Apocalypse and Allegiance: Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation
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- Create Date：2021-06-19 08:54:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：J. Nelson Kraybill
- ISBN：1587432617
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Summary
In this lively introduction， J。 Nelson Kraybill shows how the book of Revelation was understood by its original readers and what it means for Christians today。 Kraybill places Revelation in its first-century context， opening a window into the political， economic， and social realities of the early church。 His fresh interpretation highlights Revelation's liturgical structure and directs readers' attentions to twenty-first-century issues of empire， worship， and allegiance， showing how John's apocalypse is relevant to the spiritual life of believers today。 The book includes maps， timelines， photos， a glossary， discussion questions， and stories of modern Christians who live out John's vision of a New Jerusalem。
Reviews
Frances
，
This is a book on the Biblical book Revelation but it does not predict the future and limits the explanations to what would this have meant to its first readers and how based on that meaning we can get the most out of it today。 Rather than off the wall theories this book shows us that Revelation is about recognizing the evil in the society around us， about worshipping God as opposed to the idols around us and that what we do is as important as what we believe。 I found it very refreshing and usef This is a book on the Biblical book Revelation but it does not predict the future and limits the explanations to what would this have meant to its first readers and how based on that meaning we can get the most out of it today。 Rather than off the wall theories this book shows us that Revelation is about recognizing the evil in the society around us， about worshipping God as opposed to the idols around us and that what we do is as important as what we believe。 I found it very refreshing and useful。 。。。more
Widmer
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Fantastic in every way， a must read！Dr Kraybill has masterfully brought together many motifs and areas of study into one cohesive narrative。 Interested in ancient Israelite cosmology？ 2nd temple Jewish apocalyptic？ Literary designs and devices of the ancient biblical authors？ Prophecy and eschatology？ Culture and politics and a Christian’s role？ Non-violence and the Way of Peace？ The paradox of King Jesus， the lion and the lamb laying down together in tranquility？ All this and so much more packe Fantastic in every way， a must read！Dr Kraybill has masterfully brought together many motifs and areas of study into one cohesive narrative。 Interested in ancient Israelite cosmology？ 2nd temple Jewish apocalyptic？ Literary designs and devices of the ancient biblical authors？ Prophecy and eschatology？ Culture and politics and a Christian’s role？ Non-violence and the Way of Peace？ The paradox of King Jesus， the lion and the lamb laying down together in tranquility？ All this and so much more packed into an accessible， fast-moving narrative that brings us to the heart of worship！ Come， Lord Jesus， come。 Come today。 Come tomorrow。 Come eternally！ 。。。more
David
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Great intro to the final book of the Bible。What do I look for in a book about Revelation？ *Lots of history and context that points out the absurdity and sheer wrongness with the Hal Lindsey/ Tim Lahaye garbage。 Check！*Helpful points on what the message actually is and how it challenges comfortable religious people in America and other empires。 Check！Craig Koester’s book has been my favorite intro to Revelation， along with my old professor Robert Lowery’s。 This one is right up there。 If you’re co Great intro to the final book of the Bible。What do I look for in a book about Revelation？ *Lots of history and context that points out the absurdity and sheer wrongness with the Hal Lindsey/ Tim Lahaye garbage。 Check！*Helpful points on what the message actually is and how it challenges comfortable religious people in America and other empires。 Check！Craig Koester’s book has been my favorite intro to Revelation， along with my old professor Robert Lowery’s。 This one is right up there。 If you’re confused about and interested in the last book of the Bible， this book is for you。Also， there are lots of cool pictures！ 。。。more
Orville Jenkins
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Kraybill provides an excellent commentary on the theme and background of the book of Revelation （the Apocalypse） to bring to life the current setting of the late first century of the Christian Era。 The Roman emperors had heightened their focus and enforcement of Emperor worship and obeisance， placing the monotheist Christians in danger， with many losing their lives。This excellent book outlines the situation as the backdrop to the book of the Revelation。 I first read this and marked it up in Dece Kraybill provides an excellent commentary on the theme and background of the book of Revelation （the Apocalypse） to bring to life the current setting of the late first century of the Christian Era。 The Roman emperors had heightened their focus and enforcement of Emperor worship and obeisance， placing the monotheist Christians in danger， with many losing their lives。This excellent book outlines the situation as the backdrop to the book of the Revelation。 I first read this and marked it up in December 2011， then in a new study of the Revelation noted additional insights and decorated the book even further in October 2017。Revelation appears to have been written early in the period of such growing pressure and persecution under Emperor Domitian in the early 90s。 Legal and archaeological artifacts illustrate starkly the conditions and political realities of Empire in conflict with the Rule of God proclaimed by the followers of Jesus Christ。Those who would not deny Christ as only lord and savior， the official designations of the Caesar， lost property， prestige and social position or governmental employment， and in some cases their very lives。 Kraybill provides helpful insights on the geography and commercial， religious or political significance of each of the 7 cities addressed in the book of the Revelation。 。。。more
