Resources for the academic study of the Book of Revelation
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on August 27, 2007
Revelation Reviews (ISSN 1397-2936) was published in 1997-1998.
It was edited by cand.theol. Georg S. Adamsen (then at the Lutheran School of Theology in Aarhus) and dr. John W. Marshall (then at the Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto).
It was an e-journal featuring reviews of scholarly books and major articles on the Book of Revelation.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
This topic deals with works who treat the themes of persecutions and the imperial cult with or without reference to Revelation.
Although some scholars have uttered their disagreement, until recently few Revelation scholars have doubted that there were imperially initiated severe persecutions in Asia which was the primary reason for Revelation.
Now, however, several scholars have rejected or modified this traditional view, but no consensus has been reached, and the debate is likely to continue untill more research and synthetic interpretation has been carried out.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Ancient Asia Minor naturally attracts the attention of the student of Revelation, as it mentions seven cities. The topic Asia Minor deals with various aspects, including its history, archaeology, sociology and geography. The topic of persecutions and imperial cult have their own topics or categories.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Eschatology – the teaching on the Second coming of Christ, the temporary state of the dead (cf. Hill, Regnum caelorum), the resurrection of the dead, and the Last Judgment – plays a major role in the interpretation of Revelation, either positively as a specific and usually central topic or negatively in that it is denied that it plays a major role. There is no agreement, however, as to the precise role it plays.
In the chiliastic and premillennial interpretations the parousia is conceived of as the event which initiated the millennium. Consequently, a considerable time span passes between the parousia and the Last Judgment.
In the church-historical or amillennial (e.g., Luther) and the postmillennial interpretation the parousia closes the millennial period. While it was Luther’s firm conviction that the parousia was imminent, among other things because the Turks was attacking Christianity and because of the Papacy’s vehement opposition to the Gospel, modern postmillennial theologians believe that the pessimism of premilennialism is totally wrong. Instead, they are convinced that the millennium is a blissful period brought force by the Gospel and the Christians’ activities which will increasinly permeate society. It will be concluded by the parousia.
The various types of socalled contemporary-historical interpretations (’contemporary’ meaning contemporary with the original author and recipients) usually accept that at least some passages refer to the parousia. However, a number of scholars from the 19th and the end of the 20th Century argue that the coming of Christ to which Revelation refers is not the parousia, but rather a coming of Christ against Jerusalem in AD 70 (so Gentry, Fell).
The idealistic or existentialistic interpretation is also called “eschatological”, but in a sense which is quite different. Although it employs the same terms to a considerable degree (see, e.g., Lohmeyer’s commentary from 1926/1953), it is often difficult to determine whether the conceptual content has been been changed. This elusiveness is, in my view, not coincidental, but reflects either a certain uneasiness about a traditional Christian interpretation of eschatology (as expressed, e.g., in the Apostolic and Lutheran Creeds) or perhaps about a millennial interpretation.
However, some recent interpretive approaches do not fit easily into the aforementioned categories. Feminist interpretations may serve as an example.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
The topic Revelation and Ecclesiology deals with the theological discussions and definitions of the church, her organisation and her responsible leaders (pastor and/or bishops), and the vocabulary and concepts used.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
The interpretation of the ‘thousand-year’ text in Revelation 20:1-10 (more precisely in verses 2-7) has lead to a flood of literature on this topic. The various views exist in many different versions, and there is hardly two substantial works that agree on all aspects. This ‘thousand-year’ problem is part of the larger issue of eschatology.
A number of issues are involved. The first is whether Christ comes before (pre-) or after (post-) “the thousand years,” i.e. the millennium. Recently, however, a certain type of postmillennialism has been designated amillennialism (’without-millennium’), not because it rejects any “millennial reign,” but because it rejects the premillennial view. Postmillennialism is now reserved as a term for a specific type of postmillennialism.
As it is clear from the preceding explanation, another issue is how to understand the character of the reign. Premillennialism asserts that Christ will return invisibly and establish his reign either directly or indirectly. The conversion of the Jews play a major role for the adherents of premillennialism. Many believe that the invisible (first) return of Christ will be announced by a number of signs. Postmillennialism believes that the world will be increasinly influenced by Christian values, which will bring peace, righteousness and prosperity. Amillennialism argues that the millennial reign is the age of the church. It will be terminated by the (visible) return of Christ and the judgment of the world. Until the very second coming of Christ believers and unbelievers will live together on the earth.
Amillennialism is the view that the “thousand-year” period is a symbol for the age of the church and that Christ has bound Satan. It might, perhaps, be more precisely termed realised millennialism. The term is relatively recent (cf. “Van Deventer, Amillennial History“).
Atemporal amillennialism is the view that the ‘thousand-year’ period is hardly any period, but a symbolic term describing the period between the beginning and the end of the judgment, a period which does not really have any length.
Premillennialism, which is also called chiliasm or millennarianism, teaches that Christ will come at the beginning of the thousand-year period which lasts until the last judgment. There are a number of subdivisions. Dispensational Premillennialism, which was unknown until the 19th century, seems to be far more popular than historic premillenialism.
Postmillennialism teaches that the thousand-year period is still future (as do the premillennialists), but that Christ will come at the end of this period that is often viewed in very positive terms. Earlier, the term was used with reference to what is now called amillennialism.
For an overview, see Bock (ed.), Three Views on the Millennium.
The following works provide general introductions to the problem of interpreting Revelation: Clouse, Four Views; Erickson, Contemporary Options.
See also “The ‘End Times”, a booklet that presents the topic from a Lutheran perspective of doctrine.
Updated: July 20th, 2008
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Revelation uses many Christological titles, such as ‘Christ’ and ‘one like a son of man’. Revelation also describes Christ in a number of ways that scholars have tried to isolate, describe and determine the background of.
My own position is that the titles and imagery employed have their origins in the OT and in the historical person of Jesus Christ. Revelation uses the various sets of titles and imageries, not because it is a patchwork composed from different sources, but because Christ is the fulfilment of all the OT promises.
