Michael H. Burer and David B. Kieffer, 1 Corinthians (Kerux)

Burer, Michael H. and David B. Kieffer. 1 Corinthians. A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching. Kerux Commentaries. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Ministry, 2026. 367 pp. Hb. $34.99   Link to Kregel Ministry  

Kregel’s Kerux commentary series combines an exegetical commentary with preaching pointers to help pastors and teachers prepare sermons and lessons for the church. In this new commentary on 1 Corinthians, Michael H. Burer (PhD, Dallas Theological Seminary) has served as dean of faculty and professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Lexham published his commentary on Galatians in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series (reviewed here). He was an editor and assistant project director for the NET Bible and edited John Glynn’s Best Bible Books (Kregel 2018, reviewed here). David B. Kieffer has a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary with an emphasis in homiletics. He served as pastor of Redemption Bible Church in McKinney, Texas.

Burer 1 Corinthians Kerux

The authors divide 1 Corinthians into eight sections (including an introduction and conclusion, so really six major sections). First Corinthians has a very clear outline, and these sections are not unusual. They further subdivide these sections into twenty-six preaching units. In the brief nine-page introduction, they state that 1 Corinthians is best seen through a pastoral lens rather than a single theological theme (43). Members of the Corinthian church struggled with their identity in Christ and with how to live it out in a cosmopolitan city like Corinth.

That Paul is the author of the letter is not controversial, nor is their assertion that it is the second letter written to the church. The first is lost and not interpolated into 1 Corinthians (38). After briefly reviewing the church’s founding (Acts 18), the introduction offers a short overview of Corinth’s history (both Greco-Roman and Jewish backgrounds). Since Greco-Roman culture plays a critically important role in interpreting 1 Corinthians, more than any other of Paul’s letters, this section should have been more developed. This is especially true since the church struggled with its Christian identity while living in a thoroughly Roman context.

The exegetical sections of each preaching unit move through the text several verses at a time, commenting on key words and phrases. Burer’s exegesis is not overly technical, although he must occasionally deal with Greek syntax. Occasionally, this is accomplished in sidebars. For example, he comments on the phrases “faith in the Spirit” or “faith (given) by the Spirit” in 12:9, discussing the difference between the two prepositions (267). More often, Burer compares English translations in a different-looking sidebar entitled “Translation Analysis.” These will be very helpful for pastors, since most congregations use several translations that can differ at times. These sidebars help a busy pastor explain why the NIV uses one phrase, while the ESV uses a slightly different one. Even though Greek is not transliterated, the body of the commentary will not be difficult for readers without Greek training. Although Burer interacts with major commentaries, they are cited briefly in the text and do not disrupt the commentary’s flow.

Although Kieffer’s homiletical section is briefer than those of other recent Kerux commentaries, it is still helpful because it draws out the key theological themes from the preaching unit and offers an outline for a sermon. Each preaching and teaching strategies section concludes with  “creativity in presentation.”  Here, Kieffer suggests several illustrations to help draw people into the sermon. There is less “pop culture” than usual (no C.S. Lewis, Lord of the Rings, or superhero movies). Many suggestions are more “active,” asking the audience to consider something (and at one point, even assigning homework!)

There are several controversial passages in 1 Corinthians that some readers will immediately check to gauge the commentators’ theology. I am not sure this is fair, but it often helps. For example, Paul makes some difficult comments on the veiling of women in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. After reviewing some Greco-Roman background, Burer suggests that Paul makes a Reductio ad absurdum argument: if a woman is going to ignore cultural norms, she should go all the way and “appear mannish” (239). Commenting on 11:3, “Man has authority over woman in the church” (240), and a woman removing the veil for prayer is disrespectful toward those in authority over her. In the preaching strategies section, Kieffer observes that this is indeed one of the most difficult passages to preach in the New Testament because it concerns cultural standards at the time. He states that the passage focuses on the hierarchy between men and women, but also on how men and women glorify God in complementary ways.

