Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on July 6, 2008
Theses and academic articles
Niels David Theodor Hellholm (b. 1941) is a Swede. Since 1984 Hellholm has served at Norwegian universities (see more in Norwegian here).
In his important contribution to the development of the problem of apocalyptic genre, Professor, dr.theol. David Hellholm, the author of, .e.g., Das Visionenbuch des Hermas als Apokalypse, analysed the Book of Revelation (see David Hellholm’s works). In another very technical article, Hellholm has analysed the prologue of Revelation (see David Hellholm, The Visions He Saw).
See also:
- “Apokalypse. I. Form und Gattung.” Pp. 585-8 in Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. 4th ed. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1998.
- “Apokalyptik. I. Begriffsdefinition als religionsgeschichtliches Problem.” Pp. 590-1 in Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. 4th ed. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1998.
- “Apokalyptiken som religionshistoriskt och litterärt fenomen.” [Apocalyptic as a religio-historical and literary phenomenon]. Nordisk Teologisk Tidsskrift 98 (1997): 131-42.
Dr.theol. Jarl Henning Ulrichsen wrote his second thesis on Revelation: “Das eschatologische Zeitschema der Offenbarung des Johannes” in 1988, for which he was awarded the degree of dr.phil. by the University of Trondheim in 1988. He is currently professor at the University of Trondheim.
Related to this work:
- Ulrichsen, Jarl Henning. “Die sieben Häupter und die zehn Hörner: Zur Datierung der Offenbarung des Johannes.” Studia Theologia 39 (1985): 1-20.
- Ulrichsen, Jarl Henning. “Dyret i Åpenbaringen: En skisse til tidshistorisk forståelse av kapitlene 13 og 17” (The Beast in The Book of Revelation: Towards a Contemporary-Historcal Understanding of Chapters 13 and 17). Norsk Teologisk Tidsskrift 87 (1986): 167-77.
A significant part (pp. 354-509) of Aage Hauken’s doctoral thesis, “The Greek Vocabulary of the Roman Imperial Cult and the New Testament,” is devoted to Revelation. The thesis is available on-line in a pdf-file. It was submitted as a Dissertatio ad lauream [doctoral thesis] to the Pontificia Universitas S. Thomae de Urbe, [1986-1991]. Aage Hauken’s 278 page book, Roma og de første kristne: En bok om dyrets tall [Rome and the First Christians: A Book on the Number of the Beast] (Oslo: St. Olav forlag, 1998), may be seen as a popularisation of some aspects of his doctoral thesis, according to Hauken. Hauken argues that the contemporary-historical situation is the key to Revelation, namely the Domitianic imperial cult in Ephesus.
Professor Peder Borgen, well-known on account of especially his Philo research, has written at least two articles on the imperial cult and persecution with relevance for Revelation:
- “Emperor Worship and Persecution in Philo’s In Flaccum and De legatione ad Gaium and the Revelation of John.” Pages 493-509 in Frühes Christentum. Edited by Hubert Cancik, Hermann Lichtenberger, and Peter Schäfer. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), 1996.
- “Moses, Jesus, and the Roman Emperor: Observations in Philo’s Writings and the Revelation of John.” Novum Testamentum 38 (1996): 145-59.
Sverre Bøe, assoc. professor at Fjellhaug Skoler, is the author of the thesis Gog and Magog (cf. Bruken).
Sigve Tonstad is the author of a doctoral thesis submitted to St. Andrews University, Scotland: Saving God’s Reputation: The Theologial Function of Pistis Iesou in the Cosmic Narratives of Revelation. Library of New Testament Studies, 337. London; New York: T & T Clark, 2006. [More to follow later]
Johan Lyder Brun, professor of the New Testament at the University of Oslo 1897-1940, argued that Revelation 13 and 17 must be interpreted contemporary-historically, in “Die Römischen Kaiser in Der Apokalypse.” Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 26 (1927): 128-51. A short biography is here.
Martin Synnes, former assoc. Professor at The Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology, made important contributions to the study of the Book of Revelation (cf. “Synnes, Tusenårsrike” and further below). He argues that the resurrection of the martyrs in Rev 20:4-6 primarily functions as a rehabilitation. Olav Hovdelien surveyed the millennial problem as well in his M.Theol.-thesis, Martyrenes belønning. Perhaps one should also mention: Jon Olav Ryen. “Herold og tolk: Englenes funksjon i Johannes’ Åpenbaring.” Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke 68 (1997): 25-35.
