REVELATION IN JEWISH CONTEXT
High Priestly Message to the Nations in Christ
IN THIS LECTURE: 1. Revelation Basic Facts 2. Letters Within The Letter
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 Roman authorities 1 st century believers were tempted to compromise. Some of them gave into this pressure and were in real spiritual danger. They 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. 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 audience then we should rethink our interpretation. Revelation was supposed to bring comfort to some 1 st century believers but also a stern warning of judgment to others. "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) Photo: Artemis of Ephesus
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 Letters Within The Letter
The word churches is misleading to many modern readers. Upon hearing the word church people think of something organized, structured and formal. In reality the churches of Revelation in John s day are no more then small group gatherings of a few families and friends that met in private homes for times of prayer fellowship and teaching. In the Hellenistic context such groups functioned as religious or ethnic associations, similar to a club or a trade guild that met on a regular basis.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia (Rev 1:4a) The Book of Revelation is not a book, but is in fact a letter addressed to historical congregations in the Roman province of Asia Minor situated in real space and time. These are real assemblies with real issues. By its own witness the books is an apocalyptic letter which contains prophecy (Rev. 1:3, 22:7).
This map shows how Revelation addresses the seven churches in the very sequence and order that a messenger from John, arriving first in Ephesus near the sea, would travel to each of the cities. Presumably he would travel along the main Roman roads in Asia. The average distance between each city was about thirty to 45 miles (74 kilometers).
The seven messages (letters) of Revelation provide seven different introductions to the rest of the book. John designed Revelation as an interactive book which is intended to be read from seven explicitly different perspectives. Yet the overall message makes sense across the board because of the broader shared situation of the assemblies. Although after Chapters 2 and 3 the book is not speaking directly to the situation of any particular congregation, it is specific to their common situation as Christ-following assemblies in the Roman Empire.
Imagery is powerful. The readers of Revelation in the great cities of the province of Asia were constantly confronted with powerful images of the Roman excellence and rightful domination of the world. The civic and religious architecture, iconography, statues, rituals and festivals all served as impressive visual displays of Roman imperial power and of the splendor of pagan worship.
The hearers of Revelation are presented with a different vision of the world. What does it look like from the heavens? This is the true reality! The visual power of the Letter of Revelation creates a purging effect, refurbishing the mind of early believers and supplying them with alternative visions of how the world really is and will be.
For example, in Chapter 17, John s readers share his vision of a woman. At first glance, she appears to be the goddess Roma in all her glory - a stunning personification of the civilization of Rome. (She was worshipped as such in many temples in the cities of Asia Minor). But as John sees her, she is a Roman prostitute, a seductive whore and a scheming witch. Her wealth and splendor represent the profits of her disreputable trade. Photo: Vespasian s coin c. 71 CE with goddess Roma seated on 7 hills
A type of a contemporary allusion is the idea of invasion into the Roman Empire from the East (9:13 19; 16:12). John takes up a very real political fear in the first century CE, since the threat of attack from the Parthian (Persian) Empire was widely felt. When Revelation pictures the kings of the East invading the Empire in alliance with the beast who was and is not and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit (17:8), it is echoing a myth which pictured the emperor Nero remembered by many as a villainous tyrant, returning one day as the head of the Parthian hordes to conquer the Roman Empire and to overturn its current government.
The author of Revelation is John or י וח נ ן (yochanan) in Hebrew, but Which one? It is a common Jewish name. What we know for a fact is that his identity was known to the seven assemblies that the letter is addressed to. Plus the author must have been authoritative enough to be accepted as a reliable messenger from God. Moreover, the authorship of John the Apostle is an early and strongly attested tradition. Several 2 nd century leaders such as Melito, bishop of Sardis (c. 165 CE - Eusebius, H.E. 4.26.2) and Irenaeus of Smyrna (c. 180 CE - Adv. Haer. 3.11.1, 4.20.11, 4.35.2) mention it.
The assemblies these men led were among the original recipients of the letter of Revelation and they explicitly mention that the letter was from John the Apostle. The case for the Apostle John s authorship of Revelation is actually stronger than that of the Gospel of John. The most significant argument in favor of another possible author is that the Greek of Revelation is of significantly lower in quality than the Greek of the Gospel of John.
The better vs poorer Greek problem can be easily explained. John like others used the help of professional scribes for the composition of his Gospel (as did Paul among many others in antiquity). In Romans 16:22 we read: "I, Tertius, the one writing down this letter, greet you in the Lord. But on the Island of Patmos the scribes for hire may not have been available at all or they were not as good at their trades as were others.
