Abstract
The final book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation, brings together many of the themes and tropes found in the earlier parts of the Bible. It contains a large number of allusions to and quotations from the Old Testament as well as ideas from other parts of the New Testament. It is often acknowledged as one of the most difficult books of the New Testament and yet it is also one that exerts fascination among many readers, not least owing to its apparent predictions of the end of the world and the final eschatological battle, before the establishment of God’s reign. One of the difficulties for many readers of Revelation is a lack of familiarity with the imagery of the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East on which it relies for its meaning and such a lack can lead to outlandish claims by some authors, notes Dr. Longman. This commentary is not intended to dispute all these claims or to provide a definitive exposition of the text, but rather to focus on the Old Testament influence on the book and the author.
Two problems emerge at the beginning of any study of the book of Revelation: the identity of the author and the date of the writing. Much time could have been spent on these issues, but Dr. Longman points out that little is to be gained for this particular commentary. It is impossible to identify which ‘John’ is the visionary and author of the book, and it makes no difference to its meaning. Similarly, there are indications that the book dates from the late 1st century, but we cannot be more precise than this. One aspect that is omitted in the introductory pages is any discussion of the nature of the Greek that is used in the book. It is often felt to be the worst Greek of the New Testament, at times barely comprehensible and heavily influenced by Hebrew and/or Aramaic, and yet some parts are in much better Greek. This does not affect the quality of the commentary in any way, but many readers may have appreciated the information.
In order to study a book we must first establish genre. Longman sees two genres in Revelation: Letters, which address existential issues in the Church at the time of writing; Revelation from Jesus Christ, which may also be called an Apocalypse, a name often given to the book. It is a far-reaching book which is about the past, present and future.
The commentary itself begins with an excellent and thorough outline of the book, making links with the apocalyptic Old Testament book of Daniel and other books from the outset. The commentary does not consider every single verse, but a great deal is looked at carefully and on a number of occasions the reader is referred back to other verses in order to avoid undue repetition. It is also refreshing to find Dr Longman admitting on occasion that we cannot always know the precise meaning of the text, for example, the identity of the Nicolaitans. Throughout the book reference is made to the Old Testament, Ancient Near Eastern (and especially Canaanite) practices and beliefs, archaeology and topography in order to illuminate the text. An excellent connection is made, for example, between the lukewarm nature of the Church in Laodicea and the lukewarm water of the springs in that town. He is also aware of occasions when the author of Revelation does not use Old Testament imagery that would otherwise fit the context. It is pleasing to see that Dr Longman includes relevant quotations, be they from the Old Testament or from the scholarship, in the text, rather than a simple reference that the reader needs to find (such references are also included where they are of interest but not so fundamental to a full understanding of the argument).
It is also pleasing to see the attention paid to the Greek text and explained clearly to the reader, for example, the clear and accurate explanation of the colour of the fourth horse (6:8) and the use of the palms in 7:9, with excellent reference to 1 Maccabees and the Testament of Naphtali as well as the Gospels. Whilst the focus of the commentary is on the Old Testament, Longman nonetheless includes aspects from elsewhere, including Canaanite influences and the belief in Catholic circles that the woman clothed with the sun is an image of the Virgin Mary and of the Church. The explanation of the meaning of ‘the number of the beast’ is very succinct and well explained, as also theories about the identity of Magog in 20:8, which could be purely symbolic or refer to Babylon (Babel) by means of an ‘atbash’-type of technique (which is also explained very clearly).
Throughout the commentary, the reader is invited to think more widely about themes and sources found in Revelation by means of the ‘Going Deeper’ sections. A reader would gain much from reading these, even if they declined to read the commentary itself. These sections present splendidly succinct, readable and yet thorough overviews of the Glorified Christ, the Devil, Idolatry to name but a few, and we find a similar approach in the sections entitled ‘Through Old Testament Eyes’, where we discover more about topics such as Daniel, Ezekiel, The Two Witnesses, and 42 Months.
Tremper Longman III’s excellent commentary ends with a superb final summary, good indices, a (very) select bibliography and endnotes. This book would be very suitable for the professional exegete as well as the preacher, the student and the interested reader. It is eminently readable and gives an excellent insight into the book of Revelation.