Major scholarly commentaries
I have found no major scholarly commentary on Revelation originally written in Norwegian. A major commentary by C. H. A. Burger (Karl Heinrich August von Burger) was translated from German and published in 1889. The original Die Offenbarung St. Johannis is 347 pages long.
Other commentaries
A 85 page commentary by J. H. H. Brochmann, providing an a-historical interpretation, was issued in 1917 by the Publishing Company of the Norwegian Luther Foundation (Lutherstiftelsens Forlag).
Apparently no commentary was written in Norwegian between 1917 and 1960 when professor Olaf Moe published his 275 page commentary: Bibelens siste bok [The Last Book of the Bible]. Unlike the Swedish translation that was reprinted twice, it was apparently only printed once.
No commentaries being available for a long time, Lars Eritsland (b. 1913), a lecturer at the Bible School of the Inner Mission Society in Oslo, Norway, was persuaded to write a new commentary. This 231 page volume came out in 1978. It has been reprinted at least twice (1979 and 1990). Eritsland’s commentary is premillennial, but otherwise quite traditional. Eritsland often quotes Madsen, Torm and Moe.
Finally, professor of philosophy Egil A. Wyller (b. 1925) has published a volume, featuring a translation, an introduction and some essays (1986). A second edition was included in the author’s henological series in 1997.
In 1996 Martin Synnes (see above) published a very useful commentary on Revelation 2–3 (cf. Synnes, Sju profetiske budskap).
Translations
Translations include professor Frederik Torm’s Danish Johannes’ Aabenbaring (1942) and dr. David Hedegård’s Uppenbarelsebokens budskap till nutiden (1944) as well as von Burger’s commentary mentioned above. “Katolsk sokneprestembete, Arendal” published an exposition of the prophecies of Daniel and the Book of Revelation (”Forklaring av Daniels profetier og Johannes’ åpenbaring”), written by the Dutch J. van den Burg, a dr.theol. This 162 page book came out in Norwegian in 1965 (repr. 1967).
Updated: July 9th, 2008
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on July 5, 2008
Hellholm, David. “The Visions He Saw or: To Encode the Future in Writing: An Analysis of the Prologue of John’s Apocalyptic Letter.” In Text and Logos: The Humanistic Interpretation of the New Testament. (Festschrift Hendrikus W. Boers.) Edited by Theodore W. Jennings, Jr. Scholars Press Homage Series, 14. Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press, 1990, 109-46.
More to follow later.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on February 2, 2008
Moe, Olaf. Bibelens siste bok: En utlegning av Johannes’ åpenbaring [The Last Book of the Bible: An Interpretation of the Revelation of John]. Oslo: Forlaget Land og kirke, 1960. 276 pp.
—: Johannes Uppenbarelse: Bibelns sista bok. Translated by Frithiof Dahlby. Stockholm: Diakonistyrelsens bokförlag, 1963 (reprinted by Verbum, 1968 & 1978). The Swedish translation is available as an audio book.
Olaf Moe (1876-1963) was a reader/associate professor at the University of Oslo (1906-1916) and from 1916 professor of NT at what is now The Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology in Oslo (Det teologiske Menighetsfakultetet). Some of Moe’s theological views were discussed when he was appointed as professor (see here).
Professor Moe was a specialist on Paul, but he also wrote extensively on the Johannine writings. In 1937, professor Moe published a 630 page commentary on the Gospel of John. His commentary on Revelation - the last but one of the many he wrote - was published in 1960, while his 115 page exposition of the Johannine letters was published in 1961. He lectured until the year after, although 86 years old.
According to Moe, his commentary was the first since J. H. H. Brochmann’s 85 page commentary from 1917. Frederik Torm’s popular commentary from 1941, however, was translated into Norwegian and published in 1942. One must also bear in mind that Norwegian theologians and pastors were able to read Danish and Swedish as well as German and probably English.
Professor Moe’s introduction discusses Revelation and prophecy/apocalyptic (pp. 9-23), interpretive principles (pp. 24-33) and the structure of Revelation (pp. 34-40). He also describes briefly the history of interpretation and various interpretive approaches (pp. 41-59). Questions about authorship (pp. 51-59), the recipients and the dating are considered as well (pp. 60-64). The last introductory chapter outlines the form and the content of Revelation (pp. 65-70).
Apart from the commentary proper, Moe gives a short retrospect of the book (pp. 273-275) and a list of commentaries (p. 276). He often refers to Peder Madsen and Holger Mosbech.