Matt
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Should be on the serious student's short list of must-read monographs on the book of Revelation。 Explores the historical context of Revelation， highlighting the indexes of allegiance that were engaged in the world of the seven churches of Asia Minor and how Revelation reorients and re-contextualizes them。 An excellent read for integrating worship-based discipleship with the lived experience of Christians living in or under modern empires。 Should be on the serious student's short list of must-read monographs on the book of Revelation。 Explores the historical context of Revelation， highlighting the indexes of allegiance that were engaged in the world of the seven churches of Asia Minor and how Revelation reorients and re-contextualizes them。 An excellent read for integrating worship-based discipleship with the lived experience of Christians living in or under modern empires。 。。。more
Dora
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Finally an insight into the book of Revelation with solid historic information that helps to understand the symbols used by John of Patmos。 Kraybill also does an excellent job confronting the reader with the question of where his or her loyalty lies。
M Christopher
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Very solid analysis of Revelation written in an accessible style。 The book is clearly intended to be used in Bible study or other classes。 Each chapter is broken into short sections and each chapter ends with study questions and an illustrating story of modern life。 Not any surprising information for serious students of the New Testament but does a good job tracing the three themes of the subtitle and showing the Revelator's relevance for today。 Very solid analysis of Revelation written in an accessible style。 The book is clearly intended to be used in Bible study or other classes。 Each chapter is broken into short sections and each chapter ends with study questions and an illustrating story of modern life。 Not any surprising information for serious students of the New Testament but does a good job tracing the three themes of the subtitle and showing the Revelator's relevance for today。 。。。more
Barry
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Mr。 Kraybill provides a commentary on the book of Revelation by choosing to interpret most of Revelation as having already been fulfilled during the time of John the Revelator。 Though this view is disputed by many （or at least some）， he bases his interpretation on the guiding hermeneutical principles of apocalyptic literature。 And the case he makes is compelling！ Weaving together history and the Bible， Mr。 Kraybill adroitly walks through the whole of Revelation introducing historical situations Mr。 Kraybill provides a commentary on the book of Revelation by choosing to interpret most of Revelation as having already been fulfilled during the time of John the Revelator。 Though this view is disputed by many （or at least some）， he bases his interpretation on the guiding hermeneutical principles of apocalyptic literature。 And the case he makes is compelling！ Weaving together history and the Bible， Mr。 Kraybill adroitly walks through the whole of Revelation introducing historical situations into the Biblical account and symbols in a way that is both plausible and convincing。 While any commentary on the book of Revelation is open to debate， indeed， any commentary is open to debate， this book is a solid yet brief effort based on a firm foundation。 Additionally， the book is filled with pictures， charts， and other helpful features that make the lay of the land and culture come alive in the 21st century。 Mr。 Kraybill also includes a final chapter on the lessons we can learn from Revelation （personal application） which is helpful and encouraging。 Agree or not with his conclusions， but this short book is well worth the read and will enlighten and inform almost anyone。 。。。more
Elliot
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Very good introduction to the social and political background behind the book of Revelation， and includes some helpful thoughts on applying lessons from the book today。 The book is written from a Mennonite perspective， but it is accessible to people from other backgrounds。 There is more to Revelation than Kraybill deals with in this book， though， so it is best read in conjunction with others。
Arthur O'dell
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A good， accessible introduction to the historical and cultural context of the book of Revelation。 A minor quibble: there is a lot more to Revelation than what Kraybill offers here。 But this is a minor fault; the book is not intended to be an exhaustive commentary， but to highlight the setting （and a major theme） of Revelation that is often overlooked in much contemporary （especially popular） interpretation。
Nathan Clark
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Very insightful and interesting book。 Opened my view to change。
Chad Lorion
