The First Epistle to the Corinthians (The New International Greek Testament Commentary | NIGTC)

by Anthony Thiselton

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2000

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 superb volume in the New International Greek Testament Commentary series provides the most detailed, definitive, and distinctive commentary on 1 Corinthians available in English to date.

One of the world’s most respected Christian theologians, Anthony Thiselton here provides in-depth discussion of the language of 1 Corinthians, presents his own careful translation of the Greek, traces the main issues of interpretation from the church fathers to the present, and highlights topics of theological, ethical, and sociohistorical interest today, including ethics and “rights,” marriage, divorce and remarriage, “headship,” gender, prophecy, and many others.

No other commentary on 1 Corinthians embodies the wealth and depth of detail presented in Thiselton’s work, which takes account of nearly all scholarly research on 1 Corinthians and incorporates substantial bibliographies throughout. In his commentary Thiselton indeed addresses virtually every question that thoughtful, serious readers—scholars, students, pastors, teachers—may wish to ask of or about the text of 1 Corinthians. His work truly offers a fresh, comprehensive, and original contribution to our understanding of this major epistle and its contemporary relevance.

This resource is also included in The New International Greek Testament Commentary Series (12 Volumes).

Contents

Top Highlights

“All of these factors underline three fundamental points for our understanding of the epistle: (1) the city community and city culture of Corinth were formed after a Roman model, not a Greek one, even if many immigrants came from Achaea, Macedonia, and the East to constitute an equally cosmopolitan superstructure; (2) the city community and the city culture felt themselves to be prosperous and self-sufficient, even if there were many ‘have nots’ who were socially vulnerable or dependent on others; (3) the core community and core tradition of the city culture were those of trade, business, and entrepreneurial pragmatism in the pursuit of success, even if some paid a heavy price for business failures or for the lack of the right contacts or the right opportunities.” (Pages 3–4)

“Love, Paul urges, waits patiently not only because it deals patiently with the loved one but also because it recognizes that the right timing plays a huge part in securing the welfare of the other. Love does not blunder in.” (Page 1047)

“If everything rests on human cleverness, sophistication, or achievement, the cross of Christ no longer functions as that which subverts and cuts across all human distinctions of race, class, gender, and status to make room for divine grace alone as sheer unconditional gift.” (Page 145)

“It supports the genuine mutuality and symmetry of Paul’s gender concerns. 11:2–16 is not simply about ‘the head covering of women,’ but about men and women, freedom and respect for the otherness of the other in public worship.” (Page 805)

“Many commentators believe that the tradition for which Paul commends the readers is the eschatological inclusion of men and women as active participants in prayer and prophetic speech, in contrast to the issue of clothing, which Paul believes must still generate signals of gender distinctiveness on the basis of the order of creation, which still holds sway even in the gospel era.” (Page 811)

Praise for the Print Edition

Every New Testament book except 1 Corinthians has had at least one major English-language commentary on its Greek text published in recent years. For 1 Corinthians the last such commentary was Robertson and Plummer's revised edition in 1914! Now this gap has been amply filled by one of the most detailed, widely ranging, and exegetically compelling commentaries ever written on any book in the Bible. Scholars, pastors, and students alike are all now massively indebted to Tony Thiselton for this prodigious work.

—Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary

A prodigious commentary on First Corinthians which will be welcomed by students, scholars, and pastors alike.... A fine scholarly achievement. The substantial bibliographies, the excursuses incorporating ancient as well as the most recent scholarly discussion, and the comprehensive indices at the end make the volume not only a welcome addition to the literature on First Corinthians, but also a useful resource for the study of Pauline theology.

—Evangelical Review of Theology

Awards for the Print Edition

• Academy of Parish Clergy Top Ten Books of the Year - Number 9 (2001)
• Evangelical Christian Publishers Assocation - Gold Medallion finalist for Reference/Commentary (2001)

Product Details

• Title: The First Epistle to the Corinthians - New International Greek Testament Commentary
• Author: Anthony C. Thiselton
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 1,479

About Anthony Thiselton

Anthony C. Thiselton was professor of Christian Theology at the University of Nottingham. He held three doctorates (Ph.D, D.D., D.D) and published important works on 1 Corinthians, hermeneutics, and did research on modern theology, philosophy of religion, and the application of philosophy of language to biblical studies.