Andreas Kostenberger Sample

Could anyone that owns the Revise Expositor Bible Commentary (EBC) post a sample from Andreas Kostenberger's commentary on the Pastoral Epistles?

I own his commentary on the Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation - Pastoral Epistles that he wrote. I'm interested to find out if it's actually the same commentary word for word included in the EBC Revised or if it's different.

Maybe a chapter would be helpful or half a chapter to read side by side.

Thanks in advance if someone is able to help!

DAL

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Roy

Hi DAL,

I have these volumes in W.S. not LOGOS, but here is a small bit from 1st Timothy Chapter 1, Text And Exposition, "I. Opening. (1:1-2)"

Commentary

1 The letter opening follows the general pattern for first-century epistolary salutations: sender–recipient–greeting (see T. Thatcher, “The Relational Matrix of the Pastoral Epistles,” JETS 38 [1995]: 42-44). Paul’s self-identification as “apostle of Christ Jesus by the command [epitagē, GK 2198; cf. Ro 16:26; 1Co 7:6] of God our Savior” (cf. Tit 1:3) represents a slight modification of his customary “by the will [thelēma, GK 2525] of God” (the openings of 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy; cf. 1 Corinthians). Perhaps “command” rather than “will” is used here since Timothy, too, is under orders (v.18; cf. Knight, 61). Paul’s apostolic consciousness (cf. 1Co 15:8-10) led him to see his ministry as rooted in the will, even command, of God rather than deriving from any human appointment (Ac 9:1-31; Gal 1:1). Also, his self-designation as apostle signals to the letter’s recipient(s) that the ensuing communication is to be treated not merely as a human document but as an authoritative apostolic missive. Paul’s apostleship entails the universal proclamation of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ (Ro 16:26).

“God our Savior” (cf. 2:3) bridges the Jewish and Hellenistic contexts that interface in the present letter. God as Savior is a regular OT theme. In the first century, “Savior” was a title often attributed to rulers such as the Roman emperor, including Nero (AD 54-68; cf. A. Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East [rev. ed.; London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1927], 364-65; TDNT 7:1003-21). Paul, by contrast, affirms that the Christian God, and he alone, is “our Savior” (including himself within the scope of salvation), an implicit rejection of all competing claims by contemporaneous savior figures.

This “God our Savior” is further linked with “Christ Jesus our hope” (called “our Lord” in v.2; cf. Col 1:27; see D. N. Howell, “God-Christ Interchange in Paul: Impressive Testimony to the Deity of Jesus,” JETS 36 [1993]: 467-79). In 4:10 and 6:17, believers’ object of hope is said to be God. In NT parlance, “hope” is not a vague wish but a confident expectation of the fulfillment of the promises of God (Heb 11:1: “being sure of”; 1Pe 1:3: “living hope”). In the present instance, the reference may be to the expectation of Christ’s second coming (Tit 2:13) or that of eternal life (Tit 1:2; 3:7), or both.

2 The name “Timothy” appears here for the first of four times in the PE (cf. v.18; 6:20; 2Ti 1:2). “My true son [NASB, child] in the faith” (cf. Php 4:3; Tit 1:4; see also 1Co 4:17) does not necessarily imply that Paul has led Timothy to Christ (cf. 2Ti 1:5; 3:15; cf. Quinn and Wacker, 55; contra Stott, Knight, and Mounce). This seems to be precluded by the reference to Timothy as “a disciple” when he first encountered Paul in AD 49-50 (Ac 16:1-2), though it is possible that he had met Paul on the occasion of his first visit to Lystra (14:8-20).

The present letter is written about fifteen years later. If Timothy was a young man in his midtwenties when he first met Paul, he would have been nearing forty years old at the time of writing. The aging apostle would have been in his late fifties or early sixties. “Apostle . . . son” therefore preserves both the differing degrees of authority and status (nowhere is Timothy called “brother”; cf. Quinn and Wacker, 55-56) and the affectionate relationship between these two men of God. On the eve of his life and ministry, Paul seeks to preserve his legacy through his adopted son in the faith. The phrase “true son” authenticates Timothy (as it does Titus in Tit 1:4) as Paul’s authorized successor in the church.

The opening blessing “grace, mercy and peace” (see also 2Ti 1:2; 2 Jn 1:3) replaces the more frequent “grace and peace” (cf. Mounce, 8-12). “Mercy” (eleos, GK 1799, possibly echoing the Hebrew word for “lovingkindness,” ḥesed) is added both here and in 2 Timothy, perhaps on account of the difficult nature of Timothy’s assignment in Ephesus (so Knight, Mounce; cf. Chrysostom, Hom. 1 Tim. 1). Also, Timothy is elsewhere described as timid and in need of encouragement (2Ti 1:7) and as lacking respect because of his relative youth (1Ti 4:12). Mercy becomes important later in ch. 1 when Paul recounts his own testimony (vv.13, 16).

“Grace” (charis, GK 5921) corresponds to the standard Greek “greeting” (chairein), yet is used by Paul in the distinctly Christian, even Pauline, sense of “God’s unmerited favor.” “Peace” echoes the Hebrew šalôm (GK 8934), conveying the notion of overall personal well-being with God and one’s fellow human beings. The final stereotypical phrase, “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord [kyrios, GK 3261]” points to the source of Christian blessings (see 2Ti 1:2; in Tit 1:4 kyrios is replaced by sōtēr, “Savior”).

... I hope this helps.

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1092117#Comment_1092117

Thanks Roy!

