A COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE. BY MOSES STUART, PROFESSOR OF SACRED LITERATURE IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PREFACE. THAT the Apocalypse is a book replete with difficulties, not only for the common reader but also for the critic and interpreter, no one will deny who has earnestly applied himself to the study of it. The sources of difficulty, in respect to the prophetic part of it, are obvious, and may easily be stated. The book is made up of one continued series of symbols, unaccompanied for the most part by such plain and explicit declarations with regard to their meaning, as are generally to be found in like cases among the prophetic writings of the Old Testament. The original and intelligent readers of this book, beyond all reasonable doubt, could understand the meaning of the writer; else why should he address his work to them? Their acquaintance with the circle of things in which he moved, and their familiarity with the objects to which he refers, superseded the use of all the critical apparatus which we must now employ. Not long, however, after the death of John, the Apocalypse appears to have been regarded as a wonderful and mysterious book, and to have given occasion to many strange and very discrepant interpretations. From that time down to the present, a similar state of things has existed in regard to the exposition of this work. And even with all the light which recent critical study has thrown upon the Scriptures in general, there yet remains, as is generally confessed, not a little of obscurity resting upon the Apocalypse. Must this state of things always continue? This is a question of great interest to those, who believe that the Apocalypse rightfully belongs to the Canon of Scripture. Hitherto, scarcely any two original and independent expositors have been agreed, in respect to some points very important in their bearing upon the interpretation of the book. So long as the Apocalypse is regarded principally as an epitome of civil and ecclesiastical history, this must continue to be the case. Different minds will make the application of apocalyptic prophecies to different series of events, because there is something in each to which more or less of these prophecies is seemingly applicable. Such has always been the case, in past times, whenever this method of interpretation has been followed; and why should anything different from this be expected for the future? The consequence however has of course been, to create a kind of general distrust in the pubmind, with regard to every effort made in order to explain the book in question. At a period somewhat early, the Apocalypse was excepted by (RECAP) 5198 888 |