Andreas J. Köstenberger - Handbook on Hebrews through Revelation

Its been a wonderful challenge to comment succinctly on each of the so-called General Epistles and the book of Revelation. While the non-Pauline letters are often neglected, and Revelation has confounded many interpreters, these writings make an important contribution to the NT canon and merit careful study and application. While the placement of Revelation at the very end of the canon is not in question, the ancient manuscript tradition often places James, 12 Peter, 13 John, and Jude immediately following the book of Acts, which ties them more closely to the history of the early church, while Hebrews is often viewed as part of the Pauline corpus, whether the letter was written by Paul directlya minority opinion todayor one of his followers.

Placing the letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude in immediate proximity to Acts highlights the fact that each of these authors was an important figure in the early church. James was the leader of the Jerusalem church who presided over the so-called Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), which ruled on the delicate matter of criteria for gentile inclusion in the Christian community. Peter was the spokesman of the Twelve during Jesuss earthly ministry and was given the keys to the kingdom by Jesus (Matt. 16:19). He preached the first Christian sermon at Pentecost and presided over the inclusion of Jews and Samaritans into the early church (Acts 2:1441; 8:1425). Together with Paul, Peter is the leading character in the book of Acts and the main propagator of the message about the resurrected Jesus. John is the fourth evangelist and paired with Peter in both Johns Gospel and the book of Acts (John 13:2325; 18:1516; 20:210; 21:7, 1523; Acts 34; 8:1425). In his Gospel, he stakes the claim of having been closest to Jesus during his earthly ministry, even closer than Peter (John 13:23; cf. 1:18; 21:20). Intriguingly, these same three menJames, Peter, and John, in the same orderare identified by Paul in his letter to the Galatians as the pillars of the early church (Gal. 2:9).

Jude , finally, like James, was Jesuss half-brother, one of the four sons of Joseph and Mary (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; also called Judas). While not included by Paul among the pillars, Jude was thus closely connected to both Jesus and James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, which not only tied him to the family of Jesus but also placed him in proximity to the apostolic circle. This family and apostolic connection made Jude, too, a suitable contributor to the NT canon. Hebrews , for its part, as mentioned, was often included alongside the other thirteen letters in the Pauline corpus, as it has been traditionally associated with the apostle Paul.

The book of Revelation brings closure to the biblical canon, providing a fitting bookend to the Scriptures by mirroring the opening book of Genesis. Together, these two books narrate Gods initial creation of the universe and humanity on the one hand and the new creation on the other. In between these two bookends, the Bible tells the story of humanitys fall, a series of covenants made between God and his people, first with the nation of Israel (Abraham, Moses, David), and climactically, in keeping with prophetic prediction, in and through Jesus the Messiah (the new covenant). In this way, Revelation brings the biblical story to a fitting conclusion and depicts the eternal bliss of the redeemed in the presence of their covenant-keeping God and of Jesus, the lamb of God and lion of Judah.

Writing this book would not have been possible without the support of my partner in life and ministry, Margaret, who has been an incredible blessing to me over the course of our thirty years of marriage (and counting!). Whenever Im asked to contribute to a useful project such as this, she wholeheartedly urges me to say yes. You are truly more precious than rubies, my love! In addition, Im grateful to the trustees of my institution, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and president Jason Allen for believing in me and for their generous support and encouragement. It means a lot. Im also grateful to Benjamin Gladd for his enthusiastic invitation to contribute this volume to the series, and to the publisher, Baker Academic, for its excellence in producing this work. Thanks also to Drake Isabell for his help with the Scripture index.