1 and 2 Peter and Jude

Thomas Schreiner’s 2020 Christian Standard Commentary is a genuine and worthwhile revision of his respected 2003 New American Commentary. The volume is approximately five per cent longer overall, but the expansion is concentrated in the introductions, newer scholarship, and selected disputed passages: the introductions grow by about ten per cent, while the commentary proper increases by only about three per cent. The CSC retains Schreiner’s traditional conclusions concerning Petrine and Jacobean authorship, biblical authority, final judgment, perseverance, complementarian marriage, and the theological unity of Scripture, but presents them within the series’ more explicitly literary, canonical, Christ-centred, and Trinitarian framework, using the CSB rather than the NIV and adding clearer headings, section outlines, fuller bibliographies, and several indexes. The introduction to 1 Peter is especially improved, with a more developed theological overview of Christians as suffering exiles, restored Israel, God’s new temple, and heirs of an imperishable inheritance, together with a more nuanced account of persecution that recognises both social hostility and possible legal action, physical abuse, and sexual violence without positing an empire-wide policy. Schreiner also engages newer reconstructions of the audience, cautious Christian resistance to imperial claims, and the social significance of their identity as exiles. His treatment of wives in 1 Peter 3 retains its complementarian conclusion but now stresses voluntary rather than coerced submission, the wife’s overriding allegiance to Christ, the subversive character of refusing her husband’s gods, and the crucial distinction between the constrained circumstances of first-century women and modern situations in which abuse should not simply be endured. Trinitarian and Christological implications are drawn out more consistently, including the Father’s electing work, the Son’s redemption, the Spirit’s sanctification, and the application of Yahweh texts to Jesus. The 2 Peter introduction now offers a fuller defence of the letter against charges of legalism, deficient Christology, “early Catholicism,” and escape from the material world; substantially expands the evidence for authenticity and early reception; strengthens the critique of the “transparent fiction” or testament theory; and exercises greater restraint in identifying the opponents as Gnostic, Epicurean, or members of another precisely defined movement. The Jude material similarly incorporates newer scholarship on its libertine opponents, its relationship to 2 Peter, and its difficult textual problems. Most notably, Schreiner changes his preferred interpretation of Jude 5: whereas the NAC favoured the Father as the one who delivered Israel from Egypt, the CSC follows the stronger reading “Jesus saved a people out of Egypt” and understands this as evidence that Jesus shares the identity and functions of Yahweh. Jude 22–23 also receives a fuller and more cautious discussion of its two- or three-group textual traditions. Overall, the CSC is a carefully refreshed, selectively expanded, and more pastorally and theologically nuanced edition whose greatest gains lie in its introductions, engagement with recent scholarship, historical sensitivity, and treatment of contested passages.

Schreiner’s commentary impressively brings together informed exegesis and theological reflection. This up-to-date volume pays special attention to balancing scholarship with practical application. In his characteristically articulate way, Schreiner carefully guides readers through 2 Peter and Jude, illuminating both the historic meaning and contemporary significance of these two practical yet profound epistles. Schreiner focuses on the theological structure and content of the epistles, blending careful attention to the text, theological analysis, and thoughtful application. [Full Review]

This is essentially a revised edition of his commentary in the NAC series. Schreiner is phenomenal, as always. He is remarkably concise and insightful at the same time. Use this and Jobes together!