The Book of Revelation can be read in various ways. Where interpretation opts not to venture beyond Revelation or approach the book as a forecast of end-time events, it typically favours either going behind the text, in search of a socio-historical context of origin to which it might refer, or else standing in front of the text and investigating the book's reception history, or its present relevance and impact. Comparatively little interpretative work has been undertaken inside the text, exploring the mechanics of how Revelation 'works', still less how its complex parts might fit together into a meaningful whole. Gordon Campbell considers Revelation to be a coherent narrative composition that draws its hearer or reader into its text-world. In Reading Revelation: A Thematic Approach, Campbell gives an innovative account of Revelation's sophisticated thematic content. Mindful of Revelation's narrative verve, or its architecture en mouvement (as Jacques Ellul once put it), Campbell plots a series of thematic trajectories through the book. On this reading, parody and parallelism fundamentally shape the whole narrative. As a first-ever integrated account of Revelation's macro-themes, Reading Revelation makes an important contribution to Revelation scholarship. In its light, the book may justifiably be seen as the 'crowning achievement' of the Scriptures.

About the Author
Gordon Campbell is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and principal of Union Theological College, Belfast, where he is also Head of Biblical Studies. The Book of Revelation has been the focus of much of his research and remains his special interest.

Reviews
'...[Reading Revelation] provides many fresh insights. What Campbell has offered, is a complete and coherent biblical theology of Revelation, undoubtedly fruitful to use for theological students, teachers and researchers, so that contemporary readers become competent readers...' Rob Van Houwelingen, European Journal of Theology, April 2013. 'Gordon Campbell's impressive study... is a masterful interpretation, detailed and rigorous.' Ian Boxall, The Expository Times, Volume 125, No.2, November 2013 'Campbell's approach is to seek an understanding of Revelation from within the text itself, rooted as it is in both the Old and New Testament Scriptures. [...] He discerns a number of themes running through Revelation which bind the book into a coherent literary work rather than a collection of disparate elements or detailed prophecy of the future.' David McKay, Reformed Theological Journal, 2013 Issue [Reading Revelation] offers fresh understandings of Revelation. Its copious endnotes, rich bibliography, indexes of Revelation passages, other biblical references, ancient Greco-Roman literature, and themes enable the reader to cross-check the meanings of a specific text or a vision or an event. Readers will find this carefully researched work enlightening and rewarding." Daniel Jeyaraj, Liverpool Hope University, in Theological Book Review (tbr), Vol. 25, No.1, 2013 "Gordon Campbell has written a comprehensive and useful analysis of John's Apocalypse [...] Campbell's reading of Revelation is intrusive at many points and will prove useful to students of the Apocalypse who have long pined for a fresh perspective on this perplexing book." Andrew R. Guffey, Modern Believing vol 56, issue 1, January 2015



Book Information
ISBN 9780227173831
Author W. Gordon Campbell
Format Paperback
Page Count 452
Imprint James Clarke & Co Ltd
Publisher James Clarke & Co Ltd
Weight(grams) 646g