The Pastoral Epistles (The New International Greek Testament Commentary | NIGTC)

by George W. Knight III

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 1992

Overview

This commentary series is established on the presupposition that the theological character of the New Testament documents calls for exegesis that is sensitive to theological themes as well as to the details of the historical, linguistic, and textual context. Such thorough exegetical work lies at the heart of these volumes, which contain detailed verse-by-verse commentary preceded by general comments on each section and subsection of the text.

An important aim of the NIGTC authors is to interact with the wealth of significant New Testament research published in recent articles and monographs. In this connection the authors make their own scholarly contributions to the ongoing study of the biblical text.

The text on which these commentaries are based is the UBS Greek New Testament, edited by Kurt Aland and others. While engaging the major questions of text and interpretation at a scholarly level, the authors keep in mind the needs of the beginning student of Greek as well as the pastor or layperson who may have studied the language at some time but does not now use it on a regular basis.

This is a thorough, full-scale English commentary on the Greek text of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. While author George W. Knight gives careful attention to the comments of previous interpreters of the text, both ancient and modern, his emphasis is on exegesis of the Greek text itself and on the flow of the argument in each of these three Epistles.

Besides providing a detailed look at the meanings and interrelationships of the Greek words as they appear in each context, Knight's commentary includes an introduction that treats at length the question of authorship (he argues for Pauline authorship and proposes, on the basis of stylistic features, that Luke might have been the amanuensis for the Pastoral Epistles), the historical background of these letters, and the personalities and circumstances of the recipients.

Knight also provides two special excursuses: the first gathers together the information in the Pastorals and elsewhere in the New Testament on early church offices and leaders; the other excursus examines the motivations for conduct in Titus 2:1-10 with a view to their applicability to present-day situations.

Contents

Top Highlights

“The most likely understanding of this verse is that it refers to spiritual salvation through the birth of the Messiah.” (Page 146)

“In 1 Cor. 14:34, 35, the instruction that women ‘keep silence’ is given in the context of various Christians getting up and speaking. Both there and here Paul’s prohibition of women teaching would prevent them from serving as elders or ministers, but it is unwarranted to limit it to such a restriction from office-bearing. Paul uses functional language (‘to teach’) rather than office language (‘a bishop’) to express the prohibition. Here he prohibits women from publicly teaching men, and thus teaching the church.” (Page 141)

“These three adverbs seem to refer respectively to one’s self, to one’s relationships with other people, and to one’s relationship with God, i.e., to thoughtful self-control, to uprightness in dealings with others, and to genuine piety in relation to God.” (Page 320)

“One must look back over his life from the time of his conversion to ascertain his marital and sexual fidelity in having been ‘the husband of one wife.’” (Page 159)

“The sense of the passage is that scripture is given to enable any ‘person of God’ to meet the demands that God places on that person and in particular to equip Timothy the Christian leader for the particular demands made on him (cf. 4:2).” (Page 450)

Praise for the Print Edition

Knight is to he congratulated for his significant contribution to New Testament study. An excellent supplement and balance to the Dibelius-Conzelmann commentary, Knight's Pastoral Epistles will well serve teachers of the Greek text. And for preachers whose Greek is serviceable, Knight's commentary is arguably the one to turn to first.

—Restoration Quarterly

An exegetical handbook to the Pastoral Epistles...Well-written, dear, and concise...this commentary offers an excellent summary of modern scholarship on the Pastorals in addition to giving a sound and helpful discussion of the text by a seasoned scholar. It deserves to be on the reference shelf of every serious pastor and student.

—Didaskalia

Following the style of this fine series, Knight's commentary is most valuable for its detailed analysis of the Greek text of the epistles.

—The Bible Today

Product Details

• Title: The Pastoral Epistles: New International Greek Testament Commentary
• Author: George W. Knight III
• Publication Date: 1992
• Pages: 548

About George W. Knight III

George W. Knight III is a theologian and professor of New Testament at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary; formerly, he was a professor at Knox Theological Seminary. He has authored several works, most notably The Pastoral Epistles and a short commentary of Timothy and Titus as included in the Baker Commentary on the Bible. He received his theological doctorate from Free University of Amsterdam in 1968.