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The New International Commentary on the New Testament
The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians (New International Commentary on the New Testament
In this commentary Gordon Fee aims first and foremost to offer a fresh exposition of the text of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. He shows the reader what is in the biblical text, what the text meant in the first century, and what it means now. Fee reveals the logic of each argument or narrative before moving on to the details of each verse, and he concludes each section with a theological-practical reflection on the meaning of the text today. Among other things, Fee explores the occasion for writing for each epistle, restoring 2 Thessalonians to the place it deserves as a full companion to the first letter, rather than merely a tagalong to 1 Thessalonians.
371 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2009
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About the author
Gordon D. Fee
71 books210 followersGordon Fee was Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Regent College, where he taught for sixteen years. His teaching experience also included serving schools in Washington, California, Kentucky, as well as Wheaton College in Illinois (five years) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts (twelve years).
Gordon Fee was a noted New Testament scholar, having published several books and articles in his field of specialization, New Testament textual criticism. He also published a textbook on New Testament interpretation, co-authored two books for lay people on biblical interpretation, as well as scholarly-popular commentaries on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus and on Galatians, and major commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Philippians. He is also the author of a major work on the Holy Spirit and the Person of Christ in the letters of Paul.
Gordon Fee served as the general editor of the New International Commentary series, as well as on the NIV revision committee that produced the TNIV. Besides his ability as a biblical scholar, he was a noted teacher and conference speaker. He has given the Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar lectures on fifteen college campuses as well as the annual NT lectures at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, North Park Seminary, the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, the Canadian Theological Seminary, Duke Divinity School, Golden Gate Baptist, Anderson School of Theology, Asbury Seminary, and Chrichton College. An ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Gordon Fee was well known for his manifest concern for the renewal of the church.
Gordon Fee was married and had four married children.
Gordon Fee was a noted New Testament scholar, having published several books and articles in his field of specialization, New Testament textual criticism. He also published a textbook on New Testament interpretation, co-authored two books for lay people on biblical interpretation, as well as scholarly-popular commentaries on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus and on Galatians, and major commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Philippians. He is also the author of a major work on the Holy Spirit and the Person of Christ in the letters of Paul.
Gordon Fee served as the general editor of the New International Commentary series, as well as on the NIV revision committee that produced the TNIV. Besides his ability as a biblical scholar, he was a noted teacher and conference speaker. He has given the Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar lectures on fifteen college campuses as well as the annual NT lectures at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, North Park Seminary, the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, the Canadian Theological Seminary, Duke Divinity School, Golden Gate Baptist, Anderson School of Theology, Asbury Seminary, and Chrichton College. An ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Gordon Fee was well known for his manifest concern for the renewal of the church.
Gordon Fee was married and had four married children.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 10, 2022
Un très bon commentaire de Fee (comme d'habitude ?) où le corps du texte principal est dédié à commenter les lettres de Paul. On a pas un méta commentaire mais bien une explication de ce que l'auteur a voulu dire à ses auditeurs d'origine.
Pas de speculation, pas de schémas compliqués, juste les exhortations concrètes et pratiques, pleines d'espérance et de lumière de Paul à une église pour laquelle il a la tendresse d'une mère pour son nourrison.
Comme d'habitude Fee est facile à lire bien que j'ai trouvé qu'il était plus expéditif et direct que d'habitude,donnant parfois une impression de rush et de précipitation.
(En tout cas il ne me reste que son gros volume sur la christologie de Paul et j'aurais la collection complète de Fee. À l'exception d'un recueil d'articles sur la critique textuelle au prix bien trop exorbitant)
Pas de speculation, pas de schémas compliqués, juste les exhortations concrètes et pratiques, pleines d'espérance et de lumière de Paul à une église pour laquelle il a la tendresse d'une mère pour son nourrison.
Comme d'habitude Fee est facile à lire bien que j'ai trouvé qu'il était plus expéditif et direct que d'habitude,donnant parfois une impression de rush et de précipitation.
(En tout cas il ne me reste que son gros volume sur la christologie de Paul et j'aurais la collection complète de Fee. À l'exception d'un recueil d'articles sur la critique textuelle au prix bien trop exorbitant)
December 30, 2021
Excellent scholarship. Very helpful.
November 5, 2019
Good commentary on 1-2 Thessalonians. Fee is very intuitive and big-picture, which makes him a nice complement to Green, who is more in the nitty-gritty details. Fee's theology and particularly his Christology are very good. He is also helpfully careful not to be dogmatic about background details we cannot possibly know. He spends a lot of time picking at liberal theories that deny the Pauline authenticity of 2 Thessalonians. I ended up skipping those sections, just to save time.
June 16, 2017
If you are looking through and evangelical commentary on the Epistles of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, the New International Commentary on New Testament’s (NICNT) volume on 1st and 2nd Thessalonians by Gordon D. Fee, is your best pick. 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, is published by Eerdmans, is part of NICNT a series which is synonymous with excellent exegesis and superior application, this volume continues the long legacy. This volume is one of the most articulate and practical modern commentaries on these epistles of Paul. Fee is no stranger to Biblical commentaries, nor is he a stranger to this series, having served as its general editor from 1990-2011.
1st and 2nd Thessalonians, begins with the typical study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, yet while introductions are common, is atypical for Fee is so through with his research and interaction with recent scholarship. In a day where these matters are either glossed over to get to the exegesis of the text or are so cumbersome that they become useless, Fee found a good balance in being thorough, communicating depth and attention to recent scholarship, without losing the message of the text.
With reference to the commentary sections on these epistles, Fee, expertly navigates the text showing the original context of passage while applying it directly to the modern day reader. He also uses a pastoral tone in many of his comments yet never sacrifices his scholastic approach. The outlines that he provides are also of great use for a pastor looking to preach though the epistles of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians exegetically.
