In any case, one might wonder, is there anything new to say?<\/em> I wondered the same, but I am happy to report that Boer brings a fresh reading to the text, quite unique and engaging. This can be quite jarring at times, as he experiments with various new theories, but for those of us who have trudged through many a commentary on Galatians, it is like a breath of fresh air to see a scholar thinking outside the box and offering new readings of old texts.<\/p>\n Anyone who has read Boer before knows that he neither favors the Lutheran\/traditional camp on Paul, nor the so-called New Perspective, but a \u201cPaul and Apocalyptic\u201d camp that has people like Ernst K\u00e4semann, Lou Martyn, and Chris Beker as forefathers (and current campers like Beverly Gaventa, Douglas Campbell, and John Barclay; I would say people like Mike Gorman and Jimmy Dunn [and me] are \u201capocalyptic-lite\u201d \u2013 warm to these cosmic issues, but not \u201cfull-blown\u201d). Indeed, Boer does a rather fine job of taking something like Martyn\u2019s perspective on Galatians in his Anchor commentary and distilling it, while still offering some unique insights on particular verses.<\/p>\n Here are some distinctives of Boer\u2019s commentary<\/p>\n Gal 1:3-5 \u2013 Boer has an excursus on \u201cGalatians and Apocalyptic Eschatology\u201d which is one of the finest short essays on this \u201capocalyptic\u201d perspective I have read (31-35). One distinctive of this view is seeing evil powers, and \u201cSin\u201d and \u201cDeath\u201d in particular, as the enemies of God from whom he liberates enslaved humanity: \u201cFor Paul, the problem that needs to be addressed is not so much \u2018sins,\u2019 transgressions of divinely given commandments, as Sin, a malevolent enslaving and godlike power under which all human beings are held captive\u201d (p. 35).<\/p>\n Gal 1:16 \u2013 Was God pleased to reveal his Son to<\/em> Paul (focusing on his recognition of Christ), or to reveal his Son through<\/em> Paul (as Gospel herald)? Boer says: neither! Boer reads this as God being pleased to reveal his Son within<\/em> Paul, meaning that the revelation of Christ inside of Paul<\/em> brought an end to Paul\u2019s former life, and launched a whole new life as a part of new creation: \u201cGod entered into the life of Paul, the persecutor of God\u2019s church and an extremely zealous, law-observant Pharisee, in order to bring that manner of life to a complete and irrevocably end\u2026One manner of life had been utterly destroyed, and new one had taken its place\u201d (93). While this reading fits Boer\u2019s apocalyptic stance, I am not sure all of that can be read into this statement.<\/p>\n Gal 2:16 \u2013 pistis Christou \u2013 <\/em>it probably will not surprise you that Boer prefers the subjective genitive reading of the \u201cfaith of Christ,\u201d as many apocalyptic-Pauline interpreters (like Martyn and Campbell) have a similar approach. From Boer\u2019s perspective, the new age has been ushered in by the \u201cfaith[fullness] of Christ\u201d \u2013 \u201chis atoning death on a cross\u201d (p. 150).<\/p>\n One of the challenges in the apocalyptic frame of interpretation is that it focuses too much on discontinuity with the OT\/Judaism, while people like Dunn might appear to be guilty of the opposite \u2013 too much continuity. Boer, in my opinion, goes too far in saying that Paul was concerned with the law (Torah) because it was, itself, \u201cone of these cosmic powers\u201d that enslaved mortals (p 210). There was no way to obey it because it was a cursing entity, according to Boer. Later, Boer tries to have Paul make this case by (the apostle) modifying the LXX of Deut 21:23 to say that \u201cAccursed is everyone who hangs on a tree\u201d rather than \u201cCursed by God<\/em> is everyone\u2026\u201d (see p 212). Again, Boer has noticed something I never have before (the missing \u201cby God\u201d), but to conclude that Paul himself is demonizing Torah is a stretch, I think. Again, he argues that Paul viewed the law as \u201cillegitimate tampering by a third party\u201d (i.e., angels, see 228-29).<\/p>\n Boer has a creative way of dealing with Paul\u2019s more positive statement about \u201cfulfilling the law\u201d (5:14). He argues that Paul does not mean the Mosaic \u201cLaw,\u201d but the promises of God (to Abraham and others) in Scripture. Thus, Boer sees Paul separating Scripture into two kinds of \u201claw\u201d \u2013 Moses-law and Promise-law (see 344). Again, this seems far-reaching and creates more problems than it solves, although Boer shows a remarkable consistency in his approach. For example, in regards to 5:6 \u201cfaith working through love,\u201d he does not read this as our<\/em> (human) faith, but rather as \u201cChrist\u2019s faith(fullness) becoming effective through his self-giving love for us\u201d (p. 318). This fits his apocalyptic, Christo-centric hermeneutic, but I find it rather strained, as Paul has a normal interest in the faith and love of his converts (see 1 Thess 1:3; 3:6; 5:8; Philemon 5). What Boer does<\/em> have in his favor is coherence with his own reading of Gal 2:20, where he reads this in reference to the \u201cfaith(fullness) of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.\u201d Whether this is a convincing enough grounds for how to read 5:6 I will leave up to you.<\/p>\n conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n I have read and reviewed a number of volumes of the NTL series (e.g., Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Timothy, 1-2 Peter) and have felt, overall, that none of these were distinctively fresh readings, but competent representatives of standard interpretations (with Sumney\u2019s work on Colossians, perhaps, standing out a bit as exemplary). Boer has, I think, produced a truly unique volume. I very much appreciated his creativity and \u201cclose reading\u201d of the text. While I tended to disagree with him on most occasions, it was a polite disagreement, except for his one-sided demonization of Torah in Paul\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n Is this commentary worthy of acquiring? I would say that if you own Martyn, you will probably get something similar out of this. However, if you don\u2019t, it is worthwhile because it is helpful to see the \u201capocalyptic\u201d perspective, alongside the NPP and traditional ones, because it is a third perspective that has valid criticisms of both of the other camps.<\/p>\n A note about the series itself: it is rather tough to read because it follows paragraphs and pericopes, not individual verses. Also, there is little (if any!) discussion of \u201ctheology\u201d or \u201capplication.\u201d It is pretty much straight-up social\/literary\/historical exegesis. At times, I wish Boer would have drawn out implications of his readings (esp on the faithfulness of Christ, and criticism of law as evil power), but if you go in with such hopes, you will be disappointed. This is not a criticism of Boer, but a warning that the NTL is quite strictly historical-critical. If you acknowledge that in the first instance, you can read it for what it is.<\/p>\n In the end, the margins of my copy have many question marks, but I also found Boer remarkably adroit and provocative (mostly in a good way)! We should be willing to read commentaries that take alternative positions and learn within a community of scholarship. I try to read any piece of scholarship hoping to learn something, and when I do that, I often come away with good food for thought \u2014 and in this case I thank Boer for that.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Personally, I was never really attracted to the book of Galatians in my younger Christian years. There was too much anger and annoyance and hair-splitting (so I thought) in that letter over \u201cjustification.\u201d This was a scholar\u2019s debate and caused me to be soporific. Then I discovered the so-called New Perspective and I saw this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4302,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n