Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: Revelation
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Seasoned New Testament scholar and popular speaker Peter Williamson interprets Revelation within the living tradition of the Church for pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students alike. His faithfully Catholic exposition is supplemented by features to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry.
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Key Features
- Implements the theological principles of Vatican II
- Connects the messages of Revelation with the Catholic tradition
- References the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Catholic Lectionary, the Church Fathers, and more
Contents
- Illustrations
- Editors’ Preface
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Outline of Revelation
- A Revelation from Jesus Christ (1:1–20)
- Words from Jesus to the Churches (2:1–29)
- More Messages to the Churches (3:1–22)
- The Worship of Heaven (4:1–11)
- The Lamb and the Scroll (5:1–14)
- The First Six Seals (6:1–17)
- Visions of God’s People (7:1–17)
- The Beginning of the Seven Trumpets (8:1–13)
- The Woes Experienced by the Inhabitants of the Earth (9:1–21)
- The Open Scroll (10:1–11)
- The Temple of God, the Two Witnesses, and the Seventh Trumpet (11:1–19)
- The Woman, the Dragon, and the Male Child (12:1–18)
- The Two Beasts (13:1–18)
- The Lamb’s Companions, the Eternal Gospel, and the Harvest of the Earth (14:1–20)
- Seven Angels with Seven Plagues; the Song of Moses and the Lamb (15:1–8)
- The Bowls of God’s Wrath (16:1–21)
- The Harlot and the Beast (17:1–18)
- Judgment of Babylon (18:1–24)
- Celebration in Heaven, Judgment on Earth (19:1–21)
- The Millennium, the Dragon’s Defeat, and the Final Judgment (20:1–15)
- The New Creation and the Bride of the Lamb (21:1–27)
- The River of Life and Concluding Words (22:1–21)
- Suggested Resources
- Glossary
- Index of Pastoral Topics
- Index of Sidebars
- Map
Top Highlights
“Horns indicate power, diadems represent kingly rule; the numbers seven and ten signify completeness” (Page 207)
“In Scripture, lightning and thunder often accompany a theophany, a manifestation of God.” (Page 101)
“What John has heard prepares the reader for the entrance of a powerful royal figure. What John sees takes us aback: the lion is a Lamb! Not only that, but the Lamb seemed to have been slain. The Greek word for ‘slain’ is used of a person killed by violence or of an animal slaughtered for secular or sacrificial purposes. In John’s vision, the depiction of Christ as a lamb recalls the lamb that Abraham promised God would provide (Gen 22:8 RSV), as well as the Passover lamb, whose blood protected the Israelites from the judgment that fell on Egypt (Exod 12:3–13), and the Suffering Servant, ‘a lamb led to slaughter’ (the same Greek root as ‘slain’ here), ‘struck for the sins of his people’ (Isa 53:7–8).” (Page 109)
“John’s Christian readers understand at once: Christ is risen! He has triumphed over death. He is the one who is worthy. And it is his victory that makes possible the revelation and implementation of the final phase of God’s plan for the world, up to now kept secret in the scroll in the hand of the one on the throne.” (Page 108)
“Love is not primarily a feeling but instead a decision from deep within that expresses itself in action” (Page 61)
Praise for the Print Edition
Peter Williamson has written a balanced, clear, informative, and insightful commentary on Revelation that is both Catholic and catholic. Attentive to the first-century context, the history of interpretation, and Christian liturgy and life, it offers us—like Revelation itself—guidance for the spiritual struggle between the first and second comings of the Lord.
—Michael J. Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore
Dr. Williamson, drawing on the best scholarship, has done an excellent job making sense out of a book that is notoriously difficult to interpret. Academically sound, pastorally useful, spiritually inspiring. Highly recommended.
—Ralph Martin, STD, director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Archdiocese of Detroit
Peter Williamson’s commentary on the book of Revelation is well balanced and judicious on issues of the book’s authorship, date, composition, and structure, thus aiding readers in making well-informed decisions that draw on Williamson’s familiarity with modern scholarship and the patristic discussions of Revelation. His explanations of the various images throughout Revelation, set within a clear, sensible presentation of the structure of the whole book, allow the pieces of the puzzle of this book to fall into place and enable the reader to better understand its first-century background and its vision of the final victory of God and his Church over Satan and his kingdom. Throughout the book, the author draws out the ongoing significance of Revelation for the life of the Church in every era between the time of its writing and its ultimate fulfillment. I highly commend this commentary.
—Fr. Mitchell C. Pacwa, SJ, senior fellow, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, Steubenville, Ohio
About the Author
Peter S. Williamson (STD, Pontifical Gregorian University) holds the Adam Cardinal Maida Chair in Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of several books, including Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: Ephesians and Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture. He is also the coeditor of John Paul II and the New Evangelization.