The Letters To Philemon The Colossians And The Ephesians

This title offers an innovative way of looking at Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon as inter-related documents written at different levels of moral discourse. The author also analyses these documents as examples of Asiatic rhetoric.

F.F. Bruce's study of the Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians constitute a single volume in The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Prepared by some of the world's leading scholars, the series provides an exposition of the New Testament books that is thorough and scholarly while faithful to the infallible Word of God.

The letters Paul wrote to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, have one feature in common that distinguishes them from the other letters he wrote: in them, Paul calls himself a prisoner. This thought-provoking study examines closely the metaphorical and literal meaning of Paul's "bonds and chains". Through analysis of the letters themselves, Caird considers whether Paul was actually behind bars when he wrote them (and if so, in which prison or prisons), whether he may have been referring to himself figuratively as a "prisoner of Jesus Christ," and whether he was the actual author of all four letters. In assessing these issues, Caird outlines each letter's intended audience, vocabulary, style, historical setting, literary references, and theology.

Exhibiting the same brilliant exegesis and sound practical insight found in his previous works, noted commentator Douglas J. Moo in this new volume not only explains accurately the meaning of the letters to the Colossians and to Philemon but also applies that meaning powerfully to twenty-first-century readers. Moo both interacts with the Greek text of these letters and clearly explains the English text to a contemporary audience. Informed, evangelical, methodologically astute, and displaying a careful balance between good scholarship and pastoral concern -- earmarks of the Pillar New Testament Commentary series as a whole -- Moo's Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon will offer insights to a wide range of readers, from teachers and students, to pastors and parishioners, to scholars and laypersons.

Modern translations have made it clearer than ever that many of Paul's assumptions and ideas are utterly foreign to us. This commentary guides the reader into a new understanding of Paul's letters and a new appreciation of his theology and ethics as having meaning for us in today's world. Paul is important at two levels. At the level of events, it was he who brought the Church out of its Jewish cocoon. At the level of doctrine, it was Paul who first provided a way of formulating the significance of Jesus which made it possible to universalize his mission. Paul also brought simplicity and directness into the relationship of the individual with God. Finally, Paul, the Hellenistic Jew, was able to go far in expressing the Christian gospel in terms congenial to Greeks to launch the Church's teaching safely on non-semitic waters. - Jacket flap.

Making use of his scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Tom Wright captures the verve and sparkle of these letters. Paul wrote the letters while in prison facing possible death, but their passion and energy are undimmed. They reveal Paul's longing to see young churches grow in faith and understanding, rooted in Jesus himself, and to see this faith worked out in practice. Wright's stimulating comments are combined with his own fresh and inviting translation of the text. Tom Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the back of the book. The series is suitable for group study, personal study, or daily devotions.