First and Second Thessalonians by Nathan Eubank

Abstract

Reviewed by: First and Second Thessalonians by Nathan Eubank Florence Morgan Gillman nathan eubank, First and Second Thessalonians (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019). Pp. 208. Paper $21.99. This is the final volume in the NT series of Baker Academic's Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. The series is "written for those engaged in or training for pastoral ministry and others interested in studying Scripture" and, as such, focuses on "the meaning of the text for faith and life rather than on the technical questions that occupy scholars" (p. 11). The author of this volume, Nathan Eubank, who now teaches at the University of Notre Dame, assumes that both Thessalonian letters were authored by Paul. He holds that 1 Thessalonians is most likely Paul's oldest surviving letter, and he opines that 2 Thessalonians may well be Paul's second oldest (p. 24). In explicating 2 Thessalonians, E. occasionally notes how a passage would be treated if it were not by Paul. He characterizes the Christians in Thessalonica to whom Paul writes as gentiles (p. 44). At the same time, he relates the material in Acts 17:1-9 to 2 Thessalonians without questioning any possible Lucan discrepancies (e.g. Acts' portrayal of the group as a mix of Jews and gentiles). The format of the text, cited from the NABRE, is organized according to textual units of the epistles correlating with the author's outline of each letter. Relevant material in the NT, OT, Roman Lectionary and Catechism sections are listed beneath the cited text. Then a brief general introduction leads into E.'s commentary, which is followed by a section entitled "Reflection and Application" for each text segment. Frequently interspersed throughout the volume are some thirty lengthy sidebars (many by E. but some quoted from ancient writers, church documents, etc.) and a few black-and-white photos (e.g., a map, relevant numismatic material, and illustrative artworks). In this commentary, E. has in view his intended student audience. In that regard the volume includes a brief glossary of academic terms. It also has an index of pastoral topics and an index of sidebars. There is, however, no index of authors cited. Based on the very few female biblical scholars who appear in the footnotes (e.g., Beverly Roberts Gaventa and Rebekah Eklund), E. does not indicate he is otherwise conversant with the significant body of feminist biblical scholarship on the Thessalonian correspondence extending from the latter decades of the twentieth century (e.g., Lone Fatum, "1 Thessalonians," in Searching [End Page 706] the Scriptures, vol. 2, A Feminist Commentary [ed. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza [New York: Crossroad, 1993] 250-62; and, in the same volume, Mary Ann Beavis, "2 Thessalonians," 263-73) up to the most recent full commentary available three years before E.'s publication: Florence M. Gillman, Mary Ann Beavis, and HyeRan Kim-Cragg, 1–2 Thessalonians (Wisdom Commentary 52; Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2016). Nor does his list of pastoral topics include any of the pressing issues in church ministry today regarding gender and female leadership in the church, even though he treats Paul's remarks on sexual ethics in 1 Thessalonians 4 and leadership in 1 Thessalonians 5. Florence Morgan Gillman University of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92110 Copyright © 2020 The Catholic Biblical Association of America