A similar difficult passage is 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, where Paul says women ought to remain silent in church. Burer dismisses Fee’s argument that these verses are a later interpolation into the text in a footnote. “I do not agree with his conclusions, but any serious student must understand and wrestle with his arguments” (303). For Burer, silence is contextual, not absolute. Paul is addressing disruptions during worship, leading to chaos in the church. Since the context is “leading and guiding the church,” women need to be subject to male leaders. Earlier in the chapter, Paul tells people to speak in tongues one at a time, with the rest remaining silent in order to avoid chaos during worship (303). In this passage, he tells women who are asking disruptive questions to remain silent. He points out that both men and women learn during a church service, but it is shameful to be disruptive. Kieffer addresses this in the preaching strategies section by focusing exclusively on orderly worship (as Paul does) to attract outsiders.

For both issues, the culture of Roman Corinth sheds more light than this commentary allows. Although there is some recognition of this fact, sidebars might have been used to develop relevant cultural issues more fully. For 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, there is one sidebar on Paul’s Argument from Culture, but nothing illustrating the culture of Rome. Burer approves of Keener’s argument that women were less educated in a footnote, but also points out that Paul is not discussing educating women in this passage. This shortage of cultural data is likely a result of constraints on commentary size and series requirements. I also recognize this critique is “that’s not what I would have done,” which is not always appropriate in a book review.

Conclusion. Bruer and Kieffer achieve the goals of the Kerux series by providing quality exegesis and relevant preaching tips. Busy pastors will find much in this commentary to help them prepare sermons or Bible studies.

Other volumes reviewed in this series:

NB: Thanks to Kregel for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

Claude F. Mariottini, Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith

Mariottini, Claude F. Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith: A Survey of the Heroines of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Ministry, 2025. 259 pp. Pb. $25.99  Link to Kregel Academic  

Claude F. Mariottini is Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Northern Seminary, where he has taught for more than 28 years. In addition to monographs such as Divine Violence and the Character of God (W&S, 2022) and Job and the Problem of Suffering (2023), he has also published over 200 articles and book reviews. He regularly posts on his biblical studies blog, one of the original Biblioblogger sites. This new book from Kregel Academic distills Mariottini’s class on Old Testament Women taught at Northern Seminary. He challenges a common view that the Old Testament is misogynistic by collecting the stories of women and demonstrating that Ancient Israel valued women in the Law. That the book has forty chapters makes me wonder if this was originally designed for Kregel’s 40 Questions series. Although the chapter titles are not framed as questions, the book has a similar vibe to a 40 Question book.

Ancient Women of Faith

The first section covers Israel’s social concern for women in the Law. Mariottini begins with the observation that the Old Testament does portray women as victims of brutality and inhumanity, but the foundational texts (such as Gen 1:26-27) indicate that this was not God’s intention. Despite the limitations placed on women in the Law (inheritance laws, for example), many women did exert power in ancient Israel. In chapter 2, he outlines the Deuteronomic concern for women, even if Israel did not live up to that ideal. Mariottini assumes that Deuteronomy is a revision of earlier law, probably made during the reign of Josiah (640-609 B.C.) For example, Deuteronomy elevates the dignity of women with respect to divorce and inheritance laws (37).

Chapters 3 and 4 offer two more examples of this trajectory towards elevating women in the Old Testament canon. Chapter 3 is entitled “The Tenth Commandment,” although Mariottini begins with a discussion of marriage and bridal prices in ancient Israel. Some Old Testament texts could be read as if the husband were purchasing a wife, and therefore the wife is the husband’s property (Ruth 4:3-4, for example). In Exodus, the tenth command seems to include a neighbor’s wife along with his other property. Mariottini argues that Deuteronomy 5:21 places the woman first, elevating her status above that of mere property (42). Chapter 4 examines the “Law of the Slave” in Exodus 21:2-6. Although this passage offers some protection for slaves, a woman can be treated as a perpetual slave and the property of her master. Mariottini argues that Deuteronomy 15:12-18 is a “radical revision” of Exodus 21. Female slaves now enjoy the same protections as male slaves.

