Book of Revelation

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The Book of the Revelation of John, usually referred to simply as Revelation or the Book of Revelation, is the last book of the New Testament. It is also called the Apocalypse of John. Apocalypse, from the Greek, is a synonym for "Revelation", but also from it comes the name for the type of literature; an "apocalypse" is a work of apocalyptic literature. John's is the only book in the Canon that is wholly composed of apocalyptic literature.[1]

Revelation is a cryptic document which has been interpreted in many ways. Most of the interpretations fall into one or more of the following categories: the Historicist, which sees in Revelation a broad view of history; the Preterist, in which Revelation mostly refers to the events of the apostolic era (first century); the Futurist, which believes that Revelation describes future events; and the Idealist, or Symbolic, which holds that Revelation is purely symbolic, an allegory of the spiritual path and the ongoing struggle between good and evil. These approaches are by no means mutually exclusive, and can be (and usually are) used in combination with each other.

Composition

Revelation has been included in the canon of the New Testament since the earliest times. Nevertheless, due to its cryptic nature, it has always been a subject of debate. The fourth century church historian, Eusebius, placed it in a list of questionable New Testament documents, and more recently, such luminaries as Martin Luther have questioned its usefulness. Nevertheless, it has not only endured, but captured the imagination of generations of Bible students, both professionals and laypeople alike. This section will discuss its history, authorship, and some of the controversies surrounding it.

The Title

The last document of the New Testament is commonly known today as the Book of Revelation, or simply, Revelation. The title found on some of the earliest manuscripts is "The Revelation of John" (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου), and the most common title found on later manuscripts is "The Revelation of the Theologian" (Ἀποκάλυψις τοῦ Θεολόγου.) From this latter noun comes the title in the Authorized King James Version, the Revelation of Saint John the Divine, divine being a seventeenth century word for theologian.[2]

The Greek word, ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis), sometimes rendered directly from the Greek as apocalypse, is usually translated in English as revelation, since the literal meaning of the Greek word is "the act of revealing or unveiling".[3] Some later manuscripts add Evangelist or Apostle to the title.[4] The opening words are: "The revelation (Ἀποκάλυψις) of Jesus Christ". The title, therefore, is also the first word of the book.

The Introduction

Revelation’s introduction and conclusion contain epistolary elements which are similar to those found in the letters of Paul.^{[cf. 1:4-8; 22:21]} Broadly speaking, the introduction takes up the whole of chapter 1, though within it, there is a briefer, less detailed introductory passage (verses 1-3) -- an introduction to the introduction, as it were -- in which both the source of the vision and the person who received it are identified: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants -- things which must shortly take place. And he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John.”^[1:1] Thus, in the opening sentence, we are informed that we are about to hear a message which was given: a) from God, b) to Jesus, c) to an angel, d) to John, e) to the servants of God. We also see that the document was intended to be read to the congregations: “Blessed is the one who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it.”^[1:3]

The second and larger part of the introduction (verses 4-20) begins by identifying the addressees: “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia"^[1:4] ("Asia" was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey). It describes in greater detail the circumstances in which the prophecy was received: “I, John, both your brother and companion in tribulation... was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”^[1:9] Adela Collins, a theologian at the University of Notre Dame, writes:

Early tradition says that John was banished to Patmos by the Roman authorities. This tradition is credible because banishment was a common punishment used during the Imperial period for a number of offenses. Among such offenses were the practices of magic and astrology. Prophecy was viewed by the Romans as belonging to the same category, whether Pagan, Jewish, or Christian. Prophecy with political implications, like that expressed by John in the book of Revelation, would have been perceived as a threat to Roman political power and order. Three of the islands in the Sporades were places where political offenders were banished (Pliny Natural History 4.69-70; Tacitus Annals 4.30).[5]

John's exile to Patmos, together with the phrase, "your brother and companion in tribulation," imply a time of persecution. This is further indicated by the mention of a martyrdom in Pergamos^[2:13] and other passages in the messages to the churches.^{[cf. 2:3; 2:9-10]}

The introduction also describes the one from whom the prophecy was received:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.^{[1:12-16 niv]}

This person identifies himself to John with these words: “I am he who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”^[1:18] After reassuring John that he need not be afraid, he gives John his commission: “Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.”^[1:19] These words identify the three components of the book:

a) The "things which you have seen": John's vision of Christ in chapter 1. b) The "things which are": the messages to the churches in chapters 2 and 3. c) The "things which will take place after this": the predictions for the future in chapters 4 to 22.

Authorship

Main article: Authorship of the Johannine works

The Angel Appears to John. The book of Revelation. 13th century manuscript. British Library, London.

Traditional view

The author of Revelation identifies himself several times as "John".[6] The author also states that he was on Patmos when he received his first vision.[7] As a result, the author of Revelation is referred to as John of Patmos. John explicitly addresses Revelation to seven churches of Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.[8]

The traditional view holds that John the Apostle—considered to have written the Gospel and the epistles of John—was exiled on Patmos in the Aegean archipelago during the reign of Domitian, and there wrote Revelation. Those in favour of a single common author point to similarities between the Gospel and Revelation. For example, both works are soteriological and possess a high Christology, stressing Jesus' divine side as opposed to the human side stressed by the Synoptic Gospels. In the Gospel of John and in Revelation, Jesus is referred to as "the Word of God" (Ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ), although the context in Revelation is very different from John. The Word in Rev 19:13 is involved in judgement but in John 1:1, the image is used to speak of a role in creation and redemption.[9] Explanations of the differences between John's works by proponents of the single-author view include factoring in underlying motifs and purposes, authorial target audience, the author's collaboration with or utilization of different scribes and the advanced age of John the Apostle when he wrote Revelation.

A natural reading of the text would indicate that, while many of the elements in the book are clearly symbolic, John is writing literally as he sees the vision. An angel warns John that neither he nor others should alter the document, so as to maintain the textual integrity of the book. ^{[Rev 22:18-19]}[10]

Early views

A number of Church Fathers weighed in on the authorship of Revelation. Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) avows his belief in its apostolic origin. Irenaeus (c. 115-202) assumes it as a conceded point. At the end of the second century, it is accepted at Antioch by Theophilus (died c. 183), and in Africa by Tertullian (c. 160-220). At the beginning of the third century, it is adopted by Clement of Alexandria and by Origen of Alexandria, later by Methodius, Cyprian, and Lactantius. Dionysius of Alexandria (c. 200-265) rejected it upon doctrinal rather than critical grounds. Eusebius (ca. 263–339) was inclined to class the Apocalypse with the spurious books.[4] Jerome (347-420) relegated it to second class.[4] Most canons included it, but some, especially in the Eastern Church, rejected it. It is not included in the Peshitta (an early New Testament in Aramaic).[4]

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