Reading commentaries has become somewhat of a pastime for me. I enjoy both depth of studying and devotional reading. When I heard that a new commentary series was in the works from Zondervan, I wondered if I had time to add yet another set in my reading queue. After having previewed a copy of Galatians by Thomas Shreiner, I am convinced that this series will be a welcome addition to my library.

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament has blended solid academic scholarship with clear exegesis. The result is a highly useful commentary for preachers, teachers and serious students of the Word of God.

In Galatians, Shreiner deals with the text while interacting with proponents of various views. One walks away not only knowing what the text says but also where the points of contention pertaining to interpretation are located. This commentary is well documented so if the reader wants to follow up in studying any particular viewpoint, he/she can do so easily. Schreiner discusses the new perspective in a thorough and gracious way.

The commentary starts out with a general introduction. From there you dive into the text. Each pericope starts out with literary context. This helps keep your focus on the flow of the book.From there you move to a section that explains the main point of the passage. There is a graphical layout of the text that aides you in seeing the structure of the passage being discussed. There is also an exegetical outline . As you continue on to the section that explains the passage, the English translation is presented along with the Greek text for those who are familiar with the original language. At the end of the explanation of the passage, there is a theological application section that helps you answer the question: So what? In some cases there are in-depth excursuses inserted in the text.

This commentary series is comparable to the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament but is visually more appealing. The one weakness of this series is in application. For this reason, this commentary does not replace Zondervan’s NIV Application Commentary but rather it compliments it.

I highly recommend this series to any one who wants to study the biblical text in depth. For those who only wear hip-waders, pick up the aforementioned NIV Application Commentary. ( )

Bible commentaries abound today. Scores of commentaries confront the would-be expositor of any book of the Bible, and almost nobody blinks at a new series of commentaries anymore. It goes without saying that the relative value of a given commentary is all over the map, and here perhaps more than anywhere else, a discerning eye is called for.

You guessed it, I’m getting ready for the “but you have to check out this new commentary series” line. But I really mean it. The new Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (ZECNT) series will live up to any amount of hype one can dig up. I’ve reviewed several commentaries, I own bits and pieces of a score of commentary sets, and have examined others besides, yet this series promises to be a true must-have, when it comes to exegetical commentaries.

Like many other students of Scripture, I’ve been schooled in Greek, but that was some time ago. I also aim to fix an opinion on any passage I plan to teach. But with the amount of scholarly material one must evaluate, the task can be a bit daunting. Opening a commentary for answers can lead to far more questions than originally conceived. And some commentators stand out for their pious, know-it-all approach to informing us of their thoughts on the subject.

In sharp contrast, Thomas Schreiner in his ZECNT commentary on Galatians, excels at making the task of studying and making judgments easy. He provides all the relevant arguments on a given question, both the pros and cons. He defends positions that he ultimately rejects, all in the effort of explaining what is at stake and how to best see the big picture in a given exegetical question.

The clarity and candor on display in Schreiner’s work is complemented by the brilliant (can I use that term of a commentary?) ordering of material conceived by the ZECNT editors. After allowing for an in-depth introduction to set the stage for the book, each unit of the text is addressed in such a way as to best help the teacher or preacher work through the material of the Text and see connections to the overall outline of the book, catching the flow of the larger argument. Greek is used throughout but never in an over the top way. Almost universally, the Greek follows the English, and the effect is to draw one into the Greek arguments more easily, encouraging and promoting the revival of long-forgotten Greek exegetical skills.

Each section begins with a literary context of the unit and a tie in to the over-arching outline of the book. Then the main idea is summarized in a few sentences. The English translation of the text is next given in a special graphical layout which highlights the relationship between the various clauses and phrases which make up the text. Following this, the structure of the textual unit is discussed and a more detailed exegetical outline is provided for the text just before a detailed explanation of the text (with footnotes) is offered. Finally, a pastoral application section concludes the discussion on the passage at hand. Theology is thus applied to life in a masterful way, which will help guide the teacher and pastor to make appropriate and relevant applications from the exegetical study he undertakes.

At the end of the commentary the major themes of the book are discussed, giving an overview, or summary of all that Galatians has covered. This section is a miniature biblical theology in a sense, and will be of great value to those seeking a bigger picture view of the book, before they dive into the separate pieces.

Now on top of all the positive things I’ve mentioned up to this point, Zondervan is to be commended for choosing a competent and careful scholar to pick up his pen for the Galatians commentary. Thomas Schreiner has written books on the question of Paul’s use of the Law, and on the more practical side of how the OT Law relates to Christians. He also is one who’s publicly disputed the New Pauline Perspective, standing for a conservative, Reformed view of justification by faith and imputation. The expertise and faithfulness Schreiner has shown over the years makes him eminently qualified to write this book. And furthermore, his attitude and style in writing remains irenic, open and fair-minded, even when he stands forcefully against a contemporary exegetical trend.

The problem passages are many in Galatians, and Schreiner succeeds in navigating them well. I’m particularly impressed by how the book maintains a pastoral perspective throughout. I shouldn’t be surprised, however, since Schreiner himself is a preaching pastor even as he fills the roles of professor of NT and associate dean of Scripture and interpretation for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. A fine combination of learning and grace exude from the man himself and this book.

I can’t recommend the work more highly, and I’m now interested in checking out other titles of this exceedingly useful commentary series. If the Galatians volume is truly representative of the larger series, then the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament series is truly a must-have resource for the exegetically minded pastor and teacher.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Zondervan (via Koinonia blog) for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

See an expanded version of this review, with additional content and resources, at CrossFocusedReviews.com. ( )