The third volume in this useful series, which began with the author's Reading through Hebrews and Reading through Galatians, follows the same basic principles. As Rodney Flume writes: 'I have attempted to keep my translation as literal as possible, so that the Greek terms of the original
can be easily related to the English version, and I have tried to answer the question, "What would this mean to the first-century reader?" The question, "How does the message of these letters relate to our contemporary concerns or problems?", I leave to others. It is my belief that we can only attempt to answer the latter when we have properly dealt with the former question.'
Here, then, is a guide intended for use by an individual or a group of students, anyone who is prepared to take the study of the scriptures seriously. It avoids the more academic issues which are the province of specialists in the study of the New Testament, but at the same time shows the depth of meaning and insight in two of the most fascinating letters of the early church.
C. R. Hume read Greats at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, before going on to a career in education.