Although I generally agree with a revision of the Law under Josiah, some readers may not date Deuteronomy that late in Israel’s history. This is not the point of Mariottini’s book, and he does not argue the case (47). In fact, the idea that there was a major revision of the law under Josiah is a common view in scholarship. Arguing for a trajectory between the earliest commands in Exodus and the revised commands in Deuteronomy works best if there are several hundred years between the two books. Mariottini’s observations in this first section of the book remind me of William Webb’s “redemptive movement,” as presented in his Slaves, Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis (2001, IVP Academic). Mariottini’s version is more of an inner-canonical exegesis. A later text, like Deuteronomy, interprets the early Exodus commands in light of new circumstances (the wisdom movement, Josiah’s reign, etc.).

The next section surveys women prophets. After an introductory chapter, Mariottini examines eight female prophets (Miriam, Debra, Isaiah’s wife, Huldah, Mariottini, a nameless prophetess in Ezekiel, “Women who proclaim the good news,” and the daughters of Heman). Noahdiah is a rather obscure character, appearing only in Nehemiah 6:14 and then as an adversary of Nehemiah. Although the Hebrew text indicates she was a woman, Mariottini points out that the Septuagint uses the masculine form of the noun “prophet.” This three-page chapter illustrates Mariottini’s method. He explains Noahdiah’s story and its importance in the context of Nehemiah 6, then engages with Wilda Gafney’s monograph on women prophets in Ancient Israel, which suggests that Noahdiah objected to Nehemiah’s policies because they led to the breaking apart of families, leaving women and children without status.

The third section of the book surveys ten “mothers of Israel.”  I will touch on chapter 22 as an example in this section of the book. This is one of the longer chapters because Mariottini addresses some translation issues regarding which mother actually received the baby. Solomon treats the women fairly, even though an unwed mother (described as a prostitute) is the lowest member of ancient Israelite society.  For Mariottini, the key to the passages is the mother’s compassion for her child.

In the fourth section, Mariottini discusses four abused women. This is the second chapter on Bathsheba, since she also appeared in chapter 21 as a “mother with determination.” Chapter 35 covers one of the most unusual stories in the Old Testament, Judah and Tamar (Gen 38). There is no need to rehearse the story here, but it is important to note (as Mariottini does) that Tamar is twice the victim of Judah’s family before she deceives him. Tamar “had to overcome the patriarchal structures of her day, structures that held her subservient to men” (210). This section of the book also has a chapter on Rahab, “A Prostitute or an Innkeeper?” Mariottini discusses the meaning of zōnâ, “a prostitute” in most English translations. It was not until Josephus that Rahab was called an innkeeper, perhaps even a “successful businesswoman” (212). But Mariottini concludes, “there is no reason to avoid embarrassment of calling Rahab a prostitute” (214) because she ultimately submits to the will of God and becomes the first Canaanite to join Israel.

The fifth section collects stories about “women of distinction,” queens and other leaders in ancient Israel. Esther is the obvious choice for this section, but Mariottini includes Deborah (Jael is treated in chapter 38), Ahinoam (the mother of Amnon), and Abishag (the woman from David’s harem who warmed his bed). Abishag is a particularly fascinating character since she seems to wield some power both over David and, later, Adonijah, Solomon’s brother, who was overlooked for the throne. Although Mariottini does not discuss this, Abishag demonstrates the potential power that a member of the harem might have in an ancient culture.

After an introductory chapter, the book’s final section examines seven non-Israelite women. Chapter 40 may surprise some readers, “The Greatness that was Jezebel.” Jezebel is usually considered the quintessential evil queen (even Jehu called her “a whore and a sorcerer” (2 Kings 9:22) and her name has passed into contemporary culture as synonymous with sexual sin (for example, the brothel in The Handmaid’s Tale is called Jezebel’s). As wicked as she was (from an Israelite perspective), Mariottini points out that she was indeed a great woman who had tremendous power in Israel, both politically and religiously. Mariottini says Jezebel “illuminates true faith by contrast” (234).

