New Book

I just ordered my copy of A Consequence of Legitimacy by Kevin Rhodes. I'm very excited about its publication because, as far as I know, it is the only work of its kind.

A Consequence of Legitimacy takes a scholarly look at the reign of Emperor Domitian at the close of the first century. Students of the Bible, and especially of the book of Revelation, have long been in the shadows about Domitian and his relationship with the Christians. Those who believe Revelation was written before the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 write off the reign of Domitian, saying history is silent on the subject. Those who date the book later in the first century (A.D. 95-96) believe that Domitian was a vicious ruler whose persecution serves as a backdrop for John's Apocalypse. So far, the only sources for this debate have been commentaries. These volumes, regardless of their position, approach the dating of Revelation with two basic flaws. First, their arguments are exclusively internal. The second problem is related to the first. The commentaries are written by Bible scholars, not historians. This is why their arguments are strictly internal. The internal arguments are important, but we need external, historical evidence too. Kevin's work is different because, in addition to his being a preacher, he is also a historian who has studied to the Master's level.

I was privileged to get a look at A Consequence of Legitimacy before it was published, and was both enthused and relieved to find firm historical evidence on which to base my studies of Revelation. Kevin has done us a great service by laboring to finish this book.

Copies of A Consequence of Legitimacy are available in paperback and hardback from Xlibris. Since Xlibris prints their books upon order, it takes about a month to receive your copy. For this reason, it's going to be awhile before I'm able to give Kevin's book a proper review, but I plan to do so as soon as I can.