Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. The book of revelation, also known as the book of the apocalypse, is an unveiling of jesus christ. The most valuable insights of the book are provided by the many linkages the author makes between revelation passages and. It undertakes a massive examination of the allusions to daniel and use of danielic structures and themes in qumran, 1 enoch, 4 ezra 11, 2 baruch 3642, and revelation. The book of revelation 5 8, the beauty of holiness 19. This shorter commentary distills the superb grammatical analysis and exegesis from that tome over 1,300 pages into a book more accessible and pertinent to preachers, students, and general christian readers. If you would like a copy of beales outline to the book, let me know and i will send you one. Greg beale has pared down his impressive 1999 revelation commentary in the nigtc series withrevelation. By the end of beales book it is quite gratifying to find that 90% of the book of revelation is indeed understandable in a very meaningful way.
Pray that your fellow christians also would be pure in all their lives. Beale shows, however, revelation is not merely a futurology but a book about how the church should live for the glory of god throughout. As i previously mentioned, the term antichrist isnt found in the book of revelation. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the book of revelation. Greg beale, who at the time was a professor of new testament at gordonconwell theological seminary.
Beale shows, however, revelation is not merely a futurology but a book about how the church should live for the glory of god throughout the ages including our own. The book of revelation the new international greek. Instead, he wanted to champion a publicspirited individualism which he identified. This commentary series is established on the presupposition that the theological character of the new testament documents calls for exegesis that is sensitive to. This commentary series is established on the presupposition that the theological character of the new testament documents calls for exegesis that is sensitive to theological themes as well as to the details of the historical, linguistic, and textual context. Introduction to the unique strengths and usefulness of beales commentary beales commentary on revelation is a significant commentary on revelation with clear evangelical convictions. Beale goes to great lengths to give you the major interpretations of the most important aspects of revelation. Further support for daniel as a main source may be seen in the work of austin farrer the revelation of st. Included are substantial discussions regarding the date of the apocalypse beale agrees with irenaeus supporting a late, post 70 a. The book of revelation is a good place to see the radical way in which god gets our attention about these matters. Tom schreiner discuss how we should interpret the book of revelation at arizona regional chapter of the gospel coalition.
He is the author of several books including a new testament biblical theology, the temple and the churchs mission and a commentary on the book of revelation from the new international greek new testament series. This superb commentary on the apocalypse will help modern readers better understand both the meaning of the many obscure metaphors of revelation and the purpose of the book itself. Be the first to ask a question about the book of revelation. Poythress published in the westminster theological journal 621 2000 14346. It is listed as one of the top commentaries on revelation by scot mcknight and, although as mcknight notes slightly dated 1999, it is extremely thorough. It features a lengthy introduction covering among other things a discussion of the. Beale, the book of revelation, a commentary of the greek text grand. Beale discusses the focus of his lectures at the 20 scrbpc. My fundamental reservation about the book has to do with beale s modified idealist approach.
Beales familiarity with the original language, his grasp of the culture of the day, his command of the ot references and allusions, and his deft handling of the text itself all make this commentary an absolute. The book of revelationpart 1 our savior lutheran church. But you have to assume beales understanding of the book ideationalism, is it. A shorter commentary is the best commentary on the book of revelation that i have read to date. The book of revelation is not apocalyptic literature. This latter perspective is the one followed by beale but he nuances. Hermeneutics blog indianapolis theological seminary. Preterist, historicist, futurist, and idealistor as he calls it, the redemptivehistorical idealist view. A guide to the book of revelation, by vern poythress 198 pages and revelation for everyone, by n. Beale has contributed the chapter on revelation to the book commentary on the new testament use of the old testament and in this commentary on revelation, he provides many references and connections between revelation and the old testament. This is a necessity to understanding and interpreting revelation correctly. Much of the technical discussion is removed, and reference is made to the english text.
Beale this monumental study of the book of revelation will be especially helpful to scholars, pastors, students, and others seriously interested in interpreting the apocalypse for the benefit of the church. The book of revelation the new international greek testament. Beale, the use of daniel in jewish apocalyptic literature and in the book of revelation university press of america, 1984. We work our way through key statements from beales revelation. New international greek testament commentary volume on revelation has been highly praised since its publication in 1999. It presents other facts and explanations that contribute to the total prophetic scene of the. Greg beale on revelation a series of topical sermons on the book of revelation starting in 1990 by guest preacher dr. One popular approach to the apocalypse is to try to. Bauckham, god in the book of revelation, proceedings of the irish biblical association 18 1995 4053. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.
