Francis j. MALONEY, SDB.  Reading Revelation at Easter Time.  Collegeville MN, Liturgical Press, 2020. pp 197. $24.95 pb. ISBN#9780814685297.  Reviewed by John J. SLOVIKOVSKI, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

The Book of Revelation has been problematic on so many levels since the beginning of Christianity.  On one hand Christians of a more evangelical persuasion have understood it a work of prognostication, giving literal details of the end times.  On the other hand, most scholars view the text in the category of apocalyptic, that is a symbolic work that is to provide encouragement and comfort to suffering Christians undergoing persecution, with the end result being reward for the righteous and punishment for the wicked in the transition from time to eternity.  Maloney has gone a step further noting that Revelation more appropriately an Easter book, presenting its theme of the death and resurrection of Christ as an event that determines the whole of time.  His venue is that of the praying of the Office of Readings during the Easter which is part of the prayer of the universal Church, the Liturgy of the Hours.

In the introduction of the book, Maloney outlines the normative questions of exegesis, that is, date, place, author, background and literary structure.  At the end of the introduction, Maloney makes his most radical claim that the Book of Revelation is an ambiguous text that offers Christians an opportunity to accept the saving effect of the paschal mystery and the allure of the first century Roman world and all of its decadence.  Surprisingly, Maloney disregards the traditional setting of Christian suffering under the rule of the Emperor Domition as well as the widely accepted notion of the cause of their suffering that is rooted in emperor worship.  He does accept a theology of “resistance” to the culture in which Christians live, but without reference the specific situation of active persecution.

After the introduction, Maloney carefully crafts a commentary for each of the readings from the Office of Readings that occur from the second through the fifth week of Easter.  With precision acumen and vigor, he ties each reading to the Christ event, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Maloney has transformed an appreciation of Revelation from an accounting of apocalyptic dreadfulness to a portrait of salvation that is rooted in the Easter mysteries.

If one were to take pause at any portion of the book it is the distancing of Revelation from specific historical references to the period in which Christians suffered under Domition.  One would think that accounting for these references would serve to enhance the veracity of Maloney’s insistence on Revelation’s ultimate concern, awareness that Christians enjoy a “life given by God” by virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ which empowers them to resist worldly temptation within the contest of the Roman Empire.

Ultimately, Reading Revelation at Easter Time is a treasure for those who pray the Liturgy of the Hours faithfully either by promise or by choice, especially during the fifty days of Easter.  Not only is Revelation a corrective for those who are confused by the apocalyptic nature of the text and read its eschatology literally, missing the centrality of the paschal mystery but also an opportunity to reflect on their baptismal commitment of dying and rising with Christ.  For those who desire to enter more deeply into the mystery of the power of the death and Resurrection of Jesus as the vehicle to salvation, this book is a helpful guide to scholars, priests, and the lay faithful.  It is a gift to the Church for those who find themselves caught between Church and world.  It is not only a resource but also an opportunity to delve more intimately in the Christ event during the most solemn fifty days of the liturgical year.