world. This is a commentary for the student and the professional scholar, for the pastor and the serious lay reader. Raymond F. Collins is professor of New Testament at The Catholic University of America and was elected president of the Conference of Catholic Theological Institutions in 1999. In 2000 he was appointed to the Administrative Council of the International Federation of Catholic Universities. He is the author of twelve books, the latest of which are Preaching the Epistles (Paulist, 1996), First Corinthians (Liturgical Press, 1999), and Sexual Ethics and the New Testament (Crossroad, 2000). He has written more that 150 articles and has contributed to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia of Religion, The Encyclopedia of Catholicism, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, and The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. |
