The Epistle to the Philippians [Plagiarism Acknowledged]
The Epistle to the Philippians [Plagiarism Acknowledged]
Technical
Evangelical
Plagiarized

The Epistle to the Philippians [Plagiarism Acknowledged]

in New International Greek Testament Commentary

by Peter T. O'Brien

4.99 Rank Score: 8.33 from 16 reviews, 12 featured collections, and 43 user libraries
Pages 638
Publisher Eerdmans
Published 1991
ISBN-13 9780802823922

N.B. In 2016, accusations of plagiarism were leveled against several works by Australian New Testament scholar Peter T. O'Brien. After a careful investigation by the respective publishers, it was concluded that—whether intentional or not—the volumes in question failed to conform to the appropriate standards for the use and documentation of secondary resources. Following this conclusion, the decision was made to immediately remove the works from print and destroy the remaining stock. This particular monograph is included among those works. The official statements from the three publishers of O'Brien's works can be found here: Eerdmans; Zondervan; InterVarsity Press.

In this commentary, Peter O'Brien presents a rich exposition of Philippians. Based on careful historical-critical-linguistic exegesis of the Greek text, O'Brien's commentary is fundamentally theological and makes available to the serious student of the New Testament the fruits of recent scholarship. While interacting with a wide range of scholarly material on Philippians, O'Brien has attempted primarily to wrestle with and comment on the text as the Word of God rather than to provide mini-histories of exegesis.

O'Brien examines each paragraph of the text structurally, thematically, and exegetically to determine its place within the flow of the letter's argument and in the light of Paul's purpose for writing the epistle.

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G Ware G Ware March 6, 2015
I preached through Philippians in 2013, and picked up this commentary part way through, as I was wanting a more technical commentary. I was very, very happy with this choice. O'Brien's introduction is very solid, and his exegesis, while not bringing any big surprises, is very good. O'Brien doesn't interact a lot with the New Perspective, but isn't completely ignorant of it. O'Brien does of course take the more traditional reformed reading of Paul. But overall, this is a very, very good volume, worth investing in.
nathan_soper nathan_soper November 10, 2014
This commentary is fantastic, would definately recamend. Obviously as with all the editions in the NIGTC series, having greek is pretty important to understand and use this commentary. O'Brien actually comments on the greek text rather than an English bible and the analysis of the grammar and syntax can be pretty involved at times. There is really top class interaction with a multitude of other scholars work with fair and even haded weighing up of all the different options which often are manifold. A first class contribution to the study of Philippians and a worth addition to any budding scholar's bookcase. 5 stars.
Tim Challies Tim Challies July 29, 2013
The experts’ consensus is that O’Brien’s commentary is the best available. Because this is a volume in the NIGTC, it presupposes some experience with Greek. Carson says, “O’Brien has read and thought through everything of importance up to his date, with the result that he gives reasons for his exegetical decisions. At the same time, this commentary is theologically rich, even if its prose is sometimes pedestrian.” [Full Review]
Phillip J. Long Phillip J. Long June 21, 2012
Like most of the New International Greek Text Commentary, O’Brien’s contribution on Philippians is excellent and well worth the price. He finds interpolation theories lacking, causing more problems than they solve. The book was written by Paul during the Roman imprisonment to thank the church for their support and to warn them against Judaizing false teachers. He proceeds through the Greek text of Philippians phrase-by-phrase without transliteration, making both syntactical and lexical comments. He integrates into the body of the commentary theological observations as he interacts with a wide range of contemporary Pauline scholarship. He includes three short excursuses on the Christ Hymn (which he oddly called appendices). His comments on the phrase “taking the form of a servant” and Isaiah 53:12 are judicious, ultimately rejecting a certain connection between the two texts. [Full Review]
Scot McKnight Scot McKnight August 2, 2009
The second one I consult is Peter O'Brien, which has all the characteristics of Fee but is five years older [Full Review]
The best commentary on the epistle to the Philippians is the work by Peter T. O'Brien. Because it is in the NIGTC series, it is more technical than the average commentary. Some knowledge of Greek is required to use it fully. O'Brien's comments are judicious and very helpful. Very highly recommended. [Full Review]
Derek W. H. Thomas Derek W. H. Thomas September 21, 2008
John Glynn John Glynn September 20, 2008
Jim Rosscup Jim Rosscup September 20, 2008
Unattributed-m Unattributed-m May 26, 2008
Unnatributed-d Unnatributed-d May 26, 2008
D. A. Carson D. A. Carson May 26, 2008