# Colossians commentaries



## timfost (Oct 1, 2018)

Hi all,

I'm getting ready to teach a series on Colossians in my church. Commentaries I currently have:

1. Calvin
2. Davenant
3. Hendriksen

What are your favorites?

Thanks!


----------



## Ask Mr. Religion (Oct 1, 2018)

Two that I find informative and edifying:
https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Colossians-Philemon-Testament-Commentary-ebook/dp/B0028085D4/

https://www.amazon.com/Epistles-Colossians-Philemon-Ephesians-ebook/dp/B003HHQ0X4/

I have heard good things about O'Brien's WBC, too, but do not own it.


----------



## Dachaser (Oct 1, 2018)

timfost said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm getting ready to teach a series on Colossians in my church. Commentaries I currently have:
> 
> ...


One older author who was held in high regard for his work on Colossians was J.B. Lightfoot.


----------



## py3ak (Oct 1, 2018)

Those are all good commentaries. Depending on how much time you have, there's lots of material that could be added. I think at the top of the list would be:

James Fergusson (https://www.worldcat.org/title/epis...-to-the-hebrews-by-david-dickson/oclc/4871968)

This commentary is not hard to acquire, and will repay you very well on every book it covers. 

Robert Rollock and Edward Elton are very good, and I haven't found it redundant to read both. Nicholas Byfield is also helpful. 

A recent commentary that would be helpful is Marianne Meye Thompson, _Colossians and Philemon_ in the Two Horizons series.

Reactions: Informative 1


----------



## Smeagol (Oct 1, 2018)

timfost said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm getting ready to teach a series on Colossians in my church. Commentaries I currently have:
> 
> ...


I vote Matthew Henry!


----------



## Regi Addictissimus (Oct 1, 2018)

timfost said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm getting ready to teach a series on Colossians in my church. Commentaries I currently have:
> 
> ...


Peter T O'Brien is always worth consulting, if you can find his commentaries. The whole plagiarism scandal made his books hard to obtain.

John Eadie is one of my favorite commentators on Paul's Epistles. He will not let you down.
https://www.christianbook.com/comme...ohn-eadie/9781599250069/pd/250063?event=ESRCG
Or
https://www.amazon.com/Colossians-John-Eadie/dp/0865240671


----------



## Dachaser (Oct 1, 2018)

Reformed Bookworm said:


> Peter T O'Brien is always worth consulting, if you can find his commentaries. The whole plagiarism scandal made his books hard to obtain.
> 
> John Eadie is one of my favorite commentators on Paul's Epistles. He will not let you down.
> https://www.christianbook.com/comme...ohn-eadie/9781599250069/pd/250063?event=ESRCG
> ...


I read Eerdmans statement on Peter O'Brien, but who actually did he steal from to use in his books?


----------



## Contra_Mundum (Oct 1, 2018)

Dachaser said:


> I read Eerdmans statement on Peter O'Brien, but who actually did he *steal *from to use in his books?


I believe the proper term is "plagiarize," and the author's personal response to having the apparent non-credited borrowing pointed out commends him, rather than adding to his shame. To my knowledge, he fully owned the missing references, took responsibility for carelessness in publication, didn't blame his editors or proofreaders; he even approved the full recall of unsold inventory, as I recall. This was all immediate, and not damage control.

His scholarly reputation may never recover, and I do not know what financial harm he must bear. But in his moral reputation, he far outshines quite a few others well known for denial, blameshifting, and blatant-obvious extensive and inexcusable plagiarism.

Here's a charitable comment from a random blogger (thanks, internet-search-engine!): http://www.unashamedworkman.org/art...what-to-do-with-my-Peter-obrien-commentaries/

Reactions: Like 2 | Amen 2


----------



## Guido's Brother (Oct 1, 2018)

I found David Pao and David Garland both helpful.


----------



## Taylor (Oct 1, 2018)

Grant Jones said:


> I vote Matthew Henry!



Isn't he just kind of an assumed recommendation here?

Reactions: Funny 1


----------



## Smeagol (Oct 1, 2018)

Taylor Sexton said:


> Isn't he just kind of an assumed recommendation here?


