2 Corinthians

Garland’s Christian Standard Commentary on 2 Corinthians is a thoroughly revised and moderately expanded version of his respected 1999 New American Commentary volume. The CSC contains approximately 220,000 words, compared with about 206,000 in the NAC—an increase of roughly 7 percent—but the introduction remains almost exactly the same length, so most of the additional material appears in the commentary proper, which is about 6 percent longer. The basic exegetical framework remains intact: Garland continues to defend the literary unity of 2 Corinthians, regard the tearful letter as lost, treat 6:14–7:1 as an integral Pauline passage, and interpret Paul’s ministry through the cross-shaped pattern of divine power displayed in human weakness. The revision nevertheless incorporates more than two decades of scholarship, including major newer commentaries and studies of Pauline rhetoric, union with Christ, the use of the Old Testament, Corinthian social identity, spiritual warfare, Christology, and the composition of the letter. It is also substantially better organised: detailed section outlines now guide readers through the argument, much of the structural material formerly confined to an appendix is integrated into the exposition, and four clearly identified excursuses address union with Christ, the structure of 6:14–7:1, the significance of the Jerusalem collection, and whether chapter 9 was originally a separate letter. Garland also expands his treatment of new creation and participation in Christ and occasionally sharpens or revises earlier conclusions, most notably distinguishing Satan’s hostile purpose in giving Paul the thorn from God’s subsequent defeat and redirection of that affliction for Paul’s humility and reliance on divine grace. The result is scholarly without becoming inaccessible, explicitly theological and Trinitarian without neglecting historical and grammatical exegesis, and especially useful for pastors because Garland consistently relates Paul’s suffering, integrity, authority, reconciliation, generosity, and weakness to the realities of Christian ministry. Readers who already own the NAC will recognise much of the material, but the CSC is fuller, more current, better structured, and now the definitive edition of Garland’s commentary.

Carson described Garland’s 1999 commentary in the NAC series as “probing in the theological arena.” The revised edition includes more than a hundred additional pages, showing the author’s careful engagement with the last two decades of scholarship. Garland’s prose is incisive and compelling, and his emphasis is on how Paul clarifies the implications of the gospel. [Full Review]