N.T. Wright’s Commentary on Galatians
A closer look at this major biblical commentary from N.T. Wright.
The debut volume in a new commentary series from Eerdmans called Commentaries for Christian Formation is a 439-page exposition of Galatians from none other than N.T. Wright. As those familiar with Wright’s work might expect, this commentary is not only rigorously academic and intellectually challenging, but also warmly pastoral and encouraging.
It occurred to me when I was about halfway through this commentary that Galatians provides a rather unique landscape where many of the key themes in Wright’s work over the years have an opportunity to overlap and interact. His intimate knowledge of the historical context of the ancient world, expertise in the field of Pauline studies, and focus on inaugurated eschatology and the kingdom of God (just to name a few) are all necessary for a thorough study of Galatians. What this means is that in this commentary we have one of the world’s most respected biblical scholars in some of his most familiar territory, and he certainly makes the most of it.
Overview
I think my favorite part of this commentary was Wright’s introduction. In a brief but jam-packed forty-two pages, Wright sets the stage both historically and theologically for Paul’s powerful letter to the church in Galatia. He does this by clearly describing the situation in Galatia at the time this letter was written (certain details of which I had never fully grasped before) followed by a summation of Paul’s response, including certain elements of the letter that Wright argues have been historically misinterpreted by the church, including “the great reformers like Luther and Calvin, Tyndale and Cranmer, (who) were doing their best to give biblical answers to the questions of their day; but again and again that pushed them to assume that the biblical writers were addressing the same questions that they were, and to ignore the first-century questions they were actually asking.”
I would strongly suggest that readers of Galatians resist the temptation to skip over the introduction and get straight to Wright’s exposition of the text itself. To do so would be to miss some of this commentary’s best moments.
From there, Wright dives in, marching verse-by-verse through Galatians in a comprehensive way that leaves no stone in the text unturned. He refuses to isolate certain passages from the letter as a whole, instead opting to show how Paul’s train of thought connects and develops from one section to the next, and, as mentioned above, he doesn’t shy away from mentioning those whom he thinks have missed what Paul was actually getting at.
One of the most common refrains from Wright is about eschatology and soteriology, namely that the context of Galatians is “emphatically not about ‘how to get saved’ or ‘how to go to heaven.’” Instead, Wright invites readers to see how Paul’s focus in Galatians is much more about defining who the people of God are, and more importantly, the necessity for there to be unity in the church.
Naturally, the exegesis of Galatians offers Wright several opportunities to explore Paul’s use of the Greek word pistis, a common theme in the so-called “new perspective” on Paul that Wright is often associated with. There are countless articles and books out there worth reading on this topic, including several by Wright, but I thought that he offered a rather concise and effective summation while focusing on Galatians 3:15-29 when he said, “Paul insists that the badge that God’s people wear, which enables the whole family to recognize one another as members, is pistis, faith or faithfulness — the faithfulness of the Messiah to the divine purpose, and the answering faith and faithfulness of believers.”
One pleasant surprise for me was Wright’s insight about the Holy Spirit. I took about nine or ten pages of notes as I read this commentary, and looking back, there’s quite a lot there from what he had to say about the Spirit, particularly in Galatians 3 and 5. I suppose I don’t necessarily think of Wright as someone who focuses all that much on the Holy Spirit in his writing, but his analysis of Paul’s mention of the Spirit here in Galatians certainly gave me a lot to think about.
Focus on Formation
As the title suggests, the Commentaries for Christian Formation series is focused on faith formation. “Some series focus on exegesis, some on preaching, some on teaching, and some on application,” says Eerdmans. “This new series integrates all these aims, serving the church by showing how sound theological exegesis can underwrite preaching and teaching, which in turn forms believers in the faith.” So the goal is not only to explore the text, but also to make strides toward thoughtful application in today’s world. As Wright says in his introduction, the task was to enable readers “to see how this all works out in detail and apply it widely and creatively to ecclesial and personal life.”
The way this works in practice – at least in this inaugural volume by Wright – is that each section of the commentary has a short conclusion that focuses on Christian formation. For example, Wright spends fifty-three pages exploring Galatians 2:1-11 in a familiar, verse-by-verse style that academic commentaries are known for, followed by a seven-page conclusion in which he reflects on how this section of the letter might shape Christian formation in today’s world (note: this is the longest of such conclusions; most of the others are no more than two or three pages). That’s not to say that Wright does not mention Christian formation at all in his exegetical analysis of the text, but the majority of this reflection comes in the closing pages of each section. I would say that 80-90% of this commentary fits squarely within the mold of other well-known commentary series, but there is certainly ample space given for thoughtful reflection on and application of the text in today’s world.
I actually think this added focus on formation is a strength for N.T. Wright. I first learned about this commentary from Wright himself when he mentioned it last year while I was studying as a visiting scholar at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. During the term that I was there, Wright taught through Philippians on Monday mornings. Having read many of his books, I was anticipating a rigorous exposition of the epistle, and Professor Wright did not disappoint (I’m pretty sure he was teaching us directly from a Greek New Testament). What I was not prepared for, however, was just how warm and inspiring his teaching would be. Every Monday morning, I found myself chuckling along with Wright’s subtle and often self-deprecating humor. And at the end of each session, usually in the last minute or two, Wright would bring his teaching to a close with a heartfelt and pastoral conclusion that often left me with a lump in my throat.
Reading Wright’s commentary on Galatians reminded me very much of listening to him teach through Philippians in person at Oxford. Being able to balance expert critical analysis with pastoral warmth and encouragement is not an easy task, but N.T. Wright does it here with great skill.
Final Thoughts
This is a robust and practical commentary on Galatians from one of our greatest Biblical scholars. I have a feeling that it will make its way into the libraries of pastors and professors around the world, but it will also be right at home on the coffee tables of everyday people looking to go a bit deeper into their study of the Bible. I highly recommend it.
— Tim Wildsmith
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