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The New Testament Cover Image
The New Testament, 4/e
Stephen Harris, California State University - Sacramento
Continuing the Apocalyptic Hope: The Book of Revelation

Outline


I. Key topics/themes

  1. Revelation
    1. Expresses hope for imminent transformation of world
    2. Assures faithful of the completion of God's prearranged plan
  1. Other Hellenistic apocalyptic writings help place New Testament Book of Revelation in context

II. Introduction

  1. Revelation at end of New Testament as thematically appropriate
  2. Revelation's portrayal of Jesus determined by author's apocalyptic viewpoint

III. Revelation and the apocalyptic tradition

  1. The Apocalypse
  1. Meaning of the term apokalypsis
  2. Historical development of apocalypticism
  3. Jewish and Christian apocalypses
    1. Daniel
    2. Revelation
    3. Apocalyptic passages elsewhere in the New Testament
  1. Characteristics of apocalyptic writing
    1. Universality of scope
    2. Cosmic dualism
    3. Chronologic dualism
    4. Ethical dualism
    5. Predestination
    6. Exclusivism--the faithful to maintain distance from the world
    7. Limited theology--limited tolerance for different viewpoints
    8. Portrait of a violent God
    9. Eschatological preoccupations
    10. Use of symbols and code words
  1. Authorship and date
    1. Traditional view: John the apostle responsible for Gospel and letters of John; Book of Revelation
    2. Author actually calls himself "John" but does not claim apostolic authority
    3. Author writes in Semitic style of Greek
    4. Early church fathers: Revelation composed late in reign of Domitian (81-96 C.E.)
  1. The emperor cult
    1. Domitian worshiped as a god in various parts of Empire
    2. Emperor worship may have been strictly enforced in Asia
    3. Christians seen as different from Jews; subject to Roman suspicions and persecution
    4. By 112 C.E. Christians actively persecuted in Asia Minor
  1. Purpose and organization
    1. Author begins by addressing real-world experiences of his readers
    2. Takes readers on symbolic, visionary tour of spirit world
    3. Returns to real world at end of book to give readers advice and warnings
  1. Revelation's use of symbols
  1. John's prophetic style
    1. Revelation full of allusions to Hebrew Bible
    2. An image of the glorified Christ, inspired by vision in Daniel 7
  1. The Lamb and the Dragon
    1. Symbols of Christ and Satan, respectively
    2. Conflict resembles similar myths found in ancient Near Eastern religions
    3. Lamb's death and rebirth gives power to his persecuted followers

IV. Jesus' letters to the seven churches (2:1-3:22)

  1. All seven letters follow same pattern
  2. Refer to actual historical circumstances in those churches in first century
  3. Advice to churches exemplifies the radical exclusivism of the author

V. Visions in heaven (4:1-11:19)

  1. Breaking the seven seals
  1. Seals to a document containing God's preordained history
  2. Breaking of each seal releases a sign or event in God's plan
  3. The End portrayed as set of astronomical catastrophes
  4. The seven trumpets
    1. Each trumpet announces a plague or disaster from God
  1. Eating the scroll--derived from Exek. 2:8-3:3; symbolizes John internalizing God's foreordained plan
  2. Two witnesses prophesy for God, are killed, and then come back to life

VI. Signs in heaven (12:1-16:21)

  1. Preparation for Armageddon, the final conflict between Good and Evil
  2. The celestial woman, the Dragon, and the Beast from the sea
    1. Patterned after an ancient Near Eastern myth about a woman giving birth to a savior whom the Dragon wants to slay
    2. An allegory of Israel giving birth to the Messiah, whom Satan sees as his enemy
    3. Satan's expulsion from heaven limits his activities to human society
    4. A beast empowered by the Dragon
    5. The beast's "number": 666
  1. John's numerical symbols
  1. Symbolic use of numbers found throughout Jewish and Christian Scriptures
  2. The mystical number of the beast
    1. Letters used to represent numbers
    2. 666 a metaphor for a name
    3. Caesar Nero? Some other person?
    4. Referents for 666 sought in every age
  1. Methods of interpretation
    1. First method: Revelation referred to first-century events only
    2. Second method: Revelation's symbols as predictions concerning future events
    3. Third method: Revelation's symbols have applications that transcend any particular time or place

VII. Visions of the final triumph (21:1-22:5)

  1. The millennium
    1. Includes the temporary imprisonment of the Dragon
    2. Martyrs who resisted the beast will be resurrected
    3. Christ reigns on earth for a thousand years
  1. The lake of fire
    1. Symbolic of eternal punishment of the wicked
    2. Also called the second death
  1. The wedding of the Lamb and the Holy City
    1. Lamb represents the glorified Christ
    2. Holy City (New Jerusalem) represents God's redeemed people
    3. The redeemed will dwell with Christ in heaven forever

VIII. Other Hellenistic-Jewish and Christian apocalypses

  1. Introduction
    1. Review of other apocalyptic books helps us place Revelation in proper historical perspective
    2. Like Revelation, have been very influential in Christian thought
    3. Shift in emphasis over time from cosmic eschatology to personal eschatology
  1. 1 Enoch (Ethiopic Book of Enoch)
  1. A work composed over three centuries
  2. Combines concepts of cosmic and personal eschatology
  3. Attributed to Enoch, Hebrew Bible character who was transported alive into God's presence
  4. The Pseudepigrapha
    1. Large set of pseudonymous books
    2. Written in the names of past heroes of the faith
  1. Contents of 1 Enoch
    1. The Watchers (chs. 1-36)
    2. The Similitudes (Parables) of Enoch (chs. 37-71)
    3. The Astronomical Writings (chs. 72-82)
    4. The Dream Visions (chs. 83-90)
    5. The Epistle of Enoch (chs. 91-107)
  1. 2 Esdras (4 Ezra)
  1. Found in the Christian Apocrypha
  2. Composite work of both Jewish and Christian authors
  3. Ezra's theodicy
    1. Theodicy: attempt to understand God's justice
    2. Why did God use the evil Babylonians to punish God's people the Jews?
  1. The afterlife
    1. Offers detailed description of eschatological judgment in afterlife
    2. Contains oldest biblical statement about original sin
  1. Chs. 9-14: eschatological visions of the future
  2. Chs. 15-16: a Christian addition
  1. The Apocalypse of Peter and the shift from cosmic to personal eschatology
    1. Considered scriptural by some early Christians
    2. Contains version of Matthew's parable of the sheep and the goats
    3. A survey of horrible tortures suffered by the wicked in hell
    4. May reflect desire for justice as horrors of Roman persecution of Christians increased in second century

IX. Summary

  1. Revelation presents human history from God's perspective
    1. Emphasis on cosmic events and completion of God's purpose
    2. Clash between Good and Evil
  1. Other Christian apocalypses focus on personal eschatology








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