The Letters to Seven Churches: Updated Edition (Paperback)

by William M. Ramsay (Author), Mark W. Wilson (Author, Editor)

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Product Description
This edited and updated edition of Ramsay's classic work has, except for the omission of a lengthy poem in chapter 14, left the original material intact. The language and style were updated for the modern reader, modern place names were used, and a modern translation is the source of scripture citations. Notes especially have been updated and corrected, and fuller bibliography is provided whenever possible. Photographs and diagrams from the original are retained. Anyone interested in Asia Minor or the book of Revelation will find this resource invaluable.

". . . Sir William Ramsay's exposition of the letters to the seven churches of Asia has continued to attract readers for the greater part of a century—and it is likely to remain of interest well into the next century. As the first Professor of Classical Archaeology at Oxford University, Ramsay pioneered the study of antiquity in what is today western Turkey. He went on to devote the latter part of his life to applying what he had learned to the study of the New Testament in a most fruitful manner. More recent scholars, such as Colin Hemer, have brought Ramsay's research up-to-date in the light of more recent research; however, it is always good to go back to the fountainhead of such a study. Ramsay's work remains a classic in the field and should be a part of every Bible scholar's personal library."
—W. Ward Gasque, Dean of Graduate Studies, Eastern College

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers; Upd Sub edition (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565630599
• ISBN-13: 978-1565630598
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,043,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History Behind Revelation, April 8, 2000

By	E. T. Veal (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

At the beginning of the Book of Revelation are "letters" to churches in seven cities of Asia Minor, praising, rebuking and admonishing their congregations and disclosing how Christ views their works.

To the modern reader, these prefatory letters may seem as riddling as the symbol-filled apocalyptic visions that make up the bulk of the book. But the "seven churches" existed in real locales, and Sir William Ramsay shows how the letters addressed to them acutely reflect local circumstances.

Ramsay (1851-1939) was a prominent archeologist specializing in Greek and Roman Asia Minor. He was also a prolific writer on early Church history. "The Letters to the Seven Churches" is a superb synthesis of these areas of expertise. Its first part surveys what can be known of the places, peoples and institutions of late First Century Asia Minor. Ramsay then proceeds to analyze each of the letters, first recounting pertinent aspects of the city's history and geography, then relating those to the biblical text. The connections are always interesting and often illuminating.

Inevitably, speculative elements creep in. Ramsay infers much more about the "Nicolaitans", whom the letters denounce in unrestrained terms, than the evidence seems to warrant, and his statements about the "Flavian persecution", whose very existence is doubted by many scholars, should be read with caution.

Ramsay took the traditionalist side in the scholarly debates concerning the early Church, but this work is not in a controversial vein. Modernists need not fear that perusing it will undermine their faith, and everyone who is interested in what Christianity looked like in its earliest days will learn much from its pages.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have for those serious about NT history and culture, February 3, 2009

By	Busy Believer (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Letters to the Seven Churches (Paperback)

This book is a classic, and for good reason. Scholars writing on The Revelation all refer to it. What makes this book special is that Ramsay spent years in the region doing research. His first-hand observations of the area and his explanations of the culture are unique. I also like that he is straight-forward in presenting his opinions. Even if I don't always agree with him, I have no doubts about what he is saying or why.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars old but good, May 7, 2007

By	M. Toxopeus - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Letters to the Seven Churches (Paperback)

This book was written many years ago and I am sure there have been archeological discoveries since it was written, but the analysis of the letters remains good and it was perfect for a recent trip to Turkey led by a seminary professor during which we visited all of the sites of the seven churches - one of which is still an intact tell recently identified. I enjoyed reading the book and have purchased another book by this author on Paul's missionary journeys.