Epistles of John (New International Commentary on the New Testament)

Rating:
Summary: Superb scholarship and a little fluff
Review: I. Howard Marshall's commentary on the Epistles of John has much to commend it to the pastor, Bible teacher, or scholar. His treatment of the passages is thorough, and his text critical footnotes are helpful. The only problem with the commentary is the bit of fluff that it contains. Marshall tends to interject his scholarship with things like old hymn lyrics, which the reader may not find helpful, yet this book is highly recommended based on both scholarship and readability.

Rating:
Summary: Superb scholarship and a little fluff
Review: I. Howard Marshall's commentary on the Epistles of John has much to commend it to the pastor, Bible teacher, or scholar. His treatment of the passages is thorough, and his text critical footnotes are helpful. The only problem with the commentary is the bit of fluff that it contains. Marshall tends to interject his scholarship with things like old hymn lyrics, which the reader may not find helpful, yet this book is highly recommended based on both scholarship and readability.

Rating:
Summary: 1 John 5_7
Review: Marshall's commentary on the three epistles on John is an outstanding commentary. It is a commentary that is useful to the scholar as well as the lay preacher. This commentary, like others written on the epistles of John, seems to avoide the issue on 1 John 5:7. All the commentators seem to be following the likes of Westcott and Hort, and refuse to comment on this verse. The part of the verse I would like to discuss here is the Johannine Comma. Marshall says, 'This form of wording appears in no reputable modern version of the Bible as the actual text.'(pg. 236) I disagree for it was removed by the heretics of Alexandria, and was in the original. I will agree with Jerome for he says that the Johannine Comma was omitted through design rather than a mistake, and I will go one step further and say that Satan was behind the removal of this text. The Johannine Comma can be found in St. Cyprian's 'The Treatises of St Cyprian, On the Unity of the Church, sec.V.p.135.Oxford Edition. 1876,' where he writes, " The Lord says, "I and the Father are one; "and again it is written of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, "And these three are one." " This was written in AD 250 long before the two Alexandrian manuscripts were written. It is sad to see that scholars and Greek grammarians have fallen for the Alexandrian reading, even though they are not the oldest manuscripts or the most accurate. I think it about time Greek grammarians and textual critics are honest with their readers, and not repeat what Westcott, Hort or Metzger say, for the former two did everything in their power to reject the Traditional Text. I ask those commentators like Marshall, Smalley, Kruse and the likes to examine the works of Cyprian and then fairly comment on the Johannine Comma.