Epworth Commentary on Revelation by Christopher Rowland

Today’s free book is Professor Christopher Rowland’s Epworth Commentary on the book of the Revelation. This book was digitised from the copy held in Spurgeon’s College library. Christopher Rowland is Emeritus Dean Ireland’s Professor of Exegesis of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford. My thanks to Professor Rowland for his kind permission to host this in-copyright title.

Christopher Rowland, Revelation. Epworth Commentaries. Peterborough: Epworth Press, 1993. Pbk. ISBN: 0716204932. pp.166. [Click here to visit the download page for this title]

Table of Contents

• General Introduction
• Preface
• Introduction
  • How do we read biblical texts?
  • What is my/our story?
  • The world of Revelation
  • The world of apocalyptic
  • What sort of book is Revelation?
  • The structure of the Apocalypse
  • How our Christian brothers and sisters have interpreted the text
  • Reading Revelation
  • Dealing with apocalyptic symbols
  • Constrained by Christ: Can we read Revelation in any way we like?
  • Revelation and certainty
  • Light and darkness: the importance of Revelation’s view of the world
  • The Gospel of John, Daniel and Revelation
• Commentary
  • 1 The Revelation of the Risen Christ
  • 2-3 The letters to the angels of the seven churches
    Contrasting characteristics in the messages to the churches
  • 4 The praises of God
  • 5 The Lamb who was slain
  • 6 Manifestations of judgement
    Trying to make sense of terror and turmoil
    Taking God’s wrath seriously
  • 7 Deliverance for the people of God
  • 8-9 The natural world becomes a series of nightmares
  • 10-11 The death and vindication of the two prophetic witnesses
  • 12 The dragon pursues his quarry
    Acknowledging and dealing with our feelings of threat
  • 13 The apparent triumph of evil
    Idolatry
  • 14-15 The followers of the Lamb and of the Beast
  • 16 The last seven plagues: the bowls of God’s wrath
  • 17 ‘This calls for a mind with insight’
    Towards a political theology on the basis of Revelation 13 and 17
    The character of the State
    Economic matters
    The church in the world
    Distinctions of political judgement
    Non-conformity and nationalism
    Compromise and conviction
    Reading the signs of the times
  • 18.1-19.10 Lament for Babylon
  • 19.11-21 The judgement of the Word of God
  • 20 The triumph of righteousness
  • 20.1-22.5 A new heaven and a new earth
  • 22.6-21 Take these words to heart!
  • Epilogue
  • Select bibliography

Main image: The angels standing guard to the seven churches of Asia (mosaic in basilica di San Marco)). Source: Wikipedia