Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for April, 2012

Here are a couple recently published worthy reads, on the Book of Revelation, recommended and reviewed by our own Jim “Sparky” Strickler.  Both titles are available through our bookstore, and are eligible for a 25% discount when you mention this blog post.  

Jim "Sparky" Strickler

Michael J. Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness:  Following the Lamb into the New Creation  Cascade Books, 2011.

“If you’re only going to read one book on Revelation this is the one I recommend.”

Daniel F. Stramara Jr. God’s Timetable: The Book of Revelation and the Feast of Seven Weeks. Pickwick Publications, 2011

“A convincing look at Revelation through the 1c. Jewish lectionary leading up to, and through, the Feast of Weeks. The book offers many  insights that are otherwise missed or confused if Revelation is simply read as its christianized version. Stramara Jr. appropriately understand that Revelation must be ultimately understood in the christianized version that we now have, but his thesis is that Revelation was originally composed as a Jewish Apocalypse (being what we know as Rev. 4-11). He thinks that it was composed with the first century Jewish Lectionary in mind, and that around and including the Feast of Weeks (the most important feast time of the Jewish year, the Shauv’ot festival). He understands Rev. 12-22:7 as developments by the original seer’s disciples, and that “John” christianized it with the addition of chapters 1-3 and the epilogue of 22:8-21. If that seems far fetched he observes that 4 Ezra (also known as 2 Esdras) was also written as a Jewish Apocalypse, and was latter christianized with the first two chapters and an epilogue. It was also contemporaneous with Revelation. He makes a convincing study, and deciphers some of the most puzzling and mysterious images in Revelation in equally compelling ways.   If one is going to read more than one book on Revelation (Gorman’s above) then this one must have its place.”


Read Full Post »