Revelation and the Politics of Apocalyptic Interpretation

by Richard B. Hays (Editor), Stefan Alkier (Editor)

John's apocalyptic revelation tends to be read either as an esoteric mystery or a breathless blueprint for the future. Missing, though, is how Revelation is the most visually stunning and politically salient text in the canon. Revelation and the Politics of Apocalyptic Interpretation explores the ways in which Revelation, when read as the last book in the Christian Bible, is in actuality a crafted and contentious word. Senior scholars, including N.T. Wright, Richard Hays, Marianne Meye Thompson, and Stefan Alkier, reveal the intricate intertextual interplay between this apocalyptically charged book, its resonances with the Old Testament, and its political implications. In so doing, the authors show how the church today can read Revelation as both promise and critique.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Richard Bevan Hays was an American New Testament scholar and George Washington Ivey Professor Emeritus of New Testament Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He was an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

Reviews

[Neil White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good articles by a number of scholars I respect about Revelation.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of essays.
There are points where I wondered why a certain paper was included as the connections between topics wasn’t as explicit as each author may have hoped. There was also a bit of repetition between the views of each scholar that begs to wonder why there weren’t some more diverse views represented.
.
That being said the stand-out papers for me were those delivered by Hieke, Hays, Wright, and Meye Thompson. It was an enjoyable read, although each paper begs to be a book of its own. It’s essentially the beginnings of 9 different conversations.