Kalms, Jürgen U. Der Sturz des Gottesfeindes: Traditionsgeschichtliche Studien zu Apokalypse 12. Wissenschaftliche Monographien zum Alten und Neuen Testament, 93. Neukirchen-Vluyen: Neukirchener Verlag, 2001. xii + 300 pp.
This volume is a slightly revised and abbreviated edition of the author’s doctoral thesis, accepted by the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster in 2000, the late professor Jens-Wilhelm Taeger being the first reader (and supervisor?).
Chapter 1 is an exegetical analysis of Revelation 12: its place in the composition of Revelation; exegesis with a special emphasis on the dragon’s threat to the heavenly woman and her child; interpretive models; a traditio-historical survey of the woman and child-motif (pp. 11-132).
Chapter 2 is a religio- and traditio-historical analysis of the dragon-motif: the dragon and its designations, the fall of the enemy of God in Isaiah 14; the tradition of the fall of the enemy of God, including rabbinical traditions; the use of Isaiah 14 motifs in the parallel texts examined (pp. 133-206).
Chapter 3 and 4 set out the-fall-of-the-enemy-of-God motif in Luke 10:18 (in its context in Luke 10:17-20) and in John 12:31f (in its context in John 12:27-33) (pp. 207-234 and pp. 235-273).
This volume concludes with a 6 page summary and a 20 page bibliography, but, unfortunately, no indices at all.
It goes without saying that a recent volume on Revelation 12 is a welcome contribution.