The nine essays by biblical, systematic, and historical theologians in The Last Things: Biblical and Theological Perspectives on Eschatology, edited by Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jensen (Eerdmans, $16), seek to rehabilitate futurist eschatology on the basis of biblical eschatology, especially in its apocalyptic form. Wolfhart Pannenberg and the editors introduce the subject, stressing the challenges eschatology raises for the modem mind, while pointing to its essential relation to the gospel. Paul D. Hanson and Arland J. Hultgren discuss Old and New Testament apocalyptic themes, while David Novak compares Jewish and Christian views of history. There follow discussions of the ambiguous position of the Apocalypse in Eastern Orthodoxy (John A McGuckin), in Luther's views (Philip D. W. Krey), and in the light of modem science (George L. Murphy). Useful and clearly written, it is a good basis for rethinking the value of eschatological hope in the modem world.
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