Conclusion. This is an excellent collection of brief essays on many of the women from the Old Testament. Mariottini succeeds in his goal of demonstrating that ancient Israel valued women far more than many modern readers assume. Since the book has forty chapters and 259 pages, each chapter is brief. There are no discussion questions at the end of chapters, a feature that would have enhanced the value of this book for small group Bible studies or personal devotional reading.

I am surprised there is no chapter on the “woman of noble character” in Proverbs 31:10-31 in a book entitled Ancient Israel’s Women of Faith. In fact, the passage is only mentioned once in the book, and that on the epigraph page at the beginning of the book (page 5). Aside from that, there is nothing from the Wisdom Literature in the book.

Although Mariottini is as comprehensive as possible given the constraints of the book, there are some omissions. For example, he includes an excellent chapter on the “greatness of Jezebel,” usually a woman dismissed as a wicked queen in contemporary preaching. Since he included Jezebel, a chapter on the witch of Endor might have been appropriate, especially in the light of Tikva Frymer-Kensky’s recent “rehabilitation” of the witch, Wisdom from the Witch of Endor: Four Rules for Living (Eerdmans, 2024, reviewed here).

Aside from the minor quibbles, Mariottini’s book is an excellent introduction to the study of women in ancient Israelite culture. The book does indeed reflect a lifetime of scholarly thought on the Old Testament, the culture of ancient Israel, and women’s place in that culture. Yet Mariottini writes for a popular audience. This book will make an excellent small group Bible study (for women or men) or for personal devotional reading.

 

NB: Thanks to Kregel Academic for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

Tremper Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, 2nd ed. (NICOT)

Longman III, Tremper. The Book of Ecclesiastes, 2nd ed. NICOT. Eerdmans, 2026. xxxix+320 pp. Hb. $46.99   Link to Eerdmans

The first edition of Tremper Longman’s NICOT commentary on Ecclesiastes was published in 1998. The first edition of this commentary ran xvi+283 pages. One reason for doubling the size of the preface is that the editors moved the bibliography from the body of the book to the “Roman numeral pages.” This means the length of the commentary is forty pages longer in this new edition. As is often the case with second editions of commentaries, a major update is literature published over the last 25 years, including major commentaries and journal articles, in both the bibliography and the footnotes. Longman has added references to Kruger (Hermeneia, 2004), Crenshaw (OTL, 1999), Provan (NIVAC, 2001), Bartholomew (BCOT, 2009), and Weeks (ICC, 2020).

Longman Ecclesiastes 2nd Ed

The introduction to this new edition is about nine pages longer than the 1998 edition. In the preface to the commentary, Longman says, “I have not changed my overall understanding of the book as containing two voices,” except at 12:10, “then only tentatively.”

This raises the question of the authorship of Ecclesiastes. Longman argues that Qohelet is not Solomon, but he adopts a “Solomonic persona” (7). The 2026 edition adds a line, “I believe that Qohelet is not the author of the book,” and “is a fictional or fictionalized character” (4). Longman expands the excursus, “Who was Qohelet?” with a full page interacting with Jennifer Barbour’s 2012 monograph and Michael Fox’s suggestion that Qohelet is a literary persona. Barbour “puts forth a strong, but not totally convincing case” (10) that Qohelet stand, stands for not Solomon, but all the kings of Israel.

Longman has greatly expanded the section on the date of Ecclesiastes, now considering C. L. Seow’s argument that the book was completed in the Persian period (AB, 1998). After summarizing the argument, Longman is not fully persuaded. He therefore adds paragraphs on the possibility of Hellenistic thought and the socioeconomic situation implied by the book. Longman thinks this data favors a Hellenistic date. He includes a new excursus on reading Ecclesiastes in the light of the Hellenistic period (16-17), dialoging with George Athas’s Story of God commentary (2020).

