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Oxford Studies in Historical Theology
Reformation Readings of the Apocalypse: Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg
In this study, Irene Backus examines the fate of the Apocalypse at the hands of early Protestants in three centers of the Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg. To do so, Backus systematically investigates sources and methods of the most important reformed and Lutheran commentaries of the Apocalypse from 1528-1584.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 16, 2026
Backus examines commentaries on Revelation produced by leading Protestants in the middle of the sixteenth century. Readers should not expect a neatly packaged account of the Protestant understanding of Revelation in its earliest stages. There is a universal identification of the papacy with the Antichrist, but little else in common among the three regional traditions of the Reformation that the author distinguishes. The scholarship is meticulous, and while the reader can feel the weight of the corpus on nearly every page, Backus works through an immense and arcane body of material with remarkable control.
In the first chapter, we learn that the canonicity of Revelation was questioned for the first time in over a thousand years, especially by Erasmus, but also by Luther. Zwingli was more disparaging. Calvin (along with Bucer and Melanchthon) largely avoided the book, though not because he doubted its authority. Following Theodore Beza's strong defense, Backus concludes that "it is doubtful whether the Apocalypse [of John] was in real danger of leaving the canon in the early sixteenth century." The author refers to Revelation solely as the Apocalypse, so Revelation 20 becomes Apocalypse 20 (Apc 20), and so forth. It is a little pedantic, but I digress.
Backus then divides the work according to the three main centers of Reformation thinking: Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg. She moves through these commentaries with precision, and details their treatment of Chapters 12 and 20 as representative samples. Chapter 12 because of the significance of the woman and the dragon. And chapter 20 because of the variety of millennial interpretations. There are so many themes and important notes, Backus synthesizes them all in her concluding chapter, which would be a good place for a first-time reader to glance before tackling these demanding chapters (3-5).
Chapter 3 examines the Genevan commentators. Though polemical, they were comparatively restrained. "Calvin's circle," Backus writes, "chose to play it safe and to combine traditional exegesis with polemics against the pope." So despite their identification of the papacy with the Antichrist, Geneva experienced little criticism from contemporary Roman Catholic commentators. Chapter 4 turns to the Zurich commentators. While they also identified the papacy with the Antichrist, their greatest emphasis lay in the moral instruction of their congregations. Chapter 5, devoted to the Wittenberg Lutherans, is the most outrageous. Whether these commentaries represent Lutheran thought more broadly, I have no idea, but the exegesis presented here is embarrassing, as they eagerly read themselves into Scripture itself: "Lutherans saw the Reformation as an upheaval ushering in the Last Judgement."
Such careful scholarship notwithstanding, cycling repeatedly between Revelation 12 and 20 appears to have come at a cost. There are two typos on p. 84. Summarizing the exposition of the Catholic commentator Jean de Gagny, Backus introduces "his exegesis of Apocalypse 12." Yet in the following paragraph, his comments on the birth of the male child is cited as "Apc 20.5," when it should clearly be "Apc 12.5": "And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations." Likewise, Gagny's discussion of Michael is referenced as "Apc 20.7," but the correct citation is "Apc 12.7." Revelation 20 makes no mention of Michael nor identifies the angel who binds Satan (the main interpretive issue being that the angel is in fact unnamed). The archangel Michael, by contrast, is the central figure in Revelation 12:7: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels."
In the first chapter, we learn that the canonicity of Revelation was questioned for the first time in over a thousand years, especially by Erasmus, but also by Luther. Zwingli was more disparaging. Calvin (along with Bucer and Melanchthon) largely avoided the book, though not because he doubted its authority. Following Theodore Beza's strong defense, Backus concludes that "it is doubtful whether the Apocalypse [of John] was in real danger of leaving the canon in the early sixteenth century." The author refers to Revelation solely as the Apocalypse, so Revelation 20 becomes Apocalypse 20 (Apc 20), and so forth. It is a little pedantic, but I digress.
Backus then divides the work according to the three main centers of Reformation thinking: Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg. She moves through these commentaries with precision, and details their treatment of Chapters 12 and 20 as representative samples. Chapter 12 because of the significance of the woman and the dragon. And chapter 20 because of the variety of millennial interpretations. There are so many themes and important notes, Backus synthesizes them all in her concluding chapter, which would be a good place for a first-time reader to glance before tackling these demanding chapters (3-5).
Chapter 3 examines the Genevan commentators. Though polemical, they were comparatively restrained. "Calvin's circle," Backus writes, "chose to play it safe and to combine traditional exegesis with polemics against the pope." So despite their identification of the papacy with the Antichrist, Geneva experienced little criticism from contemporary Roman Catholic commentators. Chapter 4 turns to the Zurich commentators. While they also identified the papacy with the Antichrist, their greatest emphasis lay in the moral instruction of their congregations. Chapter 5, devoted to the Wittenberg Lutherans, is the most outrageous. Whether these commentaries represent Lutheran thought more broadly, I have no idea, but the exegesis presented here is embarrassing, as they eagerly read themselves into Scripture itself: "Lutherans saw the Reformation as an upheaval ushering in the Last Judgement."
Such careful scholarship notwithstanding, cycling repeatedly between Revelation 12 and 20 appears to have come at a cost. There are two typos on p. 84. Summarizing the exposition of the Catholic commentator Jean de Gagny, Backus introduces "his exegesis of Apocalypse 12." Yet in the following paragraph, his comments on the birth of the male child is cited as "Apc 20.5," when it should clearly be "Apc 12.5": "And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations." Likewise, Gagny's discussion of Michael is referenced as "Apc 20.7," but the correct citation is "Apc 12.7." Revelation 20 makes no mention of Michael nor identifies the angel who binds Satan (the main interpretive issue being that the angel is in fact unnamed). The archangel Michael, by contrast, is the central figure in Revelation 12:7: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels."
March 3, 2026
Dry and slightly dated, but nonetheless interesting look at reformation interpretations of the Apocalypse.
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