ZECNT on Galatians

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament is a fairly recent series published, as you might guess, by Zondervan, and edited by Clinton E. Arnold.  The four volumes currently available are Matthew by Grant R. Osborne, Galatians by Thomas R. Schreiner, Ephesians by Clinton E. Arnold, and James by Craig L. Blomberg.  The goal of the series is to address the entire New Testament in twenty volumes, providing a conservative yet scholarly analysis of the original Greek, though at a level also accessible to those without extended formal instruction in Greek.

Recently, Zondervan gave the opportunity to participate in their blog tour to raise awareness of this new series.  They were kind enough to send me a review copy of Galatians by Schreiner.  I would like to touch on a few of the highlights of the volume for the rest of this post.

Layout and Format

Before even getting to the text itself, the format and layout were attention-getting.  The font is pleasingly sized and clear, with plenty of white space around the text for easy readability.  Each chapter begins with a section titled Literary Context, followed by a preview of the exegetical outline (with the verses under discussion bolded for emphasis), and then a summary of the main idea of the verses highlighted in the chapter.  Translation is provided next, laid out in an indented table structure with three columns: verse number, use (of the verb or participle, such as "assertion"), then the translation of the phrase itself.  After the translation, the structure is analyzed, complemented by an expanded exegetical outline.  Explanation of the text follows and serves as the largest segment of each chapter. At the conclusion, a Theology in Application section provides helpful analysis of themes and concepts addressed during the chapter and their relevance to daily Christian life; this final section should prove invaluable for pastors and teachers.

Exegesis

In order to give a good idea of the value of the approach of this commentary, I'll use Chapter 11 on Galatians 3:15-18 as an example.

Literary Context

Schreiner places these verses in the larger context of Galatians 3, as well as the entire book and its preceding arguments.

Main Idea

According to Schreiner, "The central point in these verses is that the Sinai covenant must be subordinated to the Abrahamic covenant" (p. 224).

Structure/Outline

The section on structure essentially explains Schreiner's exegetical outline, in conjunction with his translation.

Explanation of the Text

The explanation follows a verse by verse format.  Each subsection is headed by the verse or phrase, given in bold text (in English) as well as italic text (in Greek), then followed by multiple paragraphs of explanation, with extensive footnoting.  For example, this section has some forty-one footnotes, which indicate significant awareness of the work previously done by other commentators on these verses as well as explaining the relationship of Schreiner's interpretations to those found in preceding commentaries.  Schreiner's tone is polite yet firm regarding those with whom he disagrees; he lays out the various options before clearly stating his preferred view.

Schreiner's conclusion to the Explanation section admirably illustrates the rest of the section:

"Those who belong to the family of Abraham do not enter into his family by subscribing to the Mosaic law.  They are children of Abraham when they are united to Christ Jesus, the offspring of Abraham.  Hence, they receive the promise as a gift" (p. 232).

Theology in Application

The goal of this section is to provide contemporary relevance of the text, and Schreiner does an excellent job in this regard.  Here is one example:

"When we consider the Mosaic covenant, therefore, we must carefully consider elements of both continuity and discontinuity with the Abrahamic covenant.  Here Paul features the discontinuity, and hence those who fail to see such discontinuity between the covenants flatten out the differences in the redemptive-historical timeline and are even in danger of falling into the same error as the false teachers in Galatia, for the latter did not distinguish between the Mosaic and Abrahamic covenants.  Thus, they argued that circumcision was necessary for salvation!" (p. 233).

Conclusion

While the number of commentary series has grown exponentially in the past few decades, it is easy to question the value of one more commentary on a specific book of the Bible.  In this case, the easy readability of both layout and content, as well as the thoroughness of the scholarship, ensure a place for Schreiner's volume on Galatians in the ZECNT for any pastor or Bible teacher or even layman who wants to better understand Paul's epistle.