Historical Context
Understanding Revelation
The Book of Revelation is perhaps one of the most incredible and difficult books to interpret of the Bible. For centuries interpreters have been puzzled about how to explain the many similar and often repetitive passages that exist throughout the book. The book itself can be categorized in three different types of literature which are, apocalyptic, a letter, and prophetic (May 2153-54). The author of Revelation goes by the name of John however it is inconclusive if he is actually the apostle John (May 2153-54). Many ancient authorities believed that they were the same person however their writing styles are very different which would point to them being different people. Throughout the book he refers to the apostles as figures of the past and does not consider himself to be one of them (May 2153-2154).
Looking back at the historical context of when the Book of Revelation was actually written it was believed to be around 70 C.E., which is roughly forty years after the death of Jesus Christ. This historical context is very important if we take a closer look into the actual writings of the Book of Revelation. The Roman Empire had a vast control over the region currently known as Asia Minor, which the region in between the Black, Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas. Roman rule played a huge part in how the author of the Book of Revelation saw himself and also others in relation to Christ and the coming of days. The Romans were very harsh in their treatment to early Christians. The Roman Empire had a large polytheistic religious tradition and the conquered people they ruled over had to abide by their religious traditions, like worshiping their gods or the Emperor himself. They were persecuted in Asia Minor by Roman officials for not adhering to their traditions and were harshly punished. According to Shirley Case in her The Book of Revelation I., “The cause of the persecution was the Christians’ refusal to take part in the worship of the emperor which was being enforced at this time in the cities of Asia Minor.” (Case 194) The author John also references “a beast” multiple times. Based on the historical reference of when it is believed to have been written, it is thought that the beast is a reference to the Roman officials, priests and even the Emperor because they have been the ones who have persecuting the Christians throughout Asia Minor. Case references this in The Book of Revelation I. when she states, “the author condemns the blasphemy of the ruler- the ‘beast’ as he is called- for demanding worship of his subjects.” (Case 194) She later goes on to state, “the zeal of the priest- another ‘beast’…” (Case 194) According to Case, there is a clear influence of the Roman leaders unfair treatment and persecution of the Christian people within the book of Revelation and that it might have something to do with the author predicting the end of the world, or maybe the world the author knew, The Roman Empire.
Throughout the Book of Revelation there are many allusions to the Old Testament. Revelation 7 specifically focuses on Jocab's Descendant's and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In this chapter the author sees all the chosen people in heaven. He says “And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel” (Rev 7:4). Each of Jacob’s Twelve son’s had tribes of 12,000 people equaling a total of 144,000. This information shows that the author was well versed in the Old Testament and still felt that the Old Covenant was important. Revelation 7 shows that even at the end of times God’s original covenant with Abraham is still kept. This shows that John the author was well versed in both Old And New Testament Literature.
Sources:
- May, Herbert G., and Bruce Manning. Metzger. The Holy Bible: the new Oxford annotated Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973.
- Case, Shirley Jackson. "The Book of Revelation. I." The Biblical World 50, no. 3 (1917): 192-200. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3136409
- "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1887 (Oil on Canvas)". 2014. In Bridgeman Images: The Bridgeman Art Library, edited by Bridgeman Images. London: Bridgeman. https://providence.idm.oclc.org/login?