Although John’s use of the Old Testament is now a research field of its own, this area was not neglected earlier. Moe focuses very much on it throughout the commentary, and he spent some pages on the use of Daniel in the introduction (pp. 14-18). He also discusses the relations between Revelation and “the New Testament prophecy” (pp. 18-23).
Moe discusses how to understand the visions. He concludes that it is often a matter of opinion whether one should interpret Revelation “symbolically” or “realistically” (p. 26). As regards Israel, Moe is more favourable towards a “realistic” interpretation than was usually the case, especially among Lutheran interpreters (cf. pp. 28-31).
Although Moe is very cautious, he does prefer the premillennial position (pp. 30f; pp. 252f). Accordingly, he also rejects the recapitulationist theory and argues for the progressive or chronological point of view (p. 38-40). Moe prefers the eschatological approach, but emphasises that Revelation has a message for the interval between John’s time and the end time (pp. 48f). Thus he also interprets the references to Christ’s comings in Revelation 2-3 as “temporary” (ad loc.).
Moe argues that the author is the apostle John (p. 59), and he dates Revelation to the nineties (p. 64). As to the structure, Moe follows the proposal of Hadorn (p. 66).
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on August 26, 2007
Synnes, Martin. “Kommer det et tusenårsrike? Joh åp 20,4-6 som akilleshæl i bibeltolkningen” i Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke 73 (2002): 3-17.
I denne artikel argumenterer tidligere førsteamanuensis Martin Synnes for, at tolkningen af Åb 20,4-6 må basere sig på to præmisser. For det første Jesu genkomst i 19,11ff og for det andet den endelige sejr over de dæmoniske magter (20,7f).
Det ville derfor være mere korrekt at kalde 20,4-6 for “den første opstandelse - martyrernes rehabilitering”. Der er tale om en reel begyndelse på den nye verden (Åb 21f).
Synnes anfører følgeligt, at nogle nok vil mene, at tusindårsriget helt forsvinder i hans tolkning. Dette er berettiget, for så vidt Synnes argumenterer for, at millenniet tilhører den nye verden.
Synnes’ tolkning kan ikke karakteriseres som atemporal amillennialisme, eftersom han faktisk (ligesom Krodel) lader millenniet have en udstrækning. Men man kan heller ikke kalde tolkningen for præmillennialistisk.
Læs artiklen og vurdér selv!
Se also:
- Synnes, Martin. ““Den første oppstandelse”: Fortolkning til Johs. Åp. 20, 4-6 (Det messianske tusenårsriket)” (The First Resurrection: Interpretation of Rev 20:4-6 [the Messianic Millennium]). Pages 79-95 in For jøde først: Bibelens profetier om Israel og folkene. Edited by Ragnvald Ask. Oslo: Luther Forlag, 1977.
- Synnes, Martin. “Johannes Åpenbaring: Et profetisk-apokalyptisk skrift i Det nye Testamente.” In: Fremtiden i Guds hender. Edited by Collegium Judaicum. Oslo, 1978, pp. 156-204.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Synnes, Martin. Sju profetiske budskap til menighetene: en gjennomgåelse av sendebrevene i Johannes’ åpenbaring. Oslo: Verbum, 1996.
Denne bog på 145 sider er skrevet af tidligere førsteamanuensis i NT ved Det teologiske Menighetsfakultet i Oslo, Martin Synnes, som en indføring i kapitel 1-3 for især præster.
Den ydre anledning til Synnes’ bog er, at Åb 2-3 nu er blevet prædiketekster i Den norske Kirke. Jeg tror dog også, at Synnes’ mangeårige arbejde med Åb. har været en indre anledning. I al fald røber bogen et godt kendskab til både Åb og forskningen til denne.
Selv om jeg ikke deler synspunkt på alt, er det en fortolkning, som varmt må anbefales enhver. Der bruges græsk i bogen, men så vidt jeg kan se, kan bogen sagtens læses uden at man kan græsk. Se også min anmeldelse(r) i Ichthys 24 (1997): 95f og i Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke (1998).
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Synnes, M.: “Johannes Åpenbaring - et profetisk-apokalyptisk skrift i Det nye Testamente” i Fremtiden i Guds hender: En bok om jødisk og kristen apokalyptikk. Udg. af Collegium Judaicum. Oslo, 1978, pp. 156-204.
Posted by Georg S. Adamsen on
Wyller, Egil A. “’Johannes Åpenbaring’ og Platons ’Parmenides’—felles arkitektonikk?” i Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke 55 (1984): 161-169.
