The Apocalypse: A Reading of the Revelation to John

Rating:
Summary: Clarity, concision and erudition
Review: Professor Talbert aims "to offer aid to those who are scarred by harmful readings of Revelation and to encourage mainstream Christians to deal with Apocalypse in ways other than ignoring it." In my opinion, he succesfully delivers what he promised. This book is concise and easy to read but is not just "preaching to the choir." It is an erudite, well written essay, adjusted to modern biblical exegesis yet accesible to a broad audience.

Rating:
Summary: A good introduction, but. . .
Review: Revelation is a neglected book within the church. Even Calvin never preached from it. Talbert attempts to make the book more readable and accessible to Christians today. What is troubling is his reliance on extra-biblical apocalyptic literature, especially when it suits his purpose. For example, as to the authorship of the book, Talbert claims that all we can say is that it was written by someone named John (not necessarily the Apostle). He assumes this despite some strong historic evidence pointing to the Apostle. However, he appeals to these sources when defending the cannonicity of the book. By way of another example, when the question of the millennial reign of Christ is addressed, Talbert admits it not based solely upon the text, but because other, extra-biblical, apocalyptic literature. Despite these difficulties, no call them slight discomforts, with the book, Talbert handles the text fairly well. This book would best be used with a solid, orthodox, Reformed commentary.