The Revelation of John, Vol. 1: Chapters 1 to 5 (The Daily Study Bible Series, Revised Edition) [Paperback]

William Barclay (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1977

Dr. Barclay does more than clarify the meaning of the imagery. His commentary covers many interesting subjects, such as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the probable facts about John's exile on the island, and the meaning of Christ's knocking at the door.

Product Details

• Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr; Revised edition (June 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664241158
• ISBN-13: 978-0664241155
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Excellent commentary-but beware!, August 4, 2000

By 

Mr. Michael C. Morrow (Wichita, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Revelation of John, Vol. 1: Chapters 1 to 5 (The Daily Study Bible Series, Revised Edition) (Paperback)

The revised edition of Barclay's commentaries on the New Testament was published in the 1970's, replacing the 2nd edition. It was prepared not by William Barclay, but by the Rev. James Martin. According to the introduction, the revised edition renews the printer's type, restyles the books, corrects some errors in the text and removes some references which have become outdated. In addition, Biblical quotations in the revised edition use the Revised Standard Version instead of the King James Version (however Barclay's own translation is retained at the beginning of each daily section).

What the introduction of the revised edition fails to mention is that while the 17 volumes of the previous 2nd edition contains a total of 5,195 pages, the revised edition prepared by Martin has only 4,541 pages, or a reduction of 12.6%. The removal of portions of Barclay's text in the revised edition varies among the 17 volumes, but nowhere is it more pronounced than in the 2 volumes on Revelation. In the 2nd edition, the 2 volumes contain 528 pages, but in the revised edition the 2 volumes only contain 415 pages, a reduction of 113 pages, or 21.4%. One of the worst cases of the removal of portions of Barclay's commentary occurs in the commentary for Revelation 3:1-6 (Sardis: A Lifeless Church). In that particular commentary, well over 50% of the text from the 2nd edition is removed in the revised edition. Repeatedly, key sentences and phrases are deleted from the revised edition. The revised edition is in fact a condensed and inferior version of the commentaries actually written by William Barclay.

However, I do want to make it clear that I found that the 2nd edition of the Daily Study Bible, including the 2 volumes on Revelation, are by far the most insightful and meaningful commentaries that I have ever read on the New Testament, and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Barclay's 2nd edition commentary on Revelation did an outstanding job of explaining the historical background and the meaning of this difficult text. Any serious study of Revelation would benefit tremendously by the use of Barclay's commentary. However, if you want to read all of what Barclay actually said instead of what Martin thought was important enough to leave in, then check with a used book store or do a used book search on the internet to get the 2nd editions of the 2 volumes on Revelation or other volumes in the Daily Study Bible series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly written; easy to understand, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Revelation of John, Vol. 1: Chapters 1 to 5 (The Daily Study Bible Series, Revised Edition) (Paperback)

The breakdown of the written text was very informative for me an arm chair catholic bible reader. The recommended interpretations are all viable and the "more likely meanings" of the text seemed well founded. However, a volume 2 would be a great finish to the reading.

4.0 out of 5 stars Looks like a piece of antique, December 16, 2008

By 

B. Wang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Revelation of John, Vol. 1: Chapters 1 to 5 (The Daily Study Bible Series, Revised Edition) (Paperback)

This book was shipped fast. It was a very old version, although in good condition.