The one I have (Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation series Pastoral Epistles by Kostenberger) reads pretty much the same. It's slightly re-worded, but yours (EBC Revised) has more "Bibliography" interwoven in the text than the one I have. So in my opinion, it's a slightly abridged version of EBC Revised. I think I'm not really missing anything if I don't have that version. I will save my money and just keep the one I have that has less bibliography and buy something else. Maybe if EBC Revised is offered under $200 in the future, I'll probably get it, but as of now, I don't need it, since the volume by Kostenberger is pretty much the only one that interested me, and voilá, I already have it (minus extra bibliography).

Thanks again!

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1092118#Comment_1092118

For those who might be curious, here's how my Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation commentary on the PE by Kostenberger reads. It's pretty much the same material as the Expositor's Bible Commentary (EBC) on the PE by Kostenberger:

I. Opening (1:1–2)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope:

2 To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

1:1 The letter opening follows the standard pattern for first-century salutations: sender-recipient-greeting. Paul’s self-reference, “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior” (cf. Titus 1:3), slightly modifies his customary “by the will of God” (see 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy). He may use “command” rather than “will” to allude to the fact that Timothy, too, is under orders (v. 18). Paul’s apostolic consciousness (cf. 1 Cor 15:8–10) led him to view his ministry as grounded in the will and command of God rather than in mere human appointment (Acts 9:1–31; Gal 1:1). Consequently, Timothy and the readers of the letter should receive it as an authoritative apostolic missive. Paul’s apostolic calling involves the worldwide proclamation of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ (Rom 16:26).

The phrase “God our Savior” brings together the Jewish and Hellenistic contexts interfacing in the present letter (cf. 2:3; §3.3). The OT frequently speaks of God as Savior. In the first century, “Savior” was a title regularly attributed to rulers, including Roman emperors such as Nero (AD 54–68). Paul, by contrast, maintains that the Christian God, and he alone, is “our Savior” (including himself within the purview of salvation), rejecting competing claims by contemporaneous savior figures. “God our Savior” is linked with “Christ Jesus our hope.” In NT terms, hope is much more than a vague wish; it is a confident expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promises. In the present passage, Paul may refer to the expectation of Christ’s second coming (Titus 2:13), eternal life (Titus 1:2; 3:7), or both.

1:2 This is the first of only four instances in the letters to Timothy where Timothy is mentioned by name (cf. v. 18; 6:20; 2 Tim 1:2). Paul tenderly refers to Timothy as his “true (γνήσιος) son in the faith” (Titus 1:4; Phil 4:3; 2 Cor 8:8; cf. 1 Cor 4:17). The cognate adverb is used in Phil 2:20, where Paul announces his intention to send Timothy to the Philippians and writes, “For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely (γνησίως) care about your interests.” The expression “true son” could, but need not necessarily, imply that Paul led Timothy to faith in Christ (cf. 2 Tim 1:5; 3:15). In Acts 16:1–2, upon his initial encounter with Paul (AD 49–50), Timothy is already referred to as “a disciple” (μαθητής), though it’s possible that Timothy had contact with Paul at an earlier occasion, such as Paul’s first visit to Lystra (Acts 14:8–20). Most likely, “true son in the faith” means that Timothy genuinely reproduces Paul’s own spiritual characteristics as a natural son would reflect the natural characteristics of his father.

Paul’s first letter to Timothy was written about fifteen years after Paul’s initial encounter with Timothy. If Timothy was a young man in his mid-twenties when he first met the apostle, he would have been about forty years of age at the time of writing (cf. the reference to Timothy’s “youth” in 1 Tim 4:12). The apostle would have been in his late fifties or early sixties. The respective designations “apostle . . . son” therefore indicate both the different degrees of authority (nowhere is Timothy called “brother”) and the affectionate relationship between these two men of God. As his life and ministry draw to a close, Paul seeks to preserve his legacy through his adoptive son in the faith. The phrase “true son” thus legitimizes Timothy as Paul’s rightful successor in the church (cf. Titus 1:4) without imposing on their relationship a tight formal doctrine of apostolic succession as later became characteristic of Roman Catholic dogma (§1.3). “The faith,” a common expression in the LTT, refers to the Christian faith and the body of teaching it encompasses.

The blessing “grace, mercy, and peace” (cf. 2 Tim 1:2; 2 John 1:3) takes the place of the more common “grace and peace.” “Grace” (χάρις) corresponds to the Greek word for “greeting” (χαίρειν), yet Paul uses it in the distinctly Christian sense of “God’s unmerited favor.” “Mercy” (ἔλεος, which may echo the Hebrew hesed, “lovingkindness”) is added here as well as in 2 Timothy, possibly reflecting the difficult nature of Timothy’s assignment. Note that later in the letter it’s implied that Timothy wasn’t awarded the respect due him owing to his relative youth (1 Tim 4:12) and that in the second letter Paul seems to intimate that Timothy is timid and needs encouragement (2 Tim 1:7). Mercy also features prominently later in the chapter when Paul recites his own testimony (vv. 13, 16). “Peace” (εἰρήνη) corresponds to the Hebrew shalôm, expressing the notion of a wholesome relationship with God and others. The final phrase “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” points to the source of all blessings (cf. 2 Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4). The threefold reference to Christ Jesus in the opening greeting attests to the strong Christological focus of the letter.[188]

Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation - Biblical Theology for Christian Proclamation: Commentary on 1-2 Timothy and Titus. <~~~ Wordsearch footnote? hehehe...Oh well!

DAL