The Letter to the Ephesians (Pillar New Testament Commentary)

Rating:
Summary: Best commentary on Ephesians
Review: I simply cannot overstate the importance of this work on Ephesians by Senior Research Fellow at Moore Th. Coll (Sydney), Peter T O'Brien. This the newest addition to the rigorous Pillar series is a gem in conservative exegesis.

O'brien convincingly takes on E. Best (Ephesians:ICC) on Pauline authorship. (In the process, O'brien singles himself out as a rare New Testament scholar who is willing to defend Pauline authorship on this letter, and again, he does so convincingly). All this, just for his section on pro-Pauline authorship! Take this is an accurate measure for the rest of his work.

O'brien is simply one of the top conservative scholars in the world today. His two other commentaries-(Colossians & Philemon:WBC), (Philippians:NIGTC), display the same sharp exegesis and profound insight as does this, his most recent commentary.

In short, I recommend you get this work ASAP, for any serious current work on Ephesians.

Rick E Aguirre Southern California ([e-mail]) <><

Rating:
Summary: Best commentary on Ephesians
Review: I simply must join in the laudatory chorus: O' Brien has definitely written the best commentary on Ephesians. It is well-written, balanced and exegetically sound and can be used with great profit also by those who can't read Greek.

Although at times the comments are wordy and at other points one would wish a longer treatment, I warmly recommend O'Brien's work without any reservation.

(I'm involved in Bible Translation in the former Soviet Union)

Rating:
Summary: Another home run by O'Brien
Review: O'Brien is a giant Pauline scholar and has already given us outstanding works on Philippians (NIGTC) and Colossians (WBC). This Pillar commentary on Ephesians is simply marvelous. The introduction is thorough and his arguments for Pauline authorship are convincing. The exegesis is lucid and well thought out.

The one thing that I do not like about the Pillar series is the transliteration of Greek. However, O'Brien has footnoted the Greek even when transliterating it in the text. Just another plus in this fantastic work! I recommend using this work along with A.T. Lincoln (WBC) and F.F. Bruce (NICNT).

By the way, look for O'Brien's forthcoming Pillar commentary on Hebrews in the near future!

Rating:
Summary: O'Brien, always solid
Review: O'Brien's Ephesians is simply wonderful. O'Brien has become one of my favorite commentators. Having been a minister, missionary, and now a professor and academic, O'Brien has a wealth of personal experience to draw on.

Not much more can be said that hasn't already been covered in terms of praise for this book. O'Brien sets down a thesis statement for the book of Ephesians, that of "the summing up all things in Christ" from the first chapter. Working with this, he expounds on Paul's understanding of that summation: namely the church, the world, and even the angelic powers. My only difficulty with reading this book was my own unfamiliarity with the Ephesian text forcing my constant need to flip back to see what was actual text being discussed.

Keeping with the Pillar Series format, O'Brien transliterates Greek words in the text proper. He does, however, provide their original Greek in the footnotes, a valuable addition that prevents me from having to backward transliterate into Greek to see what word is being discussed. Footnotes also free up the body of the text from those pesty in-line sources that break my train of thought in the paragraph. This makes the Pillar Series quite a bit easier to read then the Word Commentary Series (which is otherwise excellent).

Three cheers for O'Brien. If I can slip it in: I also recommend his Colossians and Philemon in the Word Series. I think it is the best source for these two books, despite the aforementioned in-line sources.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new but still great
Review: There's probably no better commentary on Ephesians but I must say that this commentary doesn't really add much to the study of Ephesians. Much of what O'Brien says is said by other commentators.

But I would also say that he brings together the best of what is said and known about this wonderful letter that Paul wrote. I'd easily recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new but still great
Review: There's probably no better commentary on Ephesians but I must say that this commentary doesn't really add much to the study of Ephesians. Much of what O'Brien says is said by other commentators.

But I would also say that he brings together the best of what is said and known about this wonderful letter that Paul wrote. I'd easily recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Commentary
Review: This is a really great commentary on Ephesians. I went through it with a bible study and it was extremely helpful. It is thorough and academic (others are probably more qualified to talk about the scholarship) but also readable and devotional. O'Brien, of course, is solidly evangelical and very well respected in the academic world. If you are looking for a commentary on Ephesians for use in a Bible study or personal devotions, this is the one, provided your group is already fairly grounded in the scriptures and in theology and is willing to invest some time into their study. Other commentaries in this same series (Carson on John etc) are also excellent.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Commentary
Review: This is a really great commentary on Ephesians. I went through it with a bible study and it was extremely helpful. It is thorough and academic (others are probably more qualified to talk about the scholarship) but also readable and devotional. O'Brien, of course, is solidly evangelical and very well respected in the academic world. If you are looking for a commentary on Ephesians for use in a Bible study or personal devotions, this is the one, provided your group is already fairly grounded in the scriptures and in theology and is willing to invest some time into their study. Other commentaries in this same series (Carson on John etc) are also excellent.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Ephesians commentaries available
Review: This is an important commentary on a wonderful letter from Paul. It completes O'Brien's trilogy of commentaries on the prison epistles. It was a rare privilege to be able to attend his Ephesians class just before the commentary was due to be published.

I find that in each of his commentaries Dr O'Brien discusses the issues fairly, while still presenting clearly, and even forcefully, his own points of view. [This is so much better than those books which present several views without ever giving away what the author thinks!]

The author is theologically conservative and presents the arguments for Paul's authorship and a compassionate, complementarian approach to the roles of men and women convincingly.

Highly recommended.