The end of the millennium has brought us a number of fine commentaries on Revelation. One of the most noteworthy is surely that of David Aune. His study appears in both book form and on CD ROM in the WBC series. For the sheer wealth of information gathered into one place, this three-volume commentary should be an important part of any seminary library. These volumes represent in many ways the "state of the question" at this juncture in academic scholarship in the historical critical study of the Apocalypse of John. The form of Aune's work more typically emulates the classical commentaries of the early part of what is now the last century. Here the interpreter makes an attempt to present all relevant scholarly thought on a given idea, and not simply an overview with a unique twist on a consensus implied through literary conceit. This attempt at classical completeness, in our largely specialized age, makes for very detailed reading not easily penetrated by the casual reader. This commentary is not for a pastor up late Saturday night with a homily or sermon due in the morning. Aune's volumes are, however, a godsend for the graduate student who in a single place can find the relevant discussion of most every significant issue of interpretation. The first volume contains an introduction that includes chapters on authorship, date, genre, literary structure, source criticism, text, syntax, and vocabulary. We then find that continuing into the next two volumes the commentary proper on the text of the Apocalypse. [Full Review]