Since Longman is certain Ecclesiastes is non-Solomonic, it is also one of the last books written in the Hebrew Bible. Although he does not create a scenario or a complicated editorial process to explain the book’s creation, he says, “I lean toward the Hellenistic period” (14).  Under the heading “language,” Longman has expanded his discussion of Fredricks, who examined the Persian influence on the book, but argued that the linguistic evidence cannot speak against a preexilic date. Ultimately, Longman disagrees, language “is not a certain barometer of date” (22). The genre, literary style, and canon have only been edited recently, aside from a short paragraph on injustice in life (42).

In this new addition, the unit once entitled “theology of the book is a whole” is renamed “the frame narrator and the theology of the book is a whole (45). Little has changed since the first edition. Longman argues that 1:1-11 and 12:8-15 are a different voice than the pessimistic Qohelet (the rest of the book). This is like Job’s prologue and epilogue, although in Ecclesiastes God does not “speak out of the whirlwind.” Longman states that it is important to read the epilogue carefully to understand the book, as it is a second wise man’s summary of Qohelet’s teaching (46).

The body of the commentary follows the NICOT style. After a short introduction, the commentary begins with Longman’s new translation of the section, accompanied by extensive notes on lexical and tactical issues and occasional observations on textual criticism. These have been edited and expanded in this new addition. Following the translation and textual notes is a verse-by-verse commentary on the Hebrew text. All Hebrew appears in transliteration. Interaction with secondary literature is in the footnotes. These footnotes have been updated with a handful of references to commentaries published after 1998. Following the commentary is a summary of each chapter that draws a few conclusions. This is not “biblical theology” and does not even make Old Testament theological connections. It is solely focused on the text of Ecclesiastes.

Conclusion. As with other volumes of the NICOT series that have been updated, some readers will wonder whether they need to upgrade their commentary. In this case, Longman has not radically changed his views since 1998. However, for scholars, pastors, and students looking for an excellent commentary on the book of Ecclesiastes, Longman’s new edition will serve them well. This is a well-written and insightful commentary on one of the more difficult books of the Hebrew Bible.

Recent reviews of other commentaries in the NICOT Series:

NB: Thanks to Eerdmans for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

Logos Free Book of the Month: Julian Bewer, Obadiah and Joel (ICC)

Logos Free Book of the Month

For the first half of April 2026, you can add Julius Bewer’s ICC  Commentary on Obadiah and Joel to your Logos Library for free.  The commentary was published in 1911, and early ICC commentaries tend to be focused on the Hebrew text. Nevertheless, it is a very good commentary on two less-studied minor prophets. And it’s free.

Logos has an eclectic mix of other deals this April:

  • Tim Shenton, Opening Up 1 Thessalonians, $2.99
  • Greg Gifford, Heart & Habits: How We Change for Good, $3.99
  • Richard Mouw, Called to the Life of the Mind: Some Advice for Evangelical Scholars, $4.99
  • John Rogerson, The Pentateuch (Sheffield Reader), $5.99
  • Ann Loades, David Brown, Jeff Astley, Eds. Problems in Theology 2: Evil, $7.99
  • Chris Shirley, Family Ministry and the Church: A Leader’s Guide for Ministry Through Families, $8.60
  • Paul Avis, Revelation and the Word of God (Theological Foundations of the Christian Church, vol. 2), $9.99
  • J. N. D. Kelly, The Pastoral Epistles (Black’s New Testament Commentary), $10.99
  • Jeremy R. Treat. The Crucified King: Atonement and Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Theology, $11.56
  • Craig A. Evans and H. Daniel Zacharias, Eds., ‘What Does the Scripture Say?’ Studies in the Function of Scripture in Early Judaism and Christianity (2 vols.), $14.99

The highlight is the Evans and Zacharias two-volume set in the Library of New Testament Studies. From the blurb: “These essays shed light on how the founders of Christianity understood the older sacred tradition and sought new and creative ways to let it speak to their own times.” I have used a few of these essays in various papers in the past, and the two-volume set is well worth $15. As always, subscribers save another 5%.