"...Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne" (Rev 1:4b) In this greeting there is an allusion to Ex. 3:14. In the Judeo-Greek translation, the Septuagint, where God refers to himself as ὁ ὤν (ho on) he who is, the Greek is translated from the divine self- א ה י ה א ש ר description in Hebrew (echyeh asher echyeh) - I am א ה י ה who I am.
from the seven Spirits who are before His throne (Rev 1:4b) The number seven, in a wide variety of Jewish scriptural traditions, is the number of fullness, totality and completeness. Revelation is full of sets of the number seven, but just as in the case of the seven assemblies, this fact calls attention not to the number itself, but instead to the totality of that which is discussed. In this case we read about seven spirits who are before the throne of God. There are at least three interpretive options here. One has to do with the Holy Spirit and the other has to do with angelic beings.
"...Grace to you and peace, 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, the faithful witness (Rev 1:4b-5a) There is a popular sentiment that John s Revelation is a message from the Father, Son and Spirit. One can see all three here. It could be an early Jewish equivalent of a later articulated Christian Trinity concept. Only the order here is not traditional: Father, Spirit and Son. But the text does not say one Spirit (Holy Spirit), but instead - Seven Spirits.
Another conventional interpretation of this phrase in Rev 1:4 connects the seven spirits with the seven aspects of God s Spirit in Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2 NASB). In reality there are only six aspects listed, not seven, because the Spirit of the Lord will rest cannot be one of them.
Besides, each pair of attributes in Isaiah 11:2 is really one cohesive unit since they are connected with a conjunction. This will reduce six aspects to three. No matter which translation one uses for Isaiah 11:2, the connection between it and seven spirits in Revelation does not seem likely. A more likely explanation comes from noncanonical Jewish books such as 1 Enoch. Enoch is an apocalyptic text and has many references to the heavenly realm and the Jewish Son of Man traditions. In Enoch one repeatedly encounters God as the Lord of the Spirits.
Photo: Greek Papyrus Manuscript of the Book of Enoch There I beheld the Ancient of Days, whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was and why he accompanied the Ancient of days
Photo: Greek Papyrus Manuscript of the Book of Enoch He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness. (1 Enoch 46:1-2)
The seven spirits before the throne of God may be seen as seven key angelic figures. That would explain why God is called the Lord of Spirits. Angels are after all spirits who serve God and these seven angelic spirits, according to this Jewish apocalyptic tradition, serve before God. "For on the first day He created the heavens which are above and the earth and the waters and all the spirits which serve before him - the angels of the presence, and the angels of sanctification..." (Book of Jubilees 2:2-2 nd century BCE)
The writer of Hebrews also equates angels with spirits. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? (Heb 1:14) Here angels by God's throne are called λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα (leiturgika pnumata) "serving spirits" which is an equivalent of angels" (malachey hasharet) "ministering מ ל א כ י ה ש ר ת as they are called in Jewish tradition. In the LXX angels are called πνεύματα (pnumata) "spirits" or "winds/ breaths." For example, "He makes the his messengers spirits/winds (Ps. 103/104:4-5)
The seven key angels even have specific names in various Jewish sources: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Raquel, Remiel and Saraquel (listed in the book of Enoch). It is worth noting that the idea of seven chief angels first found in Jewish literature later appears in Eastern Orthodox Christian iconography.
So John and his contemporaries may have shared this understanding of seven spirits, or at least had a similar concept in mind. It appears that God, the seven key angels, and the Messiah, are commissioning John to write this letter.
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev 1:5-6) Jesus five-fold title is very clear 1) faithful witness, 2) first born from the dead, 3) ruler of the earthly kings, 4) the one who loves us and 5) the one who set us free.
After the titles, the opening of the letter says that Jesus Christ appointed us (presumably John and his community) to be the priestly kingdom, serving Jesus God ( his God ) and Father (1:6a). This is another concept hard to reconcile for Christians who can not conceive of faith without an already articulated fully Trinitarian theology. Jesus has His God. There is a shared glory here, but this multifaceted greatness of Jesus Christ eventually results in the glory and power of his God and his Father. This idea too may have a parallel in the book of Enoch.