Absolutely, but I got a strange body twitch when I did not see his name up there in Tim’s top three. As soon as I posted Henry’s name the twitch went away

Reactions: Funny 2


----------



## timfost (Oct 1, 2018)

Thank you all for the recommendations!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## bookslover (Oct 2, 2018)

Contra_Mundum said:


> I believe the proper term is "plagiarize," and the author's personal response to having the apparent non-credited borrowing pointed out commends him, rather than adding to his shame. To my knowledge, he fully owned the missing references, took responsibility for carelessness in publication, didn't blame his editors or proofreaders; he even approved the full recall of unsold inventory, as I recall. This was all immediate, and not damage control.
> 
> His scholarly reputation may never recover, and I do not know what financial harm he must bear. But in his moral reputation, he far outshines quite a few others well known for denial, blameshifting, and blatant-obvious extensive and inexcusable plagiarism.
> 
> Here's a charitable comment from a random blogger (thanks, internet-search-engine!): http://www.unashamedworkman.org/art...what-to-do-with-my-Peter-obrien-commentaries/



I've read that his accuser was a person who doesn't exactly have clean hands himself. I also think Eerdmans should have stepped up to the plate and allowed O'Brien to re-edit the offending commentaries, straightening out the problems. He's a fine scholar who, I think, didn't get a fair shake from his publisher (whatever his problems).


----------



## Dachaser (Oct 2, 2018)

bookslover said:


> I've read that his accuser was a person who doesn't exactly have clean hands himself. I also think Eerdmans should have stepped up to the plate and allowed O'Brien to re-edit the offending commentaries, straightening out the problems. He's a fine scholar who, I think, didn't get a fair shake from his publisher (whatever his problems).


What usually happens to someone caught doing what he was doing? Will he find it almost impossible to have any of his books published again, or to be used for reference texts?


----------



## Regi Addictissimus (Oct 2, 2018)

Dachaser said:


> What usually happens to someone caught doing what he was doing? Will he find it almost impossible to have any of his books published again, or to be used for reference texts?


It would be very hard for him to bounce back. It's unfortunate because he has had a long career. He is a very good commentator. I also think many will overlook him as an academic resource in their bibliography. Although, I actually saw his Colossians commentary referenced in a scholarly work that was recently published.


----------



## Contra_Mundum (Oct 2, 2018)

Reformed Bookworm said:


> It would be very hard for him to bounce back. It's unfortunate because *he has had a long career*. He is a very good commentator. I also think many will overlook him as an academic resource in their bibliography. Although, I actually saw his Colossians commentary referenced in a scholarly work that was recently published.


When these charges were levelled, in 2016, the man must have been about 81yrs old (born 1935 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_O'Brien_(theologian) ).

I truly believe this man was operating on an older paradigm, one where collegiality in scholarship was a given, when the date one published (before or after the other) was of lesser moment. Really, it could come down to men exchanging letters with their ideas spread all over and back and forth, and one man's work gets to the publishers sooner than the other. The second man is expected to reference the other? Maybe it really was his idea in the first place.

In any case, it was once true that certain technical data was just so; like 2+2=4, do I have to footnote that by some textbook I learned it from in kindergarten? I'm not excusing him or myself, or anything; I'm just observing that our time is a credit-demanding, self-righteous era, full of legalists of all stripes.

The standards are what they are, evolved to what they've evolved to be. And we live in the providential place assigned to us, under these rules. So, Mr. O'Brien graciously conceded the point. What does he care what lots of folk--who don't know him or didn't benefit from his mentoring over half-a-century of labor--think. I doubt Christ regards him (or ever regarded him) as a thief.

Given the high praise of his commentaries, I wish I had one.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## bookslover (Oct 3, 2018)

Contra_Mundum said:


> When these charges were levelled, in 2016, the man must have been about 81yrs old (born 1935 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_O'Brien_(theologian) ).
> 
> I truly believe this man was operating on an older paradigm, one where collegiality in scholarship was a given, when the date one published (before or after the other) was of lesser moment. Really, it could come down to men exchanging letters with their ideas spread all over and back and forth, and one man's work gets to the publishers sooner than the other. The second man is expected to reference the other? Maybe it really was his idea in the first place.
> 
> ...



Well said, Bruce, which is why I'm keeping my copy of his 1999 commentary on Ephesians.


----------



## Jonathan R (Oct 3, 2018)

I can likewise commend John Eadie. It is a very good one to have, the even whole set if you can get it.


----------



## greenbaggins (Oct 4, 2018)

I will not sell my O'Brien commentaries. https://greenbaggins.wordpress.com/2016/08/20/p-t-obrien-and-plagiarism/


----------

