The NIV Application Commentary: Revelation

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for pastors and teachers.
Review: There are plenty of commentaries on Revelation. The scholar has Beale and Aune, the student has got the less detailed but scholarly Mounce, and the layman has the rightly popular Hendriksen. There are a lot of other good commentaries out there, but it is hard to find one that stands out from the crowd.

This one by Professor Craig S Keener fills a need in that it is designed to apply the lessons of Revelation to contemporary life. Keener is no academic lightweight, he has already written a 1061 page commentary on Matthew, but he is no stodgy academic either, he is also actively involved in contemporary church life.

In the commentary he covers short sections of Revelation by first discussing the original meaning of the text, which he does reasonably well. Although I think more care is needed to bring out the meaning of the symbolism of Revelation. The layout could also be improved to make clearer which verse he is talking about. After the section on the original meaning there is a section which builds a bridge between the world of the bible and the world of today. Finally there is a longer section which applies the passage to contemporary western life. The pastor or teacher who has to teach Revelation will find this commentary very useful and it will help to answer the question. "Well what has all that Roman persecution got to do with us?" Craig Keener knows the Western church well enough to be suitably challenging in his application. He will also help to enlarge the horizon of an inward looking church. Because he applies Revelation to contemporary life a new edition will be required five to ten years hence.

The 576 page commentary is sufficiently detailed to answer the main questions posed by the text but it is not over detailed. The busy pastor will still need to supply some more analysis. The book has quite extensive footnotes, which can usually be ignored, and four indexes. Pastors and teachers will benefit from this book as well as students who want more than just an academic interest in Revelation. Good job Craig, look forward to the next edition.