Book of Revelation - Commentaries

Stephen S. Smalley – The Revelation to John - A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse

This commentary attempts to provide a careful exegesis of the Greek text of John’s Revelation, together with an interpretation which keeps in constant view the seer’s basic flow of theological thought. A detailed introduction to the Apocalypse already exists in the form of my earlier work, Thunder and Love (1994); and the magisterial commentaries by Aune (1997–98) and Beale (1999) include exhaustive surveys of all the major critical and hermeneutical issues involved in the scholarly investigation of this document. With such material as a presupposition, the following introduction accordingly does no more than set out some preliminary considerations which are basic to any study of Revelation, including the nature of the Greek text itself. Reference will also be made to the overarching approach adopted in the commentary, and to my own convictions about the origin, purpose and composition of John’s drama. Further support for these is provided in the comments themselves.

The stance adopted in this commentary is literary and theological, rather than simply critical and historical. The analytical work of earlier commentators, such as Peake (1919) and Charles, cannot be discarded; but recent research on the Apocalypse, represented for instance in the work of John Court (Revelation, 1994; ‘Reading the Book’ 164–67) and of Alan Garrow (Revelation, 1997), in the 2001 collection of essays edited by Steve Moyise (Studies in the Book of Revelation), and in my own monograph, Thunder and Love, is rightly sensitive also to the literary nature of John’s composition. The paragraphs which deal here with the Literary Setting and Theology of each section should therefore be regarded as of leading importance. For genre criticism of Revelation, given its amalgam of varied literary types, see further Court, Revelation 15–17. These forms include visions, epiphanies, auditions, discourses, dialogues and the use of formulae; see Aune lxxxii–lxxxiv.

In line with a such a narrative approach, the contents of Revelation are viewed in this commentary more from a synchronic than a diachronic perspective. That is to say, the Apocalypse is treated as a unity, and indeed as a coherent drama, even if it may be accepted that its author has drawn on earlier sources (as perhaps in Rev. 2—3; 7.1– 8), and engaged in some light editing of the text (see 11.1–3; 17.9–11). I find it difficult to respond positively to the radical rearrangement of the material in Revelation proposed by Charles, or to the elaborate source-critical theories which he constructs in order to amend a ‘depravation of the text’ (see esp. 1, l–lxv); and the suggestion of Aune (esp. cxviii–cxxxiv) that the Apocalypse came to birth in two major stages (‘first and second editions’) appears to be equally unnecessary. See also the summary of critical analyses, reaching back to work dating from the seventeenth century, in Swete (xlix–l) and Beckwith (224–39). It has to be said that hypotheses of this kind are notoriously subjective, and indeed speculative, and that they are by no means essential to a proper understanding of the text. At the same time, I am happier to argue for the basic unity of the Apocalypse (Smalley, Thunder and Love 97–101; see also Swete li–liv).

Stephen S. Smalley – The Revelation to John - A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse

Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2005. – 653 p.

ISBN 0-8308-9396-6 (digital)

ISBN 0-8308-2924-8 (print)

Stephen S. Smalley – The Revelation to John - Contents

Foreword

Abbreviations

Introduction

THE REVELATION TO JOHN

Prologue: The Oracle Is Disclosed (1.1–8)
Act 1. CREATION, AND SALVATION THROUGH JUDGEMENT (1.9—11.19)
- Scene 1: Seven Oracles (1.9—3.22)
- Interval: Adoration in Heaven’s Court: God and His Christ (4.1—5.14)
- Scene 2: Seven Seals (6.1–17)
- Interval: The Church Protected (7.1–17)
- Scene 3: Seven Trumpets (8.1—9.21)
- Interval: God’s Sovereignty (10.1—11.19)
Act 2. SALVATION THROUGH JUDGEMENT, AND NEW CREATION (12.1—22.17)
- Scene 4: Seven Signs (12.1—14.20)
- Interval: A New Exodus (15.1–8)
- Scene 5: Seven Bowls (16.1–21)
- Interval: The Fall of Babylon (17.1—18.24)
- Scene 6: Seven Visions (19.1—20.15)
- Interval: Prelude to the Final Scene (21.1)
- Scene 7: Seven Prophecies (21.2—22.17)
Epilogue: The Oracle Is Complete (22.18–21)

Bibliography

Indexes

Mitchell Reddish – Revelation

Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc., 2001. – 499 pp. – (Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary).