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Fantastic book on Revelation。 Came away with a whole new appreciation for the Christ-centered worship that abounds in Revelation。
James
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A commentary on the book of Revelations that for once is not about pre-millennial prophecies imported into the present day， but rather one that deals with the social and political environment at the time St John was writing。 A valuable book today therefore not only for understanding Revelations in its historical context， but also on how a Christian is to live as an "alien， an exile in a foreign land"。 A commentary on the book of Revelations that for once is not about pre-millennial prophecies imported into the present day， but rather one that deals with the social and political environment at the time St John was writing。 A valuable book today therefore not only for understanding Revelations in its historical context， but also on how a Christian is to live as an "alien， an exile in a foreign land"。 。。。more
Adam Ross
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This was a book that I enjoyed， but cannot get behind。 Better yet， I like the contemporary applications and conclusions he comes to， but object to the systemic misreading of Revelation he did to get there。 He views Revelation as primarily a polemic against Rome and political powers; it is actually an Israel-centric book focused on the end of the Old Covenant。 Yet there is good insight here for the post-Old Covenant era， and I think reflects an application of Revelation to modern states taht set This was a book that I enjoyed， but cannot get behind。 Better yet， I like the contemporary applications and conclusions he comes to， but object to the systemic misreading of Revelation he did to get there。 He views Revelation as primarily a polemic against Rome and political powers; it is actually an Israel-centric book focused on the end of the Old Covenant。 Yet there is good insight here for the post-Old Covenant era， and I think reflects an application of Revelation to modern states taht set themselves up as idolatrous nations and as the only mediators of religion or "cult" in the world。 New Towers of Babel， if you will。 Read with a careful eye， there is a lot of good to get out of it， despite the vast amount of research into the Roman Imperial Cult which Revelation doesn't care one whit about。 。。。more
Sean Dockery
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Excellent survey of John's Revelation。 Very thoughtful applications for Jesus followers today。 Excellent survey of John's Revelation。 Very thoughtful applications for Jesus followers today。 。。。more
Gary Froseth
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Probably a good text for an adult Bible study。 Given the subtitle， I had hoped for something more。
William Loewen
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A good read for people who want to study Revelation within a historical perspective。 It also appealed to parts within me that love Roman history and are skeptical of Tim LaHaye。
Wes Horn
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This is one of the best and most helpful books I have read in a long time。 As both a minister and preacher， this is a book I've been waiting for。 Finally a book that helps unravel the language and symbols of the last book of the Christian Bible。 If you are looking for a traditional commentary that covers the Revelation of John， this is NOT the book for you。 But， if you are looking for a book that will help open up the world that John was writing to and help explain how and why he composed his ap This is one of the best and most helpful books I have read in a long time。 As both a minister and preacher， this is a book I've been waiting for。 Finally a book that helps unravel the language and symbols of the last book of the Christian Bible。 If you are looking for a traditional commentary that covers the Revelation of John， this is NOT the book for you。 But， if you are looking for a book that will help open up the world that John was writing to and help explain how and why he composed his apocalypse the way he did。。。then this IS the book for you。 And， it is the perfect companion to any commentary you might be using。 With his years of experience as both educator and minister， Dr。 Kraybill offers the Church an excellent aid in understanding what the historical book of Revelation might offer the contemporary Church。 In a kind， but clear， manner， Kraybill seeks to lead the reader away from fear based theologies of Revelation like those found in the Left Behind series and guide them towards a reading that offers the hope in God that John intended。 In addition to the excellent writing， this volume is also filled with excellent pictures and sidebars that help show the reader what Kraybill is trying to explain。 If you are interested in understanding the message of the Revelation of John。。。this a great place to start。 。。。more
Todd
