Galatians (Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament):

Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament

by Peter S. Oakes

Critically Acclaimed Commentaries from Today's Top Scholars

"This excellent commentary sets Paul's letter effectively within its historical context, finely illuminates the text while well illustrating and contributing to the range of discussion on the letter within contemporary scholarship, and stimulatingly concludes each section by posing issues that should provide fruitful agendas for discussion groups."
--James D. G. Dunn, Durham University

"Peter Oakes has delivered the goods in his much-anticipated Galatians commentary. Despite the many difficult passages in Galatians, Oakes provides a judicious and magisterial treatment of the text. His study of Galatians is informed by archaeological, sociological, and historical data usually ignored by most scholars. He also does not shy away from mapping the theological implications of the text. Oakes's commentary is a great reminder that the Brits still do some of the best work in biblical exegesis."
--Michael F. Bird, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia

"Drawing on his extensive knowledge of Paul's social world, Peter Oakes here offers a fresh reading of Galatians that is historically secure, exegetically precise, and theologically relevant. Oakes masterfully filters the best of current scholarship in an accessible form, adding many original insights of his own. Students and scholars alike will relish this engaging exposition of Paul's most radical letter."
--John M. G. Barclay, Durham University

"In Galatians Peter Oakes combines a deep grasp of the ancient social context, a close familiarity with the exegetical issues, and an insightful identification of contemporary theological questions that are impacted and provoked by this potent Pauline letter. He couples this with a succinct style and an elegant delivery to produce an ideal vade mecum on this text."
--Philip Esler, University of Gloucestershire

"In this eminently readable and erudite commentary, Peter Oakes guides the reader through the text and argument of Paul's Letter to the Galatians with careful exegesis and theological sensitivity. His considerable knowledge of ancient Greco-Roman culture and the latest scholarship is everywhere on display. He has produced a volume from which not only students and pastors but also professional scholars and teachers will benefit."
--Martinus C. de Boer, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Genres: Biblical Studies

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2014

About the author

Peter S. Oakes (DPhil, University of Oxford) is Greenwood Senior Lecturer in the New Testament at the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. He is the author of Reading Romans in Pompeii: Paul’s Letter at Ground Level and Philippians: From People to Letter.

Reviews

[Spencer R · Rating 4 out of 5]

My full review can be found here at: http://wp.me/p3JhRp-ug


• The aim of the series is mainly to students of the academic kind, that they would be engaging in NT studies and would be grounded in a basic understanding the NT texts.
• NT texts are written and shaped by the writing styles of the time. Knowing how ancient writers wrote various forms of literature helps us to better understand our Bible today.

• The NT authors have their own teaching aims, aims to "form the theological convictions and moral habits of their readers" (ix).

Here Peter Oakes looks at how Galatians is written. What is the argument of the entire book? How does the book flow from chapter 1 (Paul's apostolic authority) to chapter 6 (bearing one another's burdens)? Oakes shows the flow of the text pretty well, but the reader can easily get lost in two areas: discussions of grammar and the opposing views of other scholars.

Both of these areas can fill up paragraphs of explanation. Sometimes it seemed like I spent more time reading the opposing views than I did Oakes' views. Sometimes I’m not even sure what Oakes’ final view was. Some discussions are important, but others were arduous to wade through. Though the title of the exegetical section of the commentary is called Tracing the Train of Thought, I often found myself lost in the bog of discussion.

Recommended?
Oakes’ gives careful insights and arguments for his views. He knows much about the Greco-Roman social and cultural context of the first century (a big plus), and his volume doesn't even exceed 200 pages. He doesn’t agree with the New Perspective, though he shares some points of agreement which I think is good.

[Special thanks to Baker Publishing for allowing me to review this book! I was not obligated to provide a positive review in exchange for this book].

[Matthew W · Rating 5 out of 5]

High quality, short, theological

Oakes provides an excellent and short treatment of Galatians. At around 200 pages, the commentary allows Oakes to focus on the critical issues, both practical and theological, of the letter without getting distracted by every potential rabbit hole. The output is a compelling, well-reasoned commentary that will be of benefit for anyone seeking to better understand Galatians, Paul, the early church, and a host of other issues. Oakes’ information on the house-church, his wrestling with the ‘heavy weight’ commentaries on Galatians, and his own research/writing make this a recommended commentary.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Commentaries are by nature books written about other books. While many works of literature have commentaries (think of all that has been written discussing Shakespeare or Chaucer), when you think of individual commentaries, you are likely thinking of a book on individual books of the Bible. That is the case here. Peter Oakes has written a commentary on Galatians that works on many levels. He provides a nice overview of the book, highlights the major themes that he sees in Paul's letter, and then he digs into the individual chapters and verses.

Peter Oaks does a very credible job of setting Galatians in context of its time and location while relating the letter to the rest of Paul's letters. He provides his own translation of the text and setts the major themes in relation to each other. He works on developing the reader's understanding of how each part of the letter interacts and reflects with the rest of the letter. He syntheses and documents other commentaries on Galatians without losing his own vision of the book. The major quibble I have with Oakes' commentary is the abrupt ending. An afterword would have been a nice addition. Otherwise, a good choice for developing your understanding of Paul's Letter to the Galatians.