Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on July 10, 2008
Alexander, Charles David. Revelation Spiritually Understood. [New ed.] Trelawnyd [UK]: K&M Books, 2001. 565 pp. Distributed by Tentmaker Publications
The commentary is a one-volume edition of twenty-five pamphlets, lightly edited.
K and M Books:
Charles David Alexander was born in Liverpool on january 1 1904, of Scottish parentage. he grew up in the city and was saved by God’s grace on 7th March 1921 at the age of 17, although he often related in his later life how that he did not know but that he had possibly been converted at his mother’s knee.
Perhaps his greatest contribution was the work, which has been published here, ‘Revelation Spiritually Understood’, originally published in pamphlet form in 25 parts it has been of tremendous blessing to many of God’s saints. It is a powerful attack on the twin errors of Dispensationalism and Post-millennialism, and is a compulsive and compelling defence of the Amillennialist position.
HT: Nicholas T. Batzig
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Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
In 2009 Baker will publish a commentary by James L. Resseguie, the author of Revelation Unsealed and Narrative Criticism of the New Testament: An Introduction.
Unlike many recent commentaries, Resseguie’s The Revelation of John: A Narrative Commentary is neither very long (about 300 pages) nor very expensive (RRP $24.99, but you can order it now for only $19.99 at BakerBooks or $16.49 at Amazon).
In his commentary “James Resseguie applies the easily understandable tools introduced in his primer on narrative criticism to this challenging book. He shows how Revelation uses such features as rhetoric, setting, character, point of view, plot, symbolism, style, and repertoire to construct its meaning. This literary approach draws out the theological and homiletical message of the book and highlights its major unifying themes: the need to listen well, an overwhelmingly God-centered perspective, and the exodus to a new promised land. Here is a valuable aid for pastor and serious lay reader alike.”
James L. Resseguie (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is the J. Russell Bucher Professor of New Testament at Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, Ohio. See more on Reseguie here.
More information at BakerBooks.
HT: Otto N.
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Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on February 9, 2008
Seiss, Joseph Augustus. The Apocalypse: A Series of Special Lectures on the Revelation of Jesus Christ, with revised text. Repr. ed. s.l.: C. C. Cook, 1900. 536 pp.
The Apocalypse was reprinted many times and at various locations for decades. Most recently reprinted under the title The Apocalypse: Exposition of the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1987. 536 pp. Repr. New York, Cosimo, 2007.
The commentary
Apart from being premillenial and a so-called partial pre-tribulationist (i.e. the entire church participates in the millennial reign, according to Seiss; see on Rev 4:1 and Rev 20:6; see more here and here) resurrected, which gave rise to controversy between Lutherans, Seiss argues from Revelation 1:1-3 that “is a book of which Christ is the great subject and centre, particularly in that period of his administrations and glory designated as the day of his uncovering, the day of his appearing” and it is “a book of the revelation of Christ, in his own person, offices, and future administrations, when he shall be seen coming from heaven, as he was once seen going into heaven” (on Rev 1:1). Indeed, Revelation is “an account of the revelation of Christ in his personal forthcoming from his present invisible estate, to receive his Bride, judge the wicked, and set up his eternal kingdom on the earth” (ibid.).
Seiss also argues that “the Lord’s day” refer to the eschatological Day of the Lord (on Rev 1:1). This is, according to Seiss, what the actual contents of the book are all about. In this respect, I agree with Seiss, but we do not agree as to what it means, as I reject the premillennial interpretation myself (cf. here).
Seiss argues that Revelation is very valuable and precious:
If we are interested in the story of the manger and the cross; if we can draw strength for our prayers and hopes by invoking Christ by the mystery of his incarnation, fasting, temptation, agony, and bloody sweat; if we find it such a precious treasure to our souls to come into undoubting sympathy with the scenes of his humiliation and grief; what should be our appreciation of this book, which treats of the fruits of those sufferings, and tells only of that wronged Saviour’s glory and triumphs, and shows us our Lord enthroned in majesty, riding prosperously, and scattering to his ransomed ones the crowns and regencies of empire which shall never perish, and celestial blessednesses without number and above all thought!
