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The Apocalypse of John Among Its Critics: Questions and Controversies
Should Christians be embarrassed by the book of Revelation? The Revelation of John has long confused and disturbed readers. The Apocalypse of John among Its Critics confronts the book’s difficulties. Leading experts in Revelation wrestle honestly with a question raised by
Engaging deeply with Revelation’s difficulties helps the reader understand the book’s message―and respond rightly. The book of Revelation does not need to be avoided or suppressed. It contains words of life.
Engaging deeply with Revelation’s difficulties helps the reader understand the book’s message―and respond rightly. The book of Revelation does not need to be avoided or suppressed. It contains words of life.
306 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2023
About the author
Gregory K. Beale
44 books216 followersG. K. Beale (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the coeditor of the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament and the author of numerous books, including A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 17, 2025
The best articles, in my opinion, were the ones by Bandy, Paul, and Mathewson. Each of those was extremely insightful and a pleasure to read through. I will probably refer back to them in future projects.
The essays by Stewart, Harris, Toniste, Naylor, and Dalrymple were all solid. My biggest critique is that I feel like they concede too much moral ground to Revelation's critics from the get-go, rather than framing the discussion differently. The form of their argumentation gives the impression at times that they are attempting to show how Revelation actually does meet the moral standards of the critics, rather than questioning the authority of those moral standards themselves. At the end of the day, the biblical text should shape our understanding of right and wrong, not vice versa (something I suspect most or all of the authors would agree with). That critique aside, though, the actual exegetical work in these essays is generally top-notch, and they provide a wealth of secondary sources for deeper study.
I do want to comment briefly on Wilson's essay. Most of it is very good, offering a sound overview of John's allusions to and treatment of the Roman government in Revelation. However, the essay sadly crashes and burns at the end, with Wilson offering some muddled thoughts on the difference between political "resistance" and "subversion" (which I found unconvincing) and then choosing to conclude with some cheap shots aimed at politically-conservative Christians over a couple of extremely controversial matters, none of which naturally flowed from any of his earlier exegesis (in fact, in at least one of his examples, his exegesis might actually undermine the stance he takes). This rendered Wilson's essay the most disappointing of the bunch.
Beale's "Afterword" is, on the one hand, a bit puzzling. It doesn't seem to fit the theme of the collection as a whole, and it's actually longer than any of the book's main chapters! I can't help but wonder why it was included in the first place. Still, in and of itself, it's an extremely helpful survey of the debates over the past several decades concerning John's use of the OT, so whether or not its inclusion makes sense, I'm glad to have read it.
On the whole, this is a really solid collection of essays. Academic, but not at all taxing to read. While it has its shortcomings, it definitely accomplishes its purpose, offering a sound rebuttal to some of the most bitter criticisms thrown at Revelation.
The essays by Stewart, Harris, Toniste, Naylor, and Dalrymple were all solid. My biggest critique is that I feel like they concede too much moral ground to Revelation's critics from the get-go, rather than framing the discussion differently. The form of their argumentation gives the impression at times that they are attempting to show how Revelation actually does meet the moral standards of the critics, rather than questioning the authority of those moral standards themselves. At the end of the day, the biblical text should shape our understanding of right and wrong, not vice versa (something I suspect most or all of the authors would agree with). That critique aside, though, the actual exegetical work in these essays is generally top-notch, and they provide a wealth of secondary sources for deeper study.
I do want to comment briefly on Wilson's essay. Most of it is very good, offering a sound overview of John's allusions to and treatment of the Roman government in Revelation. However, the essay sadly crashes and burns at the end, with Wilson offering some muddled thoughts on the difference between political "resistance" and "subversion" (which I found unconvincing) and then choosing to conclude with some cheap shots aimed at politically-conservative Christians over a couple of extremely controversial matters, none of which naturally flowed from any of his earlier exegesis (in fact, in at least one of his examples, his exegesis might actually undermine the stance he takes). This rendered Wilson's essay the most disappointing of the bunch.
Beale's "Afterword" is, on the one hand, a bit puzzling. It doesn't seem to fit the theme of the collection as a whole, and it's actually longer than any of the book's main chapters! I can't help but wonder why it was included in the first place. Still, in and of itself, it's an extremely helpful survey of the debates over the past several decades concerning John's use of the OT, so whether or not its inclusion makes sense, I'm glad to have read it.
On the whole, this is a really solid collection of essays. Academic, but not at all taxing to read. While it has its shortcomings, it definitely accomplishes its purpose, offering a sound rebuttal to some of the most bitter criticisms thrown at Revelation.
July 29, 2023
This edited volume is a welcomed addition to the literature on the Biblical book of Revelation. The authors do a good showing how some modern critiques of Revelation do not hold water, especially in the areas of sexism and antisemitism. For those not familiar with current critiques of Revelation, this book will be a helpful primer.
May 5, 2025
A few were less-than-engaging (and Beale's afterword was far too long), but overall this is a STRONG collection of scholarly essays that any serious student of Revelation should read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews