Southwestern Journal of Theology
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 62, No. 1 – Fall 2019
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
2nd ed. By Jonathan Menn. Eugene, OR: Resource, 2018. 595 pages. Softcover, $48.99
In his work Biblical Eschatology, Jonathan Menn attempts to present a comprehensive eschatology that “analyzes all of the major eschatological passages, issues, and positions in a fair, clear, but not superficial way” (xvii). He begins with an introduction to eschatological study, briefly describing the major hermeneutical positions, before he describes his own hermeneutic for biblical study. Menn holds to an amillennial hermeneutic, with its familiar two-age model. From this position, he sees God fulfilling most prophecies substantially and not literally. The church and Christ fulfill Old Testament prophecies about Israel, while the prophecies of Revelation are largely symbolic and not literal. He advocates for one Parousia, one general resurrection, and one general judgment. Menn provides a brief examination of historical eschatology in order to show that the traditional positions of the church support his hermeneutic. Menn follows by examining four major eschatological themes and their importance to biblical eschatology—the millennium, the Olivet Discourse, the rapture, and the antichrist—before concluding with a lengthy commentary on Revelation. Menn also includes several appendices on additional important eschatological texts.
Menn’s work is a weighty contribution to eschatological study. He accomplishes his task of examining most of the major aspects of biblical eschatology; any comprehensive discussion of eschatology should comment on the subjects he has chosen. The inclusion of the history of eschatological discussion in the church is beneficial to show the reader this conversation is not a new one, born out of the contemporary premillennial discussions of the past century, but rather a conversation that dates back to the church fathers. Menn’s commentary on Revelation demonstrates a steady hermeneutic, as he shows that his interpretations remain consistent from early in Scripture until the final book. Finally, the items in his appendices, such as the important but oft-overlooked Zechariah 14, are also profitable and necessary to any end-time conversation.
While Menn offers much to the eschatological conversation, his work is not without its deficiencies. Biblical Eschatology suffers most by not presenting a unified, Biblical eschatology, though Menn states this goal is his intention. Instead of showing how Scripture presents a singular eschatological narrative, his work reads more as a commentary on eschatological subjects. For example, Menn dedicates almost no commentary on the day of the Lord. This oversight is a serious issue when presenting a comprehensive eschatology, as the day of the Lord is a recurring theme throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Furthermore, Menn’s dearth of study on Old Testament prophecy leaves his interpretation of New Testament passages without a foundation. Menn is wise to discuss major themes, such as the rapture and the antichrist, but by dedicating them to their own chapters, the book reads as an amalgamation of subjects instead of building blocks of a cohesive eschatology. The inclusion of so many appendices, while individually valuable to the eschatological conversation, demonstrates this lack of cohesion. Any attempt to present a unified eschatology needs these appendices in the main body of the work.
Additionally, Menn does not argue for the amillennial hermeneutic that guides his interpretations. Instead, he assumes Scripture reflects an amillennial eschatology and structures his interpretations around the position. He uses terms such as “historic Christianity” and “historic exegesis” to justify holding to amillennialism, yet he himself demonstrates that the early church varied greatly in its eschatology. Menn’s work also suffers from assuming all dispensationalists are united in their eschatological systems, ignoring the development of dispensational thought over the past several decades. He thus attacks dispensationalism at its underdeveloped and weakest points while ignoring the more potent dispensational arguments that challenge his own system. Furthermore, his commentary on Revelation is lacking. One could hardly expect Menn to present a fully developed exegesis of Revelation in a singular volume on eschatology, which makes the commentary’s inclusion here puzzling. Instead of commenting on Revelation’s crucial passages, Menn attempts to speak on every section, which only dilutes the commentary’s overall value.
Menn’s Biblical Eschatology is a valuable overview of eschatology and its most important facets. Menn shows that despite a plethora of scholarly attention throughout church history, eschatology remains a captivating and unsettled area of study.
