In 1991 Wm.B Eerdmans Publishing published the first volume in a series called Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament
Colossians & Philemon (Grand Rapids, Mi., Eerdmans Publishing, 1991). 310pp.
Their own description of the volume is very much to the point: "This inaugural EGGNT volume provides the following for Colossians and for Philemon: an introduction, an analytical outline of the letter, a list of recommended commentaries, detailed exegetical notes, a translation and an expanded paraphrase of the whole book, a comprehensive exegetical outline of the book, and a glossary of grammatical and rhetorical terms. For each paragraph in Colossians and Philemon, the exegetical notes include the Greek text, structural analysis, grammatical discussion, topics for further study, and homiletical suggestions."
This is an excellent volume for those students who wants to dig into the both the complexities but also the exegetical insights the New Testament Greek may provide. Used together with some of the commentaries of a more expositional nature listed in a posting below, should be really rewarding.But it seems that it never came to more than this 'inaugural' volume.
What happened?
May I present a few suggestions.
1. The want for a thorough knowledge of Greek are on the decline.
2. The forthcoming of several computer programs containing the biblical texts morphological tagged provide the user with most of all the grammatical knowledge s/he may want. Hence why write or buy such commentaries?
3. The immense growth of various historical, exegetical and expositional methods in recent years have not yet evolved into a comprehensive view of how to write a commentary for the present audience. It is hard to combine linguistic, rhetorical, historical, social, social anthropological, sociological, theological etc (you name it..) issues and aspects in a single volume.
Are the writing of Biblical commentaries in a process of declining?
Not necessarily, but we are surely in a liminal phase!
2 comments:
It seems to me that commentaries are slowly becoming, in general, less interested in Greek, perhaps even less proficient. I can't help wonder if the fact that we can spend so much time studying comparative material, cultural anthropology, sociology, and whatever else is slowly becoming an excuse for not being as well versed in the Greek language as those of past generations - like Plummer, Robertson, Barrett & Cranfield...
I fear that Murray Harris is a dying species - the man reads classical Greek texts for pleasure without a need for lexical aids.
I have some good news. B&H Academic has just signed Murray Harris to complete the EGGNT series.
Terry Wilder
Academic Acquisitions Editor
B&H Academic
www.bhacademic.com
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