Category:Revelation of John (text)

Frontispiece of the Book of Revelation in the St. Paul Bible, 9th cent.

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The Revelation of John (aka Apocalypse of John, or Book of Revelation) (see Online Text) is a New Testament document.

See Seven Churches

Overview

The book of Revelation is an early Christian apocalyptic text. The author John of Patmos has been often identified with the apostle John and/or the Beloved Disciple of the Gospel of John, but must be regarded as an independent author. Early Church tradition dates the book to the end of the emperor Domitian (reigned 81-96 CE). The reference to Patmos and the Seven Churches points to Asia Minor as the place of composition of the text.

Revelation depends on some elements of the theology of the Gospel of John, yet developed them according to a different trajectory. The book was also very much influenced by the theology of Paul.

The secret knowledge received by John is not meant to remain "hidden" but is to be shared with all members of the community as the end is imminent: "3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near" (Rev 1:3). " "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." 12 "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." (Rev 22:10-13).

At the center of Revelation is the good news of the salvation by Jesus from the power of evil:

(Revelation 12) A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. 3 Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred sixty days. 7 And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. 12 Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

Because of his cryptic language, Revelation remained a controversial text in Christianity. Doubts about its "authority" delayed its acceptance within the Christian canon until the beginning of the 5th century.

Content

Divisions in the book are marked by the repetition of key phrases and numbers.

Introduction (chs.1-3)
- The document is written in the form of a letter and is dedicated, in a language that echoes Paul, "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen". The revelation of Jesus Christ is given to John of Patmos by "one like a Son of Man". Unlike Daniel, the "Son of Man" has here divine attributes; see Son of Man.
- Messages for seven churches of Asia (chs. 2-3); see Seven Churches.

The vision of the Throne of God (chs. 4-5)
- John is carried in spirit into heaven, where he has a vision of the Throne of God, surrounded by angels in the heavenly temple. When a scroll, with seven seals, is presented to the "Lamb", the creatures of heaven fell down before the Lamb to give him praise, joined by myriads of angels and the creatures of the earth. The Lamb is the revealer: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; 10 you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth."

The meaning of History (past-present-future) is revealed (chs. 6-16). At the center of History is God: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (1:8).
- Seven Seals are opened.
- Seven Trumpets are sounded.
- Seven Spiritual Figures appear (the Woman, the Dragon, the Child, the Seven-Headed Beast, the Beast of the Sea, the Beast from the Earth, the Lamb)
- Seven Bowls are poured onto Earth.

Eschatological events (ch. 17:1-22:5)
- The fall of Babylon the Great (=Rome).
- The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. the eschatological banquet.
- The Judgment of the Beast. Evil is finally destroyed.
- The New Heaven and Earth, and the New Jerusalem. There is no more suffering or death. (21:1–8). The righteous among the Jews and the Gentiles join the kingdom.