Ian Paul - Revelation

The Tyndale Commentaries have been a flagship series for evangelical readers of the Bible for over sixty years. Both the original New Testament volumes (19561974) as well as the new commentaries (19832003) rightly established themselves as a point of first reference for those who wanted more than is usually offered in a one-volume Bible commentary, without requiring the technical skills in Greek and in Jewish and Greco-Roman studies of the more detailed series, with the advantage of being shorter than the volumes of intermediate commentary series. The appearance of new popular commentary series demonstrates that there is a continuing demand for commentaries that appeal to Bible study leaders in churches and at universities. The publisher, editors and authors of the Tyndale Commentaries believe that the series continues to meet an important need in the Christian community, not least in what we call today the Global South, with its immense growth of churches and the corresponding need for a thorough understanding of the Bible by Christian believers.

In the light of new knowledge, new critical questions, new revisions of Bible translations, and the need to provide specific guidance on the literary context and the theological emphases of the individual passage, it was time to publish new commentaries in the series. Four authors will revise their commentary that appeared in the second series. The original aim remains. The new commentaries are neither too short nor unduly long. They are exegetical and thus root the interpretation of the text in its historical context. They do not aim to solve all critical questions, but they are written with an awareness of major scholarly debates which may be treated in the Introduction, in Additional Notes or in the commentary itself. While not specifically homiletic in aim, they want to help readers to understand the passage under consideration in such a way that they begin to see points of relevance and application, even though the commentary does not explicitly offer these. The authors base their exegesis on the Greek text, but they write for readers who do not know Greek; Hebrew and Greek terms that are discussed are transliterated. The English translation used for the first series was the Authorized (King James) Version, while the volumes of the second series mostly used the Revised Standard Version; the volumes of the third series use either the New International Version (2011) or the New Revised Standard Version as primary versions, unless otherwise indicated by the author.

An immense debt of gratitude for the first and second series of the Tyndale Commentaries was owed to R. V. G. Tasker and L. Morris, who each wrote four of the commentaries themselves. The recruitment of new authors for the third series proved to be effortless, as colleagues responded enthusiastically to be involved in this project, a testimony both to the larger number of New Testament scholars capable and willing to write commentaries, to the wider ethnic identity of contributors, and to the role that the Tyndale Commentaries have played in the church worldwide. It continues to be the hope of all those concerned with this series that God will graciously use the new commentaries to help readers understand as fully and clearly as possible the meaning of the New Testament.

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Series Editor

Nicholas Perrin, Consulting Editor

No scholarship is ever done in isolation; it is always the work of a community, whether that is real or virtual. I am indebted to all who have gone before me, in particular to Richard Bauckham, whose monumental collection of essays was published while I was doing my PhD, and who helped me enormously to think through issues of numerology, composition and context. I have greatly valued David Mathewsons meticulous work on the text of Revelation, Craig Keeners remarkable catalogue of primary sources in his commentary, Gordon Fees lively observations and Craig Koesters exemplary scholarship and review of options, even at points where we disagree. I appreciated Steve Moyises chairing of the British New Testament Conference Revelation seminar group for seven years, and his invitation to me to chair following him (which I did for ten years), and all the members of the group who contributed much stimulating discussion. Thanks go to Joel Green and Anthony Thiselton for various encouraging conversations, to Paula Gooder for friendship in the task of writing, to Richard Briggs for helpful interaction at various stages, and to Eckhard Schnabel for his thorough and helpful editorial comments. I am indebted to Christopher Rowland and Stephen Travis as my PhD supervisors many years ago, and to Stephen for going above and beyond the call of duty in proofreading the first draft of this text a very generous gift, much appreciated. I am indebted to Michael Wilcock, whose volume in The Bible Speaks Today series was my first introduction to Revelation while a teenager; to Steve Walton, who was my PhD examiner and is a continuing friend and conversation partner; and to the late Dick (R. T.) France, an inspiration both in person and in writing for his clarity, insight and integrity in his reading of the Scriptures.

Scholarship never happens without the support of friends, and I am so grateful to Simon and Glenda Devlin, who invited me and my wife to join them in France for what became for me a very fruitful writing week that helped this work on its way to completion. Thanks too to the Westlife Missional Community, my clergy colleague Amanda Digman, and my in-laws Ray and Pam Fardon, who have all been constant supports in prayer, and the staff of Froth, the Waffle House and Coffee Shop, where a good deal of this was written. Thank you to Lizzi, Ben and Becca, who have tolerated for many years the theological eccentricities of their father (and especially to Lizzi for proofreading some sections of the text); to Barney for constant companionship; and last but by no means least to my wife Maggie. Your love, support, understanding, humour and encouragement have been like a pearl without price you are a suitable companion in more ways than you can imagine. Thank you.

Ian Paul

AB Anchor Bible

AT Authors translation

BNTC Blacks New Testament Commentaries

ICC International Critical Commentary

JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary

NovTSup Novum Testamentum Supplement Series

NT New Testament

OT Old Testament

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

kjv The Authorized Version of the Bible (The King James Bible), the rights in which are vested in the Crown, reproduced by permission of the Crowns Patentee, Cambridge University Press.

tniv TODAYS NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 2004 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, a member of the Hachette UK Group. All rights reserved. TNIV is a registered trademark of International Bible Society.

Aune, David E. (19978), Revelation , WBC, 3 vols. (Dallas: Word; Nashville: Thomas Nelson).

Beale, G. K. (1999), Revelation , NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).

Boesak, Allan (1987), Comfort and Protest: Reflections on the Apocalypse of John of Patmos (Edinburgh: St Andrew Press).

Caird, G. B. (1966), A Commentary on the Revelation of St John the Divine , BNTC (London: A. & C. Black).

Charles, R. H. (1920), A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St John , ICC, 2 vols. (Edinburgh: T&T Clark).