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I'm not going to get into too much detail， other than to say that this is not one of those books on Revelation in the style of "let's try our hand at prophecy and prediction，" but rather， looks at the actual issues John of Patmos was addressing as he was addressing Christians living under the yoke of Roman Empire。This is one of the best "accidentally anarchist" books that I have read。 （I'm demonstrating confirmation bias， I know。）Here are my favorite quotes:"The pressing issue for John's readers I'm not going to get into too much detail， other than to say that this is not one of those books on Revelation in the style of "let's try our hand at prophecy and prediction，" but rather， looks at the actual issues John of Patmos was addressing as he was addressing Christians living under the yoke of Roman Empire。This is one of the best "accidentally anarchist" books that I have read。 （I'm demonstrating confirmation bias， I know。）Here are my favorite quotes:"The pressing issue for John's readers was how Christians， who gave their highest loyalty to Jesus， should conduct themselves in a world where economic and political structures assumed that everyone would worship the emperor。" p15"Peoples and nations of the world put their faith in deities ranging from globalization and privatization to speculation and excess。" p19"The inspiration for this movement [Christianity] was a Galilean peasant who had died on a Roman cross， a form of execution reserved for people foolish enough to threaten or disobey empire。" p20"Revelation gives a resounding call for believers to avoid giving ultimate allegiance to any power other than God and the Lamb。" p33"Since the unconscious effect of symbols does not necessarily diminish their impact， we do well to consider carefully what symbols we embrace in worship and culture today。" p36"If we took the radical teachings of Jesus about wealth， power， and violence more seriously， we might feel greater tension with our own culture。。。。John likely would have little patience for the folksy prayers， feel-good worship， and gospel-of-acculturation sermons that are common in many Western churches today。" p38"The kingdom of God _has already begun to take shape_ in the world through the life， death， and resurrection of Jesus--and among people of every nation who claim Jesus as Lord。" p45"Christian faith is a theology of history， a conviction that God cares about human affairs and has entered the world in the person of Jesus Christ。 History began with god's loving attention at creation， and it will end with God's loving redemption of the world at the return of Christ。 In the meantime， followers of the Lamb live in the time between the times， in a contested territory between the brokenness of the past and God's restored creation in the future。" p51"。。。the Pax Romana （Roman peace） really was pacification， compliance enforced by threat of arms。。。。Caesar's peace depended on violence。" p59"There was more peer pressure from friends and neighbors to participate in emperor worship than there was government policy or coercion to do so。" p75"John of Patmos was a radical Jew who resonate with this tradition of non-violent resistance to political idolatry。" p86"Jesus confronts the powers of evil， absorbing the worst they can deliver （physical death） and triumphing over them through resurrection。 This is a _Christus Victor_ （Christ triumphant） view of salvation， in which followers of Jesus receive power through his victorious presence to live changed lives。" p101"But the point made in Revelation is that in God's own time and way， things will be made right。 It is not our role as followers of the Lamb to answer violence with violence or to force matters with our own hands。" p103from _Apostolic Tradition_ "When a catechumen [a person receiving instruction for baptism] is arrested because of witness and killed before having been baptized， he is to be buried with all the martyrs， because ha has been baptized in his own blood。" p112"Empires--whether Egyptian， Roman， or modern--warp worship， and God wants his people to be free from their ideology。" p121"Revelation is consistent in signaling that followers of Jesus should not take up physical arms or otherwise participate in meting out punishment。 Jesus' way of nonviolence is so much assumed in Revelation that it receives little direct comment。" p121-122"Worship sometimes must be catharsis， an opportunity to unload deep pain or anger on God， who can make all things new。" p123"Revelation portrays an evil trinity: the dragon （Satan）， a beast （Rome and the Roman Empire）， and a second beast （the religious and political institutions that promote emperor worship）。" p125"。。。when an empire weakens and can no longer deliver wealth or prestige to its henchmen， a puppet rulers turn against the very power they once championed。" p130from Loren Johns "Revelation is 'arguably the most dangerous book in the history of Christendom' in terms of how it has been used。" p133"Revelation warns Christians not to participate in political， religious， or economic systems of an empire about to collapse。" p140"。。。Revelation's call for justice and judgment is not simply a response to the suffering of Christians。 John stands in solidarity with all victims of imperial oppression。。。。" p143"The charllenge for Christians who live at the heart of empire today is to recognize the good in society around us without being so enamored of it that we fail to see when our own country acts [sic] like a beast。" p144"In one of the most caustic scenes of his vision， John sees that the first beast， representing the emperor of the empire， receives its power from Satan。 Persuaded that Rome rules illegitimately by demonic mandate， John will have nothing to do with the imperial system--and especially not with any form of emperor worship。" p147"The emperor cult so pervaded commerce in the Roman world that it was difficult to buy or sell without the mark of the beast [coins depicting godhood or godlike qualities of rulers]。""As a radical Jew， Jesus carries no Roman money on his person。 But when he asks for a coin， one of his critics compromises himself by producing a _denarious_。 Jesus asks whose image （_eikon_） and whose title is on it， thus forcing his Jewish opponents to admit that they are carrying money inscribed with blasphemous claims。" p150"。。。let the idolatrous emperor have the coins bearing his icon。 