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BUILDING A NT LIBRARY: HEBREWS—REVELATION

Whereas in the Gospels and Pauline epistles one has a wealth of literature available from evangelical pens, and the problem is often discovering the best among many good options, in the latter books of the NT one has less to choose from, however, in many cases that situation is changing, in some drammatically so. We will look at these books in more or less their canonical order, seeking the best for each work. Most but not all of the authors we mention would be considered evangelicals in the broader sense of the term, yet we will include works that evangelical students should not overlook, either because of their excellence or because of the weakness of evangelical contributions, even though the authors would not consider themselves in the evangelical camp.

For the book of Hebrews, there is the two volume work of the late W. Lane in the Word Biblical Commentary (WBC; Nelson, 1991), which is surely his magnum opus. Significant is Lane’s focus on the sermonic character of Hebrews. Lane not only brought a lifetime of study to this project, but also a pastor’s heart. Following in 1993 was the contribution of P. Ellingworth in the New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC; WmB. Eerdmans, 1993); it is only one volume, but 764 pages. This commentary is for those who feel comfortable looking at the text in Greek, while the WBC discusses the Greek text, but also translates the Greek. So for those who want a work that thoroughly explores the Greek text, Ellingworth may be the commentary of choice. Finally, we have the exciting socio-rhetorical commentary of D. DeSilva (Perseverance in Gratitude [Wm.B. Eerdmans, 2000]). This is even more readable by one who does not read Greek, but still includes Greek text in parentheses. What is exciting about the work is that it applies socio-rhetorical methodology to Hebrews and is based on DeSilva’s excellent (published) doctoral thesis. If there is any book in the NT where socio-rhetorical analysis should be fruitful, it is Hebrews, and DeSilva does not disappoint. He is a master at getting one into the various textures of the text.

My own work on James in the NIGNT (1982) is still considered a basic resource, so long as the reader is not turned off by Greek text (usually translated) and discussions of grammar. For the conclusions without the Greek see my work in the New International Biblical Commentary (NIBC; Hendrickson, 1989). The other two works in English that quickly fly off my shelves when I am working on James are R.P. Martin in the WBC (1988), in which Martin’s seasoned judicious scholarship is augmented by the research of his doctoral student M. Webber, and L.T. Johnson’s contribution to the Anchor Bible (AB; Doubleday, 1995). Particularly significant in Johnson’s work is a survey of the reception of James in the church over the centuries. There were many others in the church over the centuries that held opinions about James far different from the negative view of Luther.

There are two works for 1 Peter by people who would consider themselves evangelicals, including my own work in the New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT; Wm.B. Eerdmans, 1990), which was written with a pastoral concern as well as an academic interest. I recommend it despite knowing a place or two where I have changed my mind! Then there is the fine work of R. Michaels (WBC; Word, 1988), which is another work of mature scholarship. Michaels has far more Greek text (it only appears in the footnotes in the NICNT), but is not in any way lacking in exposition. Still the evangelical student dare not overlook the works of P.J. Achtemeier in Hermeneia (Fortress, 1996) and J.H. Elliott (AB; 2000). I thought Achtemeier’s 421 pages was a massive work of scholarship on 1 Peter until I received Elliott’s 956 page volume. And neither of these contains any fluff. Achemeier is a judicious scholar who has produced other massive works of scholarship, while Elliott has produced other seminal works on 1 Peter and here gathers his mature thought together in a magnum opus. His socio-rhetorical insights make the work a must if working on this epistle, although the massive size of the work (but not the language) might overwhelm the educated layperson or pastor who was seeking answers to simple questions for a given passage. For them, they can still turn to my work or that of Michaels.

When looking for a good commentary on 2 Peter and Jude, the first choice is clearly R. Bauckham (WBC; 1983). Virtually every commentary since Bauckham begins with him. But after Bauckham the pickings are slim. There are substantial works in preparation by R.L. Webb (NICNT) and P. Davids (Pillar), but these have not year been published. J.N.D. Kelly contributed a servicable volume in the Black New Testament Commentary series (Hedrickson, 1969), but that was over 30 years ago. The work of N. Hillyer’s in the NIBC is newer (1992), but thin, as is M. Green’s in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary (Wm.B. Eerdmans, 1987). The work of D. Moo in the NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 1996) is newer, but again thin. Many will not find the detail they seek. Among those who are not evangelicals, J. Neyrey (AB; 1993) has very useful socio-rhetorical insights, but it is spotty and as a commentary eccentric. I personally use A. Vögtle’s in the Evangelisch-Katholischer Kommentar zum NT (1994) and K.H. Schelke’s in Herder’s theologischer Kommentar zum NT (1980), but they are German works from Continental scholars. Here we have to admit that we do not have the works in English that we would like to have.

I. Howard Marshall provided a solid commentary on 1-3 John in the NICNT (1978), which is again a work by a senior evangelical statesman. Likewise, S. Smalley did the same for the WBC (1984), distilling his decades of love for the Johannine corpus into this volume. It is more difficult to select a third volume. I normally go to R. Brown’s contribution (AB; 1982), but, if I wanted an evangelical, M.M. Thompson provides a much briefer, although more contemporary, work for the IVP New Testament Commentary (InterVarsity, 1992).

When it comes to Revelation, one person’s expert is another’s heretic. Opinions are as strong as the images are vivid. The two major evangelical contributions are G. Beale’s massive addition to the NIGNT (1999), in which he does a careful job of translating the Greek text that he cites, so it is also helpful to a person who does not read Greek well. But just when one thinks that this must be the best, one picks up D. Aune’s three volume masterpiece (WBC; 1997-1998). After the wealth of these works, the old standby’s of R. Mounce (NICNT; 1977) and G.E. Ladd (Wm.B. Eerdmans, 1972) pale, although R. Wall gives a different enough reading in the much briefer, but quite readable NIBC (1991) that it is worth a look. Many of us are awaiting the publication of a work by S. Smalley that should also prove insightful.

By Peter Davids, Ph.D.