The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) [Paperback]

Richard Bauckham (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521356911 | ISBN-13: 978-0521356916 | Publication Date: March 26, 1993

Richard Bauckham expounds the theology of the Book of Revelation: its understanding of God, Christ and the Spirit, the role of the Church in the world, and the hope of the coming of God's universal kingdom. Close attention is paid both to the literary form in which the theology is expressed and to the original context to which the book was addressed. Contrary to many misunderstandings of Revelation, it is shown to be one of the masterpieces of early Christian literature, with much to say to the Church today. This study offers a unique account of the theology and message of Revelation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thorough reading--and rereading--of this slim volume suggests that Bauckman's hope that it may contribute to the renewal of the doctrine of God in our time may not be in vain, and that the series to which it belongs may likewise contribute to the renewal of biblical theology." M. Eugene Boring, Journal of Religion

"This volume will take its place alongside the many other outstanding works in this series." Review & Expositor

Book Description

Close attention is paid to the literary form in which the theology is expressed as well as the original context to which the book was addressed. Contrary to many misunderstandings, it is revealed as one of the masterpieces of early Christian literature, with much to say to the contemporary Church.

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 26, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521356911
• ISBN-13: 978-0521356916
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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99 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Look at the Thought of Revelation, October 13, 2003

By 

Brian Gamel - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) (Paperback)

Richard Bauckham treats Revelation in this series in a refreshingly original way and that is the major strength of this book. Because Revelation is unique in the NT - not only in thought but also in structure and style - it only makes sense to treat it uniquely.

Not coincidentally, there are seven chapters to his book which at once begins to shape the way Bauckham will treat this book. He begins by addressing what he sees as the root issue behind many people's misunderstanding of Revelation - a misunderstanding of what kind of document it is. Most seem to treat Revelation as a code to be deciphered but Bauckham corrects this tendency by showing that Revelation is at once a letter (to the seven churches in Asia), a prophecy (not just of predictive events but of discernment for the present) and an apocalypse (literature which is characterized by the its view of the inbreaking of God's power into history).

Through this Bauckham shows that Revelation is a response to the situation of his readers' worldview. Many at the time were wooed and awed by the prosperity that Rome brought through its peace and worshipped its power and unequalled strength and Revelation is a critique of both. To combat the illusion that Rome propagates the seer John contrasts it with the image of the throne - the rule of God. Thus, the book is precisely so theocentric because at its core it is attempting to redirect the thought and attitudes of his readers from what they perceive to what is real.

This John does by presenting an alternative vision of reality through his imagery of beasts, angels, scrolls, martyrs and thrones. The imagery is meant to provide a way of viewing the truth of reality in a different way, to symbolize the truth behind the appearence of how things seem in the world.

This is Bauckham's thesis and he exposits it very well. From his introduction and discussion about the centrality of God he goes on to look at the triune aspects of God's activity. A chapter is devoted to the work of God, two to the Son (for both his person and his activities) and one to the Spirit. While this is done very well, my only reservation about this set up is its presupposing such a tangible view of the trinity by John, which is a bit anachronistic. But in spite of this the material is covered very well.

At the end the relevance of Revelation is expounded more forcefully than any other book in this series and it is here that Bauckham really shines in his book as he seems superb at exhorting and creating subjects for discussion.

Overall, this book is very well written. One thing of interest is to note that Bauckham uses far fewer citations in his book than most other authors in this series which is refreshing since I feel that more of his own thought and analysis is coming through and that the book is less a pastiche of all modern scholars on any given subject. This is of a piece with Bauckham's natural and inviting way of writing and this makes his book very enjoyable and highly recommended.

86 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Themes of Revelation, August 16, 2000

By 

Therese "Treehugger" (Peoria, IL, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) (Paperback)

I read this book for a class on Revelation at Catholic Theological Union. I am glad this book was the required text for that course.

This book is not a line by line exegesis of the Book of Revelation; instead Bauckham approaches Revelation thematically. Because of this thematic approach, the theology of Revelation becomes clear.

Bauckham also supports shows how Revelation is firmly connected to the Hebrew bible. After reading The Theology of the Book of Revelation, I finally decided to read Ezekiel for the first time. Bauckham clearly shows that the theology of Revelation is intimately tied to imagery and theology contained in the Hebrew bible (e.g. Ezekiel).

As to a prior reviewer's comment that Bauckham's book "spiritualizes the millenium into irrelevance," the reviewer is correct. The parousia really is irrelevant to Baukham's understanding of Revelation. Bauckham makes a very good argument that Revelation is not about Christ's second coming.

Read this book if you want to read a very good commentary on Revelation which goes against the current popular way of understanding. This is definately not an end times book.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best on the subject, September 28, 2005

By 

DarrenGJohnson "DarrenGJohnson" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theology of the Book of Revelation (New Testament Theology) (Paperback)

I have read this book at least five times and will read it again, because it is quite simply the best read on the subject. It is not a verse by verse commentary, but a theological commentary that is reader friendly, but one recognizes the depth of research and understanding of history that Bauckham pours into this book. He has another book called The Climax of Prophecy that carries much of the same subject matter, but this one is an easier read. This book completely changed my thinking on the book of Revelation. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a serious approach to Revelation and not the canned stuff that you get from the Left Behind series. This book will leave you hoping for Bauckham to write a verse by verse commentary on Revelation. Until he does read Craig Koester's book Revelation and The End of All Things along with this book. Bauckham makes sense of the 144,000, the two witnesses, the goal of history and how the book centers around the worship of God and Christ. I recommend this book for everybody from scholar on down.