The Letter to the Galatians (New International Commentary on the New Testament

by David A. deSilva, Paul the Apostle

New volume in a favorite Bible commentary series

Writing a commentary on Galatians is a daunting task. Despite its relative brevity, this Pauline letter raises a number of foundational theological issues, and it has played a vital role in shaping Christian thought and practice over the centuries.

In this replacement of Ronald Y. K. Fung’s 1988 New International Commentary volume, David deSilva ably rises to the challenge, providing a coherent account of Galatians as a piece of strategically crafted communication that addresses both the immediate pastoral challenges facing Paul’s converts in Galatia and the underlying questions that gave rise to them.

Paying careful attention to the history, philology, and theology of the letter, and interacting with a wealth of secondary literature on both Galatians and the rest of the Pauline corpus, deSilva’s exegetically sound commentary will serve as an essential resource for pastors and theological students.

Genres: Biblical Studies

542 pages, Hardcover

Published September 18, 2018

About the author

David A. deSilva (PhD, Emory University) is Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. His numerous books include Introducing the Apocrypha and An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation.

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reading of this commentary took a bit and it was well worth it.

Many of the themes in Galatians are still present today. So this is a book of the Bible you need to read closely to find these themes.

Keep on reading the Bible no matter what translation it is, and keep on questioning as you dive deeper into your studies and faith.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

David DeSilva has wonderfully replaced the volume on Galatians by Ronald Fung in the long-lived, much loved New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICOT) series. This new volume is little like its predecessor. That volume was old enough to be written in a more expositional way than is found in the major scholarly works the series turns out today. DeSilva is fully in line with what the series has been turning out in recent years. Without a doubt, he brings many of his own specialties and a somewhat more lively writing style as well. He always has a few detractors for his strong emphasis, and to some minds overemphasis, on rhetoric, but I predict this commentary will be well received. It’s pretty conservative too.

There’s a major, thorough Introduction of over 100 pages after a substantial bibliography. First, he addresses the Pauline authorship. From there, he delves into Paul’s ministry in Galatia and the pastoral challenges he faced there. That requires a careful rendering of the false teachers there. It was an explosive battle among Paul and the false teachers and DeSilva well described it. Next, geographic issues (he favors the South Galatian view) and chronology are surveyed. Acts is consulted and a conservative chronology is pieced together over several pages.

As you would expect with this author, he dives deep into rhetorical issues. There are 40 pages on it! I don’t find that as interesting as some do but he examines it with the best scholarly standards. He ends with structure and the overall effectiveness of the letter.

Next, you get 400 pages of commentary on the epistle itself. I found it thorough, done with careful exegesis, and with a healthy coverage of issues scholars love along with some timely excursuses. Pastors will benefit from this commentary too. All in all, a fine work.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Daniel Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accidentally deleted my record of this along with the review; #facepalm.

Here's a related post though:
https://danielhoffman.substack.com/p/...

[Matthew Oberlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down my favorite commentary on Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia. This is an amazing resource for pastors, students and teachers alike.

[Jim Kilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're working through the Book of Galatians for either teaching or preaching, this volume is a must-have. The scholarship is excellent, the insight is meaningful and its readability is top-tier. For me, this is one of my Top 5 treatments of the book!

[Omni Theus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based purely on the Introduction as well as some of the earlier reading of passage summaries and arguments being persuasive throughout as well as very solid exegetical delineation throughout. The introduction is not overly long as can be the case in other works. deSilva has plenty to be thankful for from Keener's sharp work within his triumphant Acts commentary much like most other Pauline scholarship going forward for at least the next 5 decades. The text reads really fluid and well considering this is an academic work. Intuitive, elegant and to the point. Well worth anyone's investment. If you can only get one commentary this or James Dunn's is what I'd recommend.