(Part 1)

JBTM Book Reviews
113
syntax, however, might find one helpful because they will have read about the categories
but have not yet mastered their meaning and significance. Such students will need to keep a
grammar nearby.
I highly recommend Forbes’s work, along with the other volumes in this series. Studying
them together with the Greek text is like a return to seminary, where the student can watch a
favorite professor exegete and explain the text—minus tuition. A sign of great teachers is that
they not only provide answers, but also demonstrate a method of how to find answers. Those
who work through this text will discover that they will leave with a greater understanding not
only of the text of 1 Peter, but also of the Greek language and ultimately with an improved
ability to understand other New Testament writings in Greek.
- Samuel R. Pelletier, Truett-McConnell College, Cleveland, Georgia
2 Corinthians. By Ralph P. Martin. Word Biblical Commentary 40. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2014. 752 pages. Hardcover, $54.99.
Ralph Martin was able to finish the revision of this volume (originally published in 1986)
before his death in 2013. Martin served as the general editor for the WBC series, as well as the
New Testament editor from 1977–2012. Martin also served several institutions as professor
of New Testament, including the University of Manchester, the University of Sheffield, and
Fuller Theological Seminary.
Martin explains in the preface the changes to this edition. He admits that because the first
addition required 10 years to complete, he was therefore “not inclined to meddle with the
text” of the commentary proper. The second edition reviewed here represents a substantial
revision to the original; the first edition was just under 600 pages, while the revised comprises
over 750. Most of the new material is found in a number of excurses scattered throughout
the commentary. The series editors have printed these updates on gray paper to make them
readily recognizable. Also, many of the excurses have been composed by scholars other than
Martin. The new material includes sections discussing rhetorical studies of 2 Corinthians,
the social setting of the letter/s (see below), Paul’s opponents, the issue of the inclusion of
the Gentiles, and the Holy Spirit. Also, the previous material concerning the collection for
Jerusalem has been significantly expanded.
The commentary treats the usual background topics necessary for understanding 2
Corinthians. Regarding the composition of canonical 2 Corinthians, Carl Toney concurs with
Martin’s initial conclusions originally published in 1986: the letter preserved canonically
as 2 Corinthians was originally two letters, namely 2 Corinthians 1–9, which was followed
by a second letter, comprised of 2 Corinthians 10–13. The second letter was sent after a