Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus (LTT) are often neglected in theology except in certain areas, such as ecclesiology (study of the church). Andreas Köstenberger rightly points out the intentional purpose of the LTT as one of Paul’s final instructions to the church and to aid in his missional work. Even though the three letters are district, I believe Köstenberger is right to consider them together, “not as a corpus, but as a ‘cluster,’ being sensitive to both the things that bind them together and the things that make them distinct.” Proper understanding of the LTT dovetails into a greater understanding of the Paul’s earlier New Testament letters.
Instead of focusing solely on a verse-by-verse commentary, the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) focuses on the Biblical Theology expressed by their authors on their own terms and in their own historical contexts. Biblical Theology seeks to trace the central themes of the individual books of Scripture. My education and background has been more towards Systematic Theology which is more topically oriented and focuses on contextualization with current settings. In focusing on the Biblical themes instead of a verse-by-verse exegesis, you begin to see the bigger story of Scripture.
“… Ultimately the biblical theology of a given set of writings is an interwoven fabric of interrelated major and minor themes, a matrix not unlike a spiderweb that is characterized by a careful integration, cohesion, and interpenetration.”
Each author of the EBTC volumes is given freedom in the order and structure to best suite the biblical material being presented. In the letters to Timothy and Titus (LTT), Köstenberger has arranged the commentary with an introduction, a brief verse-by-verse commentary, and finishing with Biblical Theology themes found within the LTT. It utilized the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as the base translation. The commentary uses extensive footnotes rather than parenthetical citations and asides to keep from breaking up the text; I find this makes the text much more readable. The original Greek is sparsely used throughout only to emphasize specific meanings or highlight themes. The Biblical Theology themes are organized by their prevalence and importance within the LTT. The binding and cover art provide for a quality and aesthetically pleasing addition to anyone’s library.
“…The church is at the heart of the biblical theology of the LTT. The letters were written to Paul’s apostolic delegates to encourage them in conducting their ministries in the local congregations to which Paul had sent them, providing leadership, instruction in sound doctrine and correction of false teaching.”
Andreas J. Köstenberger (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is a research professor of New Testament and director of the Center for Biblical Studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored numerous books, including one of my favorites God, Marriage, and Family, which provides a Biblical basis and study of marriage and family.
If false teaching is rightly understood as the main problem across the three letters, it would make sense to say that “the fundamental interest of the Pastorals would appear to be “health’ or sound teaching.’ “
Focusing on the specific theology of the letters to Timothy and Titus (LTT) was a fascinating and fruit journey. It helped me understand the importance of the LTT within the canon of Scripture. Köstenberger’s commentary is helpful for pastors and those studying the letters to Timothy and Titus to understand its meaning, themes, and purpose. I found the verse-by-verse commentary a little too brief but provided more commentary and interaction than a study bible. The section on mission was particularly helpful in understanding Paul’s message within the LTT and his emphasis towards sound teaching, and missional focus. The contributions of the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) series are profound in our understanding and purpose of each book of Scripture and belong on every pastor and theologian’s bookshelf as a source for reliable exegesis.
“The theology of the LTT is firmly embedded in the Pauline mission. This is indicated not only by the presence of Paul’s delegates but also by the congruence of the mission strategy in these letters with the other Pauline correspondents and Paul’s modus operandi in the book of Acts.”
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1-2 Timothy and Titus: Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary By Andreas Kostenberger |
I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I express are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.