The Epistles of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary

Long before the massive Christian Origins and the Question of God, long before "The Right Reverend Father in God, by Divine Providence Lord Bishop of Durham", we had N. T. Wright, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey. While some the later themes of Wright's theology are not fully developed by the time he penned this commentary, his lucid way of writing along with his detail-oriented exegetical style makes this an excellent guide to two of Paul's letters.

Wright's goal in this small commentary is twofold:

1. "To clear up potential ambiguities or obscurities, so that the reader is able to hear, as nearly as possible, what the text itself says" (10).
2. "To open the reader's eyes to see the text, and those parts of Paul's thought which it show more reflects, as a whole, over and above the mass of detail" (10).

He accomplishes both of these goals in a small sub-two-hundred page package.

About a year ago, I preached through the entire book of Colossians, and this commentary was a tremendous help. Anyone who is serious about reading scripture can enjoy this book—no special training required. show less

Like other volumes in the Tyndale Series, Wright's commentary is a good, concise, mid-level commentary. Wright makes his case for his understanding of the text, occasion for Paul's writing (and that Paul wrote it), and the context to who Paul was writing to. But in this volume (as with the whole series) Wright is concerned with presenting his reading of the text more than a detailed account of the scholarship underpinning it. In a number of places he refers readers to more techinical treatments of Colossians (i.e. O'Brien, Moule, Caird).

I would agree with other reviewers that this commentary is not Wright at his most brilliant, but I think he does a phenomenal job of presenting a reading of Colossians which is compelling and well show more informed. Is this the best commentary on Colossians? No, but for a simple, concise but well informed look at the Colossian epistle, this is perhaps my go-to commentary. O'Brien and Louse (Word and Hermenia) are where I go if I want a more detailed treatment than what Wright has here, though I have not worked through those commentaries as closely, so cannot comment on their overall understanding of the Colossian correspondence. show less

Reprint. Originally published: Leicester : Inter-Varsity Press, c1986.

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