Seiss argues that the author is the apostle John (on Rev 1:1), but does apparently not date Revelation. His view on the book makes it unnecessary.
Seiss’s commentary is cited some 18 times in Gregg, Four Views. C. I. Scofield claimed that it was the best of more than fifty books that he has read about Revelation (see here). In Denmark a lay interpreter, K. M. Schmidt [link follows], found it the best interpretation know to him.
The author
According to FamousAmericans.net, Joseph Augustus Seiss (1823-1904) was born and confirmed a Moravian. Having studied theology in private, he was ordained as a Lutheran pastor. 1858-1904 Seiss served in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He published more than 100 writings, including this commentary. According to FamousAmericans.net, Seiss published this commentary in 1869-1881 in three volumes, but several Americans libraries gives the year of publication as 1865.
Seiss was Doctor of Divinity, but so far I have not been able to determine where and for what.
Seiss was praised as a “confessionalist,” i.e. as one who adhered to the Lutheran confessions. However, his premillennial view gave rise to controversy (Dictionary of Christianity in America, s.v.). Dr. C. F. W. Walther refuted Seiss’s view that the early church was (crass) chiliastic, according to Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, vol. 3, p. 532 n 53b.
Among his other publications is The Last Times and the Great Consummation (1863), available through Google Book.
For biography of Seiss, see Lawrence R. Rast Jr., “Joseph A. Seiss and the American Lutheran Church,” Ph.D. dissertation, Vanderbilt University, 2003, and Samuel Robert Zeiser, “Joseph Augustus Seiss: Popular Nineteenth-Century Lutheran Pastor and Premillennialist,” Ph.D. dissertaton, Drew University, 2001.
The Apocalypse is available for WordSearch (see the image of the book above) and as part of the Free Bible Explorer. It is also available via MBooks - Michigan Digitization Project.
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Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on February 7, 2008
The commentaries included in the category Scholarly commentaries are either scholarly (i.e., written for scholars and serious students) or written by scholars and with a specific, valuable view on Revelation or one of the topics discussed on Revelation Resources.
Although it is hardly possible to rank commentaries objectively, I would suggest that some commentaries should be consulted more unhesitatingly than others. Comments are welcome!
Of the most recent commentaries I would mention:
Two commentaries with a focus on the history of interpretation are recommended (in chronological order):
I would also suggest the following commentaries (in chronological order):
- Peder Madsen, Johannes’ Aabenbaring (1894-1896)
- Henry Barclay Swete, The Apocalypse (1906)
- Wilhelm, Bousset, Die Offenbarung Johannis (1906)
- I. T. Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John (1919)
- R. H. Charles, Revelation (1920)
- Theodor Zahn, Die Offenbarung des Johannes (1924-1926)
- Ernst Lohmeyer, Die Offenbarung des Johannes (1926)
- William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors (1940)
- Holger Mosbech, Johannes’ Aabenbaring (see also his history of interpretation) (1943; 1934)
- G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine (1966; 1983)
- Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7; Revelation 8-22 (1992; 1995)
- Heinz Giesen, Die Offenbarung des Johannes (1997)
- Grant R. Osborne, Revelation (2002)
Many - especially German - scholars were and are Lutherans. Some seem to be more distinctively Lutheran than others. I would mention the following:
- R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (1935; repr. 2001)
- Eduard Lohse, Die Offenbarung des Johannes (1960; 8th ed. 1993)
- Martin H. Franzmann, The Revelation to John (1968; 2nd. 1978; repr. 1986)
- Siegbert W. Becker, Revelation: The Distant Triumph Song (1985)
- Gerhard A. Krodel, Revelation (1989)
- Louis A. Brighton, Revelation (1999)
Any comments?
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Ladd, George Eldon. A Commentary on the Revelation of John. 1972. Repr. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995 or later. 308 pp.
The commentary
Ladd is a proponent of classic premillennialism rather than dispensationalism (see Clouse, Four Views). In his brief introduction (p. 7-17), Ladd asserts that the author was the apostle or a prophet well-known at that time, but unknown to us. He accepts the Domitianic dating and argues that “The prophecy of the Revelation goes far beyond any known historical situation in the first century” (p. 9).
