The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians (Rev. ed.)

Indeed a classic piece of evangelical literature on the Thessalonian epistles. The first edition having been written in the 50's and the update in 1991, it's hard to think that this commentary will ever be considered too outdated to be helpful. Leon Morris always seems to me to be the perfect mix of scholarly and pastoral wisdom. Theology is never neglected. Had a knack for word studies and it seems the format of the NICNT fit him perfectly. Definitely the first I read after doing my own work. Never disappointed. Get all of Morris' commentaries along the way if you can.

Indeed a classic piece of evangelical literature on the Thessalonian epistles. The first edition having been written in the 50's and the update in 1991, it's hard to think that this commentary will ever be considered too outdated to be helpful. Leon Morris always seems to me to be the perfect mix of scholarly and pastoral wisdom. Theology is never neglected. Had a knack for word studies and it seems the format of the NICNT fit him perfectly. Definitely the first I read after doing my own work. Never disappointed. Get all of Morris' commentaries along the way if you can.

I suppose this should count as cheating on my own rule of “only Five Commentaries,” but all three of these books are from Morris are worth reading. The Tyndale commentary is a revision of Morris’s 1956 commentary in the Tyndale series. Morris covers both books in a mere 152 pages, but does a good job highlighting what is important for reading and understanding the text of these letters. The commentary is based on the English text with Greek appearing in transliteration. The NICNT is also a revision of an earlier volume from the early 1960s. This is definitely the “first off the shelf” commentary. The newer commentary updates the bibliography and interacts with Ernest Best’s work on Thessalonians. The main body of the commentary is based on the English text, Greek and other details are in the notes. It is also worth seeking out Morris’s contribution to the Word Biblical Themes series written in 1989. This is little book is a biblical theology, drawing out several key themes of importance in the letters. I find his comments on the eschatology of 1-2 Thessalonians refreshing, and judging from the underlining in my copy of the book, I have stolen learned a great deal from Morris. [Full Review]