REVELATION IN JEWISH CONTEXT

REVELATION IN JEWISH CONTEXT

Rethinking The Alpha and Omega Analogies

IN THIS LECTURE: 1. Revelation: Basic Facts 2. The Alpha and Omega 3. The Lord s Day Vision

Revelation: Basic Facts

1. Revelation is a traditional Jewish Apocalypse. Like other books of the same genre it inspires insiders using symbols, heavenly visions and speaks in codes that only the informed audience would understand. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixtysix. (Rev 13:18) נ 50 ר 200 ו 6 נ 50 ק 100 ס 60 ר 200 666

2. Revelation is anti-roman. It enters into polemics and war with the gods of pagan Rome. 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus... I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns... 9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits..." (Rev. 17:6-9). Photo: Vespasian s coin c. 71 CE with goddess Roma seated on 7 hills

3. Revelation is a Real Letter. It is a public message to seven physical and historical assemblies in Asia Minor connected by the system of Roman roads (Rev. 1:4). To understand its contemporary message the book first must speak to them and issues of their day. "I know your tribulation and your poverty... Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life... He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death." (Rev 2:9-11).

4. Revelation is a call to Persevere. Experiencing persecution at the hands of the Roman authorities some were tempted to compromise. The 1 st century non-jewish followers of Jesus struggled to find their social and religious identity in the pagan environment. Roman values clashed with the embrace of Israel s God and exclusive loyalty to him had real consequences. you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith... But I have a few things against you... repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth." (Rev 2:13-16)

5. Revelation is about John s day. The author says his visions will happen very soon (Rev. 1:1, 22:6). We must take this declaration seriously. If our modern interpretation would make no sense to John s struggling and persecuted audience then we must rethink our interpretation. Revelation was supposed to bring real comfort and confidence to 1 st century believers. "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock..." (Rev 3:19-20)

6. Revelation is also about future. In Jewish thinking time is cyclical and prophetic fulfilments of the same promises may reoccur throughout history. They may be fulfilled multiple times on various levels throughout various ages until the end of all things comes to its close.... and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds and Hades gave up the dead which were in them... then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:12-14)

The Alpha and Omega

Revelation has a lot of interesting titles and special terms. One of them is Alpha and Omega - ΑΩ which are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. The Hebrew equivalent would be Tav. - Aleph and את I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Rev 1:8)

While the Book of Revelation was written down in Koine Judeo-Greek, it does not mean that the visions that were revealed to John were not in Hebrew the traditional language of the Israelite divine liturgy. This was just like the conversation with the Samaritan Israelite woman and the Judean Israelite Jesus in John 4. It did not take place in Greek, but in Hebrew, even though the Gospel of John itself was authored in Greek (Koine Judeo- Greek that is).

The point of this verse is crystal clear - God is the beginning and the end, and his name יהוה (YHWH) points to that. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Rev 1:8) It is customary to speak of Jesus as the Alpha and Omega. But as best one can tell, there is a distinction between images of glorified Jesus in Revelation and the Alpha and Omega in the text itself.

This is especially clear in Rev. 1:4-5 where both of them are the authors of the message that John is to write. "...from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ..." (Rev 1:4-5). In fact one we see three here one who was and is to come and also the seven spirits before the throne and than lastly - Jesus Christ. In Revelation Jesus and the Father are connected, but not one and the same.

The Alpha and Omega title appears 3 times in Revelation (Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:1-8, Rev. 22:6-15). In all three instances it cannot be immediately interpreted as Jesus. The way John writes it can stand either for Jesus or for God. Only the third passage (Rev. 22:6-15) can be connected to Jesus in context. The voice of the Alpha and Omega in the first person is followed by the words of Jesus which are also in the first person.

This verse leads most people to believe that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega - I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. (Rev. 22:16) It may be possible to harmonize the Alpha and Omega mentioned in Rev. 22:13 with Jesus as one can see here in Rev. 22:16. But the Alpha and Omega s identity as he who is and who was and who is to come in Rev. 1:4 clearly refers to יהוה (YHWH) not to Jesus.

