I was surprised to see Schreiner in Revelation. I unfairly had him as a Paul guy only in my mind. It turned out those skills that he is well known for on Paul are found here.

This commentary is, without doubt, a major work on Revelation. It walks in the room and joins the big boys. But just like the other champions of the modern major academic, exegetical commentaries this one takes an “eclectic” viewpoint. That’s the rage of the hour. Doesn’t make anyone too happy, but then again not too angry either.

Like me, you may not take an eclectic approach but rather a specific viewpoint in one of the major categories. Will you still be helped by this commentary? I think you definitely will.

What are its strengths? Impeccable scholarship stands out. Sometimes that’s a pile of dry bones, but here it has life. Here the scholarly “interacting” pays off. It begins in the Introduction and continues in the commentary proper. Here the interaction necessarily involves the different perspectives and that enlightens no matter where you come from.

Another asset of this commentary is its tone. He fairly represents other viewpoints and humbly assesses and shares his own. I often don’t exactly agree, but he’s easy to follow. It’s easy for me to weigh as I’m looking at a fairly represented picture.

I wouldn’t call the structure of Revelation as a whole a strength here. Perhaps that’s the collateral damage of an eclectic position, though he gives a serviceable outline. He does give, however, some nice thoughts on structure in the smaller periscopes.

I’m convinced he sheds light in each passage no matter your overall prophetic outlook. Outside of one that lines up perfectly for you (rare), what more could you ask for?

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.

This latest volume in the ZECNT on Philippians is a work of mature scholarship that possesses all the warmth you could hope for. Guthrie particularly succeeds in taking rich detail and weaving a tapestry that displays an inviting picture of what’s really going on in Philippians.

Guthrie takes all the pieces that you look for in a commentary and actually fits them all together rather than offering us a collection of near unconnected parts, which describes many commentaries today. Some of those might be indispensable, but we can enjoy one like here where all the pieces do in fact make a whole.

You will see what I’m talking about in the Introduction. It’s masterfully done. Things that are dryly given in other works here are marshaled into a view of a wide horizon. It’s not just what Paul said, but why he said it. As a case in point, notice the section on crafting the letter, particularly “The Church in Philippi and Paul’s Reasons for Writing”. That was eye opening for what’s really going on in Philippians. Still, while I’m bragging on his forest, there are enough trees here to fill the appetite of the more rigorous types.

The Commentary proper carries on what the Introduction began. The rich details are woven into an incredible unveiling of structure. Structure, as you may recall, is an aim of this series. I might not have thought of structure as being so essential to Philippians, but Guthrie proved me wrong. I say that even as I admit that some parts of this letter’s structure are baffling.

Philippians is much loved by all of us, but writings on it can easily grow stale. They can drown in a nebulous sea of joy as if that is all this letter had to say. There’s no drowning here! This is a keeper.

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.