Handley C. G. Moule (1841-1920), evangelical Anglican bishop and academic, was one of the foremost New Testament scholars in the Church of England in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The author of more than sixty books and pamphlets, Moule followed in the English scholar-bishop tradition of Lightfoot and Westcott. A. W. Handley Moule (born 1903) is a great-nephew to Handley C. G. Moule. Educated at Brighton College, he is a historian and a former Scholar of Queens' College, Cambridge. He has read for Holy Orders at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and has traveled to Palestine. After teaching for a number of years, he was ordained in 1932 and has had extensive experience in London, in Lancashire and on the Continent. Since 1943, he has served as Rector of Woolhampton, Berkshire. This book has been composed by an experienced pastor and is the product of the last nine years of intermittent literary activity in an English country Parsonage.

For nearly two years, 1934 and 1935, it was my privilege to attempt to expound the Corinthian Epistles at the regular Sunday morning gatherings, numbering from 2500 to 3500 people, in the auditorium of the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. With radio equipment these addresses were broadcast over a large stretch of territory, thus reaching many thousands more. So insistent has been the demand for their publication in printed form that I have decided to send them out in this way. The original messages were taken down by a competent reporter and have been considerably revised and shortened, as otherwise it would have taken several volumes to reproduce them. I am more firmly convinced than ever that there is need to emphasize the fundamental principles set forth in these letters given by inspiration through the apostle to the Gentiles, in order that Christians generally may be called back to the simplicity of early days. In 1 Corinthians we have the order that should prevail in Christian assemblies, while the second Epistle deals more particularly with the ministry of the church. If it please God, the addresses on that second letter will be published later. I hope my readers will not come to this book looking for a critical analysis of the Epistle. If so, they will be disappointed. The object I had in view was to expound the Word as simply as possible for the edification and instruction of plain people who have neither the time nor the learning to follow heavy and erudite comments. If any such are helped to a greater appreciation of the value of this portion of the Word of God, I shall be abundantly repaid for the time and labor required to reproduce the spoken messages. H. A. Ironside Chicago, 1938

Daniel Patte here offers a fresh literary-critical introduction to the dominant literature of the New Testament, the major letters of the apostle Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Patte invites the reader to explore these letters through several readings: an historical reading in which he reviews and critiques the results of traditional interpretations, and structural readings in which he elucidates the main characteristics of Paul's faith and discerns a system of convictions that supports Paul's theology and gives it coherence. Through this novel literary approach, Professor Patte leads the reader of these letters to a better understanding of the power of the Gospel, the relation of the Gospel to Judaism, and Paul's interpersonal view of faith. Here is an invitation to rediscover Paul's faith in all its richness!

The reputation of the NIGTC series is so outstanding that the appearance of each new volume is noteworthy. This book on 2 Corinthians is no exception. Master New Testament exegete Murray J. Harris has produced a superb commentary that analyzes the Greek text verse by verse against the backdrop of Paul's tumultuous relations with his converts at Corinth. Believing that Scripture cannot be understood theologically unless it has first been understood grammatically, Harris provides a careful, thoroughgoing reading of the text of 2 Corinthians. He gives special attention to matters of translation, making regular references not only to the standard modern English translations but also to influential older versions such as The Twentieth Century New Testament and those by Weymouth, Moffatt, and Goodspeed. His close attention to matters of textual criticism and grammar leads to discussions of the theology of 2 Corinthians that show the relevance of Paul's teaching to Christian living and church ministry. Other notable features of the book include a comprehensive introduction in which all the relevant literary and historical issues are discussed, an expanded paraphrase of the letter that conveniently shows Harris's decisions on exegetical issues and indicates the flow of Paul's argument, a chronology of the relations of Paul, Timothy, and Titus with the Corinthian church, and an excursus on Paul's "affliction in Asia" (1:8-11) and its influence on his outlook and theology.

This statement reflects the underlying purpose of The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Begun in the late 1940s by an international team of New Testament scholars, the NICNT series has become recognized by pastors, students, and scholars alike as a critical yet orthodox commentary marked by solid biblical scholarship within the evangelical Protestant tradition. While based on a thorough study of the Greek text, the commentary introductions and expositions contain a minimum of Greek references. The NICNT authors evaluate significant textual problems and take into account the most important exegetical literature. More technical aspects — such as grammatical, textual, and historical problems — are dealt with in footnotes, special notes, and appendixes. Under the general editorship of three outstanding New Testament scholars — first Ned Stonehouse (Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia), then F. F. Bruce (University of Manchester, England), and now Gordon D. Fee (Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia) — the NICNT series has continued to develop over the years. In order to keep the commentary “new” and conversant with contemporary scholarship, the NICNT volumes have been — and will be — revised or replaced as necessary. The newer NICNT volumes in particular take into account the role of recent rhetorical and sociological inquiry in elucidating the meaning of the text, and they also exhibit concern for the theology and application of the text. As the NICNT series is ever brought up to date, it will continue to find ongoing usefulness as an established guide to the New Testament text.