ISBN 1-57312-087-1

Mitchell Reddish – Revelation – Contents

INTRODUCTION

1. Prologue and the Commissioning of John 1:1-20
2. The Messages to the First Four Churches 2:1-29
3. The Messages to the Other Three Churches 3:1-22
4. The Throne of God 4:1-11
5. The Lamb and the Scroll 5:1-14
6. The First Six Seals 6:1-17
7. An Interlude 7:1-17
8. The Seventh Seal and the First Four Trumpets 8:1-13
9. The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets 9:1-21
10. The Mighty Angel and the Little Scroll 10:1-11
11. The Temple, the Two Witnesses, and the Seventh Trumpet 11:1-19
12. The Vision of the Great Dragon 12:1-18
13. The Two Beasts 13:1-18
14. Interlude 14:1-20
15. Seven Angels with Seven Bowls 15:1-8
16. The Pouring of the Seven Bowls 16:1-21
17. The Great Whore 17:1-18
18. Laments on Earth 18:1-24
19. Celebration in Heaven and the Triumphant Christ 19:1-21
20. The Millennial Reign and the Defeat of Satan 20:1-15
21. New Heaven and New Earth and the Holy City 21:1-27
22. The River of Life and Epilogue 22:1-21

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS

INDEX OF SIDEBARS

INDEX OF SCRIPTURES

INDEX OF TOPICS

Craig R. Koester - The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation

Oxford University Press, 2020. - 547 pp.

ISBN 978-0-19-065543-3

Craig R. Koester - The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation - Contents

List of Contributors

Abbreviations

1. Introduction to Revelation’s Social Setting, Theological Perspective, and Literary Design - Craig R. Koester

PART I. LITERARY FEATURES OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION

2. The Genre of the Book of Revelation - Mitchell G. Reddish
3. Narrative Features of the Book of Revelation - James L. Resseguie
4. Imagery in the Book of Revelation - Konrad Huber
5. Rhetorical Features of the Book of Revelation - David A. deSilva
6. The Old Testament in the Book of Revelation - Steve Moyise
7. Revelation’s Use of the Greek Language - David L. Mathewson
8. The Hymns in Revelation - Justin P. Jeffcoat Schedtler

PART II. SOCIAL SETTING

9. Revelation and Roman Rule in First-Century Asia Minor - Warren Carter
10. Relationships among Christ-Believers and Jewish Communities in First-Century Asia Minor - Mikael Tellbe
11. Greco-Roman Religions and the Context of the Book of Revelation - Richard S. Ascough
12. John’s Apocalypse in Relation to Johannine, Pauline, and Other Forms of Christianity in Asia Minor - Paul Trebilco

PART III. THEOLOGY AND ETHICS

13. God in the Book of Revelation - Martin Karrer
14. Jesus in the Book of Revelation - Loren L. Johns
15. The Spirit in the Book of Revelation - John Christopher Thomas
16. Creation and New Creation in the Book of Revelation - Mark B. Stephens
17. Perspectives on Evil in the Book of Revelation - Gregory Stevenson
18. Violence in the Apocalypse of John - David L. Barr
19. The City-Women Babylon and New Jerusalem in Revelation - Lynn R. Huber
20. The People of God in the Book of Revelation - Peter S. Perry

PART IV. HISTORY OF RECEPTION AND INFLUENCE

21. The Greek Text of Revelation - Juan Hernandez Jr.
22. Revelation and the New Testament Canon - Tobias Nicklas
23. Reception History and the Interpretation of Revelation - Ian Boxall
24. The Interpretation of the Book of Revelation in Early Christianity - Charles E. Hill
25. The Interpretation of John’s Apocalypse in the Medieval Period - Julia Eva Wannenmacher
26. The Book of Revelation in Music and Liturgy - Paul Westermeyer
27. Forms of Futuristic Interpretation of Revelation in the Modern Period - Joshua T. Searle with Kenneth G. C. Newport

PART V. CURRENTS IN INTERPRETATION

28. Feminist Interpretation of Revelation - Susan E. Hylen
29. Interpreting Revelation through African American Cultural Studies - Thomas B. Slater
30. Post-Colonial Interpretation of the Book of Revelation - Harry O. Maier

Index

Ben Witherington III - Revelation

(The New Cambridge Bible Commentary). - Cambridge University Press, 2003. - 325 pp.

ISBN 0-521-80609-7

ISBN 0-521-00068-8 (pbk.)

Ben Witherington III - Revelation - Contents

Preface - A Word about Citations - Map of Western Asia Minor and the Island ofPatmos - List of Roman Emperors - List of Abbreviations

I. Introduction

The Authorship, Date, and Audience of the Apocalypse - The Resources, Rhetoric, and Restructuring of Revelation - Revelation in Its Social Setting in Western Asia Minor - The Christology of Revelation - The Genre of Revelation - A Brief Tour of the Book of Revelation

II. Suggested Reading on Revelation

The Genre of Revelation - Commentaries - Rhetorical Studies - Sociological and Anthropological Approaches - Classical and Archaeological Resources - History of Interpretation - Theology - Important Monographs - Articles of Interest

