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| The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich.).) | 
| Author: G. K. Beale
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Category: Book
List Price: $80.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 49776
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1245
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 2.3
ISBN: 080282174X
Dewey Decimal Number: 228.07
EAN: 9780802821744
ASIN: 080282174X
Publication Date: October 1998
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 12 | | NEXT » |
 Monumental and Superb! July 11, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Beale has written on of the most expansive commentaries that leaves very little in the Book of Revelation unexplored. The Introduction itself is worth the price of the book. The book is 1157 pages long and has very few if any weaknesses in the conclusions that are reached. The major strength of the book is that Beale allows the Old Testament to be interpreted by the writer of Revelation without assuming that John is using it as a proof text. Beale explores the Old Testament context to get at what John was doing and seeing and when this is done it makes interpretation much easier, with not so much guess work. Beale is a futurist, but by no means in the dispensational sense. In being a futurist, he recognizes that some things like the resurrection are future, but that much of the rest is both past (preterist) and ongoing throughout history. I think that a "prolepticist" might describe him better than simply futurist. He does come down on the side of "a-millenialism", but supports his conclusions well. Richard Bauckham recommended this book to me and said it is "reliable." I would say that is true and may be somewhat of an understatement. This work is exhaustive and it has many Greek discussions and a little Hebrew, but Beale does translate all Greek words and sentences immediately after the Greek sentence is laid out. There are some complicated text critical discussions, but this type of thing is always after the main discussion so that it is not mixed in, interrupting the flow of thought. If I could change one thing in the book it would be that Beale or the editors of this commentary series would have provided as translation that introduced each section. I do recommend this book for everyone who has been exposed to a theological education. It would be a difficult work to cut your teeth on if you are just getting into Biblical studies, but for those who have some training this book is great.
Very, very fast service!! January 19, 2007
0 out of 14 found this review helpful
Thanks so much for your quick service! We were very pleasantly surprised that the book came so fast! Great job!
One of the very best commentaries on Revelation October 3, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is one of the best commentaries on Revelation written by a notable evangelical scholar. As other reviewers have noted, Dr. Beale writes from an Amillennial perspective. I own many commentaries on Revelation and this is one of the very best, incorporating all of the latest studies. One of the richest and most helpful aspects of this commentary is Beale's in depth analysis of Revelation, tracing the words and passages back to the O.T. prophecies/ O.T. Scriptural context and Jewish religious/ cultural background. The reader receives a much greater appreciation for the continuity of prophecy and apocalyptic, from the O.T. to the N.T. Dr. Beale does a marvelous job of discussing all the pertinent issues, leaving no stone unturned; he interacts well with different perspectives (e.g. premillennial, amillennial) and displays a deep understanding of the most recent research on Revelation in scholarly circles. This has been one of the most helpful commentaries in my study of the book of Revelation, even though I hold to the premillennial viewpoint rather than the amillennial viewpoint. Highly recommended!!
Beale Set Me On Fire for Revelation Study & Preaching September 3, 2006
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
I pastor a church (10+ yrs now) about 2 hours from Wheaton College where Beale currently teaches. I audited his Spring 2006 course on Revelation in Greek. I have to say that the man is on fire for God's word. He's got a contagious zeal for the book of Revelation. We had a Greek student (from Greece) in class and visitors from Greece. Apparently they like him a lot.
His exegetical method weighs heavily on a unique approach that includes a relatively rare Discourse Analysis process that Wheaton and about 6 other schools now teach in their Biblical Interpretations Courses. I think someone at Fuller developed it. The Discourse Analysis process is a nice addition to the regular NT Exegesis that Gordon Fee has outlined for everyone in "NT Exegesis". It seems to help the students catch the flow of the text and to connect ideas in a more complex and systematic way than a regular flow analysis.
The linkages to the OT Prophetic books are overwhelming. Beale literally drips with quotations...his live course is about the same as the book. Just compare the quotes on one of his pages to any other commentary and you get way more for your money with Beale.
If you are preaching through Revelation, get Beale and Poythress (The Returning King). I recommend Poythress' outline for a sermon series...and Beale for more exegetical tips and references than you could possibly study for a typical sermon in a week. If you don't know Greek, then Poythress will really help you. His outlines preach well. My main criticism of Beale's work is that his Exegetical Summaries for each section sound very much like a summary that a scholar who does not have to speak to regular folks very often would give. It's not preachable...you will have to rework it to keep people with you if you are preaching. That's why Poythress is great...he gives preachable phrases that harmonize well with Beale's material.