There is a link on the Free Book page to an additional free book for Logos subscribers. Right now, you can add Mark Allan Powell, God with Us: A Pastoral Theology of Matthew’s Gospel (Fortress Press, 1995). There is also a link to Verbum free/cheap books (Verbum is the Catholic-oriented Logos). Verbum sales are often good for church history books.

There is always something on sale with Logos. Here is a link to their monthly sale so you can go spend that tax return on books. April’s publisher spotlight is on Crossway and Christian Focus. Lot sof good deals from those publishers until the end of the month.

What’s new with Logos? Starting with Logos 46, there is an AI assistant called Study Assistant. Before you think this is a Satanically inspired plot to ruin sermon preparation, read my review. It is really pretty good, and will refuse to write your sermon for you. It has been significantly updated since I wrote that review.

This Logos Free Book of the Month promotion runs through April 15. A new free book will be available on April 15 at 9:00 a.m. PST. As always, you can use the (free) basic edition or the inexpensive Fundamentals collection to use these free and discounted books.

All the links are Logos Affiliate links. If you plan to buy Logos books, use this link to support Reading Acts.

Greg Carey, Rereading Revelation: Theology, Ethics, and Resistance

Carey, Greg. Rereading Revelation: Theology, Ethics, and Resistance. Eerdmans, 2025. xviii+210 pp. Pb. $29.99   Link to Eerdmans

Greg Carey is Associate Dean and Professor of New Testament at Moravian University School of Theology. He has previously published Stories Jesus Told: How to Read a Parable (Abingdon2019), Using Our Outside Voice: Public Biblical Interpretation (Fortress, 2020), and Death, the End of History, and Beyond: Eschatology in the Bible in the Interpretation series (WJKP, 2023). He often contributes to Sojourners Magazine.

Theological Interpretation of Revelation

This new book on Revelation addresses the book topically and theologically. He says that his theological perspective is “without bias” (xi). This might be possible, but in his introduction, he goes on to describe his biases. “I aim to read Revelation in a way that fosters life, community, sustainability, dignity, and equity” (xii). His goal in this book is to reach a broad audience, so there is no intensive engagement with secondary literature and certainly no list of what commentaries say about Revelation. In many ways, this theological reading of Revelation engages in a kind of reception history emphasizing modern interpretive methodologies. Often, Carey engages various approaches to Revelation (feminist interpretation, queer readings, post-colonial readings).

He observes that Revelation is a “dangerous and necessary part of the canon” (xii), which some Christians reject because of its violent imagery or the interpretations that it has fostered over the years. Perhaps the book is too esoteric? Is the book impossible to understand? For many readers, the answer is yes, and the book of Revelation is easily pushed aside. Carey’s book is an example of theological interpretation. It is a series of related essays on the book of Revelation without any sustained exegesis or historical research. Certainly, Carey has done that work, but this book stands on the grammatical-historical method, intertextual studies, and the socio-historical study of Asian Rome in the first century.

For Carey, the primary challenge of Revelation involves loyalty. Followers of Jesus are called to resist imperial culture and the worship of emperors and imperial gods. As such, the book is resistance literature (xv). The book is written to real churches in Roman Asia Minor who genuinely struggled to resist imperial ideology. Readers were experiencing pressure regarding their exclusive witness, and some hostility from both outsiders (the “inhabitants of the Earth”) and some unfaithful insiders (the “synagogue of Satan”). The author of Revelation allows no compromise with culture. Carey states that “Revelation is the only New Testament document to condemn Roman power in an overt way” (23).

