Authorial Intention and the Book of Revelation

Abstract

"It is a great honor to have one's work scrutinized by a scholar of Jon Paulien's standing, and I am most grateful for the opportunity to write a brief response.' I happily agree with many of his judgments and find his final a stirring vision for research. I believe he is correct in linking the discussion with the great epistemological debates of the past, notably between Hirsch and Derrida. I am in substantial agreement with his description of NT authors' discernment of the "word of God" for their own age rather than an archaic of what Isaiah or Ezekiel might have meant prior to the advent of Christ. And his insight that Beale and I are using the term "authorial intention" differently is helpful. In this response, I would like to be more pragmatic and ask whether "authorial intention" is really as helpful in interpreting the book of Revelation as is so often claimed"