Revelation

New Cambridge Bible Commentary

by Ben Witherington III

This book is the first of its kind: an innovative socio-rhetorical commentary on the Book of Revelation. Without sacrificing scholarly perspective or academic rigor, it is written to be accessible for a wide audience--including pastors, scholars, teachers, seminarians, and interested lay people. A "Suggested Reading List"--a feature of all volumes in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary--will serve as point of entry for the new serious student of Revelation and as a helpful annotated bibliography for all readers. Frequent "Closer-Look" sections examine key elements of the Roman-Greco world that bear on the text's meaning while "Bridging the Horizons" sub-chapters connect this world with the cultural, political, and religious environments of today. The entire NRSV translation is provided throughout the text as a convenience to the reader. Award-winning author Ben Witherington III brings a New Testament scholar's insight to the often opaque passages of the last book of the New Testament.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, Christianity, Christian

326 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[Lee Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I promised a review of my favorite Witherington book today; you should have guessed it would be about Revelation. Whether you’re a scholar of Revelation, a believer in future fulfillment, or just curious about early Christian eschatology (the study of the end times), this book is a gem. It’s a New Cambridge Bible Commentary, which is a well-respected series. I think a quote from the back cover expresses my opinion blandly but accurately:

“Without sacrificing scholarly perspective or academic rigor, it is written to be accessible for pastors, scholars, teachers, seminarians, and interested laypeople.”

As research for a book I completed a few months ago, I collected a stack of books about Revelation that would rival most any library. This one was probably the most fun to read. Witherington writes respectfully and from a Christian viewpoint but still dives deeply into the historical roots of Revelation. He jumps often into sidebars which he titles “Bridging the horizons” and “A closer look.” (He alternates between the two sidebar titles, and it took me most of the book to recognize this; what’s up with that, Ben?) Anyway, these sidebars alone are worth the price of the book. Here are a few topics from them:

God and Christ as the Alpha and Omega
The mythological background of Revelation 12
666, Nero, and the ancient art of Gematria
Fallen angels in early Judaism and Christianity
Heavenly Jerusalem or Sky City?

What a Bible geek I am! I get giddy just paging back through the book to write this review. I’m gonna read it again.

[Tristan Sherwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t often read through commentaries. Like many (I think), I often hop in and out for referencing purposes. But with the nature of Revelation, I thought it best to go from cover to cover.

Witherington’s social-rhetorical analysis of Revelation is an excellent resource, offering plenty of historical and cultural insight and stimulating plenty of thought. It’s also greatly increased the number of books added to my must-read list.

[John Hanscom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book on this subject I have read.