In this concise and clearly written commentary, Charles H. Talbert brings to mainline Christians a fresh reading of the book of Revelation, demonstrating that it is not only accessible but relevant for the modern-day Christian. According to Talbert, the primary causes of the marginalized status of the book of Revelation by mainline Christians are threefold–the apparent inaccessibility of its meaning, the seeming impossibility of its pastoral application, and its demonstrated susceptibility to abuse. Talbert ably demonstrates that the book of Revelation was written to help the early Christians avoid assimilation into the larger pagan culture. Talbert also gives full attention to the literature of the Greco-Roman, early Christian, and early Jewish worlds as he examines the more mystical components of the narrative.
Charles H. Talbert is Distinguished Professor of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books, some of which have been translated into German, Japanese, and Korean; others of which have been reissued in multiple revised editions or reprinted for reissue due to professional demand. He is also co-Editor of the Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament series.