Liberal Christianity

Lesson 7: Prophecy and The End Times

Prophecies of the Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation has, among other things, brought fame and wealth to many writers and created a sub-industry within Christian publishing.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Link: Wikipedia

“It is definitely one of the most controversial, and hardest to understand, books of the Bible, with many ranging interpretations of the meanings of the various names and events in the account. The identity of the author John is not completely clear.

A traditional view is that the author of this book was John the Apostle, but other scholars doubt that. The traditional Christian view is that this John was the same as the author of the Gospel of John and 1, 2, and 3 John.

In the fourth century, St. John Chrysostom and other bishops argued against including this book in the New Testament canon, chiefly because of the difficulties of interpreting it and the danger for abuse. Christians in Syria also rejected it for a time because of the Montanists' heavy reliance on it.

In the 9th century it was included, with the “Apocalypse of Peter” among "disputed" books in the “Stichometry of Nicephorus”, patriarch of Constantinople. In the end, it was included in the accepted canon, although it remains the only book of the New Testament that is not read within the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Traditionally the date of the writing of this book has generally been fixed at A.D. 96, in the reign of Domitian. Others 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 (died 185 A.D.), 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." Other evidence for the later date is internal: the book alludes to significant persecution, affecting the Christians of Asia Minor.

This is a better historical fit for Domitian's reign than Nero's; Nero's persecution was mostly confined to the territories around Rome, while Domitian's persecution was indeed vigorously carried out in Asia Minor. “

Exercises:

1. According to Wikipedia, “the traditional Christian view is that this John was the same as the author of the Gospel of John and 1, 2, and 3 John. In the fourth century, St. John Chrysostom and other bishops argued against including this book in the New Testament canon, chiefly because of the difficulties of interpreting it and the danger for abuse.”

a. What sort of potential abuse concerned those early Church Fathers?

b. Who were the Montanists?

2. Whether The Book of Revelation was written in A.D. 96, A.D. 68 or A.D. 69, in chapter 22:18-19 – the 3rd to last verse in the Book of Revelation AND the Bible as well says the following:

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

a. Since other New Testament writings including those attributed to Paul were written well after A.D. 96, could we not challenge a literalist belief in the Bible by insisting that everything written after Revelation needs to be rejected? Explain your answer.

3. Controversial writers Barbara Thiering who wrote “Jesus the Man” and an English Genealogist, Laurence Gardner have suggested that the Book of Revelation describes an Essene religious ceremony not unlike, for example, a Masonic Right. In their descriptions, many proper nouns are code words for Essene Leaders and common nouns like “cloud”, “spirit” and “angels” refer to specific participants acting in the ritual.

Although I have not seen any prominent “liberal” position in terms of this speculation, I did find it interesting to temporarily suspend my existing assumptions and try to read Revelation in that light.

As a description of a secret ceremony of an ancient Jewish cult, the reading was challenging in that I could not attach new “meanings” and identifications via all nouns and pronouns. Nevertheless I found it an interesting experiment as an attempt to “see” Revelation from a different perspective.

a. After some Internet research on Laurence Gardner and Barbara Theiring, read the first six chapters of Revelation (particularly Chapter 4) as I did and write up your conclusions. If you cannot take the Book of Revelation literally, and if the Gardner-Theiring proposition makes no sense, write up your own ideas as to why Revelation was written and placed at the end of the New Testament.

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