This shorter commentary distills the superb grammatical analysis and exegesis from that tome over 1,300 pages into a. Though i disagree with beales general interpretation, theres no denying that this is a great. The term has been used repeatedly in revelation in. Beale also takes an amillennial perspective, laying out a thoughtful analysis of ch. This depiction, found in chapters and 17, describes a demonically inspired political leader who subverts gods people. Beales revelation commentary in the new international greek testament commentary series is excellent. The book of revelation often called the revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words, the apocalypse, the revelation, or simply revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. The book of revelation stands out as one of the most intriguing, mysterious and misunderstood books. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read revelation. The book of revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the. The book of revelation endtime ministries irvin baxter. Again, this does not chronologically advance the narrative of tribulation events, but is descriptive, introductory and explanatory. My fundamental reservation about the book has to do with beales modified idealist approach. Beales monumental new international greek testament commentary volume on the book of revelation has been highly praised since its publication in 1999.
Beale, professor of new testament and biblical theology at westminster. If you do not have the larger work or have gotten lost. If you want to read a shorter commentary that uses a similar approach to beale, i can recommend two i read recently. Beale shows, however, revelation is not merely a futurology but a book about how the church should live for the glory of god throughout the ages. He is the author of several books including a new testament biblical theology, the temple and the churchs mission and a commentary on. Beale believes that, however much john makes use of ezekiel, his ultimate purpose is to present revelation as a fulfillment of daniel 7. Greg beale graced indianapolis theological seminary with a weekend. Such thorough exegetical work lies at the heart of these volumes, which contain detailed versebyverse commentary preceded by general. How does god communicate to his people in this book. Irvin baxter explains revelation in a 16 lesson commentary available on dvd in our endtime store. Beale this is likely the single most exhaustive commentary on the revelation available today, an amillennial treasure just waiting to be explored. Clicktap the image above for a larger view of beales revelation.
I argue that it does place boundaries on careful readers, similar to beams on the side of the road. Beale g k eschatology and the book of revelation youtube. However, many have observed what they consider to be a comparable termbeast. Beasleymurray, the contribution of the book of revelation to the christian belief in immortality, scottish journal of theology 27 1974. Living at the end of the world picador, 1999 and justin champion. Still as strange, controversial, and influential as it was nearly 2,000 years ago, the biblical book of revelation is a fountainhead of visions and dreams and nightmares, said elaine pagels the princeton university professor of religion, famous for infusing old religious debates with new urgency, was at harvard dec.
In these last four videos on the book of revelation, find encouragement as we await the. Another important piece of evidence for the new testament use of. Beales book on daniel and revelation is a revision of his doctoral dissertation at the university of cambridge. In this episode of help me teach the bible, i talk with greg beale, professor of new testament and biblical theology at westminster theological seminary, about the book of revelationthe book of the bible surveys say people most want to be taught to them and teachers least want to teach. Others were by mounce nicnt, beacon bible commentary bbc, osborne becnt, guziks notes online, matthew henry, and other free public domain resources. Beales original work is monumental and, at times, overwhelming.
The significant attention to old testament allusions and background remain. This shorter commentary on revelation is a welcome contribution to the ongoing study of the book of revelation. Why is revelation, the last book of the bible, so different from the rest of. This shorter commentary distills the superb grammatical analysis and exegesis from that tome over 1,300 pages into a book more accessible and pertinent to preachers, students, and general.
Beale shows that the difficult images in revelation are best understood in terms of. By the end of beales book it is quite gratifying to find that 90% of the book of revelation is indeed understandable in a. The use of daniel in jewish apocalyptic literature and in the revelation of st. At than 0 pages, the book was ponderous to say the least. Through careful historical and exegetical study fully conversant with the host of interpretive approaches to revelation, g. Beale has also added questions for reflection, which i found surprisingly helpful. Does revelation put any limits on how people read it. Robertson continued to champion christian zionism in the politics of the. Gresham machen chair of new testament and a professor of new testament and biblical theology at westminster theological seminary. Beale takes a considerable amount of time to interpret elements that set up some major steps in revelation, such as the temple, mankind as image bearers of god, and the mantle of adam as figured by noah, abraham and the patriarchs. The book of revelation is a complex and multivalent work, almost like a rorschach test. In the first verse of the book, the apostle john recorded christs words, the revelation of jesus christto show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. Beale s commentary is the place to turn for insight on the many old testament allusions and echoes in the book of revelation. In the introductory section, beale outlines four primary means of interpreting revelation that have followed over the centuries.
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