Colossians, 1-2, Thessalonians, 1-2, Timothy, Titus, Philemon

Christianity Today Book of the Year

For the early church fathers, certain passages in the shorter letters of St. Paul proved particularly important in doctrinal disputes and practical church matters. Pivotal in controversies with the Arians and the Gnostics, the most commented-on christological text in these letters was Colossians 1:15-20, where Jesus is declared "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

The...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830814949
• ISBN13: 9780830814947
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 2.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 7.4" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

A Good Secondary Resource

All of the commentaries in the ACCS suffer from the same defect: lack of historical and theological context. That said, Colossians is a book rich in high Christology and the patristic citations found here are hard to find elsewhere. For that alone I bought it. If you are a devotional reader of the fathers and dont mind their words being woven together without context then you too will not be disappointed.

What Christians REALLY Think

This series is probably the best commentary on Scripture in print, ever! This is not a commentary by some johnny-come-lately, nor a revisionist approach to Christianity. This is the best synthesis of how the early Christians understood not only Scripture, but Christianity itself. Whether one is Catholic or Protestant, all the doctrinal issues of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation are moot. Here, every early Christian who reflected on the Sacred Word has a say. What one discovers (if it weren't already self-evident) is that Scripture itself is a pluralistic undertaking. The idea of using Scripture as a two-edged sword is joyfully not to be found. A plurality of meanings comes alive, all of which are viable, some more meaningful "now" perhaps than "later," but ever open to further insight and understanding. Those who want a book to support their pre-understanding will not enjoy this book or this series. Rather, those who have come to understand that Scripture is a tool of the Church and a gift of the Holy Spirit, ever alive and anew to each and every age, will find nuances and ideas never thought before. It doesn't invalidate one's predisposition; it just opens the Holy Book to the immensity within it and outside of it. Therefore, it is for "spiritual" people, not for "dogmatic" people. Oh, there's plenty of "orthodoxy" in these pages, but the truth is seen symphonically, not as a solo instrument. Any Christian who ever hoped that an ancient commentary and lectio divina could come together, and haven't found it: Look no farther. This is it!