The passage in Rev 1:4-5 explicitly mentions three parties who addressed letters to the seven assemblies. And there Jesus is separate from he who is and who was and who is to come who is also explicitly called the Alpha and Omega. So is it Jesus or the Father, or both? Revelation is a polyphony of voices that take the center stage one from another as the message unfolds in its fullness. Jesus is clearly distinct from the person in Rev. 1:4. So a linear correlation does not work here, but still, a Semitic parallel can be drawn.

The book of Revelation purposely paints a different, more complicated picture. Israel s God is Jesus God, who is the Alpha and Omega, yet one can notice that Jesus is so close to him that some times it become impossible to tell them apart. This harmony and distinction of Jesus from the Lord God Almighty can be best seen and understood against the backdrop of other Apocalyptic Son of Man traditions. In other Jewish writings the divinity of both the Son of Man and the Ancient of Days/Head of Days is harmonious, but not harmonized.

Reading 1 Enoch chapters 48 and 69 one discovers the same idea of two powerful beings in heaven. The same harmonious, but not harmonized relationship can be observed here in John s Revelation. This is one of many reason s why the Book of Revelation should be read and studied along with other Jewish apocalyptic books of that era.

The Lord s Day Vision

John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (Rev 1:4a) Once God Almighty spoke his very brief words, John identified himself as the next speaker. In a similar way to Rev. 22:6-15, the speaker switches between the Almighty God and Jesus as we see in the following verse (Rev. 22:16). Here John also identifies the historic circumstances during which he saw the vision and authored the letter.

While we would have liked to know the exact year John wrote the Revelation, he thought it sufficient to only write of his exile. His exile was on the island of Patmos, where the Roman government was known to send political prisoners. Scholars suppose that the timeframe of John s presence on Patmos is close to 95 CE during the reign of Emperor Domitian or close to 68-69 CE during the reign of Emperor Nero. This is when the persecutions of the Christ-followers were frequent and intense. However, this is by no means certain and the book could have been authored at any time.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, (Rev 1:10) There are three interpretive options to the timing of the message. First, the Lord s Day could be the Sabbath. It would make sense to speak of the Sabbath (Shabbat) as God s day. What works against this interpretation is that we never see this term used elsewhere to signify the Sabbath. In addition, it is not clear why this would be important for John to point out a particular day in the week order.

Second option is the traditional interpretation identifying the Lord s Day as the day of his Resurrection, the first day of the Israelite week, namely - Sunday. This theory suffers similar problems. The first day of the week is never referred to as the Lord s Day prior to this alleged instance in similar writings. If this reference is to Sunday, the first day, then it is not clear why John felt compelled to tell his readers/ hearers about it. How does it make any difference what day of the week it was?

A third option is far more likely. The Day of the Lord is the end times day of reckoning and judgment that the prophets often spoke about. The phrase the Day of the Lord or Lord s Day is used many times in the Hebrew Bible. Consider this example: Look, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD arrives. He will encourage fathers and their children to return to me, so that I will not come and strike the earth with judgment. (Malachi 4:5-6)

In this option John s reference to the Lord s Day notifies the reader that while he is writing from a particular historic location during a particular time in history, the perspective he seeks to communicate to his hearers is rooted in the eschatological reality of the future Day of the Lord. Just as in the case of the biblical prophets, John was able to speak to the present from the dual perspective of the past - the covenant and the future - the consummation of the covenant and restoration of all things.

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man (Rev 1:10-13a)

John saw his vision unfolding on the day of judgment. John was looking ahead, when suddenly he heard a voice speaking from behind him. He compared the voice to the sound of a trumpet. It is not easy to imagine what trumpet sound is meant here. Was it an Israelite shofar, a trumpet made of ram s horn? Was it some type of bronze trumpet also known in the Mediterranean region? It is not possible to know what sounds John actually heard. But the fact that he described it as a trumpet sound lets us know that the message John received was a call to prepare for action.

