COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT

Description

ROBERT GUNDRY

In this one volume NT commentary widely respected NT scholar Robert H. Gundry has provided the Bible reading world with a rare gem. Moving beyond the historical and technical issues that weighed down and, quite frankly, hindered the field for more than a century, Gundry moves into the heart of the text in order to illuminate its meaning.

This project to illuminate what Scripture means is Gundry’s primary goal. Nevertheless, Gundry is a scholar and he uses his vast knowledge of Scripture, its historical and social context in order to understand what the original authors of the Biblical text intended to mean; Gundry does not simply give a cart blanche passage to traditional views he demands that they stand up to the test of what Scripture says, not what others or even Gundry himself wants it to say.

This is a tricky business. But Gundry, unlike no commentator I have read skillfully weaves in the historical, sociological, and textual evidence in order to create his interpretation of the passage. This leads him to leave out commentary on two NT passages that according to the best textual evidence available do not belong as part of the NT. This includes The “longer ending of Mark” that begins at 16.9, and the story of the woman caught in adultery in the last part of John 7, and early verses of John 8.

That Gundry makes this move will no doubt make some unhappy. But the textual evidence is overwhelming in this regard, and Gundry explains why he makes his decision. He is acting as a discerning scholar and in accord with is conscience as a Christian. Moreover, Gundry thoroughly explains why he has made the decisions he has made.

Beyond this, readers of this commentary are in store for a discovery of uncommon worth. Gundry is exceptionally skilled at illuminating passages in a clear, precise, accessible, and scholarly informed manner. What is more is that the reader learns the passages by being informed of the exegetical issues that create the passage without having to digest the technical jargon that so often makes reading a commentary unbearably dull. Not so with Gundry.

All serious students of Scripture who are looking to learn about the text and wish to have the best scholarship presented to them in a way that aids in determining the text’s meaning will greatly benefit from Gundry’s Commentary on the New Testament