Commentary on Revelation

At the heart of Revelation stands the Lamb who was slain and lives. Around Him, heaven worships; before Him, the Church is called to repentance, courage and faithfulness. For the thirteenth-century Coptic bishop Būlus al-Būshī, John’s visions speak directly to the life of every Christian.

Writing in Arabic, Būlus joins theological explanation to the warmth of a pastor. He reads the letters to the seven churches as a summons to overcome sin and recover love. The heavenly throne, the seals, the conflict with evil and the renewed creation become occasions to reflect on Christ’s divinity and incarnation, the prayer of the Church, the resurrection and the hope of eternal life.

This complete English edition presents all twenty-two chapters of his commentary, the concluding interpretation and the transmitted colophon. A separate appendix contains an excerpt of his interpretation of Hebrews. Biblical passages are translated directly from the Arabic alongside the commentary, preserving the readings on which his explanations depend.

An original introduction, explanatory footnotes, a glossary and a selected bibliography help readers enter this world of Coptic Christian interpretation. Here is a teacher attentive to the words of Scripture, a bishop concerned for the unity of the faithful and a Christian confident in the promise of life with Christ.

Generative artificial intelligence assisted the preparation of this accessible English edition. It translates the published Arabic text prepared from the manuscript tradition rather than presenting a new collation of the surviving manuscripts. It does not replace the primary text, printed edition or manuscripts. Scholars should verify quotations, textual readings and academic conclusions against those sources.