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The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
Revelation
The book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse of John, encourages Christians to be faithful to their Lord, Jesus Christ, through a rich mixture of symbolism and images. Perhaps the most puzzling book in all Scripture, Revelation introduces bowls and scrolls, saints and angels, horsemen and beasts, the bride and the lamb, in a wondrous end-times drama. The scene shifts from cataclysmic battles to the climax of a new heaven and new earth. In the end, the reader is exhorted to heed the words of this stunning prophecy.
Dr. Ford addresses the seemingly infinite questions surrounding the book of Revelation. Issues of authorship, date, literary composition, theology, audience, purpose, and the meaning of John's now obscure symbolism occupy Ford throughout. Traditionally, Revelation is the final New Testament book, but its theology, imagery, and historical content suggest it might be the transitional link between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Contrary to general scholarly opinion, Ford identifies the writer as the Hebrew prophet and forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist, not John the Evangelist. She conjectures that the Baptist spread his fiery apocalyptic visions decades before the first Gospels were completed.
Along with a fresh new translation of the book, the author's insightful commentary and unique conclusions make for captivating reading. In light of both ancient writings and recent archaeological discoveries, Dr. Ford shows what this baffling work meant to first-century believers, and what it means for Christians today.
J. Massyngberde Ford is Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
Dr. Ford addresses the seemingly infinite questions surrounding the book of Revelation. Issues of authorship, date, literary composition, theology, audience, purpose, and the meaning of John's now obscure symbolism occupy Ford throughout. Traditionally, Revelation is the final New Testament book, but its theology, imagery, and historical content suggest it might be the transitional link between the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Contrary to general scholarly opinion, Ford identifies the writer as the Hebrew prophet and forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist, not John the Evangelist. She conjectures that the Baptist spread his fiery apocalyptic visions decades before the first Gospels were completed.
Along with a fresh new translation of the book, the author's insightful commentary and unique conclusions make for captivating reading. In light of both ancient writings and recent archaeological discoveries, Dr. Ford shows what this baffling work meant to first-century believers, and what it means for Christians today.
J. Massyngberde Ford is Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
455 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1975
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October 6, 2022
I agree with a nuanced version of Ford's thesis, having read this volume years ago when it first came out.
I would disagree with Ford, that John the Baptist himself wrote the core of Revelation, chapters 4-11, himself. I think that more "conventional" scholarship that dates this core to the late 60s CE is firm, and, we have no reason to believe that Josephus as well as the New Testament is wrong about the Baptist's death.
That said, I would accept that a disciple of his, based on oral tradition from the Baptist, did write these chapters, "bookended" by a Christian beginning and ending. It's a shame the basic idea hasn't been developed more since Ford's time. Since other New Testament books record disputes and sharp elbows between the disciples of Jesus and those of John, especially in Anatolia, as Acts 19 shows, but as usual, tries to gloss over, the "Mandean" authorship of the core of this book is quite plausible. Dating it to a disciple of the Baptist, also in the 60s, would allow for the "666," even though it's in Christian material, to be from that older core, and to indeed refer to "Neron Caesar" in originally Hebrew gematria.
Material, such as some of the pricing in the "famine" material, would indicate to me, as other academic commentaries say for the whole book, that they were written in Domitian's time.
Ideally, I'd give this four stars for Ford not "nuancing" her original idea along my lines, but, for the attention it needs, it gets a fifth star.
I would disagree with Ford, that John the Baptist himself wrote the core of Revelation, chapters 4-11, himself. I think that more "conventional" scholarship that dates this core to the late 60s CE is firm, and, we have no reason to believe that Josephus as well as the New Testament is wrong about the Baptist's death.
That said, I would accept that a disciple of his, based on oral tradition from the Baptist, did write these chapters, "bookended" by a Christian beginning and ending. It's a shame the basic idea hasn't been developed more since Ford's time. Since other New Testament books record disputes and sharp elbows between the disciples of Jesus and those of John, especially in Anatolia, as Acts 19 shows, but as usual, tries to gloss over, the "Mandean" authorship of the core of this book is quite plausible. Dating it to a disciple of the Baptist, also in the 60s, would allow for the "666," even though it's in Christian material, to be from that older core, and to indeed refer to "Neron Caesar" in originally Hebrew gematria.
Material, such as some of the pricing in the "famine" material, would indicate to me, as other academic commentaries say for the whole book, that they were written in Domitian's time.
Ideally, I'd give this four stars for Ford not "nuancing" her original idea along my lines, but, for the attention it needs, it gets a fifth star.
Displaying 1 of 1 review