In recommending , 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, to others I would whole heartily recommend this commentary to students of scripture, with one caveat. By this I mean I recommend this work to Pastors, Bible Teachers, Bible College Students, and to a limited extent educated Laymen looking to teach a Sunday school class, there is enough scholarly weight to this work to understand a particular issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. There are many commentaries about 1st and 2nd Thessalonians available at this moment but, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, of the NICNT series is a giant leap above the rest.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Eerdmans in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
1st and 2nd Thessalonians: New International Commentary on the New Testament
© 2009 by Gordon D. Fee
Publisher: Eerdmans
Page Count: 404 Pages
ISBN: 978-0802863621
1st and 2nd Thessalonians, begins with the typical study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, yet while introductions are common, is atypical for Fee is so through with his research and interaction with recent scholarship. In a day where these matters are either glossed over to get to the exegesis of the text or are so cumbersome that they become useless, Fee found a good balance in being thorough, communicating depth and attention to recent scholarship, without losing the message of the text.
With reference to the commentary sections on these epistles, Fee, expertly navigates the text showing the original context of passage while applying it directly to the modern day reader. He also uses a pastoral tone in many of his comments yet never sacrifices his scholastic approach. The outlines that he provides are also of great use for a pastor looking to preach though the epistles of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians exegetically.
In recommending , 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, to others I would whole heartily recommend this commentary to students of scripture, with one caveat. By this I mean I recommend this work to Pastors, Bible Teachers, Bible College Students, and to a limited extent educated Laymen looking to teach a Sunday school class, there is enough scholarly weight to this work to understand a particular issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. There are many commentaries about 1st and 2nd Thessalonians available at this moment but, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, of the NICNT series is a giant leap above the rest.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Eerdmans in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
1st and 2nd Thessalonians: New International Commentary on the New Testament
© 2009 by Gordon D. Fee
Publisher: Eerdmans
Page Count: 404 Pages
ISBN: 978-0802863621
September 30, 2024
Not sure why the author opted for the recently popular dating of B.C.E. and C.E., but I am not a fan. I understand the secular education system will move in that direction (I first encountered this in a university textbook circa 2009) as it seeks to further distance from a Christian world view. But when I pick up a Biblical commentary written by a Christian, I expect it to be written from a Christian world view and as such utilize B.C. and A.D.
May 19, 2025
It was pretty boring for me.
January 8, 2017
I read this book for a seminary intensive. The professor (Todd Still) said he chose it because it was expansive, scholarly, and accessible. I agree! There's even some humor in Fee's commentary. -RM
April 16, 2021
The NICNT is my favorite NT commentary series. Every volume I've used has been good. When it comes to clarity and engagement in writing—dealing with technical matters while keeping the fluidity of a novel—Gordon Fee is probably the best (his Philippians volume is fantastic). 1-2 Thessalonians are some of the more neglected of the NT epistles, but there is much that is of value in them regarding the nature of Paul's apostolic ministry, the nature of the word of God, the place of "mundane" work in the Christian life, etc.
Fee makes much of the fact that these are Paul's earliest written epistles, and therefore very possibly the earliest Christian documents we possess. Because of that, the way in which Paul consistently and almost off-handedly uses the title "Lord" in reference to Christ, as well as activities which in the OT are attributed to God being made the activities of Christ himself give testimony to a very high Christology being present from the beginning.
Probably the main thing 1-2 Thessalonians are known for is what they say about the "coming" of Christ (1 Thess. 4:13-5:11) and the accompanying events surrounding the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thess. 2:1-12). These are some of the most controversial texts in all of Paul's writings. Fee handles them well, being very careful to not go beyond what is written and refusing to speculate. He notes that since in much of what Paul says he claims to be reminding the Thessalonians of what he had already taught them in person, we are not actually privy to the full story. And Fee does point out that while Paul wrote in order to encourage the Thessalonian believers in the first passage, and to correct a misunderstanding the second, it is ironic that these passages are often used either to stoke fear (the "threat" of the supposedly soon-coming end times) or to develop elaborate (and mutually contradictory) "end-times" chronologies and scenarios. Neither use is in line with Paul's purpose in writing.
Fee makes much of the fact that these are Paul's earliest written epistles, and therefore very possibly the earliest Christian documents we possess. Because of that, the way in which Paul consistently and almost off-handedly uses the title "Lord" in reference to Christ, as well as activities which in the OT are attributed to God being made the activities of Christ himself give testimony to a very high Christology being present from the beginning.
Probably the main thing 1-2 Thessalonians are known for is what they say about the "coming" of Christ (1 Thess. 4:13-5:11) and the accompanying events surrounding the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thess. 2:1-12). These are some of the most controversial texts in all of Paul's writings. Fee handles them well, being very careful to not go beyond what is written and refusing to speculate. He notes that since in much of what Paul says he claims to be reminding the Thessalonians of what he had already taught them in person, we are not actually privy to the full story. And Fee does point out that while Paul wrote in order to encourage the Thessalonian believers in the first passage, and to correct a misunderstanding the second, it is ironic that these passages are often used either to stoke fear (the "threat" of the supposedly soon-coming end times) or to develop elaborate (and mutually contradictory) "end-times" chronologies and scenarios. Neither use is in line with Paul's purpose in writing.
April 1, 2015
This is the first in a series of books I'll be researching for a paper. Unfortunately Fee didn't touch on what I most needed, but it was a good commentary nonetheless. Particularly interesting was how he takes the "Left Behind" perspective to task. He makes a convincing case for Paul's simplicity in chapter 4. Paul is just offering encouragement to the Thessalonians about the resurection. No rapture here, folks.
February 9, 2013
Gordon Fee is one of my favorite commentary authors. He is so insightful and spot on!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews