I. Howard Marshall (1934–2015)

An excellent commentary by I. Howard Marshall! His writing is concise and yet full. One does not feel he has avoided issues or dealt with them briefly, yet the commentary is quite manageable.

The thing Marshall does the best is to trace the flow of thought throughout the book. He does this superbly. This is what I often look for most--to get a sense of the whole book, where the author is going in his presentation.

The downside is Marshall is not Premillennial and considers the NT message show more about the future coming of the Lord in general terms of just plain "judgment". He does not see in these epistles (particularly 2Th 2) and more specific future timeline in view.

You will not find a whole abundance of exegetical information here, and so this commentary together with a more detailed one (Bruce or Wanamaker, or both) would serve one well in a study of these epistles. show less

This is an excellent book with its careful steady work on the biblical texts which is so typical of the author.

4 essays form the chapters of this books on the topics Penalty of Sin (examining the NT use of judgement language), Substitutionary Death of Jesus (again examines language and considers how important this idea is in NT), "Raised for our Justification" (my favourite, considers what other texts help give us a background to this statement that places resurrection as not merely a show more vindication of the death of Jesus but also an integral part of justification, and demonstrates the representative nature Jesus' work), Reconciliation: its Centrality and Relevance (which examines reconciliation in comparison to a range of NT ideas that could be put forward as the key/foundational atonement concept).

Our church based a post-Easter sermon series on these chapters, and we were greatly helped. Reminds me how much we all owe these scholars. show less

Given that I purchased this book as the core text for a degree module on the NT epistles and Revelation, lectured by Stephen Travis, I guess I'd better be careful :-) This is, however, a genuinely useful reference book that I think will be useful as a resource in future ministry. It provides background info on the Graeco-Roman world, summaries of the structure and content of the NT epistles along with discussion of any controversies around issues such as authorship. Some of this material is show more a little repetitive if the book is read through at a single sitting, but is necessary in what is primarily a reference text. Two little features make it useful for the independent student. Firstly there are frequent "digging deeper" and "what do you think" questions to encourage further reading and directed thought. Secondly there are several excerpts from non-Biblical historical texts to illustrate context and provide insights. show less

Is the Bible infallible? Can we believe in its inspiration and practice biblical criticism? How is the Bible to be interpreted for today? I. Howard Marshall's answers to these questions will be helpful to all biblical students who are puzzled and confused by current discussions of biblical inspiration and authority. Biblical Inspiration will help to reassure conservative students regarding the value of critical study of the Bible, and will clear away much misunderstanding that the show more conservative view of the Bible is obscurantist and unscholarly. show less