And at that hour that Son of Man was named In the presence of the Lord of Spirits, And his name before the Head of Days He shall be a staff to the righteous whereon to stay themselves and not fall, And he shall be the light of the Gentiles, And the hope of those who are troubled of heart. All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, And will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits. And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, Before the creation of the world and for evermore. (Enoch 48:2-6)
The Enochian text shows that the praise and worship that the Son of Man receives from all those who dwell on the earth results ultimately in praise and worship of the Lord of Spirits (God Himself). Though the Book of Enoch was not really written by Enoch (Gen 5) it is a Jewish book that predates the New Testament by a couple of centuries. Photo: Greek Papyrus Manuscript of the Book of Enoch
As such the Book of Enoch serves as a good example of Jewish apocalyptic thinking. It may be hard to grasp how praising the Son of Man is in fact praising God. But this shared glory concept in Enoch is indeed very similar to the idea described in Rev 1:5-6 where Jesus is honored and he shares that glory with his Father. Photo: Greek Papyrus Manuscript of the Book of Enoch
Revelation is so multifaceted. There are several voices heard in the book. We hear from God, John, the Spirit, from Jesus Christ, from the Bride and others. Such a rich polyphony of heavenly sound demands careful and attentive listening in order clearly distinguish between these voices. There are no punctuation or quotation marks in Greek manuscripts. But voices speak in harmony as a choir and though their voices are different they speak in harmony.
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. (Rev 1:7) It is not clear whose voice we are hearing in Rev. 1:7. But whoever this voice belongs to, it would like us to be aware that the crucified Christ will return in power (with clouds). Even those who killed him will not be able to hold him back now. This includes both Jewish and Roman-affiliated forces of evil.
As John introduces the heavenly parties who commissioned him to deliver the message, he interrupts himself with two citations. One of them is in vs. 5b-6 and the next one is in vs. 7. He mentions two biblical prophecies Dan. 7:13-14 about the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven and Zech. 12:10 about Israel mourning over Messiah. Why is this unusual? Various Son of Man traditions based upon Daniel 7 were already known in Jewish apocalyptic tradition at the time. But John does something unexpected.
The fusion of these two concepts of Messiah (triumphant and tragic) is new to Jewish writings. While apostolic writings like Revelation operate within a preexisting set of Jewish concepts, their genius can be seen in the harmonious merging of previously separate Jewish concepts. For example, the blending of the Son of God (Ben Elohim) and the Son of Man (Ben Adam/Bar Enosh) traditions in John 5:25-28 into one. There are some even more unique features such as the permanent incarnation of the Word of God John 1:14.
The Talmudic sages of much later generations spoke in terms of two distinct Messiahs/Christs, the Son of David and the Son of Joseph. Our Rabbis taught, The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David (May he reveal himself speedily in our days!), Ask of me anything, and I will give it to thee, as it is said, I will tell of the decree etc. this day have I begotten thee, ask of me and I will give the nations for thy inheritance (Ps. 2:7-8)
But when he will see that the Messiah the son of Joseph is slain, he will say to Him, Lord of the Universe, I ask of Thee only the gift of life. As to life, He would answer him, Your father David has already prophesied this concerning you, as it is said, He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him, [even length of days for ever and ever - Ps 21:5]. (Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a) Photo: Rashi s Commentary on Babylonian Talmud
Another passage from the Talmud, which reveals the rabbinic understanding of the merit-based reward of the Messiah coming to redeem Israel, shows an alternative attempt to harmonize the triumphant, cloud riding Messiah with the tragic, meek and suffering servant, riding upon a donkey. It proposes that the prophecies describe two potential Messiah trajectories which will depend on the condition of the covenant people.
Photo: A Page from Babylonian Talmud...it is written, in its time [will the Messiah come], whilst it is also written, I [the Lord] will hasten it! (Is 60:22) if they are worthy, I will hasten it: if not, [he will come] at the due time it is written, And behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven (Dan 7:13) whilst [elsewhere] it is written, [behold, thy king cometh unto thee ] lowly, and riding upon an ass! (Zech 9:7)
Photo: Rashi s Commentary on Babylonian Talmud If they are meritorious, [he will come] with the clouds of heaven if not, lowly and riding upon an ass. King Shapur [I] said to Samuel, Ye maintain that the Messiah will come upon an ass: I will rather send him a white horse of mine. 37 He replied, Have you a hundred-hued steed? (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a)
Revelation fuses these two independent and hard to reconcile concepts of Messiah into one. The victorious Messiah and the suffering servant are the same. For John the Messiah already came, suffered, and is yet to return in victory to claim his full glory in the future. In the traditional view all nations of the world are mourning the piercing of the Christ. But this is Zechariah and speaking of the tribes he likely thought of the tribes of Israel. In Hebrew, the word earth or land א ר ץ (eretz) is a standard designation not for the entire planet (no one knew it was a planet yet), but a common shorthand for the Land of Israel.
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