Netschaton Apocalyptic Elements Series |
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"Source Code" for Apocalyptic Discourse
The following document relates the Book of Revelation to the concept of Net Eschaton or Netschaton and discusses different of the stock elements of apocalyptic reasonings and calculations deriving from the Book of Revelation. Analysis of Book Setting: Patmos Island Under the Romans it was a place for exiles, the most noted of whom was Saint John the Apostle, author of the Fourth Gospel, who according to tradition was sent there about AD 95. 1 Author: John the Apostle John was one of the sons of Zebedee, a Galilean fisherman, and of Salome. John and his brother James were among the first disciples called by Jesus. The brothers James and John, and Simon Peter comprised Jesus' inner circle of disciples. James and John, called in Greek Boanerges or "sons of thunder," wanted to call down fire from Heaven upon the Samaritan towns who would not believe in Mark 9:38 and Luke 9:54. Their mother Salome was one of Jesus' disciples. She asked that her sons might sit at Jesus' left and right hands when he came into the Kingdom. John took Jesus mother in at Jesus' request. Later, the Romans exiled John to Patmos. According to Iranaeus and Polycrates (end 2nd century), John died at Ephesus. 2 John is believed to be "the disciple whom Jesus loved" referred to in the Gospel of John. This is the same person who leaned on Jesus' breast at the Pesach Seder called The Last Supper in Christian tradition. Other works attributed to John are I II & III John and, of course, the Gospel of John. Tertullian , the 2nd-century North African theologian, reports that John was plunged into boiling oil from which he miraculously escaped unscathed. During the 7th century, this scene was portrayed in the Lateran basilica and located in Rome by the Latin Gate; it is still annually commemorated on May 6. John's feast day otherwise is December 27. This belief that John did not die is based on an early tradition. In the original form of the apocryphal Acts of John (second half of the 2nd century) the Apostle dies; but in later traditions he is assumed to have ascended to heaven like Enoch and Elijah. A popular tradition known to Augustine declared that the earth over his grave heaved as if the Apostle were still breathing. 3 The Book of the Revelation of Jesus ChristKey Concepts: Glorified Christ; Bride; Marriage Supper of the Lamb; Blessing on who reads, curse on who adds or takes away from the words of the book; Mystery Babylon; Eschatology; Numerology and #'s 7, 4, 3, 10, 12 and their multiples; Astrology; Antichrist, 666, and the Mark of the Beast; Armageddon; Millennium; New Jerusalem; the Alpha and the Omega ( A and W )Revelation contains long sections characterized by Greek that is grammatically and stylistically crude, strangely Hebraized to give a unique, almost Oriental, colour. This may have been deliberate. Although Revelation is replete with Old Testament allusions, there are no direct quotations, and this may reflect the seer's conviction that the work is a direct revelation from God. 4 Although it's sometimes called the Revelation of John, the book is actually the Revelation of Jesus Christ as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The glorified Christ is the central figure of the book. 1st century church/synagogue controversy is evident in the letter to the Church at Smyrna (2:9) and Philadelphia (3:9). John, like other Hebrew-Christians, had by this time been officially booted from the synagogue as Christian heretics. This antimony between church and synagogue of the period is clearly evident in Jesus' words to the Churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia. 5 The book is a type of apocalyptic literature, which owes some of its imagery to OT books of Daniel and Ezekiel. It was written in time of great persecution, either by Roman Emperors Nero or Domitian. As such, some scholars believe Revelation is written in symbolic coded terms which excoriate the Roman persecution. Revelation-- in Greek, Áðïêáëõøéò (meaning "unveiling" or "revealing") -- poses a problem of interpretation: Different methods of interpretation include the preterist, historicist, futurist, and idealist. Additional relevant categories are the dispensationalist, literalist, and allegorical interpretive styles. Chilianism is a belief in a literal, thousand year Millennium. A preterist would interpret Revelation as referring to events in the past, such as the Neronian or Domitian persecutions. The historicist would interpret Revelation as referring to events that have been occurring in history since the book's writing. The futurist sees future events yet to be fulfilled. The idealist regards Revelation as referencing symbolically perennial conflicts in any age between good and evil. Dispensationalists are most likely to deploy historicist and futurist interpretive methods and to look for literal as opposed to allegorical fulfillments of prophecy. Like the other works of John, Revelation is highly dualist in its depiction of a cosmic battle between good and. evil. The exact date of its penning is of some dispute. The date of the writing of this book has generally been fixed at A.D. 96, in the reign of Domitian. There are some, however, who contend for an earlier date, A.D. 68 or 69, in the reign of Nero. Those who are in favour of the later date appeal to the testimony of the Christian father Irenaeus, who received information relative to this book from those who had seen John face to face. He says that the Apocalypse "was seen no long time ago." As to the relation between this book and the Gospel of John, it has been well observed that "the leading ideas of both are the same. The one gives us in a magnificent vision, the other in a great historic drama, the supreme conflict between good and evil and its issue. In both Jesus Christ is the central figure, whose victory through defeat is the issue of the conflict. In both the Jewish dispensation is the preparation for the gospel, and the warfare and triumph of the Christ is described in language saturated with the Old Testament. The difference of date will go a long way toward explaining the difference of style." (From Plummer's Gospel of St. John, Introduction) 6 Also of note in the book, and consistent with either of these two dates for authorship, are the descriptions of scenes of Christiam martyrdom understood in the original sense as "witness" or testimony. There are strong martyrological themes throughout Revelation, and it seems to stand on the borderline of the point at which the word witness (martys) became a technical term for a witness unto death, or martyr. 7 The book of Revelation is divided into two or three main parts: John on Patmos sees the Resurrected Jesus; Jesus gives the letters; John is called up with a trumpet blast to the Heavenly Throne Room and Temple (Beit HaMikdash ùã÷îä úéá), where most of the dramatic action takes place. Gematria (Hebrew Numerology)
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1 Quoted from Encyclopedia Britannica Online's article about the Apostle John http://www.eb.com. See also http://www.knight.org/advent/cathen/01594b.htm, the Catholic Encyclopedia's article about Apocalypse. |
2 Ibid. |
3 Ibid. |
4 From http://ccel.wheaton.edu/pager.cgi?file=e/easton/ebd/ebd/T0003100.html&from=T0003120&up=e/easton/ebd/ebd.html |
5 "Synagogue" is a term of
Greek origin (derived from synagein "to bring together or summon"). |
