On
a technical note, each class session will be accompanied by visual aids (slide
projections). At Trinity Episcopal Church, these will be projected using a digital projector. For the on-line sessions,
the same slide shows will be linked to the individual lessons. Periodically
in the text there will be a button like this one:
. If you left click on the button you will be taken to the pertinent
slide show for that lesson. You can look at the slide(s), and then use the "Back"
button on your browser to bring you back to this page. Try it now on the slide
show button above. Also a printable handout is avalable in pdf format that you can read with Adobe Acrobat Reader™.
1. What form of
literature is it?
Theories of Interpretation (see the book by Joseph Getty in the Bibliography) (See Slides 3 and 4
)
The preterist theory: The Book was of concern for the first century; has only literary interest for us today.
The continuous-historical theory: The first three chapters were directed to the early churches, with other events and predictions being fulfilled at various stages in the world's history.
The futurist theory: Concern not with the past, but with the future; a blueprint predicting the "last things." This is the opposite of the preterist theory.
The symbolic theory: Concern is for the universal church, and a symbolic picture of the continuous struggle between good and evil; the Church and the world.
There is probably truth in all four of these interpretations, and we will address all of them as we go through the book.
Prophecy
A forth telling about the present time in which the book
was written. (See Slide 5
) For example, “Thus says the Lord … If you do this, then I will
do that …” Prophecy was often written about the present as if it was
in the past. (See Slide 6
)
It is God’s perspective of the human situation (God’s view
of human history), and what God will do about it (i.e., intervene, make war
on evil power, etc.).
Revelation is about the Romans, but the language
is coded. Why? Because it would have been extraordinarily dangerous
to write a work for distribution in the Roman Empire
that said that the Emperor got his power from Satan. (See Slide 7
)
It uses symbolic language (See Slide
7
)
The zoo of beasties. About 2-300 years before Christ,
the Jews had begun to give up on the idea that Israel
would be restored. Centuries of occupation by Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians,
and Romans suggested to prophets that God might work in other ways. One
way was that God would destroy the wicked and repopulate it with the righteous
(remember Noah).
Uses apocalypse (‘seeing something previously hidden’).
(See Slide 8
) But beware of applying the symbols of other apocalyptic literature
to Revelation (e.g., Daniel), because symbols and their uses
changes over time.
What Revelation meant by its symbolic language
became lost. Why? Because when the Gentiles poured into the Christian
faith, those few Jewish Christians who understood the symbols and their
original meaning became so few in number that the symbolic language was
not taught widely enough. Symbolic meaning was lost to history. (See
Slide 9
)
2. Who was the
author, when did s/he write, and who was the intended audience?
Who (Slide 10
)
Some “John” was author (1:1, 4, 9). Original title was
revelation of St. John the Divine (divine = seer),
so John the Apostle may not be author.
Could have been John, one of John disciples, or someone
who used the apostle’s name to give credit to his/her vision.
Probably in Asia minor, near Ephesus
(site of John’s Gospel)
When (Slide 11
)
Probably at time of Emperor Domitian’s persecution of the
Christians (mid 90’s C.E.). But could have been the 60’s C.E. after Nero’s
death when there were multiple claimants to the throne.
(Slide 12
)
Intended Audience (See Slides 13 and 14
)
Persecuted people of the Asian churches. Book was intended
to be a comfort to them. John would not have used symbolic language that
was unfamiliar to them – just to the persecutors.
It was to be circulated and read. It says that what is
described will happen soon (see 1:1 and 1:3). In contrast, Daniel, from whom
many of the symbols were drawn by John, speaks to future events (Dan 8:26).
Thus, to understand the symbolism, we need to look at the
history of the second half of the 1st century CE
Four sections of the book have seven sections. But it is
a mistake to try to make the book into seven parts with seven sections (this
is pushing numerology too far).
John follows a temporal timeline, but for dramatic purposes,
he repeats events:
The two works that serves as the outline for this course are :
Chapman, Charles T., Jr. The Message of the Book of Revelation. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press. 1995. Rowland, Christopher C. "The Book of Revelation." The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. XII. Leander E. Keck, et al. (Eds). Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. 1998. pp.503-736.
Other references books include:
Bloomfield, Arthur E. The Key to Understanding Revelation. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2002.
Caird, G.B. The Revelation of St. John The Divine. New York, NY: Harper & Row Publishers, 1966.
Erdman, Charles R. The Revelation of John. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1936.
Erdoes, Richard. A.D. 1000, A World on the Brink of Collapse. Berkeleyy, CA: Seastone, 1998.
Gettys, Joseph M. How To STudt The Revelation. Richmond, VA: John Knox Press, 1946.
Gortner, J. Narver. Studies in Revelation. Springfield, MO: The Gospel Publishing House, 1948.
Henry, Carl F.H., (Ed.). revelation and the Bible: Contemporary Evangelical Thought. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1958.
Russell, D.S. The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1964.
Schmithals, Walter. The Apocalyptic Movement: Introduction and Interpretation. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, Inc., 1973.
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