I think a reviewers' criticism of Beale's failure to interact as clearly with the Preterist is accurate. I don't think Beale needs to interact with them as the reviewer claims. Beale's reasons for rejecting the Preterists approach are solid and difficult to get past (he convinced me). For example, he sees a problem with substituting a world-wide judgement with what happened in Jerusalem. He doesn't think the text warrants that sort of conclusion. He sees a problem with denying a phsyical resurrection. Because of these reasons, (and he has others listed in his book as well), he chooses to interact with the Premillenial view more.
I think another book that must be recognized by Revelation students is Regnum Caloreum (see my review on that). He also interacts a lot with Osborne. He recommends Regnum Caloreum and Poythress among other commentators. He seems to interact the most with Mounce, Osborne, Aune, Smalley to name a few.
I think that the argument one reviewer criticizes on 'show' in Revelation 1:1 is convincing (the other reviewer says it is confusing...but it really is quite simple) when we look at the useage of 'SEMAINW' throughout the NT-and the stuff of Revelation itself. One clear example of this is the famous use of the term in John 3:14-16 where Jesus interprets the symbol from the desert story about the serpent on a pole being lifted up to provide healing for all who look on it. I cannot recall if Beale uses that exact illustration, but that is the sort of thing he does throughout this book. Sometimes you do have to read slowly to really grasp what he is saying...because he's quite technical.
Also-Beale makes a case for a strong link to Daniel. He wrote a book about this. Really his case in the NIGTC Revelation rests on that as well. He builds a very strong case for tying the book of Revelation to the Daniel 2:29-45 dream story about Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. He shows that phrase in Revelation 1:1; 4:1, and 22:6 'hA Dei Genesthai...' is found only in Daniel 2:28/29 Theo and Daniel 2:45. This grammatically points Revelation 1:1; 4:1 and 22:6 to the dream Daniel interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar...and is therefore an interpretive key to Revelation. The Kingdom which Nebuchadnezzar sees starting during the reign of the Roman Empire Kings (if we follow the typical view on that dream)...is that the Kingdom of God which will never end is NOT something of the future only...it is something that has started...inaugurated by Jesus Christ Himself and will ultimately culminate in the justice of all wrongs and the new Jerusalem/new community.
So Beale really is laying out a case for an "Inaugurated Kingdom" which began in the first century...and is prophetically and apocalyptically portrayed in Revelation. This "Inaugurated Kingdom" is expanding and will never be overthrown.
The densely packed inferences to OT and Jewish apocalypic literature reinforces the fact that John is portraying the coming Kingdom has now come. The grammatical links to Daniel 2 matching the beginning and end of a story has a similar feeling the the phrase 'In the beginning'...which reminds the reader who knows the bible of two passages...Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1. The fact that there are connections between those two passages should not be lost. Similarly there are links between Daniel 2 and Revelation...not only in the verses quoted...but throughout the entire book. Revelation 1:1, 4:1 and 22:6 all point to Daniel 2:28/45 in the exact way that John 1:1 points to Genesis 1:1. The three word phrase is a direct quote. In Revelation 1, 4 and 22 these are the only places in the entire LXX/GNT where the phrase is quoted from Daniel 2.
I think if you read him with a hungry and open heart you will catch fire for the most complex and detailed work of the New Testament...the book of Revelation.
Beale's capturing of extensive extrabiblical references to support the inferences from OT scripture is also overwhelming.
He contends, successfully, in my view, that the OT is consistently interpreted with the same hermeneutic that is recommended today. He's very good. I have to say that he is a scholar's scholar. Tough to disprove and no one can ignore him on the book of Revelation and maintain a convincing argument. Many fail to convincingly refute him. Many of his points are overwhelmingly convincing...some are not as powerful, but his overall perspective won over every single student in our class (that I could see) and there were some of the sharpest students I've ever sat with in that class. The material in this book is essentially what we studied...so I would not be surprised if you are not stretched beyond normal for a commentary of this sort.
You will use it over and over if you buy it. I heartily give this one a five star rating.
 Beale is good at what is Beale good at January 24, 2006
2 out of 9 found this review helpful
I disagree with mr. Bultman that Ken Gentry will prove able to settle 1 century influence on John's thought the way it has already been done by David Aune (which I would give 5 stars). Beale also uncritically seams to assume connections between the jewish exegetical inheritance which may be dated between 1 and 7 centuries after John wrote. For many verses you will find Aune come up with a more plausible background, closer to John and yet accounting for the OT receptive history. Yet the knowledge of the jewish background of Beale is, as the cover says and I experienced, unrivaled. So although the connections are based on hypothetical continuity between OT scripture and targumic/midrashic scripture, Beale has here a strong case for this continuity. Apocalypse's style, content, expectation and religion of John may very well be the best we have to sketch out that bridge. Since I'm no preterist, I don't have a problem with his eschatology, but I do believe we need both Beale and Aune.
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