Ladd states that “the correct method of interpreting the Revelation is a blending of the preterist and futurist methods. The beast is both Rome and the eschatological Antichrist — and, we might add, any demonic power which the church must face in her entire history” (p. 14).
The author
George Eldon Ladd (1911-1982) earned his Ph.D. in classics from Harvard under H. J. Cadbury (1949). He also studied in Heidelberg. Ladd was professor of NT exegesis and theology at Fuller Theological Seminary 1950-1980.
“From a survey taken in the 1980s, Ladd has been acknowledged as the most influential evangelical scholar in North America” (L. M. McDonald in: McKim, Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters. 1988, p. 589). He wrote seven books and thirty-one articles on eschatology (McKim, p. 590f). He emphasised the presentness of the kingdom of God and argued that “the church is the true Israel made up of Jews and Gentiles alike and that the new covenant for the church is the same for the Jews and the Gentiles” (p. 591).
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Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Beckwith, I. T.: The Apocalypse of John. Studies in Introduction with a Critical and Exegetical Commentary. The Macmillan Company: New York 1919. Reprint. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock publishers, 2001. xv + 794 pp.
Also reprinted 1992 and by Baker Book House in 1967.
This commentary with more than 800 pages is divided in two parts: the introduction and the commentary. It is well argued on both linguistic, historical and theological issues and is - in my view - one of the more valuable English commentaries.
Isbon T. (Thaddeus) Beckwith (1843-1936), Ph.D. and D.D., was professor of Greek language and literature at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut (see a photo).
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Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on February 6, 2008
Lohse, Eduard. Die Offenbarung des Johannes: Übersetzt und erklärt. 8nd ed. Das Neue Testament Deutsch, 11. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1993. 126 pp.
The author is a renowned scholar, pastor and bishop. Eduard Lohse was professor of NT in Kiel (1956-1964) and Göttingen (1964-1971). From 1971 until his retirement in 1988 Lohse was bishop in Evangelisch-Lutherischen Landeskirche Hannovers.
This commentary is the fifteenth edition of the NTD-volume on Revelation (the very first edition was written by Johannes Behm). It is the 8th edition that Eduard Lohse has seen to the press, the first being published in 1960. The publisher have printed 74,000 copies of the NTD-volumes on Revelation. At least one half of this number probably pertains to Lohse’s commentary. Due to this number, the modest size and the high readability level of this commentary, and, naturally, his general influence as professor and Lutheran bishop, Lohse must be considered as one of the very influential German commentators.
In his introduction (pp. 1-11), Lohse outlines Jewish apocalyptic, Revelation as as a Christian apocalypse, the problem of authorship (the author is a prophet) and dating (Domitianic). Lohse argues that one must combine a contemporary-historical, an eschatological, and a traditio-historical approach (see, e.g., the excursus on the birth of the child, pp. 72f). A one page very densely written bibliography concludes the introduction.
The back matters include an Index of Names and Subjects (pp. 123-126), a Table of Contents and a list of thematic excursuses (p. 127).
One of the problems that the seven messages address is Gnosis. Repentance and deeds are necessary, which, Lohse asserts, reveals the difference between Paul and John (p. 36f; cf. also p. 117). The coming parousia which is near necessitates the call for watchfulness and perseverance (pp. 36f).
Noteworthy is also Lohse’s cautious discussion of the number of the beast (pp. 82f). Lohse argues that the millennium is intelligible only in the light of its Jewish background, but he also endorses the Lutheran Confessions that warn Christians not to make use of the “speculations” of Revelation 20. These “speculations” cannot be doctrinally binding, Lohse states (p. 107).
In his summary of the message of Revelation, Lohse follows Luther’s critique as well as his suggestions as to how one can usefully read Revelation as a Christian. A scholarly approach is useful. He summarises the doctrine, emphasising that the church is living under the cross, which means that we need both consolation and warning (pp. 117-122).
One disadvantage is difficult to fail to see: The layout, especially the size of the font used, is not very reader-friendly in my opinion (cf. also here). It is too dense, in my view.
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