Up to Date (1-2 Timothy, Titus)
Catching Up on the Latest Biblical Commentaries (2019-2024)
This is a series called “Up to Date,” where I do a sweeping survey of the latest and greatest biblical commentaries. In 2020, I published a little book called The New Testament Commentary Guide: A Brief Handbook for Students and Pastors (Lexham Press, 2020). I’m proud of my “little orange book,” but a resource like this gets outdated. If you are looking for commentary classics and “best picks” I suggest picking up my book. In this Substack series though, I will be looking at what has been published in the last five years (2019-2024).
Important Recent 1-2 Timothy, Titus Commentaries
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It’s difficult to find a good 1-2 Timothy, Titus commentary, because there is so much debate over authorship, date of composition, nature of false teaching, and how to handle 1 Tim 2 and issues related to gender and authority. So, choose carefully, even if you don’t appreciate my picks! BTW - I don’t always choose a commentary because I agree with it 100%, but often there is some aspect of the commentary I find insightful in the picks I choose for this series.
Christopher Hutson (Paideia)
Hutson is an expert in Greco-Roman context and helps bring the text to life with interconnections to the world of its time.
Paul Trebilco, Simon Rae, and Deolito Vistar (Asia Bible Commentary)
This one is just on 1 Timothy, but Trebilco et al are very thoughtful about how the situation of these ancient letters relates to theological and pastoral challenges faced by Asian church communities today. The authors are scholars based in New Zealand; Vistar appears to be originally from the Philippines.
Stanley Porter (Baker Academic)
At nearly 1000 pages, this is an indepth commentary, digging into the Greek text with an interest in “linguistically-informed exegesis.” I have not had a chance to use this commentary (came out Oct 2023), but endorsers include Cindy Westfall and Craig Keener.
A Note on Women Scholars and 1-2 Timothy, Titus
I am personally disappointed that more women have not been invited to write commentaries for major series on these important Pauline letters. For those looking for a female voice and insight, check out the commentaries by Jouette Bassler (Abingdon), Aida Spencer (NCCS), and Linda Belleville (Cornerstone). And while the New Word Biblical Themes (Zondervan) series is not a commentary series, I am pleased to report that Lucy Peppiatt will be writing the volume on 1-2 Timothy, Titus, and I am very excited to see her work on these texts. Also, Sydney Tooth and I are co-writing a commentary on these texts for the Reading the NT series (edited by Todd Still).
Coming Soon (or Not So Soon)
Here are some commentaries that are coming in the future. No clear timeline or release dates for these.
Chris Hoklotubbe (NIGTC)
Nijay K. Gupta and Sydney Tooth (Reading the NT, Second Series)
G.K. Beale and Chris Beetham (ZECNT)
John T. Fitzgerald (Hermeneia)
Up next: stay tuned for new commentaries on Philemon next week!
I‘ve made a Logos Wishlist of all your commentary recommendations, so I can track them and purchase them when there‘s a sale. This month? The ICC Matthew Commentary.
It is hard to find solid reading on Titus. Most resources I find seem to be written out of context. Like you said there is so much debate. I’ll set these recommendations and do some research. Thanks!