III. Commentary

Revelation 1.1-1.3 - Visionary Material: Handle Carefully
Revelation 1.4-1.20 - The Heavenly Son of Man
Revelation 2-3 - Postcards from the Edge
Revelation 4-5 - The Throne Room Vision
Revelation 6.1-8.5 - The Seven Seals
Revelation 8.5-11.19 - The Seven Trumpets
Revelation 12 - The Woman and the Dragon
Revelation 13.1-14.5 - 666 and His Spokesman
Revelation 14.6-14.20 - Three Angelic Messengers
Revelation 15.1-16.21 - The Seven Eschatological Plagues
Revelation 17.1-19.10 - Babylon the Harlot
Revelation 19.11-21.8 - The Rider on the White Horse, Redemptive-Judgment, and the Messianic Millennium
Revelation 21.9-22.5 - The Tour of the New Jerusalem
Revelation 22.6-22.21 - The Epilogue

IV. Appendix: A Millennial Problem

Author Index - Extra-Biblical Texts Index - Scriptural Index - Subject Index

Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich, and Jason Maston - Reading Revelation in Context: John’s Apocalypse and Second Temple Judaism

ZONDERVAN ACADEMIC, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2019. - 204 pp.

ISBN 978-0-310-56623-6 (softcover)

ISBN 978-0-310-56624-3 (ebook)

Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich, and Jason Maston - Reading Revelation in Context: John’s Apocalypse and Second Temple Judaism - Contents

Foreword by Loren T. Stuckenbruck

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. The Parables of Enoch and Revelation 1:1-20: Daniel's Son of Man (Benjamin E. Reynolds)
2. The Epistle of Enoch and Revelation 2:1-3:22: Poverty and Riches in the Present Age (Mark D. Mathews)
3. The Testament of Levi and Revelation 4:1-11: Ascent to the Heavenly Throne (David A. deSilva)
4. 4 Ezra and Revelation 5:1-14: Creaturely Images of the Messiah (Dana M. Harris)
5. 2 Maccabees and Revelation 6:1-17: Martyrdom and Resurrection (Ian Paul)
6. Psalms of Solomon and Revelation 7:1-17: The Sealing of the Servants of God (Ronald Herms)
7. The Testament of Adam and Revelation 8:1-13: Heavenly Silence (Jason Maston)
8. The Animal Apocalypse and Revelation 9:1-21: Creaturely Images during the Great Tribulation (Ian Boxall)
9. Jubilees and Revelation 10:1-11: Heavenly Beings Bearing Heavenly Books (John K. Goodrich)
10. 4 Ezra and Revelation 11:1-19: A Man from the Sea and the Two Witnesses (Garrick V. Allen)
11. The Life of Adam and Eve and Revelation 12:1-17 The Rebellion of the Satan Figure (Archie T. Wright)
12. 4 Ezra and Revelation 13:1-18: Blasphemous Beasts (Jamie Davies)
13. The Damascus Document and Revelation 14:1-20: Angels Marking Out the Two Ways (Ben C. Blackwell)
14. Words of the Luminaries and Revelation 15:1-16:21: Plague Septets and Deliverance from Exile (Benjamin Wold)
15. Joseph and Aseneth and Revelation 17:1-18: Women as Archetypes of Rebellion and Repentance (Edith M. Humphrey)
16. The Epistle of Enoch and Revelation 18:1-24: Economic Critique of Rome (Cynthia Long Westfall)
17. Psalms of Solomon and Revelation 19:1-21: Messianic Conquest of God's Enemies (Michael J. Gorman)
18. The Book of the Watchers and Revelation 20:1-15: Redemptive Judgment on Fallen Angels (Elizabeth E. Shively)
19. 4 Ezra and Revelation 21:1-22:5: Paradise City (Jonathan A. Moo)
20. The Apocalypse of Zephaniah and Revelation 22:6-21: Angel Worship and Monotheistic Devotion (Sarah Underwood Dixon)

Glossary

Contributors

Passage Index

Subject Index

Author Index

Gordon D. Fee – Revelation: A New Covenant Commentary

United Kingdom by The Lutterworth Press, 2013 – 404

ISBN: 978 0 7188 9280 7

Gordon D. Fee – Revelation: A New Covenant Commentary – Contents

Preface
Introduction
The Introduction (Revelation 1)
The Letters to the Seven Churches (Revelation 2–3)
Fusing the Horizons: Christ and His Church(es)
John’s Vision of Heaven and Earth (Revelation 4–6)
Fusing the Horizons: Getting One’s Priorities in Order
An Interlude in Two Parts (Revelation 7)
The Blowing of the Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8–11)
The Holy War Is Engaged (Revelation 12:1—14:13)
Prelude to the (Original) Tale of Two Cities (Revelation 14:14–20)
The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath (Revelation 15–16)
The (Original) Tale of Two Cities, Part 1: The Demise of Rome (17:1—19:10)
The Last Battle and the End of Evil (Revelation 19:11—20:15)
The (Original) Tale of Two Cities, Part 2: God Makes All Things New (Revelation 21:1—22:5)
Fusing the Horizons: The Original Tale of Two Cities
The Wrap-Up (or Epilogue) (Revelation 22:6–21)
Selected Bibliography