Robert H. Smith

The Apocalypse: a Commentary on Revelation in Words and Images Robert H. Smith

John's striking visions in the book of Revelation have fired the imaginations of countless millions in the past and continue to inspire and even shock readers up to our own generation. This commentary on Revelation is designed for clergy and laypeople serious about understanding Revelation and its significance today. Through the visionary language of John the Seer and the compelling imagery of Albrecht Drer, Apocalypse captures the majesty and grotesquery of Revelation and strives to center our imaginations not on darkness but on God.

Easily the most read and seriously misinterpreted book of the Bible, Revelation has generated controversial and conflicting interpretations as we end the second millennium. Coincidentally, the year 2000 is the 500th anniversary of the publication of Albrecht Drer's bilingual edition of the Apocalypse, illustrated with fifteen spellbinding woodcuts. Drer's images are distinct and moving pieces of art that comment on the central visions of the 21 chapters of Revelation. Because of their artistic and spiritual power, they have set their stamp on all subsequent generations of illustrations of Revelation.

Drer's woodcuts are incorporated together with an introduction that describes both the Seer of Patmos and the artist of Nuremberg and gives a very brief overview of various ways of reading these texts (fundamentalist, mainline, liberation). It is followed by a commentary on the book of Revelation accompanied by and keyed to the woodcuts.

Revelation closes as it opens, with words intended to impress on readers the authority of the Seer and the urgency of heeding his summons to an undivided loyalty to God and Christ. For those searching for a way to demystify the often puzzling book of Revelation or for those seeking a splendid pathway into the Apocalypse, this commentary is an extraordinary aid to grasping the central visions-and to being grasped by them.