Reading Ephesians and Colossians: A Literary and Theological Commentary by David I. Starling

Abstract

Reviewed by: Reading Ephesians and Colossians: A Literary and Theological Commentary by David I. Starling John Gillman david i. starling, Reading Ephesians and Colossians: A Literary and Theological Commentary (Reading the New Testament; Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2020). Pp. x + 296. Paper $24. This commentary is intended for a broad readership, and its goal is to address lexical, historical, and literary matters and theological meaning. The author gives more attention to literary considerations and related Greco-Roman concepts than he does to theological themes. Starling joins a growing number of commentators who defend the Pauline authorship of both Ephesians and Colossians, suggesting that Timothy may have assisted as the amanuensis for Colossians. He holds that the three interconnected missives of Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians were written around the same time in the early sixties during Paul's house arrest in Rome. The occasion is the arrival of Epaphras, who brings news to Paul about the challenges faced by the community in Colossae. S. concurs with the scholarly majority that Colossians was composed first and that Ephesians, a more universal epistle intended as a circular homily, expands on themes of the former. It is surprising, then, that S. discusses Ephesians first and then Colossians. This tends to create confusion for the reader since his commentary on Colossians often compares its content to areas where it differs from Ephesians. The author states that the purpose of Ephesians is to confirm the identity of gentile Christians and to remind them of what they have already learned in Christ. The first half of the epistle (chaps. 1–3) addresses the character of God, and the second half (chaps. 4–6) consists of exhortations. S. finds no evidence of a polemical tone in Paul's rhetoric and holds that the we/you distinction in 1:11–14; 2:1–3 refers respectively to the Jewish Christians and gentile Christians. In 2:4–10, the "we" becomes expansive, embracing both groups. Throughout, S. provides a close reading of the text, with attention to issues of syntax and grammar as well as content. He clearly articulates diverse scholarly perspectives on disputed issues and then states his own preference. For example, he opts for reading "in Christ" in 1:3–14 in the locative. He interprets "in the Lord Jesus" in 1:15 as an objective genitive rather than a reference to the sphere in which the faith is exercised. The redefined relationship in 2:19 refers, S. argues, not to a new relationship with Israel but to the status membership within the church community. Paul writes Colossians to inform the readers about his imprisonment, to warn them about aberrant teachings, and, in light of these, to strengthen them in their identity as Christbelievers. S. divides the letter into three parts: introduction (1:1–2:5), body (2:6–4:6), and commendations (4:7–18). As to the text-critical issue in 3:6, S. opts for the longer reading as original. While he argues that there is no contradiction between the realized eschatology [End Page 513] in this letter and the future eschatology in the undisputed letters, S. does not adequately explain the tension between the two. S. reads the reference to the letter to the Laodiceans as a reference to the Ephesian missive. Regarding the contemporary significance of Ephesians, S. asserts in his introduction to the letter that the social vision Paul commends "stands out as both enticingly attractive and dauntingly difficult" for twenty-first-century readers "in a time torn apart by the tensions between a soulless globalization and the mutually antagonistic tribalisms that react against it" (pp. 15–16). I would have liked to see how the author would relate individual passages in Paul's vision to the contemporary situation. Specifically, what hermeneutical slant might S. offer for such controversial passages as the household codes (5:21–6:9)? As for the relevance of Colossians, S. assesses that today, reminiscent of Paul's warnings, there are "patterns of ministry" undermining the wisdom and the power of the gospel "with some other substitute package of piety, technique, or controlling and heavy-handed religious authority structures" (p. 183). S. does not specify whether he is...