Hey everyone! Well I coudn't load this sample on my website unfortunately, but your mission--should you chose to accept--is to review this sample of my commentary on Galatians: (see attachment below) and tell me what you think! I would appreciate any suggestions on how to improve my commentary and my commentary series. I would also GREATLY appreciate it if one of you scholars volunteered to double check all the Greek. Thanks in advance!
Yours faithfully, Tony Stark
Galatians Sample (1.1-5).pdf
Commentaries can (and are) written for many different reasons and audiences, each type requires a different approach as to what material is presented and in what depth.
As an example I write commentary for my adult Sunday School class. Most of them have been believers for some time, but I quickly learned that detailed coverage of history and especially etymology and the translation from the Greek/Hebrew tended to glaze their eyes.
This bothered me because I enjoy such things.
The Spirit grabbed me and pointed out that I was the teacher of the class *I* NEEDED to study these things, *I* was responsible for the in depth study so I could explain to and instruct them, they didn't need to study the way I did, or The Spirit would have given them the same hunger that He gave me.
I also recalled what I had read long ago, that the true sign of understanding a something is to be able to explain the essentials of the matter (no matter how complex) to a sixth grader. Notice, not explain it in depth but the essentials.
I have read your commentary...it would cross the eyes of my class, but I enjoyed it.
Here is the commentary I wrote for the same verse when my class studied Galatians a year or so ago, perhaps it will help you see from another perspective. It covers Galatians 1:1-4, as yours covered verses 1-5 there should be grounds for comparison.
Note also that the general message/bent of the commentary is shaded by the over all direction the study of Galatians I did, since there is no way to cover Galatians in 13 weeks without selecting which of the many possible ways the information is to emphasize.
https://dl.dropboxus...ians sample.doc