When John turned back to look in the direction of the voice speaking to him, he first saw the Temple menorah a seven-branched lamp that was once located in the Holy Place in the Temple in Jerusalem. The presence of the Temple menorah showed John s audience that his visionary experience took place, at least partially, in the vicinity of the heavenly temple/tabernacle. More precisely the vision was in a section called the Holy Place. We read about the existence of the heavenly temple in Hebrews 8:1-5.

we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things (Hebrews 8:1-5)

The idea of a heavenly temple first surfaced implicitly in the books of Moses. Moses ascended Mt. Horev and received instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle (mishkan), the tent of God s presence while Israel was in the wilderness. Moses was shown the temple in the heavenly realm (Ex 36:30) and his job was to somehow reflect in the earthy structure what he had seen in the heavenly realm. Ezekiel 40 also offers an elaborate vision of the heavenly temple that was yet future for the prophet.

The idea of a heavenly temple is also mentioned in the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, an apocalyptic Jewish work from the 2 nd century BCE, which is quoted in several of Paul s letters. And thereupon the angel opened to me the gates of heaven, and I saw the holy temple, and upon a throne of glory the Most High. And He said to me: Levi, I have given thee the blessings of the priesthood until I come and sojourn in the midst of Israel. (Testament of Levi 5:1-3)

The fact that the Son of Man walked among the seven heavenly lamps (the menorah), means that he (Jesus), as the heavenly high priest, was the source of this revelation. In various Jewish traditions, the figure of Metatron, who is if not identical, is very similar to the Son of Man, acts as the high priest of the heavenly temple. This temple is located in close proximity to the heavenly chariot at the base of God s throne. We read this description in 3 Enoch 15b (also known as Hebrew Enoch or Sefer Hekhalot):

Metatron (the name means one next to the throne ) is the Prince over all Princes, and stands before him who is exalted above all gods. He goes beneath the throne of glory, where he has a great heavenly tabernacle of light, and brings out the deafening fire, and puts it in the ears of the holy creatures, so that they should not hear the sound of the utterance that issues from the mouth of the Almighty. (3 Enoch 15b)

The writer of Hebrews expressed similar ideas to those found in the Qumran scrolls, namely that Melchizedek is the heavenly high priest (11Qmelch). 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness

and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. (Hebrews 7:1-3) It becomes clear that here in the Book of Revelation, the Jewish apocalyptic figure, who previously appeared in a variety of Jewish Son of Man and Metatron traditions, is in fact Jesus Christ he is the eternal heavenly high priest. This connection in Revelation is intentional and definite.

and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. (Rev 1:13) The description of the Son of Man s clothing is consistent with his priestly duties though different from the Aaronic priests. A robe reaching to the feet and a sash were both prescribed for priests in the Tabernacle Moses described (Ex.28).

Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). (Lev. 16:3-4) In Revelation 1:13 we read about a robe reaching to the feet and a sash, but we do not read about a white turban.

We do, however, read in vs. 14 that his head (and then separately his hair) is described in terms of white wool. There is some similarity to the high priest s attire for the Day of Atonement during which, unlike his daily clothing, the High Priest s clothing was all white. In a much later rabbinic discussion on the functions of priestly vestments we read some curious insights in the Babylonian Talmud, Zevachim 88b:

R. Inyani b. Sason also said: Why are the sections on sacrifices and the priestly vestments close together? To teach you: as sacrifices make atonement, so do the priestly vestments make atonement. The coat atones for bloodshed The breeches atoned for lewdness Photo: Babylonian Talmud, Seder Zeraim

The miter made atonement for arrogance. The girdle atoned for [impure] meditations of the heart The breastplate atoned for [neglect of] civil laws The ephod atoned for idolatry The robe atoned for slander the head plate atoned for brazenness (Babylonian Talmud, Zevachim 88b) Photo: Babylonian Talmud, Seder Zeraim

This reference from the Talmud cannot be taken as a direct background to Revelation since it was written much later. Yet this quote shows some general interpretive trajectories as almost all discussions in the Talmud. Many of such interpretations may be traceable to the first century Jewish culture and even to earlier times. So at least one thing is clear; the description of Jesus heavenly garments is intentional. The garments are in fact highly symbolic and show that Jesus is the heavenly priest, fully prepared and qualified to carry out his duties.

There is no reason to expect an exact correlation between the priestly vestments as described in Torah and those of Jesus. Jesus priesthood is decisively of a different order (the order of Melchizedek and not the order of Aaron). Still, relative correlation is evident and it shows the general idea of Jesus as the heavenly priest.

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