The first chapter of the book is programmatic. He wants to reread Revelation as apocalyptic, prophecy, and a letter. This is often observed: Revelation is an apocalypse, or represents apocalyptic literature, yet it claims to be a prophecy and has features of a letter. As an apocalypse, Revelation participates in the literary traditions set forth by Daniel and 1 Enoch (5). Apocalyptic unveiled. More specifically, it unveils Rome through symbols such as a beast, a prostitute, or a dragon. “Revelation’s unveiling actively mocks Roman rulers, commerce, and piety by means of parody and satire” (21). Ancient Apocalypses have a scribal quality. They are intense conversations with other texts. He observes that Revelation alludes to 250–1000 Old Testament texts (depending on who is doing the counting).

As a prophecy, John does not see a boundary between prophecy and apocalyptic (as some scholars do today). He states that theological interpretation of revelation requires us to acknowledge John’s perspective (revelation is prophecy) but not necessarily to adopt it. For Carey, prophecy is a “contested category” (9).  As a letter, Carey’s focus is on the embedded letters to churches in Roman Asia Minor in Revelation 2-3. Historians use these letters to reconstruct the circumstances of these seven churches, focusing on the conflicting teachers in Ephesus, Pergamum, and Thyatira (Balaam and Jezebel). Carey warns his readers about making too much of small clues in these letters (14).

There are two key challenges for Christian readers. First, how exclusive is loyalty to Jesus? What potential allegiance is threatened by this loyalty? Second, what is the relationship between the followers of Jesus and the state? These two questions have currency in the first century and make four interesting theological and cultural applications in the twenty-first century. Carey’s focus in this book is on Western Christianity, but it could easily be applied to other cultural contexts.

In chapter 4, Carey asks whether Revelation has an eschatology. He suggests “not in the popular sense” that many modern prophecy teachers used to read the book. Certainly, the book has something to say about “the end,” but it does not have anything to say about the rapture, the tribulation period, or any kind of literal judgments on earth. For Carye, this is not demythologizing because he does not think those elements were present in Revelation in the first place. Eschatology is not a sequence of future events, but a description of how we view reality, or cosmology. Maybe, eschatology is “what’s really going on.” If readers pay attention to the apocalyptic elements of the book and discern how they function in their own culture, they will not fall into the sorts of interpretations popular among premillennial or dispensational interpreters of Revelation (69).

Carey argues that Revelation provides the cosmological framework, with pervasive evil in this world and salvation coming from heaven. This is all based on a Jewish worldview of the first century. I don’t have a problem with this; Carey is certainly correct as far as he goes. However, it seems to me that the “Jewish world view of the first century” included quite a bit of fiery judgment on this world that at least some Jews took quite literally. If Revelation participates in the same literary world as Daniel and Enoch, why would it not also share literal eschatological expectations with that literature?

Nevertheless, he does recognize some eschatology in the book. There is an into history: the lamb defeats Satan and the beast, and the whole supernatural drama comes to an end (76). How all that happens is not what Revelation is about.

Chapters 6-9 discuss specific issues in Revelation (wealth, feminist approaches to the book (“A Queer Book”), violence (how can a pacifist read Revelation?), and resistance. With respect to violence, Carrie says, “Many readers, myself among them, find the lake of fire repulsive for moral and theological reasons (83). Revelation has an active hope for an afterlife for the righteous, but the punishment of the wicked is repulsive. But this violence is repulsive from a modern perspective (no one in the ancient world would see anything wrong with the lake of fire, and there are many antecedents in Revelation’s dialogue partners, the Hebrew Bible, Daniel, and 1 Enoch. Carey observes that “Revelation celebrates and endorses violence, even though it never calls its audience to violent action” (152). If Revelation is resistance literature, then the violence is expected.

For Carey, it is best to emphasize the book’s hopeful passages. For example, “Christian hope is not the same as empty optimism” (78). Revelation grounds its future in the shape of what God has already accomplished in creation, Israel, and the church (79).

Conclusion. Carey’s Rereading Revelation is a helpful contribution to theological readings of Revelation. By rereading Revelation through a thoroughly modern lens, Carey offers insight into this difficult book that other approaches overlook.

 

NB: Thanks to Eerdmans for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.