The Expositor's Bible

Authorship, worship and the duties of church leaders shape Alfred Plummer's study of the letters to Timothy and Titus. He begins by defending their attribution to Paul, then explains how instructions to individual ministers also address the needs of congregations. The contents range from prayer and moral conduct to the selection of elders and the care of church members.

Close attention to translation gives the commentary much of its character. In discussing the words "appoint" and "ordain," Plummer examines Greek vocabulary and separates selection for an office from the ceremony of admission. His reading connects details of language with larger arguments about early church organization. For readers interested in biblical interpretation, the volume offers both sustained theological discussion and examples of how a commentator builds a case from particular passages. Its concerns also reveal the relationship between scholarship and practical ministry in his approach.