The Wedding of the Lamb: A Historical Approach to the Book of Revelation

Synopsis: The Wedding of the Lamb does not fit into any of the traditional categories of interpretation for the book of Revelation. The author uses historical sources to combine New Testament interpretation with the history of the Roman/early Christian period to present an interpretation that is meant to approximate the way the early Christians would have understood the text. Far from a doomsday message the message of Revelation is one of hope for a Church in the midst of persecution. The result is an interpretation which unlike the proliferation of fictionalized accounts of the end-times recognizes that most of the images in the book of Revelation are references to events in the history of the Church. Endorsements: By grounding his interpretation on the historical reality of its author James L. Papandrea has accomplished the very difficult task of liberating the Book of Revelation from the limitations imposed on it by both fundamentalist and liberal readings. As the title suggests this is a historical approach to Revelation which tries to avoid the mistakes made by those interpreters who see in it a blueprint for the future of the world or simply a metaphorical or symbolic account. This book will be very useful for those who want to attain a balanced and relevant reading of a text well traveled. --Osvaldo D. Vena Professor of New Testament Interpretation Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Author Biography: Jim Papandrea is Assistant Professor of Church History at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston Illinois. He is the author of Spiritual Blueprint (2010) and The Trinitarian Theology of Novatian of Rome: A Study in Third-Century Orthodoxy (2008).