Pastoral Epistles: First Timothy, Second Timothy, and Titus

Jesuit biblical scholar gives a contemporary Roman Catholic scholarly and pastoral perspective on the Pastoral Epistles. [Full Review]

Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2007. Pp. xxi + 253. Hardcover. $39.95. ISBN 0814658148. Matthew D. Montonini Mentor, Ohio Benjamin Fiore, a priest in the Society of Jesus, who also has teaching responsibilities at Canisius College in Buffalo and Campion College in Regina, has offered a valuable midsize commentary on the Pastoral Epistles in the Sacra Pagina series. The series seeks to “provide sound critical analysis without any loss of sensitivity to religious meaning” (xi). Each section includes an introduction followed by an outline before arriving at the exegesis proper. Once there, the author provides his or her translation, verse-by-verse notes, finally culminating in an interpretation of the verses in question. This section ties together the exegesis provided in the notes, with valuable quotations from the early church fathers as well as contemporary reflections on how the text in question may be applied to the life of the church. Finally, each section concludes with a bibliography pointing the reader to works for further study. Fiore’s classical training under the supervision of Abraham Malherbe of Yale is put to valuable use throughout the commentary. By personal count, Fiore references over eighty Greco-Roman authors representing over 160 works. What is more remarkable is the fact that Fiore manages to use these references judiciously, rather than devolving into parallelomania. Turning to the commentary proper, Fiore provides a brief introduction to the whole of the Pastoral Epistles (5–24), outlining first his methodology and interpretive approach (5–7), followed by a discussion on the literary character of the letters (8–14). [Full Review]

Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2007. Pp. xxi + 253, Hardcover, $39.95, ISBN 0814658148. Korinna Zamfir Babeş-Bolyai University Cluj, Romania Benjamin Fiore’s commentary on the Pastoral Epistles is one of the latest volumes of the Sacra Pagina series, aiming at offering solid exegesis by prestigious Catholic scholars in the spirit of post–Vatican II biblical interpretation. The features of the series mark this volume as well. First, the series addresses not only biblical scholars but clergy, students, and religious educators as well. Second, the current commentary, just as the other volumes in the series, is less extensive compared to, for example, that of Marshall or Towner or the Continental commentaries of Oberlinner or Roloff (even when the smaller print makes it more condensed). Third, the volume also has some practical orientation, attempting to bring to surface conclusions that are still actual in the church of our days, even when, as the author admits, some of the material in the Pastoral Epistles “no longer corresponds to realities in the church today” (3). These details are meant to explain that the work reviewed here is serious, critical, most useful, yet those who work on the Pastoral Epistles will not find responses to all their questions on various details and debates, but a clear assessment of the most important issues and an excellent starting point for further studies. [Full Review]