Revelation

Beasley-Murray’s commentary has aged remarkably well and remains one of the most balanced treatments of Revelation I have encountered. He understands the book simultaneously as apocalypse, Christian prophecy and pastoral letter, which allows him to take seriously both its symbolic visionary world and the concrete situation of the churches of Asia. His comparison of apocalyptic imagery to political cartoons is particularly helpful: symbols can be extravagant without being obscure because they draw on a shared world of biblical, traditional and contemporary imagery. He is also excellent on the way John takes over older prophetic and even non-biblical motifs and transforms them into a thoroughly Christian witness centred on the slain Lamb. Some historical discussion has inevitably been overtaken by subsequent scholarship, but his exegetical judgment remains unusually fresh. This is a classic commentary that still deserves to be read alongside much newer works.

This is an important book in my opinion. Not just another commentary among many but one that should still be worked through. Surprised to see no reviews here, so it gets a 5. Beasley-Murray is no stranger to Johannine writings, very familiar with non-canonical Jewish writings and was a reputable Baptist scholar who wrote some very good works. This is among them. His knowledge of secondary Jewish literature shines in this volume. Best I've read thus far behind Beale's shorter commentary(561 pages).