The First Epistle to the Corinthians

Barrett’s 1 Corinthians commentary likewise retains extraordinary value despite aspects of its historical reconstruction having aged. His local exegesis is consistently sharp, economical and independent, and he is particularly good at showing how pastoral controversies force Paul to articulate theological implications more fully. His treatment of the cross and divine wisdom in chapters 1–2 is especially strong, as is his explanation of chapter 9 as Paul’s own exemplification of voluntarily surrendering legitimate rights for the sake of others. The older tendency to interpret some Corinthian phenomena against a proto-Gnostic background is now much less persuasive, but the exegetical judgments regularly survive the reconstruction that originally accompanied them. Barrett remains an ideal commentary to read alongside a modern work.

An important and influential commentary. Fee once dubbed it the best available commentary on 1 Corinthians. Fee's own work has surpassed this one, as have a few who followed Fee (Hays, Thiselton). But Barrett's contributions in the Black's series are still important in the history of interpretation of 1 & 2 Corinthians.

 

Barrett's commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians falls into the "intermediate" range of difficulty. Most students will find it accessible, but if you are coming to the text for the first time, there are other commentaries that would make a better place to begin (See Barnett above). For pastors or teachers who are working through 1 Corinthians, however, Barrett's work should not be missed. [Full Review]