Human beings， made in the image （_eikon_） of their Creator， belong wholly to God。" p150"Revelation shows that deeds are indexes of what men and women actually worship。" p152"John's purpose in highlighting systemic sin is to exhort individuals and congregations not to let themselves be caught up in a corrupt system。。。。[W]orship involves the whole of life。 While Christians should engage political and economic institutions of our world， we must do so with kingdom values of justice and healing。" p154"Since Jesus in John's vision notices behaviour first， perhaps we also should put orthopraxis （'right practice'） on the same level as orthodoxy （'right belief'）。" p162"Instead of being a willful idolater， Jezebel may simply have been a pragmatist。 She may have insisted that， in order to survive economically and socially， followers of Christ had to participate in guilds or other associatons where pagan ceremonies were part of doing business。 John viewed such pragmatic participation as an index of loyalty to the beast。" p162"Both Paul's treatment of the issue of idol worship and his attitude toward the Roman government would have seemed inadequate to John of Patmos。 Revelation is categorical in condemning the Roman Empire and any association with its pagan rites。" p164"In John's vision， 'to conquer' means to consistently resist the threats and allurements of empire and remain loyal to the Lamb， even in the face of death。" p165"pre-millenialism [is dangerous because it] sometimes includes the notion that biblical teaching about the kingdom of God， such as that found in the Sermon on the Mount， applies only to some indeterminate future and not to the present。" p165"We generally think worship means coming into the presence of God。 In this last vision of Revelation， the reverse happens: the presence of God comes to humans。" p169"John implies that arrival of the new Jerusalem--at least in some preliminary way--is a _present_ reality。" p169"Romans rightly feared that Christians would give their allegiance to this Jesus rather than to Rome and its empire。" p173"。。。if we understand the arrival of the new Jerusalem to have started already in John's day， and to continue in our own， then the holy city is a symbol of God restoring the world in the present。" p176"It is difficult to argue that， in the short run， following the Lamb in circumstances of violence will 'work'。。。。Living out the way of the Lamb makes little sense without a God-centered eschatology or theology of the future。" p183-184"。。。institutions， businesses， and professional organizations still operate today as pyramids of power。 John's vision should make us circumspect about what we must do to be employed or to advance in the corporate or professional culture。" p188"Let us look first for beastly forces within our own power structures; let us consider the possibility that we in the industrialized West might be living in Babylon。" p188"Revelation provides worship language and symbols for believers to take up such resistance to the powers。" p189"Because many Christians in North America live at relative ease in the heart of empire， it may be difficult for us to identify with the countercultural nature of worship in Revelation。 We are tempted to the diversion of using Revelation as a horoscope for predicting the future rather than as a handbook for radical Christian living in the present。" p190"It is the _eventually_ part of change that tempts us to abandon the way of the Lamb and take ethical shortcuts。 We know that Jesus called his followers to put away the sword， to lay up treasure in heaven， and to love the enemy。 But when terrorists strike or when we fear for our security， the dominant culture socializes us to be 'realistic。' We want short-term， surefire ways to alleviate fear and insecurity。" p191"While some believers get caught up in speculations about the temporal proximity of Christ's appearance， it is more important to live in spiritual proximity to our Lord。" p192 。。。more
Dnicebear
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Another book on Revelation--did I really need it my inner critic wondered？ But， how it meets me and adds some thinking and questions I'd wished for during my all too short summer class on Revelation。 Within Kraybill's approach， the context of Revelation comes into sharp focus， violence and the many symbols within Revelation become more intelligible， and our need for imagination in our religious practices cries out。 Here's just one of many paragraphs that speak to me: "The world around us may be Another book on Revelation--did I really need it my inner critic wondered？ But， how it meets me and adds some thinking and questions I'd wished for during my all too short summer class on Revelation。 Within Kraybill's approach， the context of Revelation comes into sharp focus， violence and the many symbols within Revelation become more intelligible， and our need for imagination in our religious practices cries out。 Here's just one of many paragraphs that speak to me: "The world around us may be full of violence and greed。 But in the act of worship， we imagine the world as God created it and as God will re-create it。 By the power of the Spirit， we receive an actual foretaste of the new creation。 God's design for the future begins to take tangible form， at least in part， through healing and hope in the restored community called church。 Because followers of Jesus counterimagine a world different from what we see， we live differently。"Lots of high quality black and white pictures speak as much as the paragraphs， and I enjoy both the photos of Roman busts， ruins and currencies as well as photos or cartoons that illustrate modern-day types of empire-resistance。 。。。more
John Hanscom
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